The Bar Business Podcast · 2026-06-01 · 9 min
High labor cost does not always mean you have too many people. Sometimes your people are just scheduled at the wrong time. In this episode, I talk about why bar labor cost is often a scheduling problem, not a headcount problem. Your sales do not move evenly through a shift. But your labor usually does. That mismatch is where labor percentage starts getting ugly. We break down how to read your sales curve, spot the ramp, peak, and tail, and schedule your team based on when the money is actually coming in. If cutting staff is your only labor strategy, this episode is for you. Because the goal is not fewer people. It is the right people at the right time. Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. Join here: → Additional resources Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: →
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