BARTENDER THEFT: Laundering Stolen Money Through the Bartender Tip Jar

BARTENDER THEFT:

Bartender Summary

• Bartender: Hispanic female with a slender physique. She had wavy brown hair and was professionally presented wearing a black shirt, and black skirt. She was identified as Xxxxxx.

The agent was seated at the bar for approx. 1 minute before the bartender approached and welcomed the agent. She smiled and asked what she could get the agent while she placed a menu down on the bar top.

The bartender was very knowledgeable about the drinks she served. She had good product knowledge about beers and wines. She was able to advise the agent through a beverage selection.

The agent’s drink order was prepared very quickly and presented on a cocktail napkin. The bartender immediately took payment for the drink. She went to the POS and input the order and processed the agent’s payment quickly.

Even though the bartender had good product knowledge, she failed in attempting to up sell patrons. The agent observed her making drink orders exactly how they were called. She did not offer alternatives, or mention that there were any specific brands available.

The bartender’s attention to detail and service was average. She did ask agent if agent was interested in placing a food order. She did service staff very well. However, she did forget about a couple that was sitting on the far end of the bar (at the end closest to the entrance) and didn’t take their order for over 10 minutes into the evaluation. The agent also observed her asking a patron who had walked up to the bar to order a drink, “just one drink?” The tone she used was a little too casual, given the mood and ambiance of the establishment.

The agent observed her take an order for a vodka and cranberry. After she had already gotten the bottle to pour the drink, the patron got her attention and changed the order to a Kettle and cranberry. In the agent’s opinion, had she have attempted to up sell the drink, she would have offered exceptional service and avoided the awkwardness of being stopped as you’re about to pour for a change up.

During the evaluation, the agent observed the bartender allowing service staff to enter behind the bar and look through the bottled beers. The server (a young Hispanic male) was asking about the various types of beer that were offered. The bartender knew he was back there. She was instructing him on where to look to see all of the various beers. Although the agent overhead the bartender infer that the server could grab one if he needed one, the server left empty handed back to his section.

In the agent’s opinion, unfettered access to the bar is an open invitation to theft. The bartender’s responsibility should be to make sure that all alcohol sales are accounted for. If other staff is allowed behind the bar, it creates integrity risks that the bartender may be held accountable for later on down the road.

At approx. 9:30pm, the agent observed the bartender ask for $4.75 as payment for a Red Ale from a patron. After she was given a $20 for payment, she did not go to the POS. Instead, the agent observed her move the cash under the bar (where the agent could not see what she was doing). From the agent’s perspective, she appeared to be counting out change in her tip jar. Once she was done counting, she left the cash under the bar and continued to take another patron’s drink order.

No one who was seated at the bar had an itemized receipt placed in front of them. The patrons would either pay as they went (as the agent did) or would run up an unsecured tab. The agent could not determine the rationale behind who would get charged or who would be allowed to run an unsecured tab. In either case, the agent believes not having a receipt (even as a placeholder) could potentially be an integrity concern.

The bartender did not follow up or perform quality checks with regularity. For several minutes, the agent sat with a nearly empty drink waiting for the bartender to notice. By the time she did notice the agent’s drink level, it was practically bone dry.

At the end of the evaluation, the agent received a warm parting salutation from the bartender. She was seen immediately picking up the agent’s used glassware and wiping the bar top down. She neatly prepared it for use.

 Michael Zenner – CEO      
Hospitality Checkpoint
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bartheft.com  (blog)
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