Your Drinks Are Making Half The Profit They Should - Here's The Fix

You're working twice as hard as you need to for half the profit you deserve.

Last week, I watched a licensee celebrate selling a wall of pints on a busy Friday. Great volume, packed pub, exhausted staff. His profit was modest. Meanwhile, the coffee shop next door made similar profit from far fewer serves, with one part-time staff member.

Here's the painful truth: if you're focusing on shifting more pints to increase profit, you're playing a game you can't win. The chains will always beat you on volume. But there's a different game entirely - one where a single cocktail sale can outperform multiple pints, where coffee becomes a steady revenue stream, and where your existing customers happily spend more without you serving a single extra person.

The Real Problem

Your drinks menu is stuck in 1995 while your costs are firmly in 2025.

Standard lager runs on thinner margins than most people realise. After wage and tax rises, that margin can shrink to almost nothing. You can't raise pint prices much more - customers are already sensitive. You can't cut costs further without compromising quality.

But here's what nobody talks about: while you're battling over pint prices, Wetherspoons quietly sells 50 million coffees a year. While you're discounting lager to compete, the gastropub down the road makes £15 profit on every cocktail. While you're worried about losing regulars, they're already buying premium drinks elsewhere.

The solution isn't selling more. It's selling smarter.

The Premium Profit Multiplication Effect

Let me show you the comparison that changed everything at The Anchor:

Standard Pint:

• Lower margin, high volume

Premium Coffee:

• Higher margin, fast to serve

Classic Cocktail:

• Highest margin, strong perceived value

The takeaway: premium drinks can outperform multiple pints in profit. They take less time to serve, create less mess, and customers expect to pay more for them.

Your Five-Step Premium Transformation

Step 1: The Coffee Revolution (Week 1)

Forget everything you think about being "just a pub." Every single customer who walks through your door drinks coffee somewhere. Why not with you?

The Setup:

• Bean-to-cup machine: entry-level or leased
• Coffee beans: buy in bulk
• Training: short session with your supplier

The Numbers:

• A small daily volume creates meaningful revenue
• Margins are strong when you price for value

I started with morning coffee for the dog walkers. Then the lunch crowd wanted americanos with their sandwiches. Now we sell Irish coffees in the evening and espresso martinis at night. One machine, four revenue streams.

Step 2: The Soft Drink Revolution (Week 2)

Premium soft drinks carry strong margins and zero training requirements. Fever-Tree, Fentimans, local craft sodas - they practically sell themselves.

Quick Implementation:

• Stock 5 premium mixers (£1 cost, £3.50 sale)
• Add 3 craft sodas (£0.80 cost, £3 sale)
• Feature fresh juices (£0.50 cost, £2.50 sale)

When someone orders a gin and tonic, never ask "which tonic?" Ask "Mediterranean or elderflower?" You've just added £2 to the sale with three words.

Step 3: The Five-Cocktail System (Week 3)

You don't need 50 cocktails. You need five good ones made consistently.

The Profitable Five:

1. Espresso Martini - Coffee machine crossover, £9
2. Gin Garden - Premium gin showcase, £8.50
3. Rum Punch - Batch-made efficiency, £8
4. Whiskey Sour - Classic appeal, £8.50
5. Mocktail Special - Inclusive option, £5

Cost: £2 average. Sale: £8 average. Profit: £6 per drink.

Train one confident staff member first. They become your cocktail champion, teaching others and suggesting serves. Confidence sells more than competence.

Step 4: The Premium Spirit Shelf (Week 4)

You already have spirits. Now make them work harder.

The Strategy:

• Position premium spirits at eye level
• Create tasting notes for staff (index cards work)
• Offer 25ml tasters for £2 (builds confidence)
• Bundle with mixers: "Hendricks and Mediterranean tonic for £7"

One premium spirit sale weekly from each staff member adds £5,000 annually. That's a 10-second upsell worth five grand.

