How to Use the Bar Manager Performance Review Template

Why structured bar manager performance reviews matter

Your bar manager runs a complex operation — they own a P&L, lead a team, manage stock worth thousands, and shape the guest experience every night. A well-written performance review helps them understand exactly where they stand commercially and operationally, what they're doing well, and what they need to work on. Unlike casual feedback during a busy week, a formal review creates a record, sets clear expectations, and connects their performance to career progression.

This template walks you through a complete performance review: gathering evidence, assessing competencies, documenting achievements and development areas, setting objectives, and recording the review meeting. Each section is designed to produce a fair, evidence-based assessment that both you and your bar manager can reference throughout the next review period.

Metrics to Review

Before writing any assessment, gather data on each of these metrics. Tick each one as you collect the information. Having the numbers in front of you prevents vague feedback and ensures your assessment is grounded in evidence.

Bar revenue — Pull total bar revenue for the review period and compare it to the same period last year, to budget, and to any targets set at the last review. Break it down by category if possible — wet sales, cocktails, wine, soft drinks. Revenue trends tell you whether the bar is growing, stable, or declining, and whether the bar manager's decisions are driving or hindering that trajectory.

Bar GP percentage — This is the bar manager's most important number. Pull GP% for each month across the review period and compare to target and to previous periods. A consistent 72-75% GP in a well-run bar is solid. If it's trending down, understand why — rising supplier costs, increased waste, pricing that hasn't been updated, or promotional activity that wasn't recovered elsewhere.

Bar labour percentage — Pull labour cost as a percentage of bar revenue. Compare it to target and to periods when the bar was particularly busy or quiet. A bar manager who runs a tight labour percentage without burning out their team is managing well. One who achieves low labour costs through chronic understaffing is creating problems that will surface later in turnover and morale.

Team retention — How many bar team members left during the review period? How many were planned exits versus resignations? What was the average tenure of leavers? A bar manager who retains good people is creating an environment worth staying in. High turnover suggests management, culture, or workload problems that need addressing.

Customisation tips:

• For cocktail-focused bars, add cocktail GP% as a separate metric — it's often different from overall bar GP
• For high-volume venues, add speed of service metrics (average wait time, drinks per bartender per hour)
• For venues with significant events business, add event bar revenue and margin as separate metrics
• Don't rely on a single metric — a bar manager with declining revenue but improving GP% might be making smart decisions about mix and pricing

Previous Objectives Review

Pull up the objectives from the last performance review. For each one, document whether it was:

• Achieved: They met or exceeded the target — note the evidence
• Partially achieved: Progress made but not complete — note what was done and what remains
• Not achieved: No meaningful progress — understand why before judging
• Blocked: External factors prevented progress — budget not approved, staffing not authorised, market conditions changed

Be honest about blocked objectives. If you promised to approve a training budget that never materialised, or agreed to hire an additional bartender and didn't, that's not their failure. Acknowledging your own gaps builds trust and makes the review feel fair.

If this is their first review and no previous objectives exist, note that and use this section to document the baseline you're measuring from going forward.

Technical Competencies

Assess each competency based on observed behaviour over the full review period — not just the last two weeks. Tick each competency as you assess it.

Avoiding common rating errors:

• Recency bias: Check your notes from six months ago. Did they have a strong start that's now forgotten?
• Halo effect: Brilliant cocktail creativity doesn't mean excellent P&L management. Rate each competency separately.
• Central tendency: Not everyone "meets expectations." If they've grown revenue 20%, say so. If stock control is weak, say that too.

Customisation tips:

• For hotel bars, add cross-departmental collaboration as a competency — working with events, restaurant, and room service
• For independent bars, weight cocktail programme and guest experience more heavily
• For chain operations, add brand compliance as a separate competency

For each competency, record your rating (Exceeds, Meets, or Below) with specific evidence. Use dates, numbers, and examples rather than general impressions.

Example phrases:

"[Name] delivered bar GP of 74.2% against a 72% target across the full review period, with consistent month-on-month performance and no single month below 71%."

