BY MARIS CALLAHAN
If you like to spend time in bars, chances are you’ve thought about what it would be like to own one. While many people dream of running a bar of their own, at least half of them fail within the first year. In case you haven’t guessed, we’re kind of into bars around here.
Beginning Monday, October 21, at 10:00 p.m. ET, Chicago-based bar expert and sommelier Tom Powers will use his expertise to help first-time bar owners find their dream in the new series, BAR HUNTERS, premiering on Discovery.
A restaurant industry insider since the early 1990s, Powers started his career at Chicago’s famed MARCHE restaurant. After climbing the restaurant ladder, he quickly advanced to General Manager in only 7 months, driving sales from $3 million in it’s first year to over $6 million in its third.
Each week on the show, Powers will work with a would-be bar owner to hunt down three potential locations and reveal how each spot could be transformed into the ultimate money-making investment. Powers will offer his expert opinion, ranking each space on a scale of one to 10 for success, but the ultimate decision is in the hands of the bar newbies who must decide which space fits their budget and concept. Despite that, Powers’ work won’t end there.
“First and foremost, I want to be entertaining,” said Powers. “I hope people watching the show at home will think that it’s fun to watch people live their dream. I also hope that people enjoy seeing other people who are just like them take a risk to realize that dream.”
With a 15% profit margin if your business succeeds, the bar and restaurant industry is a difficult business. “Your margin of error is tiny,” added Powers. “What people will see is that as we go forward, we’ll improve.”
Based on his extensive experience working in restaurants, Powers will help his owners evaluate possible spaces on criteria beyond cosmetic appeal. His first priorities will be structure and ergonomics followed by the visual/cosmetic element.
“I feel a profound obligation to educate and share my passion about everything in the restaurant industry, from service to single-malt scotch,” said Powers, who climbed the ranks of the restaurant industry with chefs like Michael Kornick and Carrie Nahabedian.
As the Chicago restaurant landscape shifts and changes, Powers has identified an opportunity for chefs and owners to talk intelligently about the industry in a way that benefits peers and colleagues.
“Initially, when I visited a new restaurant, I would mentally tear a place apart,” said Powers. “Now, I would rather be present at the table. When I’m doing a critical review. I’m not fully present. I try to turn it off, but it never happens to the degree that would be best.”
Now, Powers is taking his reviews to the silver screen, while he tends to dine out at restaurants where he feels completely comfortable, including Naha, MK, Frontera Grill, Juno and Big Star, all “places that are exactly what they are supposed to be.”
“I like to dine at restaurants that deliver on what they’re trying to do,” said Powers. “Established restaurants with ownership presence that come from a place of humility and passion tend to be the best dining experiences.”
From dive bars and brew houses in Pennsylvania to an Irish pub in the American heartland of Kansas to party and sports bars in America’s top cities, Powers will travel the country helping everyday people follow their dream of opening a bar of their very own.
“Throughout the whole experience, I’ll be thinking about what we can add to the show to make it real, fun and informative,” said Powers. “I hope people will enjoy watching, because I have a lot to say.”
The first two 30-minute episodes of BAR HUNTERS will air back-to-back at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, October 21.
