Standard practices and expectations for bar staff

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Permalink Reply by Timothy Mark Maher on February 2, 2011 at 5:20pm

...or if someone can give me some good ideas on how to handle these people. I am stuck in a sense because the one bartender in question has a decent following at times and we are struggling with sales at the moment.

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Permalink Reply by Marti Hunnewell on February 10, 2011 at 10:35pm

I think you should have your first shift bartender try working a second shift under the circumstances that your current 2nd shift bartender is facing. Let him experience not having his work area ready and irate customers who feel rushed.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Cockerham on February 11, 2011 at 11:38am

Put to paper what side work you want each employee to perform everyday for every shift (day bar does this, opening server does that, etc...). And make sure you cover everything that needs to be done by each shift. Then start doing checkouts. Every server, every cook, every bartender has to have a manager approval before they leave. This is the most powerful tool you have to ensure that side work gets done appropriately at the end of a shift. During the checkout make sure you (or the MOD) are thoroughly going through each persons list of side work for completeness. Be sure to follow through and hold people accountable. There is nothing like a weeks suspension or a couple days on cleaning duty to help reinforce the message that you aren't going to tolerate this behavior anymore.

This way you have your expectations written down and they are universal to the staff. It will probably take some time to get used to, and you might lose some staff in the process. But in the end you will have a more efficient operation.

 

Remember to "inspect your expectations"!

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Permalink Reply by Giuseppe De Carlo on June 7, 2011 at 10:49pm

You are talking like a second shift bar person, first of all, at the end of the night, all stock should be replemished, all glasses shakers, cutting board etc, should be spotless including, all tops, the floor, glasswasher etc on the next shift, the bar person, will make sure all fruit, olives, onions cherries etc, are availble and freshly cut, milk cream, jiuces, decorative items, Ice etc, in other word ready for full service, and at the end of the shift leave the bar, clean and put away all fruit, drcoration, cream etc, the bar is ready as you have found it. if the bar person gives the bill to client without them asking, that person is looking for trouble, for you are there to serve them not to dictate to them. Giuseppe

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Permalink Reply by Hillary on June 16, 2011 at 11:56pm

I agree that the duties of each shift should be clearly posted in writing. The 1st shift should be responsible for replenishing all fruit, mixes, straws ,napkins, as well as making sure all glassware is cleaned and put away and all pruducts that have been depleated during their shift are restocked. The 2nd shift should be required to restock the bar likewise as they have made a profit off everything that has been sold. The 2nd shift always will have more cleaning to do, but that is the trade off for making sometimes three times the tips of the 1st shift.Each bartender should walk into a bar that is ready to go. I have found that the closing of tabs can be a issue since transfering a tab means that whoever closes the tab is taxed for the entire sale and have had success with setting clear instructions to all staff. I do not think it is unreasonable for a bartender to ask a patron if they would like to close their tab or transfer it. I do agree that insisting the patron closes the tab is to rigid. I have instucted my staff to make sure they leave a portion of the tip for any transfered tab of 9-10 percent unless the tip is very large in which case they should increase the amount, the reason for 9-10 is to compensate the bartender that is taxed. This is of course assuming that you have hired a honest staff that understands teamwork.

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