The Bar Business Plan
By Ryan Dahlstrom · 1-Ounce Publishing
§ The Flagship Edition
The Bar
Business Plan.
Investor-ready. Lender-friendly.
Customizable for any concept.
Customizable for any concept.
A complete bar business plan with integrated financial assumptions, startup cost spreadsheets, and operational projections — authored by hospitality veteran Ryan Dahlstrom from 20+ years of opening, turning around, and operating bars.
● 10 Complete Sections ● Integrated Financial Model ● Word + Excel Format
§ By Ryan Dahlstrom
Author of multiple operator-grade publications used across the hospitality industry.
20+
Years Operating Bars
65K+
Books Distributed
10
Plan Sections
100%
Customizable
§ 01 — Why This Plan, Not a Generic Template
“Most bar business plan templates online are built
by people who have not actually opened bars.”
The financial assumptions are off. The operational projections do not match how bars run. The licensing sections gloss over what actually takes weeks to navigate. The market analysis sections are generic. Lenders and investors can tell.
This plan is different because it is operator-grade. The structure addresses what lenders, investors, and landlords actually ask. The financial model uses bar-industry-specific assumptions, not generic small business benchmarks. Every section is built from how bars actually open, not how generic templates imagine they open.
§ 02 — Who This Plan Is For
Six audiences. One plan that satisfies all of them.
№ 01
First-Time Owners
A plan that lenders take seriously.
№ 02
Industry Veterans
Operator transitioning to owner.
№ 03
Existing Operators
Opening a second location.
№ 04
Investment Groups
Evaluating a bar opportunity.
№ 05
CRE Professionals
Working with hospitality tenants.
№ 06
Lenders & Advisors
Supporting bar deals.
§ 03 — What Is Inside the Plan
Ten complete sections,
fully drafted.
Ready to customize for your specific venue. Every section is bar-specific, operator-grade, and structured around what lenders, investors, and landlords actually ask.
Section
01
Executive Summary
One-page synthesis of the entire plan. Concept definition, market opportunity sized to the location, financial highlights structured for lender review, funding request matched to bar loan evaluation criteria, management team section establishing credibility.
Section
02
Company Description
Legal entity structure recommendations, ownership structure options and implications, mission and values aligned to concept, key success factors specific to venue type.
Section
03
Market Analysis
Industry overview with current trends, local market analysis framework, target customer profile development, competitive analysis structured around real differentiators, realistic market share assumptions for first-year performance.
Section
04
Products and Services
Beverage program definition and pricing strategy, food program (if applicable) with cost structure, service standards that differentiate the venue, beverage cost percentages by category.
Section
05
Marketing and Sales Strategy
Opening marketing timeline — pre-launch through grand opening — ongoing marketing framework with realistic budget allocation, community integration strategy, sales projections tied to occupancy and ticket assumptions.
Section
06
Operations Plan
Location and facility requirements, equipment list with cost ranges, staffing plan tied to operational hours and volume, supplier relationships, licensing and permit sequencing, technology stack recommendations.
Section
07
Management Team
Ownership and management structure, key personnel roles and responsibilities, advisory board or consulting relationships, hiring timeline from groundbreaking through opening.
Section
08
Financial Projections
Pre-opening costs broken into seven categories, startup capital requirements with contingency, monthly revenue projections, three-year annual projections, break-even analysis, cash flow, ROI calculations, sensitivity analysis.
Section
09
Funding Request
Specific funding amount with clear structure, use of funds broken down to line items, terms expected by lenders, repayment plan if debt financing, exit strategy for investors.
Section
10
Appendices
Sample menus, floor plans template, equipment quotes template, lease term references, resumes of key personnel template, market research supporting data.
Financial Model · Year 1
EBITDA View
Beverage Revenue
$847,200
Food Revenue
$324,000
Total Revenue
$1,171,200
— COGS (24.8%)
($290,500)
— Labor (29.2%)
($342,000)
— Occupancy (10.4%)
($121,800)
EBITDA
$192,400
EBITDA Margin
16.4%
Sample output · Adjust any assumption, watch totals recalculate
§ 04 — The Integrated Financial Model
Bar economics,
not generic benchmarks.
Every section ties to an integrated financial model. Update assumptions in one place, see them flow through revenue, cost projections, break-even analysis, and return calculations.
- Beverage COGS percentages by category (beer, wine, spirits)
- Labor cost patterns including tip-share and overtime
- Occupancy benchmarks for hospitality real estate
- Realistic ramp-up curves for new bars
- Sensitivity analysis on key revenue and cost variables
§ 05 — Customizable for Any Concept
Every major bar format. One adaptable structure.
Customization typically takes 20–30 hours of focused founder work. Most founders finish customization in 2–3 evenings.
