Spirited Discussion
Major Missteps
Bartender Mistakes that Make Managers Cringe
By Robert Plotkin
Robert Plotkin is
a judge at the San
Francisco World
Spirits Competition and has
recently authored his 16th book,
Secrets Revealed of America’s
Greatest Cocktails. He can be
reached at www.BarMedia.
com or by e-mail at robert@
barmedia.com.
It’s hard to imagine someone excel- ling behind the bar without making mistakes along the way. Bartending is
a detail-oriented job and the clientele can
be exceedingly demanding and unforgiving. Throw in the debilitating effects of
working in a high-pressure environment
and even the most stalwart of individuals are going to screw up. However,
keeping the learning curve shallow and
mistakes to a minimum will lessen the
amount of collateral damage bartenders
inflict on guests and the establishment.
To that end, we’ve compiled a list of
the bartending mistakes that elevate
managers’ blood pressure.
Maintaining a “Me-First” Attitude: Success in the bar business
requires looking out for the house’s best
interests. That necessitates adopting a
cooperative effort — all employees helping each other to accomplish the stated
objective, even when there may be no
direct financial compensation pending.
Prima donnas should pick another trade.
Disregarding Specified Serving Portions: The notion that great gratuities
result from pouring “heavy” drinks is
a costly one. Over-pouring liquor jacks
up cost, increases liability and hurts the
other bartenders on the staff who pour
according to the rules. Their drinks will
seemingly suffer by comparison.
Transferring Stress: Crank up the
pressure and even common courtesy
can quickly disappear. Nevertheless,
bartenders must maintain their composure and control their emotions at all
times. Stress and frustration must be internalized, not vented onto the clientele
or co-workers.
Serving Inferior Product: Whatever
the reason, if a drink isn’t up to quality
standards, don’t serve it. Make sure
mixes are well prepared and juices fresh.
Fruit garnishes should be cut daily and
used only in good condition. When it
comes to the business’s product, don’t
take shortcuts.
Cash Handling Impropriety: Depositing all of the bar’s cash proceeds should
be done without hesitation. Theft undermines trust and staff morale. Running an
honest till is a conscious commitment
and the only financially and ethically
sound course of action.
Being an Order Taker: Don’t be
complacent just filling orders; make
things happen. Energize the guests by
suggesting new drinks and products.
Recommend the daily specials or inquire
whether guests would like to try an appetizer or two. There’s no more effective
form of marketing than the enthusiastic
efforts of servers at the point of sale.
Fixating on Gratuities: Making a decent living behind a bar is best achieved
by rendering prompt, competent service.
Focusing on tips during a shift disrupts
concentrating on the job at hand. Take
