- What is the biggest challenge in managing a premium bar chain?
The biggest challenge of managing the Dom Whisky Cocktail Bar chain is maintaining the consistency and repeatability of the experience our guests expect - both in terms of the highest standard of service and the knowledge and professionalism of our bartenders.
Each of our venues offers the largest selection of spirits from all price segments, with an exceptionally extensive shelf of premium products. At the same time, each bar retains its own unique history, atmosphere and character.
For me, the key element, and perhaps the most important, is the atmosphere - it's what keeps guests coming back to the bar. But it is created by the people: the teams who, with their commitment, passion and knowledge, give the place a unique atmosphere.
It is on their shoulders to build relationships with guests and consistently enhance the strength of our brand.
- What skills are key for a bar manager - creating a long-term strategy or responding quickly to guest and market needs?
On the business side, strategic thinking, planning and acting long or short term is one of the key elements of any industry setting directions and trends.
It is created by our teams, implementing the implementation of a strategic approach. However, this is a technical aspect.
The bar is a living organism that reacts in the here and now. It is a space created by people, emotions and relationships. Building positive connections with guests, welcoming them as if they were in our own home and inviting them into our story - told not only through cocktails but also through carefully selected products - creates a place you want to come and return to, and an atmosphere you want to stay in for longer.
Our story is also the story of three unique cities with which we are associated: Jastrzębia Góra, Sopot and Warsaw. This is where our Dom Whisky Cocktail Bar venues are located, and each venue brings its own rhythm, energy and character to the brand - from the seaside freedom of Jastrzębia Góra, to the elegant pulse of Sopot, to the cosmopolitan dynamism of Warsaw combined with the historic street of Nowy Świat. Together, they create a coherent yet multidimensional identity for the Whisky House, where guests can find both exceptional quality and authentic emotion.
Are we responding to the needs of guests and the market at the bar?
I would describe it more as the fulfilment of taste dreams with frequent anticipation of our guests' expectations, we try to have something that the market does not yet have and we already want to serve it in a glass with an appropriate decoration dressed in an interesting story.
- What is key to building an engaged and motivated team of bartenders and bar staff?
The strength of a company is the people who make it up. In our work, everyone is different and everyone needs an individual approach, a separate form of motivation, training and support.
We need to know our role at every level, but strive to create one team in which everyone knows and feels that they are an important part of the whole.
For me, the priority is to find and reinforce all the best sides of each member of this team and channel them correctly, and only refine what they feel insecure, weaker in or simply reinforce knowledge in areas where there is a need and interest.
It builds what we continue to call trust, which in our work and joint relationships is key to consolidating in the industry and creating a strong Team.
- Do you have a principle or philosophy that helps you manage your team effectively in bars?
I once came across a short story that made me realise what is really worth following in our industry - being Leaderand not just Chief. It has been the cornerstone of my management philosophy ever since.
It is very easy to give orders and enforce them. However, the role of a leader requires much more than that: commitment, presence and real collaboration with people. These are what build trust - and without trust, it is impossible to manage even a one-person team.
Cooperation is a two-way relationship. Both sides must be able to support each other in more difficult moments and celebrate successes that they can be proud of together. This requires openness and commitment on both sides.
I follow a simple rule in my cooperation:
Be - Listen - Support.
The team must not hesitate to come with an idea to build a stronger brand, but also with a problem. As a supervisor, I create a space where everyone needs to be confident that in a difficult moment they can count on my time, conversation and real support.
- How do you see the future of premium bars in the spirits industry - in terms of guest experience, trends and digitalisation?
The premium bar is a highly personalised field, requiring knowledge, commitment and a personalised approach to guests.
It's a relationship built often over years, face to face, word to word, it's a bond you can't achieve online.
A premium bar is like a fine beverage from a prestigious distillery that needs to be nurtured and built up day by day, hour by hour, but the market needs it because as humans, we like to build relationships where we feel good and comfortable having often had enough of the daily digitalisation.
Sebastian Mikulski, Director of the Whisky House Bar Network