№ 01
Neighborhood Bar
Classic local concept
№ 02
Bar & Grill
Hybrid food + beverage
№ 03
Sports Bar
Game-day operations
№ 04
Cocktail Lounge
Premium beverage focus
№ 05
Nightclub
Late-night entertainment
№ 06
Wine Bar
Cellar-led concept
№ 07
Mobile Bar
Event-based model
№ 08
Brewpub
On-premise brewing
№ 09
Speakeasy
Themed concept
§ 06 — What You Get
Every element
you need to ship.
The plan is delivered as a Word document for narrative customization and an Excel/Google Sheets file for the financial model. Both are customizable in the standard tools you already use.
✓
Complete plan document
Professionally formatted, all 10 sections drafted
✓
Customization placeholders
Throughout for venue specifics
✓
Integrated financial model
Formulas pre-built around bar economics
✓
Industry-standard assumptions
Beverage cost percentages you can adjust
✓
Staffing model
Scales with operating hours
✓
State licensing sequencing
Adapt for your jurisdiction
✓
Sample pages
From successful funded plans
✓
Email support
For customization questions
§ 07 — The Founder Bundle
Or get the complete
founder system.
Beyond the standalone Bar Business Plan, the Founder Bundle adds three complementary tools at a price below the sum of individual purchases. Most founders end up needing all four.
№ 01 — The Plan
Bar Business Plan
The complete document. Ten sections, integrated financial model, customizable for any concept.
№ 02 — Financial Modeling
Bar Startup Cost Spreadsheet
Working financial model with seven cost categories and pre-populated industry ranges.
№ 03 — Execution
Critical Path Checklist
Opening sequence tracker covering the dependency-mapped tasks from concept to launch.
№ 04 — Staffing
Responsible Service Manual
The 140-page bartender training manual at bartendertrainingmanual.com.
§ 08 — Frequently Asked Questions
Nine answers,
before you ask.
01 — Is this a template or a completed plan?
It is a complete plan structured for customization. The framework, all ten sections, all subsections, the financial model, and industry assumptions are fully built. You replace concept-specific placeholders with your venue’s details. Most founders finish customization in 20-30 hours of focused work.
02 — Will this work for a bar and grill, not just a pure bar?
Yes. The plan addresses bar and grill concepts explicitly. Food program structure and food cost percentages are built in. The financial model supports food revenue alongside beverage revenue. There are also dedicated bar-and-grill, sports bar, and nightclub concept-specific resources on this site that supplement the main plan.
03 — Will this work for my state?
Yes, with jurisdiction-specific customization. The licensing section provides the framework for state-specific adaptation — the major license categories, sequence of approvals, and cost ranges. You insert your state’s specific regulator, license types, and fees. The site also has detailed state-specific licensing pages for California and Florida, with more states being added.
04 — Is this investor-ready or lender-ready?
Both. The plan structure satisfies both audiences. Investors typically want stronger market opportunity and return projections, which are covered in the executive summary and financial sections. Lenders want stronger cash flow and repayment analysis, which are in the financial projections and funding request sections. The same plan works for both with minor emphasis adjustments during customization.
05 — Do you offer custom plan development?
Yes, for operators who want the plan built specifically for their venue rather than customizing a template themselves. Custom plan development includes venue-specific market research, location-specific financial modeling, and founder-interview-based content. Contact for pricing.
06 — Is there an investor-specific package?
Yes. The Investor Package adds investor-specific deliverables to the Bar Business Plan: pitch deck, financial model walk-through, return-on-investment analysis, and exit-strategy treatment. Available as an add-on to the standalone plan. Contact for pricing.
07 — How does this relate to opena.bar and bartendertrainingmanual.com?
All three sites are authored by Ryan Dahlstrom from the same body of operational experience. opena.bar is the founder framework — how to think about opening a bar, concept through operations. This site is the commercial planning toolkit — the actual business plan and financial tools. bartendertrainingmanual.com is the staffing layer — the training manual for responsible alcohol service. Founders typically need elements from all three. The Founder Bundle combines components across the network at a discount.
08 — What format is the plan delivered in?
The plan is delivered as a Word document (for editing the narrative content) and an Excel/Google Sheets file (for the financial model). Both are customizable in standard tools you already use. PDF format is available on request after purchase.
09 — Are there sample pages I can see first?
Yes. The Bar Business Plan Template page on this site has free sample sections you can review before purchase. The samples show the structure, depth, and writing style of the actual plan.
§ Get the Bar Business Plan
Stop staring at a blank page.
Get the complete plan, structured by an operator, ready to adapt to your specific venue. Customize in 20–30 hours instead of building from scratch over 100+ hours.
Questions? Use the Contact page. For custom plan development or investor packages, the form has dedicated inquiry types.