Letnik is a seasonal project, usually running from June to September and can be located both in the city and on the beach. An interesting and, one might say, decisive advantage of the flyer (for someone who only dreams of getting into the industry) is the low “entry cost”, that is, this format is ideal for those who want to try themselves as a bar owner.
Investments in a summer project will not be as large, even despite the purchase of special equipment, as in a bar of any other format, besides, if you don’t like it, at the end of the season, equipment and furniture can be easily sold. Here, the risk of failure is less, and it is easier to start, and there is less investment.
Another advantage of a seasonal bar is the opportunity to choose a unique location, because the bar can be opened anywhere, for example, in a park. For pilots, there is no need to look for a room, the main thing is to get a land allotment. In addition, new places always attract increased attention!
A special contract with an alcoholic brand can become a pleasant addition to the opening of the letnik. Brands make it possible for well-known bar creators to open a flyer under the auspices of one brand.
Well, another plus of summer bars is drinks to go. Very often people are thirsty, but do not want to sit in a bar, then they can be offered a cocktail to go, great, if also in a branded glass! The aesthetic part is very important in the work, so branded and high-quality plastic glasses emphasize the status.
But the summer bar has its own difficulties. The main disadvantage or headache for owners of pilots is seasonal staff. Theoretically, it can be assembled from cool bartenders, but only if you open a bar in some cool resort, then work turns into leisure for them and business is combined with pleasure.
But even the presence of an experienced and successful bar manager does not cancel the search for staff. It is very difficult with seasonal staff, because they are not serious about work, basically they only want money and often steal. It is more difficult to find waiters than bartenders, because it is the waiters who spend the most time with the guests.
The disadvantages of the letnik include the lack of time for promotion, while you need to have time to recapture the institution in 3-4 months. For clarity, I will give an example – one of the most successful bars in Moscow – “Luch” – reached a 100% landing only in the 9th month of its existence!
If you treat a seasonal bar as an experiment, then you won’t feel the next disadvantage, but if this is your summer business that “comes to life” every year with the arrival of heat, then you simply need to rent a warehouse in winter. You need to store your bar somewhere in the off season.
The last minus, but very significant, is security. The flyer needs to be well looked after, especially at night, when stationary bars are locked, the open summer bar becomes defenseless. It is best to have two guards at night.
The main feature of the flyer is, of course, the weather. By opening such a bar, you are completely dependent on the weather and, depending on it, you can beat all the successful stationary bars! But the weather does not always please us, in summer there are rains, winds, and even cold.
Of course, you need to think about opening a summer playground last summer and this winter – this is another feature of a seasonal institution. It is necessary to study the work of competitors, purchase equipment and think over an advertising campaign. To open such a bar, you need very special documents, for example, to obtain permission to rent land, you need:
- choose and agree on a place for opening a summer cafe in the land department of the district administration;
- develop a draft design of a cafe;
- approve the project in the commodity market committee of the city administration;
- coordinate the project in the Main Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Regulation of Land Relations;
- approve the project in the City Improvement Committee;
- submit an application to the land department of the district administration for the use of a land plot and an application addressed to the head of the city.
After that, a land lease agreement is concluded, which can be obtained from the land committee of the district administration. Already at this stage, you need to begin to coordinate the assortment of the bar and obtain permission to trade in Rospotrebnadzor. Here, by the way, lies another feature of the format – preference is given to people who already have experience in the service and catering sectors, in Russia they are wary of applicants for the allocation of a land plot.
Documents are not the only thing that distinguishes a seasonal bar from an ordinary one. For summer, a completely different technique is also needed: this includes lighting, heating installations (for a city bar) or blankets, devices that repel insects (no one likes it when bees want to enjoy your sweet cocktail), as well as dry closets, ice makers, water and even dishes.
Most often, summer bars operate without a kitchen, because in the heat people eat less and drink more.
To sum up:
Pros: small investment; minimal risks; the ability to cover most of the investment through branding; additional income from takeaway sales.
Cons: ass with the search for good seasonal staff; the cost of renting a warehouse for storing furniture in winter; lack of time for promotion.
Features: the opportunity to try yourself as a bar owner; dependency weather; special equipment; You don’t have to worry about the kitchen.
PS If you don’t like summer, but love winter, then open the “winter road” at the skating rink!