How to research a location for a bar.
Neighborhood bar serving beer, wine and cocktails. Bars draw a mix of walk-in and planned visits, so both the people within a short walk and the traffic on the road count. This guide takes the six questions every location raises, says which public record answers each one for a bar, and points to the free page that reads it. Nothing here says a spot will work; it says what to measure before you decide.
What matters most for a bar
- Whether drinks can be sold here at all. Wet and dry rules and zoning decide whether a bar can open at an address. In Texas, the full report reads TABC’s status for the location and the licenses on file there.
- What nearby venues actually sell. Texas venues with a mixed beverage permit report their alcohol sales to the Comptroller every month. For a Texas address, the check lists the venues within half a mile and their typical monthly sales.
- Residents next door. Homes close by mean regulars, but also noise complaints about late nights and patios. Look at what sits behind and above the space.
- A district people go out to. Bars do best where people already head at night. Nearby resident spending alone understates bar sales, so DoorWorthy does not estimate bar sales from it.
1. Who is within reach
Bars draw a mix of walk-in and planned visits, so both the people within a short walk and the traffic on the road count. The Census American Community Survey gives residents, households and household income by ZIP, and the Census LODES data counts jobs by where people work, so a ring around an address shows the weekday crowd. Read both on the ZIP check for a whole ZIP, or on the free bar location check for one address.
2. How many bars are already there
Census County Business Patterns counted 22 bars with paid employees in the United States in 2023, or 0.0 per 10,000 residents. The rate is the number to compare: a metro well above it is crowded, one well below it is either underserved or uninterested, and the ZIP tables show which. See how many bars are in each state and metro area.
3. What the road carries
State departments of transportation publish annual average daily traffic for the roads they count, collected by the Federal Highway Administration. The count says how many pass, not how many stop; read it next to the parking and the turn-in. The free location check shows the nearest counted road and the year of the count.
4. Whether the rules let you open
Zoning decides whether a bar is allowed at that parcel; the city reads it from the zoning district, and a change of use can need a hearing. Licensing is what you file before opening day: the entity, the tax accounts, the alcohol license, which in most states is the slowest step and in some is rationed, and the employer registrations. DoorWorthy lists the order for a bar in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, each item with its agency.
5. Whether the math works
In 2023, 9.1% of accommodation and food services establishments in the United States closed and 11.0% opened, by the Census Business Dynamics Statistics; the IRS reports net income of 3.4% of receipts for restaurants and drinking places businesses in 2023. Those are the numbers to hold your own forecast against: rent as a share of sales, a bad year built in. See whether a bar is profitable, by state, and run your own numbers in the calculators.
6. What the records miss
A record describes a year, a ZIP, a road. Walk the block at the hours a bar would be open, twice, once in bad weather. Count who goes into the nearest competitor. Then read the lease with a lawyer. The research narrows the choice; the walk and the lease decide it.
Before you sign
- Residents and workers within reach, with the year of the count.
- The bars nearby, named, and the count per 10,000 residents for the area.
- The traffic count on the road and its year.
- Zoning that allows a bar at this parcel, confirmed with the city.
- Every license and permit the state and city require, in order, with the agency.
- Rent as a share of your sales forecast, against what businesses like yours spend.
- Two visits to the block at your opening hours.