The Bar Business Podcast · 2026-04-13 · 10 min
Most bar owners track sales, labor, and inventory. But very few ask if they’re tracking bar prime cost the right way. In this episode, we break down bar prime cost , how to calculate it, and why it matters more than sales alone when it comes to profitability. You’ll learn how labor cost plus cost of goods sold can reveal problems earlier, from overstaffing and overpouring to waste, bad inventory numbers, and rising vendor costs . If you’re a bar owner, hospitality leader, or restaurant operator , this episode will help you better understand one of the biggest drivers of bar profitability and show you how to use prime cost as a real management tool. 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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