BARTENDER THEFT: Bad service, free drinks, overservice, illegal drug use.

BARTENDER THEFT:

Bartender Summary

We entered the bar and took seats and were greeted almost immediately n by a male bartender who said, “Good evening sir, how are you?” He did not introduce himself. He asked us what he could get started for us and we replied we didn’t know yet and he offered to show us a beer list.

He returned shortly there after asking for an order and the agent ordered a draft beer and he went to pour it. It was delivered shortly after with coasters. He then suggested food sales by saying “Would you like to look at a food menu?” We said we would and he delivered them to us with a tab in front of us. Shortly after he left the bar and a blonde haired woman came behind the bar. Agent assumes this first young man was a server filling in for the bartender when she was on break as he was seen waiting tables after that.

The woman never introduced herself nor did she give us a friendly welcome. Tab says Xxxxxx so that is what she will be refereed to as. We had menus in front of us but she never asked if we wanted to in order food. We then asked some questions about the menu which she answered but rather enthusiastically. She never mentioned the special until we asked if there was one.  When she did say the special we had to also ask how it was prepared. When she did take our order we also had to ask what sides were available?

It wasn’t a very pleasant ordering experience to say the least.  If not on duty I most likely would have set the menu down and not ordered food.

We specifically didn’t order an appetizer to see if she would up-sell to start with one. She didn’t and began to take the menus away when we asked her for an appetizer suggestion between two and she made a recommendation but didn’t state why.

A short time later the appetizer was delivered. She just put the plate down silently and walked away. We both found this to be rather rude. She then returned with side plates and still said nothing. My associate said “thank you” and she still said nothing as she turned and walked away.

While we were eating the appetizer she did not perform a check back to ask if we liked it. In fact at one point she stood directly in front of us and still didn’t ask how the food tasted. She eventually cleared the appetizer plates and still never asked if we liked it or not.

Shortly after our entrees arrived and delivered in the same silent stoic fashion with no description or explanation. Again she never asked us how the meals were even though again she was talking to the guests’ right next to us. She eventually cleared our plates and never asked us how the food tasted.

She also did not offer dessert.

Xxxxxx finger grabs soiled glassware by the lip which is highly unsanitary. She was seen doing this several times and never washed her hands afterwards.

Agent made some specific time stamp observations as follows:

Agent made note of a great deal of glassware piling up at the well. Xxxxxx also scoops ice with glassware. This is a health issue. Bartender’s hand touches the side of the glass and then the side of the glass comes in direct contact with the sanitized ice. The ice is now contaminated and illness can be spread to whoever is made a drink henceforth. A designated ice scoop should be used to scoop ice to prevent contamination.

It is also, plain and simple, very careless and lazy bartending as the glass can shatter, chip or break in the sanitized ice. This can pose a real threat if any drinks are served to guests with broken glass shards and may even invoke a lawsuit. Moreover, “burning” an ice well mid shift is cumbersome and because this is necessary after a broken glass, the establishment would lose money because of decreased sales.

At 8:41 Xxxxxx took out a bank bag and made change for an older female server. It looked to be innocent but Agent will report any cash handling that is not through the POS.

At 8:57 she poured 2 drafts to Hispanic couple on right side of the bar. She made no movement to record the beers on POS or any tab. She was observed ringing something in minutes later; however, she still did not replace this couples tab.

At 9:08 agent made note of some women that were seated at the bar were highly intoxicated. At this point they were now drinking coffee. Agent cannot ascertain if they stopped drinking or were cut off. Later in the evaluation someone came to pick them up.

At 9:11 Xxxxxx was observed delivering a draft to a male seated at a table. Earlier when the man arrived he had handed her a credit card to start a tab then found a table. She was not observed ringing in this draft nor updating any tab.

At 9:36 she was observed speaking to a man at the left side of the bar. She grabbed his beer and poured it down the drain and then poured the two people each a glass of wine. She was not observed adding this to any comp tab, the POS or updating any tab.