"[Name]'s stock variance averaged 3.8% during the review period, significantly above the 2% target, with two months exceeding 5%."

"[Name] launched a new seasonal cocktail menu in March that generated a 15% uplift in cocktail sales and maintained a 78% GP on the new serves."

"[Name] lost three bartenders during the review period, all citing lack of development and excessive workload. Exit interview themes suggest management style needs attention."

Behavioural Competencies

Assess each behavioural competency across the full review period.

Record your rating and evidence for each behavioural competency using specific examples.

Example phrases:

"[Name] proactively identified an opportunity to extend happy hour on Wednesdays, which increased midweek revenue by 22% without cannibalising weekend trade."

"[Name] tends to avoid difficult conversations with underperforming team members — observed two occasions where performance issues were noted in one-to-ones but not formally addressed."

"[Name] took full ownership of the stocktake variance issue, presented a root cause analysis, and implemented a new checking process that reduced variance from 4.1% to 1.8%."

Compliance and Standards

Confirm each compliance area has been assessed. Any gaps must be addressed immediately — compliance is pass/fail, not a development area to work on gradually.

Licensing — Are they managing the premises licence correctly? Do they ensure personal licence holders are present when required? Are Challenge 25 policies enforced consistently? Do they understand and comply with licensing conditions including hours, capacity, and noise? Licensing failures can result in prosecution, fines, or loss of the licence.

Health and safety — Are risk assessments current and relevant? Do they conduct regular safety checks? Are incident reports filed correctly? Do they manage cellar safety, glass collection, and equipment maintenance? Are COSHH assessments in place for cleaning chemicals?

Staff welfare — Are working hours legal and reasonable? Are breaks provided and documented? Are team members trained appropriately? Are grievances handled correctly? Do they support team members experiencing difficulties? Staff welfare failures create legal exposure and destroy team morale.

Financial compliance — Are cash handling procedures followed? Are till variances investigated? Are supplier invoices checked and processed correctly? Is petty cash managed properly? Financial compliance protects both the business and the bar manager.

Record any compliance concerns, training gaps, or positive observations. If any area is below standard, document the required action and timeline for resolution. Note any compliance training completed during the review period.

Key Achievements

Document 3-5 specific achievements with evidence, dates, and measurable outcomes. Achievements should be things that went beyond basic job requirements — moments where this bar manager created particular value.

How to write strong achievement statements:

• Be specific: dates, numbers, names, outcomes
• Show impact: revenue generated, costs saved, team developed, problems solved
• Use their contribution, not the team's: what did they do?

Example phrases:

"[Name] increased bar revenue from £18,000 to £22,500 per week over the review period through menu redesign, staff training on upselling, and introduction of a Friday cocktail feature."

"[Name] reduced stock variance from 4.1% to 1.8% by implementing weekly mini-stocktakes and a new supplier reconciliation process."

"[Name] developed two bartenders into supervisor roles during the review period, both of whom are now running shifts independently."

"[Name] achieved zero licensing incidents during the review period despite three TEN events and a premises licence variation."

"[Name] achieved 85% team retention during the review period, with the only departure being a planned relocation."

Customisation tips:

• For new bar managers in their first review, achievements might include successful team building, establishing systems, or completing initial training programmes
• For experienced bar managers, focus on commercial growth, innovation, and strategic contribution
• For bar managers in challenging venues, acknowledge achievements in stabilisation, cost control, and team rebuilding

Development Areas

Document 2-3 development areas with specific evidence. Each development area should link to a concrete improvement action — not just a label.

How to write constructive development feedback:

• Focus on behaviour and outcomes, not personality
• Use specific evidence: dates, observations, data
• Connect each area to an action or opportunity
• Be direct but fair — vague feedback helps nobody

Example phrases:

"[Name]'s stock variance averaged 3.8% during the review period, well above the 2% target. Root cause appears to be inconsistent stocktake scheduling and insufficient investigation of variances."

"[Name] tends to avoid confronting underperformance in the team, preferring to work around problems rather than address them. Two bartenders with persistent lateness issues were not formally managed during the period."

