Bartender Theft – Free drinks for friends – – Grouping of orders and delayed drink rings.

Bartender Summary

There were three Bartenders on Duty when the Agent arrived:

  • Bartender A:  Female, long blonde hair not pulled back wearing a t-shirt and blue jeans.
  • Bartender B:  Male, approximately 6’2” tall with brown hair wearing a baseball cap.
  • Bartender C:  Male, approximately 5’10” tall wearing a Phoenix Suns t-shirt and appeared to either be the Manager on Duty or just helping out with the trivia.

The Agent arrived and took a seat at the Bar.  The guests were quickly greeted by Bartender B who placed cocktail napkins down on the bar in front of each guest and asked what they would like to drink.  The drinks were produced quickly and the guests paid in cash.  Immediate movement occurred to the PosiTouch System and both beverages were rung in the POS.  Bartender B returned to the guests and delivered two menus along with the Happy Hour menu – and explained the Happy Hour specials.  No mention of the specials on the Menu Board our front were made nor was a list of those specials given to the guests. 

Bartender B was very friendly and personable and immediately struck up a conversation with the guests.  All three Bartenders appeared to have a great rapport with the regular guests seated at the Bar.  The Bartenders were also servicing the Game Room as well as the Dining Room.  Bar back/Busser and a Line cook were also noted behind the bar, which could be cause for concern. 

The Agent and her Associate watched as many draft beers were being poured.  Much overflow is going down the drain for no reason but habit.  The glasses are being tilted and the foam running into the drain for long periods of time.  A big reason for cost issues…the Agent would estimate 10-12 beers per keg are being lost, easily. 

TRAIN YOUR STAFF THE PROPER POURING PRACTICES — The dispensing spigot should never come in contact with the beer in the glass. To prevent the foamy head from dissipating quickly, glasses must be absolutely free of any dirt, grease, oil, or soapy film.

Draft beer should be poured directly into a glass and never allowed to run first. Traditionally, draft beer is served with a head of approximately 3/4 to 1 inch. Tilting the glass and letting the flow of draft beer slope off the inside of the glass will inhibit the amount of head that develops. When the glass is half-full, the beer should be allowed to pour directly into the center of the glass. This technique will produce the appropriate amount of foamy head. When serving draft beer in a frosted or frozen glass, this will likely result in the foamy head being rapidly dissipated.

The Agent also noted that the ice scoop was used most of the time except with the plastic pitchers which were scooped directly into the ice.  Plastic pieces could still break off in the ice and are cause for concern.  This is also an AZ Helath Code Violation.

The Agent also noted a firm 4 count being poured (1 ½ oz).  The Agent did note two 5 count pours for a male guests seated at the bar by Bartender B but all other times a 4 count was observed.

Two drinks were prepared for two guests seated at a booth on the rocks.  The drinks were suppose to be made up according to the guests.  Bartender B returned to the Bar, poured the drinks into a rocks glass, leaving two additional shots were left over.  One was given to Bartenders B’s boyfriend the other to the Agent.

Bartender C appeared to be ending his shift as he made comment to the guests only one and a half hours and he “was out of there.”  He appeared to be helping with the trivia, but very close to the beginning he went behind the bar, poured his own beer, and then went and sat next to a guest at the bar.  This is against AZ Liquor Laws.  The Agent also did not see anything rung in to the register as a comp either.  If shift drinks are allowed at this establishment, they should still be rung into the register for accounting purposes and then promo’d off to staff drink at the end of the night.

TITLE 4, CHAPTER 3

4-244. Unlawful acts

12. For a licensee, when engaged in waiting on or serving customers, to consume spirituous liquor or for a licensee or on-duty employee to be on or about the licensed premises while in an intoxicated or disorderly condition.

Much drink grouping was going on with Bartender A and B, as many drinks were delivered and not rung in immediately.  More so, with the female Bartender.  When bartenders do not go to the register after preparing drinks and group several orders together, it’s very cumbersome to adequately report theft issues; therefore, this behavior, in itself, should be highly discouraged by management.

