Our All-Day Bar Actually Works All Day

In theory, all-day bars are perfect for customers and operators. Guests can chat with a friend over coffee at 11 a.m., work on their laptop while nursing a beer around 4, and slide right into date night without ever leaving their seats. Owners get to maximize retention, gaining three customers for the price of one. In reality, though, all-day bars often feel chaotic, as services clash with one another: Dancey bar tunes blare at midday, or there isn’t adequate food for lunch, or an airy cafe space doesn’t fit the evening vibe. 

But the team at Cuties, an all-day bar in the Old Port neighborhood of Portland, Maine, has figured out the formula. Here, partner Bryce Summers and chef-partner Ryan Nielsen share how they did it.