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Often when we talk with customers about what they think about kava bars we are asked a ton of questions. It would take several hours and thousands of words to answer all of them properly. However, we have taken the top 5 most common questions that people ask regarding kava bars and answered them below.
The team here at Kava-Bula love answering any questions you might have concerning kava. If you have any questions that you can not seem to get a good answer to feel free to send us an email and will either answer the question for you or direct you to someone who can.
Let’s jump right in ya; here are the most common questions people ask about kava bars.
Question 1: Are Kava Bars 21+
You would be surprised just how many times this question gets asked. This either comes from someone who is interested in going to a kava bar or a person looking to build their own.
The direct answer is that there is no formal age requirement to go to a kava bar. Since kava has no age restriction in the United States anybody can order a kava shell and enjoy it.
That being said most kava bars have instituted a policy that you have to be older than either 18 or 21 years old to go inside. This is for two reasons. First, a kava bar makes its money from selling kava drinks to people. Normally people under the age of 18 don’t really have much money. A kava bar owner might want to make an age restriction to focus all of their attention on guests that come to their kava bar who have excess money.
Second, a kava bar owner might make the age requirement 18 or 21+ to make the kava bar appeal to older people. Many older people don’t like hanging out with people who are younger as they do not have much in common with them. In this case, making the kava bar have an age requirement would further allow the kava bar to focus on its older guests.
Question 2: What Do People Do at Kava Bars
Another popular question that we get is “what do people do at kava bars?” Often the people who ask this question have never been and know very little about the whole kava experience.
At kava bars, people drink kava and socialize. This is the whole point that people go to a kava bar; it is a social activity where people can get out of their homes and interact with new people.
Often a kava bar will have games and activities that you can do while you are socializing. Out of these we often see kava bars offer pool tables, board games, and even video games.
There is also a whole myriad of things that people at kava bars do. If you are interested we wrote an entire article that goes over this question here if you are interested.
Question 3: What Do I Need To Know Before Drinking Kava
This question is often asked by people who want to try kava but are afraid that it’s a complex procedure. Kava is a social activity that is designed to be as relaxing as possible for the average person.
In reality, all you need to know about kava before you drink it is that it is a root that will cause you to relax after drinking it. Kava will cause you to relax and become more social with those around you.
Other than that there is not much more to know about kava before you try it. If you are interested you can read up on the history of kava and its traditional roots as a shamanistic beverage.
Drinking kava is not that complex. Normally you will order one ‘shell’ of kava. This is an 8-12 oz drink that looks a little like green water. You should get a stirring utensil with your kava drink so that you can stir it a bit before you drink it in one gulp.
After this, you simply talk with those around you. That’s about it.
Question 4: How Do You Order Kava at a Kava Bar
People with anxiety often ask this question as they prepare to place their first order at a kava bar.
Here is what you should ask of your kava bartender. Ask them for one shell or drink of kava. Tell them this is your first time and often they will walk you through the process or even make the kava drink on the house to celebrate your first time.
When the team here at Kava-Bula helps people set up the kava bars we normally tell them to run at a loss for the first couple of months. This means free kava, spending on marketing, and getting newer people into the kava bar scene.
Part of this process is training their bartenders on how to guide people through the kava process. Trust us when we say that ordering your first kava shell is pretty easy. Just tell your kava bartender that it is your first time and you will have everything set up for you.
Question 5: Do Kava Bars Make Good Money
This question is nearly always asked by people who are interested in starting their own kava bar. The answer to this question is a resounding yes; so long as you are prepared for the normal pitfalls of owning a business in the bar space.
Kava bars normally have a return on investment of around 1.5-2 years after opening their doors at the fastest. However, it takes a lot of time and money to run a kava bar business so you should not enter into the venture lightly.
A normal kava bar will make around 30-50% profit margin from every kava drink they sell. On a good day, a high-traffic kava bar will sell around 1,200 kava shells at around $7 a drink. This is a revenue of $8,400 a night. With a profit margin of 40% you are looking at a net profit of $3,500 a day.
These are conservative numbers but are typically what we see from good kava bars that are built right in good locations. The success of a kava bar really depends on 3 things; first the location, second the experience of a customer at the bar, and third the profit margin.
The location should always be in a high-traffic area. This is basic but if a bar is located in a small town in the middle of nowhere it is almost always going to fail. We typically use GIS and maps to plan out the best spot for a kava bar months ahead of time to ensure the best spot.
The experience of the kava bar is the entire thing for capturing returning guests and marketing the bar. From the second the customer sees the bar it needs to be a good and welcoming experience. Remember you are selling the customer on the experience, not just the kava. The best kava bars will have an entire theme, marketing team, and look to capture customers.
The profit margin is the final piece of the puzzle for kava bar profitability. Normally we encourage bar owners to run at a lower profit margin initially of around 30%. After a year of this you should steadily increase it to around 50%. This is done by cutting costs on the supply chain as well as increasing the price of drinks from $7 to $10.
However, to easily answer this question. Yes, kava bars can make great money if you plan ahead for the normal pitfalls that all bars face.
Summary
That’s about it for the most common questions people ask about kava bars. If you feel that we missed anything then feel free to reach out to us and we will throw it up there if it fits.
The team here at Kava-Bula loves helping others with their kava journey. We pride ourselves on being the best place on the web for kava information. Remember that kava is a traditional drink designed to unite the community. This is reflected in the single world of ‘Bula.’ So Bula to you!
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