Opening Three Bars in One Hotel as a Solo Beverage Consultant
Opening a hotel bar program is rarely simple. Opening three bars at once as the sole beverage consultant is a completely different challenge.
From concept development to menu design, supplier coordination, costing, and team training, the project required balancing creativity with organisation and structure.
What this experience reinforced for me is that large hospitality projects don’t succeed because of good ideas alone they succeed because of planning, systems, and people.
The Reality of Being the Only Beverage Consultant
When you’re the only consultant responsible for the beverage program, every decision ultimately flows through you.
This includes:
Designing each bar concept
Creating the cocktail menus
Developing recipes and costing
Working with suppliers and product selection
Setting up operational workflows
Training the team before opening
Each bar had its own identity, service style, and operational needs, meaning the beverage program couldn’t simply be duplicated across venues.
It required careful planning and a clear understanding of how each bar would function within the hotel ecosystem.
Project Management Is Everything
In projects like this, creativity is only one part of the job.
The real challenge lies in project management.
Opening multiple venues simultaneously means coordinating:
construction timelines
supplier deliveries
menu development
equipment installation
glassware and product sourcing
team training schedules
Without strong planning, even small delays can have significant consequences.
Having clear systems, structured timelines, and strong communication with the wider opening team makes the difference between chaos and a smooth launch.
Being Organised Makes Solo Work Possible
Many people assume projects of this scale require large consulting teams.
While that can be true in some cases, it is absolutely possible to manage a project like this solo if you are extremely organised and plan ahead.
For me, that meant:
building structured workflows
documenting processes clearly
planning menus and costing well in advance
anticipating operational challenges early
Preparation removes a huge amount of pressure once opening approaches.
No Opening Happens Alone
Even when you are working independently as a consultant, hospitality is still a team sport.
I was fortunate to be surrounded by an incredibly supportive group of people across the project from the hotel management team to the bartenders and operational staff.
A strong team allows a consultant to focus on strategy while trusting that execution will happen on the ground.
Training the team properly and giving them the confidence to operate independently is one of the most important steps in any successful opening.
Simplicity Scales
One of the most valuable lessons from large openings is that simple systems scale better.
Complex cocktail builds, overly technical preparation, or unrealistic workflows can quickly slow down service once the venue is busy.
The goal is always to design drinks and operations that are:
efficient
consistent
profitable
easy for the team to execute under pressure
A well-designed menu doesn’t just look good it works in real service conditions.
Final Thoughts
Opening multiple bars within a hotel is an exciting challenge that requires more than creativity.
It requires structure, organisation, and collaboration.
With the right systems and the right team, even complex hospitality projects can be delivered successfully even when managed by a single consultant.
For me, this project reinforced one key belief: Great hospitality programs are built on strong foundations not just great cocktails.
Planning a bar opening or looking to elevate your beverage program?
At Mindset Spirits, I help hospitality businesses design and implement profitable, scalable bar concepts from menu creation to operational systems and team training.
Get in touch to discuss your project at charlotte.b@mindsetspirits.com
