Local bars counting on St. Patrick’s Day revenue

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Most people associate St. Patrick’s Day with fun and good times, but local bars take it pretty seriously from a financial standpoint.

Those bar owners are interested in green, but not the dye in your beer.

“It’s a huge portion of the revenue. People set records for sales. It’s not just alcohol; it’s also food in a lot of cases for our pub members. They have to staff up because they do a huge amount of volume,” says Jeff Guignard with the Alliance of Beverage Licensees of British Columbia.

Walk by any Irish pub or bar today and you’re likely to see a lineup at the door. And owners rely on the money they’ll take in from peddling that green beer.

“Every pub owner I talk to plans for this for weeks and weeks in advance because it is their most important individual day,” says Guignard.

He says most establishments do budget and plan ahead for today and that includes private liquor stores.

“It is part of the business plan for sure. A lot of the bars or liquor stores and pubs know that this day is going to be a big one and like any business, there are ups and downs and you plan for those throughout the year. So, it’s an important piece of revenue that they plan on,” says Guignard.

He says it’s a bonus when St. Patrick’s falls on a Friday or Saturday — and even a Thursday, like today.

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