"[Name]'s financial reporting is consistently late and sometimes inaccurate, making it difficult to track bar performance in real time."

"[Name] has not engaged with the wider business beyond the bar — missed three management meetings and shows limited interest in venue-level strategy."

Objectives for Next Period

Set 3-5 SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) that connect to both the development areas above and their career interests.

Operational target examples:

"Maintain bar GP at or above 73% for every month of the review period through proactive pricing reviews and stock control."

"Reduce stock variance to below 2% by implementing weekly mini-stocktakes and investigating any variance above 1.5% within 48 hours."

"Increase average Friday/Saturday bar revenue by 10% through menu optimisation and staff training on premium recommendations."

Development goal examples:

"Complete the WSET Level 2 qualification by end of Q3 to strengthen wine programme credibility."

"Develop at least one bartender into a supervisor role during the review period, with the promotion being based on a structured assessment."

"Attend at least two industry events during the review period and present one takeaway to the wider management team."

Connecting objectives to career progression:

If they want to become a GM, include objectives that expose them to the wider business — attending management meetings, shadowing the GM for specific tasks, or managing a venue-wide project. If they want to stay in bar management, focus on mastery — advanced certifications, competition entries, or mentoring other bar managers in the group.

Overall Assessment

Select the overall performance rating based on the full assessment. This is a holistic judgement, not a simple average of individual competency ratings.

Exceeds expectations — Consistently delivers above-target commercial results, builds and retains a strong team, innovates on menu and guest experience, and demonstrates leadership beyond the bar. This bar manager is a genuine asset who could step into a larger role.

Meets expectations — Delivers the bar operation to the required standard. Commercial results are broadly on target, team is stable, compliance is maintained, and the bar runs smoothly. Development areas exist but don't undermine overall effectiveness. This is solid, dependable management.

Below expectations — Commercial results fall short, team issues are unresolved, compliance gaps exist, or operational standards are inconsistent. Improvement is needed with clear support and timelines.

Be honest. Rating everyone as "Meets expectations" helps nobody. If they've grown revenue 20% and developed two supervisors, that exceeds expectations. If the bar is losing money and staff are leaving, name it — with the support plan to address it.

Meeting Notes

Schedule at least 60 minutes for a bar manager review conversation — 40 for discussion, 20 for buffer. Meet outside service hours in a private space.

How to conduct the meeting:

Give them the written review to read for 10 minutes. Don't hover — get them a drink and let them absorb it privately. When they've read it, ask: "What are your thoughts? Does this feel fair?" Then listen. Don't defend immediately — understand their perspective first.

Bar managers are used to being assessed on numbers, so the commercial sections rarely cause surprise. The behavioural competencies and development areas are where disagreements usually arise. If they challenge your assessment, ask them to provide their own evidence — and be willing to adjust if they present something you hadn't considered.

The goal is a document both parties consider fair and accurate — not necessarily one they're delighted about.

What to record: Their response to each section, any context they provided that changes your assessment, points of agreement and disagreement, and their reaction to the objectives set.

Review Summary

Summarise the agreed outcome: amendments made during the meeting, final objectives confirmed, next steps, and when objective check-ins will happen.

Both parties should sign and date the final document. Give them a copy. The signature means "I have read and understood this review" — not necessarily "I agree with everything."

Follow-through matters: Schedule brief objective check-ins in your regular one-to-ones. "How's the stock variance trending?" and "Have you booked the WSET course?" keep objectives alive rather than letting them gather dust until the next formal review.

Be transparent about how this review connects to pay and progression decisions. If performance reviews influence pay rises or bonuses, say so — now, not at the next review.

What's next

Performance reviews are most effective when they connect to ongoing one-to-one conversations. The evidence you need for a fair review should already exist in your one-to-one notes.

• Read our Bar Manager one-to-one guide for how to run the conversations that feed into this review
• Check out our Bar Manager job description for the full scope of responsibilities
• See our Bar Manager onboarding guide if you're reviewing someone still in their first 90 days