How to Record a Bar Manager Video Job Ad

Bar managers run businesses, not just service. They're responsible for revenue, costs, team, concept, and execution—all while working the floor alongside their team. Finding someone who can manage a P&L, develop staff, handle compliance, create drinks menus, and charm customers at 1am on a Saturday is genuinely difficult. Your video job ad needs to communicate the full scope of what you're asking for, because the best candidates are already managing bars elsewhere and need compelling reasons to move.

Step 1: Open with the Opportunity

Experienced bar managers evaluate opportunities across multiple dimensions. Lead with what makes your role worth their attention.

Ownership and autonomy: How much is genuinely theirs to shape? Menu development—do they create the drinks program or execute someone else's? Supplier relationships—can they build direct partnerships? Team—do they hire, train, and fire their own staff? Marketing and events—what creative latitude exists?

A bar manager who wants to build something won't be excited by executing a corporate formula. Conversely, someone who wants systems and support won't thrive with "here are the keys, figure it out."

Business context: New opening or established operation? Strong trading or turnaround needed? Part of a group or independent? Each context attracts different candidates. A manager who loves building from scratch may not want to maintain someone else's success; a manager who wants stability may not want a troubled bar needing rescue.

The bar's position: Market positioning—cocktail destination, neighbourhood local, late-night venue, hotel bar? Revenue scale—are they managing a £500k operation or £2m? Competitor landscape—who are you competing with, and how? Understanding the business context helps managers assess whether their skills match.

What success looks like: Be concrete about expectations. Revenue growth targets? Margin improvement? Team development outcomes? Customer metrics? Operational standards? Ambitious managers want clear goals; vague expectations suggest unclear leadership.

Step 2: Show Your Bar's Reality

Film the bar during service and during a quiet moment. Managers are evaluating both the customer experience and the operational setup they'd inherit.

The customer-facing operation: Bar layout and capacity. Back bar depth and organisation. Service flow during busy periods. Customer demographic and behaviour. This is what they'd be responsible for nightly—they need to see it working.

Behind the scenes: Stock storage and cellar setup. Office space if it exists. Kitchen or food prep areas if applicable. POS and operational systems. The back-of-house reality often differs significantly from front-of-house appearance.

The team: Current team size and composition. Experience levels—seasoned professionals or young staff needing development? Show them in action if possible. The manager inherits this team; they should see who they'd be leading.

Current state honestly: If things are running well, show that confidence. If there are problems—high turnover, operational issues, declining revenue—being honest about challenges attracts managers who want to fix things. Hiding problems creates mismatches.

Step 3: Paint a Picture of the Role

Bar manager roles vary enormously. A hotel bar manager and an independent cocktail bar manager have different jobs despite the same title.

Commercial responsibility: P&L ownership—what are they accountable for? Revenue targets and how performance is measured. Cost control—labour percentage, pour costs, wastage. Stock management and ordering. Margin delivery and reporting.

For serious bar manager roles, this is the job. Everything else enables commercial success.

Drinks program: Menu development—complete ownership, collaboration with group, or execution of set menus? Supplier relationships and negotiation. New product evaluation. Seasonal changes and specials. Training the team on menu knowledge.

In cocktail-focused venues, this creative element is often the main appeal for talented managers.

Team management: Recruitment and hiring—do they own this? Training and development—what resources exist? Scheduling and rota management. Performance management including difficult conversations. Creating culture and maintaining standards.

Team management is where bar managers spend enormous time. Be clear about team size, current state, and expectations.

Operations and compliance: Licensing responsibilities—who holds the premises licence? Health and safety ownership. Late-night venue requirements if applicable. Cash handling and banking. Security coordination. Opening and closing procedures.

Floor presence: How much time behind the bar versus office/admin? Most bar managers work service regularly; the split matters. A role that's 80% service and 20% admin is different from the reverse.

Upward reporting: Who do they report to? Owner, operations director, area manager? How much oversight versus autonomy? Meeting and reporting requirements. Understanding the management structure helps candidates assess fit.

Step 4: The Manager You're Looking For

Bar manager hiring is about finding the right combination of commercial acumen, hospitality instinct, and leadership capability.

