Tavern acquiring fries as strategic advantages? (10,5)

I believe the answer is:

bargaining chips

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'strategic advantages?' is the definition.
'bargaining chips' can be an answer for 'advantages?' (bargaining chip is a kind of advantage). I am not certain of the 'strategic' bit.

'tavern acquiring fries' is the wordplay.
'tavern' becomes 'bar' (I've seen this before).
'acquiring' becomes 'gaining' (gaining is a kind of acquiring).
'fries' becomes 'chips' (I've seen this before).
'bar'+'gaining'+'chips'='BARGAINING CHIPS'

'as' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app