As a restaurant owner, you likely rely on the bar to bring in a substantial portion of your profits. After all, with the generous markup on drinks and the popularity of bars at night, you can stand to earn a decent margin here. But what if your expenses behind the bar have climbed too high, and as a result, you're our profits are getting eaten up? Well, then you should follow these tips to reduce costs behind the bar.

1. Ask the bartenders to measure.

Bartenders often start off using shot glasses and jiggers to measure the alcohol they put in drinks, but as they progress, they start simply pouring from the bottle. Some might be pretty good at estimating the amount of liquor they're adding to drinks, but others almost certainly over-pour. You can save money by asking that all of your bartenders measure the liquor they add to drinks. Make sure they are charging for a "double" if a customer requests extra liquor in their beverage.

2. Have a system for free drinks.

Giving out free drinks now and then is a good marketing strategy. It gives your bartenders a way to build rapport with clients and gain their loyalty. However, you do not want too many free drinks given out. A good way to keep a handle on this is to create a system for free drinks. For instance, you could allow each bartender to give out three tokens each night. Only a customer with a token can be given a free drink. This keeps bartenders in check while still allowing them to hand out free drinks here and there.

3. Buy cheaper well liquor.

There's no reason to buy anything other than the cheapest liquor for your well drinks. If a customer wants a specific brand, they will ask for it. Well drinks are meant to be inexpensive, so nobody is expecting the liquor you use to be top quality. Look into the brands you are currently using and see if there are cheaper brands you can switch to.

4. Cut back on liquors you rarely use.

Are you ordering liquors that sit and sit there with few to no people ordering them? Have the bartenders look over the inventory and tell you what isn't moving. Often, this is the specialty flavored liquors and shots. Take the items that are not moving off your order list, and you'll instantly save.

With these tips, you can reduce costs behind the bar and hopefully enhance your profits.

Reach out to local bars for more information or tips.