The bar over the road from me has a wonderful Word of Mouth scheme for getting new customers.  Every Thursday, it opens up the bartending role to guests – that is, anyone who wants to have a go.  The only catch – you have to bring in your friends.
There’s a big sign up behind the bar, advertising Guest nights and suggesting you ask about it. The deal – if you want to have a go at being a bartender for the night, here’s your chance but you need to advertise it and bring in your friends to make it a fun night.  There’s a 6-8 week waiting list at any one time, so there’s definitely a market.  As the barkeep, you get to share in the tips – which means the regular workers need you to make a success of it!
They ask you to bring in about 40 friends, with the expectation that 20 will be the average. But of those 20, they expect 4-5 to come back and carry on using the bar.  So despite the barkeeps potential dislike of the actual evenings (they usually take home less money) in the long run, it is far more profitable and keeps a steady stream of new customers coming in to the place.  I was told that the average lifespan of a bar on the UES is 2-3 years. This one has been there 13 years. So if you are in the area, go visit the Trinity Bar
