1. Sales by Category (Beer, Wine, Liquor, Cocktails, Food)

Why it matters: Different categories carry very different profit margins. Cocktails and liquor generally bring in more profit per ounce than beer or wine. Understanding which categories are driving your revenue helps you shape your menu and promotions around your most profitable items.

What to look for:

• Are your top-selling items also your highest-margin ones?
• Are any categories declining week over week?
• Are you overstocked in underperforming areas?

A weekly check helps avoid over-ordering, missed sales opportunities, and stagnant menus.

2. Sales by Day and Hour

Why it matters: Knowing when your venue earns the most money lets you optimize staffing, ordering, and marketing. Many bars waste thousands each year by overstaffing during dead shifts and missing sales during peak times.

What to look for:

• Your top-performing hours—are they fully staffed and stocked?
• Slow shifts—can you reduce labor or run a promo?
• Are you open during time blocks that consistently lose money?

This insight leads to better scheduling and more efficient use of staff and inventory.

3. Average Check Size (Spend Per Guest)

Why it matters: This is a strong indicator of upselling effectiveness, pricing strategy, and guest engagement. Even small increases in average check size have a major impact on revenue.

What to look for:

• Weekly trends: is spend per guest rising or falling?
• Do slower nights have lower average checks—or just fewer guests?
• Are certain staff outperforming others?

A $2 increase in check size across 500 guests means $1,000 in additional revenue—without adding a single customer.

4. Labor Cost Percentage

Why it matters: Labor is one of your biggest controllable costs. If it drifts too high, it eats directly into your profit—even on nights with strong sales.

What to look for:

• Weekly labor cost % = total wages ÷ total sales
• For bars, 20–25% is healthy; up to 30% may be acceptable if you serve food
• Are you consistently over or under the mark?

High labor cost doesn’t always mean overstaffing—it might mean low sales. Either way, you need to act.

5. Comps, Voids, and Discounts

Why it matters: These often go unchecked, but they’re where profit quietly disappears. They reveal issues with training, consistency, or accountability.

What to look for:

• Total value comped or voided—was it justified?
• Are certain team members giving away more than others?
• Are discounts driving repeat business or just cutting margins?

If your comps, voids, and discounts exceed 3% of weekly sales, you’re likely bleeding cash.

Final Word: Make It a Habit

These five numbers give you a weekly snapshot of how your bar is really performing. They highlight what’s working, what needs fixing, and where your money is going.

Start simple. Pick one to track this week. Add another next week. Within a month, you’ll have full visibility into your key drivers of profit—and the habits to stay ahead of problems, not just react to them.

The Weekly 5 isn’t a report. It’s a system. Use it, and you’ll run a smarter, tighter, more profitable bar.

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