Measurable Success
Beverage Portion Control is the Art of Smart
The scenarios are endless. The
bartender knows a customer likes a stiff drink, so he pours in a little
extra for a bigger tip. A cute girl comes in, and the bartender wants
to make an impression on her, so he beefs up her Cosmo.
A group of his friends comes in and he gives them a round of shots without ringing them up.
All of these situations happen nightly right under a
bar owner’s nose, allowing the bartender, not the owner, to determine
the profitability of the bar. Control the Challenges
Norm Plonski, owner of one of Cleveland’s most
popular bars, Major Hoople’s, says keeping control of your bar can
prove to be a difficult task.
He likens leaving your drinkery in the barkeep’s
hands each evening to handing a wallet full of cash over to an
acquaintance and asking him to keep an eye on the contents for you.
“You’re giving somebody a register full of cash and
a full supply of bottles and asking them, ‘Please, don’t steal from
me’,” Plonski says.
To curb the potential loss and unnecessary stress
and to put the control back in his hands, Plonski implemented a portion
control system that keeps his inventory accurate, his employees honest,
and his customers coming back.
Plonski uses the Posi-Pour model, a pour control
system made by Magnuson Industries that uses a silver ball in the spout
to measure and regulate how much liquor is poured with each shot.
When Plonski takes inventory each week with his
computerized system, he can anticipate what each bottle should read.
“Everything is accountable now, from start to finish,” he says.
The system has resulted in keeping his bartenders
honest, liquor costs down, and most importantly, regaining control of
the profitability of his establishment.
“It makes people accountable, and there are less options for mistakes,” he says.
Lower Costs, Better Margins
“About 25 percent of liquor stock loss is due to
over-pouring by the bartender for various reasons,” says John
Cammalleri, director of sales and marketing for the portion control and
inventory system Scannabar. “This can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars to a large establishment.”
Peter Bretl, creative director for Precision Pours, says those three or four extra drinks the bar owner is losing due to over-pouring can add up to as much as $20 a bottle.
“You should be able to get 30 shots out of a bottle,
and therefore know how much money you’re going to make off of that
bottle,” Bretl says.
Over-pouring has other drawbacks.
“If the bartender makes a stronger drink, the
customer is only going to buy that one, instead of having another,”
Bretl says.
Of course, if your staff is well-trained, and you
have more faith in them, free-pour devices may be the best choice.
Trained in the speed of different 1-, 2-, 3- or
4-count pourers, bartenders can free-pour — using whatever specific
model of free-pourer with which they feel comfortable. The Flair Bartending Association, for example, uses a particular 3-count pourer by Spill-Stop in its competitions.
“The free-pourer is very economical if the bartender
is well-trained,” says Bob Silverstein, owner of Spill-Stop.
Consider Your Options
There also are several options when it comes to choosing the right system for your bar.
Scannabar offers an inventory system that uses bar codes and allows the
proprietor to know where a bottle is at all times — and how much is in
it.
The “rack and pour” or “pub rack” system racks the
bottles upside down across the back of the bar with a dispensary system
much like a fountain drink that measures each pour.
The electrical system uses guns, similar to the mechanics used to dispense mixers, also measuring each pour.
And the Berg system uses a ring, lever and cable
system that connects the bottle to an electrical system that tells the
bottle how much to pour. This system can connect to a POS system, and
allows the bartender to generate reports on any given night.
Besides saving the bar owner money, precise pouring can keep the
customers in your bar because they’re getting a consistent drink every
time.
Sherry Hoffman, manager of Wildcat Lanes in Verona, Wisc., says such consistency has been important in her customer return rate.
“It’s a kind of service. We give the customer an exact drink every time,” she says.
Establish a Standard
Jeff Davies, part owner of the Mangy Moose in Jackson Hole, Wyo.,
wouldn’t think of operating without a pour control system. When he
bought the bar in 2001, he immediately installed a system from
Precision Pours.
“I can watch the bartender without having to watch him,” he says. “I
know what they’re pouring. My liquor cost went from about 23 percent to
21,” he
says. NCB
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