When you open your first bar, you want to take the necessary precautions, learn as much as you can about the business and hire a little help.

Joe McGuinness didn’t leave anything to chance when he decided to open an Irish pub on Argyle Street, in the heart of Halifax’s entertainment district.

The former café owner, who had held several management positions in the hospitality industry, had caught wind of some research that had been done in the early ’90s. Guinness had commissioned a marketing company to identify what key characteristics make Irish pubs so successful.

McGuinness took these guidelines, called the Guinness Irish Pub Concept, to heart when developing Durty Nelly’s.

He decided he wanted to create the most authentic Irish pub he could. The first thing he needed was a name.

The original Durty Nelly’s opened in Ireland in 1620 and still operates today. It is a famous bar on a tourist trail on the western region of Ireland.

McGuinness chose the name because it was both unique and known.

When it comes to authentic Irish pub design, you can’t beat Durty Nelly’s. As part of the Irish Pub Concept, McGuinness had the entire pub designed and built in Ireland and shipped to Canada about six weeks before they opened, Feb. 23, 2009.

Taking over an old nightclub and installing a specially designed pub in its place proved challenging. The entire renovation cost $1.7 million.

But it’s something McGuinness feels will allow his bar to stand the test of time.

“We have people walk in here, and they take photographs of the work we’ve done,” he says.

In addition, he says customers appreciate their attention to detail, right down to the burning of turf instead of firewood in the fireplace.

“They love it because of our commitment to authenticity. We had one lady who left Ireland about 30 years ago, but she came into the pub and said she felt like she was returning home.”

HIGH PROFILE

When McGuinness was developing the pub’s food menu, he enlisted the services of Chef David Adjey from the Food Network’s Restaurant Makeover.

McGuinness had originally met Adjey in his capacity as a past president of the Restaurant Association in Nova Scotia. He had always wanted to “raise the food bar” as he puts it, relative to the pub’s competitors.

“I don’t know that a lot of people would have a chef of our calibre. Food is extremely important to us, thus our investment in David Adjey.”

When they opened, McGuinness was hesitant to put pub staples such as chicken wings and nachos on the menu. But it soon became evident that these pub staples were staples for a reason – people were demanding them.

“We thought if we’re going to provide these things, let’s do it the best it can be done.”
 
Food accounts for about 35 per cent of McGuinness’s business, with fish and chips being the
top food item. Draft beer is the top seller in the pub, with pints of Guinness being the people’s choice.

Adjey didn’t just provide guidance and a top-notch food menu. With him came the opportunity to be part of a new television show called Restaurant 101, produced by Toronto’s Red Apple Entertainment.

The show features first-time restaurant and bar owners making a go at the business. McGuinness found out in November 2008 that the producers had chosen to feature Durty Nelly’s on the show.

This development attracted the attention of local media. A television crew was present throughout the construction of the pub, the interviewing process, staff training, food selection, and the final episode shot mock service for a week before they opened Durty Nelly’s doors, officially.

“There was a lot of media interest in the fact that a television production crew was coming from Toronto to Halifax to showcase the opening of our pub,” says McGuinness. “And that garnered a lot of media attention that frankly we couldn’t have purchased.”

MARKETING STRATEGY

While Durty Nelly’s has received an added boost because of the exposure the pub has received,
McGuinness and his partner, Kyle Drake, are putting much emphasis on establishing relationships with existing business. They currently run local media advertising to promote entertainment that’s showcased in the pub.

In addition, they’ve invested in a state-of-the-art website. A strong web presence is important to McGuinness. He wanted the website to give potential diners a taste of what they’d experience if they walked through the doors. So they spared no expense – from the photography to the online menu and the positioning.

The website, built by Rampage Technologies, cost about $15,000.

“Nowadays when people are making decisions relative to where they’re going to dine or looking for information on entertainment venues, the Internet is an invaluable tool and our position was that we would not be doing our best if we didn’t utilize the web in addition to other forms of media.”

It’s a commitment to marketing that will help McGuinness keep his business running smoothly after the hype dies down.

“We’ve enjoyed a successful honeymoon period and we realize that,” he says, adding the business has far surpassed his predictions. “Now, our objective is to get out there, appeal to tourists when they’re there, appeal to locals and market our pub for corporate events.”

While there are plenty of Maritime pubs in Halifax, McGuiness says there aren’t many authentic Irish pubs in the city. But that doesn’t mean they’re not on top of their competitors.

“We want to be aware of what our competitors are doing, so that we are pricing ourselves and positioning ourselves appropriately,” he says. “Then when people are making decision as to where to go, we’re top of mind.”

Advice from pub owner Joe McGuinness
• Hire for attitude, train for skill.
• Invest in staff education. Your staff is on the front line, talking to guests. It’s important that they understand both the food and beverage product to effectively sell and educate guests.
• Be passionate. If you’re going to do something, do it right. Explore it. Immerse yourself in the project and be passionate about what you do. Once you’ve got passion, you can accomplish anything.
• Don’t open a bar for the money. If you’re getting into the business and are thinking it’s an easy way to make money, it’s not. You have to have a sound business plan, surround yourself with good people and do your homework.


THE IRISH PUB CONCEPT LISTS SEVERAL CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
• Location, location, location
• Irish staff + your Irish pub = An authentic
Irish experience
• Stout and a song
• True Irish food and drink
• Irish design and build
• Good management
• Positive environment
Source: www.irishpubconcept.com