Bartender B also served two 4 count shots to one male patron along with a beer that he had in front of him.  This far exceeds legal limits. 

TITLE 4, CHAPTER 3

4-244. Unlawful acts

23. For an on-sale retailer or employee to conduct drinking contests, to sell or deliver to a person an unlimited number of spirituous liquor beverages during any set period of time for a fixed price, to deliver more than thirty-two ounces of beer, one liter of wine or four ounces of distilled spirits in any spirituous liquor drink to one person at one time for that person’s consumption or to advertise any practice prohibited by this paragraph.

Also, Bartender B did not have her long blonde hair pulled back.  Since she is serving food, this would also be a violation.  It does go further than that, as she was combing her hair behind the bar, and eating off a male guests plate from behind the bar.

The Agent also observed a Caucasian male, approximately 5’9” tall who may have been a barback or busser.  He was seen fingerbussing shot glasses.  Especially with the Swine flu epidemic, this is cause for concern.  An employees fingers should never be on the top half of the glass and especially inside.  This is cause for contamination and germs can easily be transferred from a dirty glass onto clean glassware, silverware or plateware.  A good rule of thumb is the top half belongs to the guest, and the bottom to the service staff.  This will eliminate cross-contamination.

A new round was ordered and the drink was brought quickly by Bartender A.  Immediate movement was made to the POS and food again was offered.  Good job.

A third round was ordered, and the guests were only charged for one beverage.  The guests paid cash.  Alhtough, Bartender B moved to the POS no keystrokes were seen.  One drink was given away for free (Non-alcoholic worth noting) and it is of the Agent’s opinion that the beverage that was paid for was not rung in. 

Although the drawer pull came out even, it is the Agent’s strong opinion that at some point those monies were transferred out and into the tip jar. 

A pole display off of the POSitouch system may be a way to deter a Bartender from building the drawer.  This allows the guests to see what is rung in, and anyone else for that matter.  The amount owed would show on the pole display making it much more difficult for Bartenders to steal.  Watch around the POS system for some sort of abacus system: for coins (pennies, nickels, dimes), toothpicks, etc that could be stored in a container that will mark dollars that the drawer has been built.  That is how some bartenders keep track of what to remove at a later safer date, usually periodically through the evening. Along those lines, although we never observed this action, bartenders should be restricted from ever changing out tips from their tip jar. This is the method they use to effectively launder stolen money from the register and back into the tip jar i.e. If the register has $40 in stolen money inside, the bartender counts out twenty $1 bills and exchanges them for three $20 bills.

Also, because of the grouping of drinks, it is very difficult to know if the drinks all ready delivered were eventually rung into the register.  It could be an integrity issue; however, even some of the best Bartenders will forget to ring in drinks too. The Agent would recommend that Management have dupes print out for cash transactions and the receipt given to the guest.  This is why you see most fast food restaurants offer customers their meals for free if they are not given a receipt.  In a cash environment, they want to make sure the people producing the food, and taking cash are being honest.  Having a receipt given to each guest ensures all items that were paid for are rung in immediately – make a drink, ring a drink.  Also, guest with tabs should have the tab folded in front of them in the rail or in a shot glass.  If grouping is done, then Management and spotters know when the new dupe is place in front of the guest that the Bartender did return to ring the item in and a new check has been printed.

The Associate requested menus from Bartender B.  Bartender B gave the menus to the guests. Between Bartender B handling the Trivia Game and going around the other side of the Bar to first snuggle with a male patron, and then leaving the establishment to go kiss the male good-bye, the Agent and Associate waited for 20 minutes with their menus pushed aside to place their order.

BARTENDER THEFT:

Michael Zenner CEO  
hospitality checkpoints Inc.
hospitalitycheckpoint.com

bartheft.com  (blog)

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