Several minutes later she was then observed to ring into the POS and replace their tab.

Agent’s drink is completely empty and even though she is standing in from of me, she doesn’t ask if I want another. After I finished the next round, my glass sat empty once again and Xxxxxx paid no mind to it. At one point I even raised my glass and slightly shook it showing it was empty, but she just continued to drink her glass of milk behind the bar.

At 9:39 Xxxxxx opened some sort of champagne type beer. It sprayed somewhat and she got a towel to catch the spray. A man at a table had apparently ordered it and was waiting when this occurred. She then opened another one of the bottles and gave it to the customer who ordered it.
She then poured a glass full glass from the sprayed bottle and gave it to the couple seated at the right side of the bar (first couple pictured at right of bar. They looked surprised to receive it. Nothing was observed to be rung on a comp or spill sheet.

Agent suggests that mistake drinks be thrown away as opposed to being given away. It seems like a nice gesture from the bartender; however, it is actually counter productive. The house has already lost in liquor costs because of the wasted liquor. This is now exacerbated by the fact that now the customer has a free mistake drink sales are reduced because they aren’t purchasing a drink. Agent would suggest that mistake drinks, if they cannot be re-used, be discarded and not given away, and immediately placed on a spill sheet.

The bartender was observed on several occasions to “triple bounce” liquor bottles in order to obtain additional alcohol. this completely circumvents the restrictions that are set inn place with the spouts rendering them useless. First, this is too much alcohol to serve people in one drink and is a dram shop liability (see food and beverage section). Second, delivering additional alcohol more than what is prescribed by management in order to raise social standing and/or gratuities is a form of bartender theft.



Drinks

A half and half was ordered from the young gentleman and poured very nicely. It was crisp and refreshing.

Crown and Coke was ordered and it was poured without a pour spout and over poured at that; tasted too strong.

Changed the cocktail to Jack and coke and the bartender triple poured alcohol into the drink.

This is just far too much alcohol for one drink. take in mind the picture to the left is a bourbon based drink which the liquor is brown in color and obviously coke is brown as well, so management can interpolate from the color of this drink just how much alcohol is in the drink.

Giving drinks away for free is obviously stealing.  The inaccurate pour counts are also a form of stealing but may be a sign that the bartenders are out of practice when it comes to free pouring accurately.

Another reason they may be over-pouring is because they feel they are offering a better product, especially for their regulars.  In actuality, over-pouring cocktails isn’t doing anyone any favors.  Let’s say this is a patron’s first time at the establishment.  They visit other bars were pour counts are militantly observed to maintain liquor costs.  They know they can go to that bar, drink 3 drinks in 2 hours and still get home safely.

Then they come to your bar.  The drink 3 “lights out” drinks in 2 hours, the liver processes the alcohol approximately 2oz. per hour.  Thus the majority of the liquor hits them before leaving or while in the car driving home.  Suddenly the patron is in a world of hurt, possibly behind the wheel, and completely blindsided by outrageous pour counts.

In addition, when pour counts are high, establishments sell fewer drinks.  Why would you order 4 drinks at, say, $30, when you can get the same effect on 2 drinks and save the money?  Keeping pour counts steady and monitored is safe, cost effective, and important to the bottom line.

This bar needs to get its liquor pours in line as its losing money. Do away with the pour spouts as they give a false sense of security that correct alcohol is being poured, or have them free pour and test them for accuracy weekly.
 

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Lastly, upon departure there were three males in back of building smoking and talking/shouting rather loudly using vulgarities. Walking further into the lot, agent observed four young males at a car smoking marijuana.

Michael Zenner – CEO      
hospitality checkpoints Inc.
hospitalitycheckpoint.com
bartheft.com  (blog)
Hospitality Checkpoint
hospitalitycheckpoint.com
liquorassessment.com
PO BOX 995 Gilbert AZ 85299
Office: 480-777-7056
Toll Free: 800-880-0811
© hospitality checkpoints Inc. 2012

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