Stop Competing on Price and Start Attracting the Right People
I was sitting in a pub in Fortitude Valley a few months ago, chatting with an owner who was absolutely exhausted. On paper, his bar was busy. Friday night was packed, the music was loud, and the taps were flowing. But when he looked at his bank account on Monday morning, the numbers didn't make sense.
He was dealing with a "cheap" crowd. People who would nurse one pot of beer for an hour, start fights in the smoking area, and leave the place looking like a disaster zone. He was spending a fortune on security and cleaning, but his actual profit was razor-thin.
"I just want people who appreciate good food, buy a bottle of wine instead of the cheapest schooner, and don't break my furniture," he told me.
If you’re running a pub or bar in Brisbane, you know exactly what he means. There is a massive difference between a full room and a profitable room. If you want to grow your business, you don't just need more people; you need better people.
Here is how you shift the needle from "rowdy and broke" to "loyal and high-spending."
The "Vibe" is Your Filter
Most owners think they need to appeal to everyone. That is the quickest way to end up with a crowd you don't want. Your marketing, your lighting, your music, and even your menu act as a filter.
If your Facebook page only posts about "$5 Basics" or "Cheapest Steaks in Town," you are ringing a dinner bell for people who only care about price. When you compete on price, you lose your best customers because they don't want to hang out where the main attraction is a bargain-basement deal.
I worked with a venue near New Farm that decided to stop shouting about their cheap jugs. Instead, they started showcasing their local craft beer selection and their high-end gin flights. They didn't change their entire fit-out, but they changed the story they were telling. Within three months, the "scuffle" rate dropped to zero, and the average spend per head went up by $18.
Use Your Digital Presence to Set the Standard
When someone is looking for a place to book a birthday dinner or a Thursday night catch-up, they check your online presence first. If your photos look like they were taken on a 2010 Nokia in a dark room, high-spending customers will skip right past you.
They want to see that your place is clean, the food looks professional, and the atmosphere is right for them. This is where your reputation online makes or breaks you. We’ve seen that high-quality Google reviews are the number one thing that convinces a corporate group or a family to choose your venue over the one down the road. If your reviews mention "great service" and "top-shelf drinks," you’ll attract people looking for that experience.
Target the Corporate Dollar
If you want a crowd that spends big and doesn't cause trouble, you need to go after corporate clients. These are the groups that book out a back room on a Tuesday afternoon or host a Friday lunch that rolls into dinner. They aren't paying with their own money—they're using a company card. They care about reliability and service, not whether the beer is fifty cents cheaper than the place next door.
Most pubs wait for these bookings to fall into their lap. That’s a mistake. You need to actively position your venue as the go-to spot for local businesses. To really move the needle, you should focus on getting corporate clients by showing them you can handle a professional lunch without the chaos of a standard sports bar.
Own Your Audience (Stop Relying on Luck)
One of the biggest frustrations I hear from Brisbane publicans is the "quiet Tuesday" problem. You’re paying staff to stand around, the lights are on, but the till isn't ringing.
Most owners just hope for the best or post a random photo on Instagram at 4:00 PM. That is not a strategy. The venues that stay busy—and stay busy with the right people—are the ones who can reach out to their customers directly.
Imagine having a list of 500 locals who live within 5km of your pub. People who have visited before and spent good money. If Tuesday is looking grim, you can send one quick message offering a complimentary appetiser for anyone who books a table for dinner. This is the most effective way to fill your tables when things are slow. It costs almost nothing, and it puts you back in control of your foot traffic.
The "Better Crowd" Checklist
If you want to start seeing a better class of customer this month, here is what I’d suggest you do first:
1. Audit your social media: Delete the blurry photos of half-eaten schnitties and cheap drink posters. Replace them with photos of your best cocktails, your cleanest dining areas, and staff who look like they actually want to be there. 2. Fix your lighting and music: This sounds simple, but it’s a massive filter. If the lights are too bright and the music is too loud/aggressive, you’ll attract a younger, rowdier crowd. Dim the lights, put on some quality background music, and watch the atmosphere change instantly. 3. Train your staff to upsell: A "better crowd" expects a better level of service. If your staff just grunt "what do you want?" at customers, you’ll never keep the high-spenders. Train them to recommend a specific wine or a premium spirit. People will pay for the expertise. 4. Review your menu pricing: If you haven't raised your prices in two years because you're scared of losing customers, you’re likely losing money. The customers you want expect to pay a fair price for quality. The ones who complain about a $1 price rise are usually the ones who cause the most headaches anyway.
What’s a Waste of Money?
Don't bother with expensive radio ads or generic "coupon" sites. They attract bargain hunters who will never come back once the discount is gone. You want loyal regulars, not one-time vultures.
Also, don't spend $10,000 on a fancy new website if your basic Google listing has wrong opening hours or bad photos. Start where the customers are actually looking.
How Long Until You See Results?
Changing your crowd doesn't happen overnight. If you’ve spent five years being the "cheap beer" spot, it’ll take a few months of consistent effort to shift that perception. However, you’ll notice the change in your bottom line much faster. Ten customers spending $100 each is much better for your sanity (and your profit) than forty customers spending $20 each.
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane hospitality venues stop chasing every cent and start building a business that attracts the right people. If you’re tired of the Friday night chaos and want more of those high-value bookings, we can help you get there.
Ready to grow your venue with better customers? Contact Local Marketing Group today.