Beijing Boyce

Highest price, lowest markup

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Which is more profitable for a pub: A pint of Guinness, Stella, or Tsingtao? Here are some sample beer costs for a bar and the prices it might charge. I base the beer costs on talks with several bar managers over the past few months.

Many readers might be surprised to find that despite the price gap between Guinness and Stella, the net profit for  the former is only RMB5 more. Meanwhile, Tsingtao easily is the cheapest and has the highest markup.

Putting taste aside for the moment, if you are worried about your budget, then stick to Tsingtao. But if you prefer Stella and Guinness, the number shows that while these beers cost more, bars aren’t charging outrageous amounts given how much it costs them for these beers.

I would add my observation that people are generally more willing to open their wallets for an extra Tsingtao or Stella than they are for a Guinness. So, if Customer A drinks two Guinness and Customer B drinks three Stella, B gets drunker and spends slightly less (RMB105 versus RMB110) while the bar makes slightly more (RMB60 versus RMB50). And if Customer C drains five Tsingtao because it is cheap, he or she spends less (RMB75) while the bar makes about the same profit (RMB60). Obviously, these numbers vary with the prices charged at particular bars.

Finally, if you are looking for good beer deals, then places like The Den (RMB30 Guinness during happy hour, 5-10 PM, daily), Union Bar & Grille (two pints of Guinness for RMB50, 4-8 PM, daily), Tun (two pints of Stella for RMB35 on Thursday nights) and Tim’s Texas BBQ (RMB10 draft) are among the better options.

I’ll try and put together some numbers on wine and cocktails next.

The Wine Republic seeks a sales manager for its Beijing office. Duties include identifying sales opportunities, managing current accounts, assisting in increasing and managing the company’s wine portfolio and overseeing the database, and collecting market information for use by the sales and marketing teams.

The ideal candidate is knowledgeable about wine, detail-oriented, and able to prioritize and see projects through to completion, and has management experience and leadership skills.

For more information or to submit a resume email matt@thewinerepublic.com.

Spirit and wine distributor Pernod Ricard is seeking a salesperson to focus on bars, hotels, and restaurants in Beijing. Pernod Ricard’s brands include Chivas, Absolut, and Mumm’s.

The ideal candidate is service- and customer-focused, an outgoing and organized team player, and fluent in English and Mandarin, with experience in the wine and/or spirits industry, particularly in terms of dealing with hotels and/or restaurants.

Those interested should forward their resumes to Emmanuelle.Molinie@pernod-ricard-china.com.

I told you I could land this thing in Houhai (wired.com)

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Kind of like scruffy Han Solo hooking up with blue-blooded Princess Leia, Xihai Lake’s Club Obiwan (map) is teaming with Q Bar (map) to add an element of sophistication to its three-floor establishment. Writes Pete Demola at weliveinbeijing.com:

Nearly three years [after opening], the Club Obiwan team will be now be joined by new partners Echo Sun and Ralph Ziegenhorn, two-thirds of the brains behind Q Bar, the Sanlitun South venue acclaimed for their innovative cocktails and über-cool ambiance.

Obiwan partner Ed Schmidt approached fellow German Ziegenhorn for collaborative ideas, resulting in this unification of forces.

“Ralph and Echo will bring their knowledge of how to run a bar and how to offer great quality value to customers,” said David Mitchell, Club Obiwan’s Communications and Music Director, on the nature of their cooperation.

He labeled the partnership as a “convenient marriage of ideas,” while describing the new entity, which will now be known simply as Obiwan, as containing an injection of Q Bar while retaining the qualities that put Club Obiwan on the map.

He then pulled out a light saber and burned the image of a Jedi Master beside my tattoo of DH and the Hellcats.

The post reports on other planned changes to the food menu, the music slate (live bands are planned), and to the decor and layout: “Cosmetic renovations, including full scale refurbishment, will be an ongoing process. The new drink menu will be launched by late-January, while live music should take off sometime in February.” No info on whether or not the place will be charging Q Bar prices for the drinks. See the full post here.