Look, if you’re running a pub or a bar in Brisbane, you know the drill. Friday and Saturday nights usually take care of themselves. The taps are flowing, the kitchen is flat out, and the till is ringing.
But come Tuesday afternoon? You could fire a cannon through the public bar and not hit a soul. Or worse, you’ve got a handful of blokes nursing one middy for three hours while taking up a premium table.
I’ve sat in enough Paddington and Fortitude Valley locals to know that "busy" doesn't always mean "profitable." If your crowd is just there for the cheap jugs and they vanish the second the happy hour clock strikes 6:00, you’ve got a problem. You’re working too hard for too little.
We need to talk about how to attract a better crowd. I’m not talking about snobs in suits—I’m talking about people who value what you do, stay for three drinks instead of one, and bring their mates back next week.
The Myth of the Cheap Deal
Most pub owners think the only way to get people through the door is to race to the bottom. $15 parmies. $5 schooners. Two-for-one cocktails that taste like sugar syrup and regret.
Here’s my honest take: you can’t out-cheap the big chains. If you try to compete on price alone, you’re just attracting the "deal hunters." These people have zero loyalty. They’ll ditch you the second the place down the road drops their price by fifty cents.
If you want a better crowd, stop screaming about how cheap you are and start talking about why you’re good.
Your Website Needs to Work on Phones
Before we even talk about beer or food, let’s look at your digital front door. Most people find a pub while they’re walking down the street or sitting in an Uber. They whip out their phone and search "best pub near me."
If your website is an ancient relic that doesn't work on phones, they’re gone. If they have to pinch and zoom to see your menu or find your phone number, they’ll click away in three seconds.
Google likes sites that load fast and work perfectly on a mobile screen. If yours doesn't, you’re basically invisible to the exact crowd you want—the ones with money in their pocket looking for a spot right now.
Google Reviews Are Your Best Salesman
I’ve seen pubs with great food and killer atmosphere struggle because their Google listing looks like a crime scene. A couple of one-star reviews from three years ago and no recent photos.
People trust total strangers on the internet more than they trust your marketing. If you want the high-spending crowd, you need to show them that other people love you. It’s about social proof.
You should be actively trying to get more reviews to show Google (and potential customers) that you’re the place to be. When someone sees 4.8 stars and a bunch of recent photos of great-looking steaks, the decision is made for them.
Stop Relying Solely on Social Media
I see it all the time. A publican spends three hours a week trying to film a TikTok dance or posting a blurry photo of a burger on Instagram.
Look, social media is fine for awareness, but you don't own that audience. If Mark Zuckerberg decides to change the rules tomorrow, your reach drops to zero.
If you want a predictable flow of bookings, you need a direct line to your customers. Honestly, having a solid email list beats social media every single day of the week when it comes to actually filling tables on a slow Tuesday night. You can send a quick note to 2,000 locals about a steak night and actually see the bookings roll in. You can't guarantee that with a post on the Gram.
The "Better Crowd" Strategy: Corporate and Mid-Week
If you want to stop being a "weekend only" venue, you need to look at who is in your area during the day.
Are you near office towers? Hospital staff? Local businesses?
These people have corporate cards and they’re looking for places to host lunch meetings or team drinks. This is the holy grail of pub patrons. They don't care if the beer is $1 more than the place down the road—they care about the service, the noise level, and if they can get a table easily.
"Don't try to be everything to everyone; a pub that tries to please the uni students and the corporate high-flyers at the same time usually ends up annoying both."
— Rachel Wong, Marketing Director
If you have the space, you should be chasing the bigger fish. Learning how to land corporate gigs can change your entire bank balance. One corporate booking for 30 people on a Wednesday is worth more than a hundred random walk-ins on a Saturday night when you're already at capacity.
Why Your Atmosphere Might Be Warding People Off
Walk into your pub at 3:00 PM on a Wednesday. What do you see?
If the lights are up full blast, there’s no music playing, and the staff are leaning on the bar scrolling through their phones, why would anyone stay?
Setting the "vibe" isn't just for fancy bars in the Valley. It’s for every local. Dim the lights. Put on a decent playlist (not the radio with ads). Make sure the place smells like good food, not stale beer and floor cleaner.
A better crowd wants to feel like they’re somewhere special, even if they’re just having a quick schooner after work.
The Truth About Delivery Apps
I know it’s tempting to jump on every delivery app under the sun to try and boost your kitchen sales. But you’ve got to be careful.
Between the massive commissions and the way it distracts your kitchen staff from the people actually sitting in your dining room, it can be a trap. Often, UberEats kills profit for venues that aren't set up for high-volume takeaway.
If your goal is to get people into the pub, focus on the in-house experience. People come to a pub for the atmosphere they can't get at home on their couch.
How Long Does This Take?
This isn't an overnight fix. If you start cleaning up your Google listing and building an email list today, you’ll start seeing a difference in about 4 to 8 weeks.
It takes time to shift the "reputation" of a venue. You have to consistently show the better crowd that you’re the right fit for them.
What Should You Do First?
1. Check your mobile site: Open your website on your phone right now. Can you call the pub with one tap? Can you see the menu without downloading a PDF? If not, fix it. 2. Claim your Google profile: Start replying to reviews—the good ones and the bad ones. It shows you care. 3. Start an email list: Stop shouting into the void of social media. Start collecting emails at the bar or through your booking system. 4. Audit your "dead zones": Look at your quietest times and think about who is nearby. Don't offer a discount; offer an experience (like a trivia night or a specific club meeting spot).
If you’re feeling stuck or you’re tired of wasting money on ads that don't result in more phone calls or bookings, give us a shout at Local Marketing Group. We don't do fluff; we just help local businesses get more customers.
Drop us a line here: https://lmgroup.au/contact