Commercial competence: P&L literacy—can they read accounts and identify problems? Margin management experience. Stock control systems knowledge. Labour scheduling for cost efficiency. Revenue-driving initiatives they've implemented.

Someone can be brilliant with guests and hopeless with numbers. Be clear which you need.

Operational experience: Years managing similar venues—volume, style, hours matter for context. Team sizes previously managed. Systems and processes they've worked with. Compliance experience relevant to your licensing.

Leadership approach: How do they build teams? Develop individuals? Handle underperformance? Create culture? Lead during difficult services? Some managers rule through authority; others through collaboration. Some are trainers; others expect professionals. What fits your context?

Hospitality instinct: Do they naturally understand what guests want? Can they read a room and adjust? Handle complaints elegantly? Balance commercial pressure with guest experience? This is harder to train than systems knowledge.

Industry credibility: For cocktail bars: do they have drinks credibility? Competition history, industry recognition, peer respect? For late-night venues: security and crowd management experience? For hotel bars: broader hospitality context understanding?

Stage and ambition: Where are they in their career, and what do they want? Ambitious for multi-site or director roles? Or wanting to settle into one venue long-term? Mismatched ambition creates turnover.

Step 5: Make the Offer Compelling

Bar managers know their market value. Vague compensation language signals either ignorance or a weak offer.

UK compensation context:

• Bar Manager (independent): £32,000-42,000 base
• Bar Manager (cocktail/destination): £38,000-50,000 base
• Bar Manager (hotel/group): £35,000-48,000 base
• General Manager (larger venues): £45,000-60,000+

Bonus and incentive structures: Performance bonuses tied to what metrics? Revenue, profit, customer scores? How realistic are targets—based on historical performance or aspirational? Quarterly, annual, or other frequency?

Be specific. "Performance bonus" means nothing; "10% of salary bonus at 100% of target, uncapped above" means something.

Service charge or profit share: Many bar managers participate in service charge or profit sharing. How is this structured? What are realistic expectations based on current trading?

The package beyond base: Pension contributions. Private healthcare at this level is increasingly expected. Meals on shift. Industry discounts. Professional development budget.

Schedule reality: Expected hours—bar management rarely means 40-hour weeks. Which days and which services—closings, weekends, both? Holiday allowance and when it can actually be taken. Time off in lieu for extra hours, or is it absorbed?

The hospitality reality is demanding hours. Being honest prevents resentment; pretending it's a normal schedule creates problems.

Development and progression: Multi-site management opportunities? Director-level pathway? Equity or partnership for exceptional performers? Group-level roles? Or is this a ceiling position? Both can be attractive to different candidates.

Autonomy and decision-making: What can they decide independently? Spending authority. Hiring without approval. Menu changes. Supplier switches. Comp and guest recovery limits. Experienced managers want to know they'll be trusted to run the business.

Step 6: The Application Process

Bar manager candidates expect a thorough process appropriate to the responsibility level.

Initial application: CV with specific bar management experience highlighted. Cover letter explaining interest in your specific venue. Salary expectations to avoid wasted time on misaligned candidates.

Interview stages: Initial conversation—fit, experience, expectations. Working interview or shift observation—seeing them in their current venue or yours. Commercial discussion—P&L review, business case, strategic thinking. Final meeting with owner/directors.

Taking time to hire correctly is appropriate at this level. Rushing creates expensive mis-hires.

What you're assessing: Commercial literacy—can they discuss your P&L intelligently? Leadership presence—how do they carry themselves, communicate, lead? Hospitality instinct—do they naturally understand guests? Cultural fit—would they represent your brand appropriately? Strategic thinking—do they have ideas for improving the business?

Reference depth: For management roles, reference deeply. Speak to previous owners or senior managers, not just HR. Verify commercial claims. Understand why they left previous roles.

Trial arrangements: Paid working trials are reasonable but logistically complex for employed managers. Shadow shifts, extended interviews over drinks, meeting the team—find ways to assess fit beyond formal interviews.

Offer and negotiation: Manager-level candidates expect negotiation on package, start date, specific terms. A take-it-or-leave-it approach loses good candidates to competitors who engage professionally.

The bar management network is smaller than it appears. How you treat candidates—successful or not—becomes your reputation as an employer.