Step 5: The Multiplication Method (Ongoing)

Here's where profits really explode - getting customers to buy premium drinks in addition to their usual, not instead of.

The Approach:

• "Start with bubbles?" - Prosecco before dinner
• "Coffee with dessert?" - After meal addition
• "One for the road?" - Premium nightcap
• "Try our new..." - Sample with purchase

This isn't upselling. It's offering experiences. The couple having a meal and two pints becomes a meal, prosecco, two pints, and coffee. Same visit, double the profit.

Your Action Plan

Week 1: Foundation

• Monday: Order coffee machine (or arrange lease)
• Tuesday: Stock 5 premium soft drinks
• Wednesday: Train staff on coffee (supplier usually does this free)
• Thursday: Create simple drinks menu cards
• Friday: Launch with free coffee samples (9-11am)
• Weekend: Track every premium sale

Week 2: Momentum

• Add cocktail ingredients for your five classics
• Run staff tasting session (they sell what they know)
• Create table talkers about new drinks
• Start suggesting specific drinks, not asking "what would you like?"
• Introduce "Coffee & Cake" afternoon deal

Week 3: Expansion

• Launch cocktail happy hour (quiet period only)
• Add premium spirits shelf display
• Create "drink of the week" to build habit
• Partner with local businesses for morning coffee
• Track profit per customer, not just sales

Week 4: Embedding

• Review what's working, drop what isn't
• Reward staff for premium sales (£1 per cocktail sold?)
• Add seasonal specials (mulled wine, iced coffee)
• Create loyalty card for coffee
• Calculate your profit increase

Results You Can Expect

Immediate (Week 1)

• Early profit from coffee sales
• Noticeable lift in spend per head
• Surprised reactions: "You do coffee? Brilliant!"

Month 1

• Meaningful additional profit
• New customer segments (morning coffee crowd)
• Staff excitement about selling something different

Month 3

• Strong additional profit
• Coffee/cocktails become a clear share of wet sales
• Reputation shift: "That pub with great coffee"

Month 6

• Significant additional profit
• Premium drinks embedded in culture
• Customers choosing you FOR premium drinks

At The Anchor, our wet sales profit improved without serving a single extra customer. Same footfall, transformed margins. The coffee machine paid for itself quickly. The cocktail training took one afternoon. The premium spirits were already on our shelf - we just started talking about them.

Common Objections Solved

"My customers won't pay premium prices" They already do, just not at your pub. They buy Costa coffee, Gordon's pink gin at home, and cocktails on special occasions. Give them permission to do it with you.

"I don't have time for complicated drinks" Pulling a coffee takes 30 seconds. Pouring premium tonic instead of standard takes zero extra time. Batch-made cocktails are faster than changing a barrel.

"What if nobody buys them?" Coffee beans last months. Spirits don't expire. Premium mixers have long dates. Your risk is minimal, your upside unlimited. Start small, grow with demand.

"My staff won't be able to sell them" They don't need to be baristas or mixologists. They need one script: "Our new [specific drink] is gorgeous with that." Specific suggestions sell. Vague questions don't.

The Bottom Line

You're already working hard enough. Every shift, every service, every late night dealing with difficult customers. The answer isn't working harder or serving more people. It's making every sale count more.

Tomorrow morning, just try this: instead of asking "Tea or coffee?" ask "Cappuccino or americano?" Instead of "Which gin?" suggest "The Hendricks is beautiful with cucumber." Instead of taking the order, recommend something specific.

These tiny changes compound into transformation. One premium drink per hour across your opening times is £30,000 in annual profit. That's not from new customers or longer hours or price rises. That's from serving what you already have, better.

The chains compete on price and volume. You can't win that game. But premium experience? Personal recommendation? Quality over quantity? That's your game. And it's worth twice the profit.

Start with coffee tomorrow morning. By next month, you'll wonder why you didn't do this years ago.

Because here's the truth: your customers want to spend more with you. They just need permission, options, and confidence you'll deliver. Give them all three, and watch your profits transform without selling a single extra pint.