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One of the ingredients for a successful bar is a sense of playfulness or fun. As sociologist Ray Oldenburg explained to me, “One of the indicators of this is laughter.”

yourself: What do my customers want and expect, and what kinds of reactions do I want them to have? Put the answers down on a piece of paper so you can see them in front of you—they’re easier to work on when you declare them in writing. You really have to be that direct and elementary as you shift your business philosophy to Reaction Management.

Your “brand” is what your customers think of you, not what you think of you.

definition of a standard boils down to this: it is qualifiable, quantifiable, and verifiable. If it’s not all three, then it’s not a standard

Patrons of hot bars are getting something over and above convenience, cleanliness, quality, price, or safety. They’re getting something exciting, enthralling, and fun

The important thing to understand is that if you aren’t creating great customer reactions, it doesn’t matter how clean and convenient your place is—it’s going to be a snore. However, if you don’t have those basic five “musts” and you’re losing revenue, well, you better clean up your act.

Everything from the financials to the décor or the look and “vibe” of a bar represents foundations from which you can build an amazing experience-reaction dynamic that translates into money. If any one of these elements steals from a positive customer experience, it robs your business and you of potential (not to mention cash).

In short, your customers notice “off” stuff—don’t you? They (justifiably) believe that your less-than-stellar details are “business as usual” and therefore an accurate measure of your entire business

consumers who encountered either a delay in being seated in a restaurant by a host or a delay in getting a check from their server evaluated overall service more negatively than customers who didn’t experience those two specific delays. Maybe this seems like a no-brainer to you, but obviously many restaurants don’t think enough about it, considering how long it often takes someone to seat you or to bring over the bill once you’ve requested it.

That line, “You look but you don’t see,” has stayed with me ever since. After that day, I have never been able to walk past a dirty carpet or a cracked wall without reacting. I notice everything. Businesses are defined by their details. Now, when I look, I see.