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Cocktail & Bar
Check whether your aperitivo pricing is actually profitable — calculate the volume uplift you need to justify your discount.
Contribution margin = Selling price − Cost per serve Margin % = Contribution margin / Selling price × 100 Break-even volume uplift (%) = (Margin % at full price / Margin % at discount − 1) × 100 Aperol Spritz example: Full price €9, cost €2.50 → margin = €6.50 (72.2%) Happy hour €7, cost €2.50 → margin = €4.50 (64.3%) Break-even uplift = (72.2 / 64.3 − 1) = 12.3% more covers
Traditional Italian aperitivo runs from approximately 6pm to 9pm, peaking between 7pm and 8pm. Northern Italian cities — Milan, Turin, Bologna — are particularly famous for their aperitivo culture, where a drink often includes a complimentary buffet of stuzzichini (small snacks).
Compare your contribution margin at full price vs discounted price, adjusted for increased volume. If a €10 Spritz has €7 contribution margin (€3 cost) and you discount to €7, your margin drops to €4. You need 75% more volume (7/4 − 1) to earn the same revenue. Use our calculator to find your break-even volume uplift.
Italian bars typically offer 20–30% discounts on drinks during aperitivo. A common format is 2-for-1 on selected drinks (equivalent to 50% off one), or a flat rate of €8–10 including a Spritz or beer plus access to a snack buffet.
Including stuzzichini (Italian snacks/nibbles) increases the average spend per head and drives footfall. Venues typically budget €1.50–3.00 per person for buffet food. At €9–11 per aperitivo cover, the food cost percentage remains within a healthy 15–30% range when volume is adequate.
If your margin before discount is 70% and you apply a 25% price discount, your new margin drops to approximately 60%. To maintain the same total profit, you need (70/60 − 1) = 16.7% more covers during happy hour. A well-promoted aperitivo typically drives 30–50% more traffic.
Many successful Italian bars run aperitivo Monday–Friday (slow business days) and charge full price on weekends when the venue is already full. Daily aperitivo only makes sense if it drives new customers who would not otherwise visit, not just earlier arrival of regulars.