Category Archives: Proper Service

More tips on bar etiquette (a.k.a how not to get on your bartender’s bad side)

Continuing our series about proper manners at the bar, here go a few more tips on how to get your bartender’s heart by not driving him crazy by D. Jennings, one of the top bartenders you will find in TO

… I’ve been bartending for over 10 years now, working at numerous venues and  different concepts along the way. During this time, I’ve been trained in many different steps of service to offer my  guests great service, in a timely fashion.

However, the skill and speed of a bartender is only half of the equation when it comes to getting served promptly at any bar.  The actions of the guests have as much to do with the speed of service as the bartender does.

Much like bartending schools teach people how to be a bartender, I think there should be schools on how to be a proper guest.

For example, lesson number 1 would be bring cash to the bar, not plastic.  The average cash transaction takes roughly 7 seconds to complete, whereas a credit card or debit transactions takes an average of 45 seconds from start to finish.  This extra time can really cause a backlog of guests trying to flag the bartender down wondering why it takes so long to get served a cocktail.

Lesson number 2 would be to make sure you have your drink order ready.  If you are at a busy bar, when the bartender comes over to you, you should be ready to order. This is not the opportunity to ask everyone what they want.

A side note would be to give the ENTIRE order all at once.  Don’t place an order, then when the bartender comes back with your drinks, you say, “oh and I need one more of these…”.  All this does is cause a line up of unhappy guests who are still waiting.  If  you were waiting in line for a while, it’s probably because someone in front of you has broken rules 1 and or 2.

There are many other rules that I will get into next time, but the one that will help you get faster service, is to be polite to your bartender.  If they greet you by saying “hi how are you today?”, “rum and Coke” is not the correct response.

Maybe I’m old school, please and thank you goes a long way.

Remember, the bartender controls the alcohol.

Until next time,

DJ

david j

Cheers!For example, lesson number 1 would be bring cash to the bar, not plastic.  The
average cash transaction takes roughly 7 seconds to complete, whereas a credit
card or debit transactions takes an average of 45 seconds from start to finish.  This
extra time can really cause a backlog of guests trying to flag the bartender down
wondering why it takes so long to get served a cocktail.
Lesson number 2 would be to make sure you have your drink order ready.  If you
are at a busy bar, when the bartender comes over to you, you should be ready to
order. This is not the opportunity to ask everyone what they want.
A side note would be to give the ENTIRE order all at once.  Don’t place an order, then
when the bartender comes back with your drinks, you say, “oh and I need one more
of these…”.  All this does is cause a line up of unhappy guests who are still waiting.  If
you were waiting in line for a while, it’s probably because someone in front of you
has broken rules 1 and or 2.
There are many other rules that I will get into next time, but the one that will help
you get faster service, is to be polite to your bartender.  If they greet you by saying
“hi how are you today?”, “rum and Coke” is not the correct response.
Maybe I’m old school, please and thank you goes a long way.
Remember, the bartender controls the alcohol.
Until next time,
CheersFor example, lesson number 1 would be bring cash to the bar, not plastic.  The
average cash transaction takes roughly 7 seconds to complete, whereas a credit
card or debit transactions takes an average of 45 seconds from start to finish.  This
extra time can really cause a backlog of guests trying to flag the bartender down
wondering why it takes so long to get served a cocktail.
Lesson number 2 would be to make sure you have your drink order ready.  If you
are at a busy bar, when the bartender comes over to you, you should be ready to
order. This is not the opportunity to ask everyone what they want.
A side note would be to give the ENTIRE order all at once.  Don’t place an order, then
when the bartender comes back with your drinks, you say, “oh and I need one more
of these…”.  All this does is cause a line up of unhappy guests who are still waiting.  If
you were waiting in line for a while, it’s probably because someone in front of you
has broken rules 1 and or 2.
There are many other rules that I will get into next time, but the one that will help
you get faster service, is to be polite to your bartender.  If they greet you by saying
“hi how are you today?”, “rum and Coke” is not the correct response.
Maybe I’m old school, please and thank you goes a long way.
Remember, the bartender controls the alcohol.
Until next time,
Cheers!
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No train, no gain bartenders! The costs of not training your staff properly

Dear bar/nightclub/restaurant owner:

Do you have unexplained losses in liquor or wine, in draught beer… in all three?

If your restaurant is like most hospitality concepts, chances are your current bartender training is based on generations of bartenders who may not have been fully trained themselves.

Most restaurants open with meticulous operational guidelines for how drinks are prepared, with detailed recipe lists that must be strictly adhered to along with opening and closing procedures, weekly checklists for cleanliness and follow up procedures. Does this sound familiar?

Maybe it’s a distant memory…

What usually follows can be likened to a game of broken telephone, where each generation of bartenders passes on an adapted interpretation of your original training message. In the hospitality industry where employee turnover rates are commonly 50%-66% per year, it doesn’t take long before your original training standards are barely recognizable

Perhaps your restaurant is okay and you have a good idea of how you can control the margins in the kitchen. Most managers have a good handle on food cost in the kitchen because many kitchens have portion-controlled menus. Use of a scale to measure consistency in portion size is common especially in prep areas, but there is no parallel on the bar side of the spectrum. Most bartenders freepour, although few have been properly trained to freepour accurately. You ask them to use a shot glass, which is slow and really offers no guarantee of accuracy during busy periods.


In the hospitality industry, there is a fine line between profit and loss. So fine in fact that after tax, profit margins in F&B often average less than 3% according to recent figures.

With margins like that, it’s hard to justify spending money on the business; however, it’s

been said that you have to spend it to make it.

There are a smorgasbord of liquor control systems available… at a price, and keep in mind you get what you pay for. Some bars that choose the ball bearing style pour spouts, which apparently stop automatically, may save money up front but you’ll pay in the long term. Most of these spouts will only pour accurately about 65% of the time. At the opposite end of the spectrum you could spend $100,000 or more on a high-tech liquor control system, however it may take years to see the return on your investment. Both of these systems, no matter how elaborate the programming, will limit your bartenders’ ability to create drinks that will truly satisfy your guests’ unique tastes and preferences.


At the very least you should make sure that all of your pour spouts are the same, and that you don’t have a mishmash of different colours, styles and pour rates. Not only does it look better, but if you find your liquor costs are out of line at least there is one less variable, and you can let your bartenders know that they’re pouring heavy.

The cost of not training your bartenders properly is astronomical.

All licensed establishments have bartenders but few have truly mastered the craft. But when was the last time your bartenders had any real training? Are they accurate and efficient or are they pouring away your profits?

The bottom line is that your ability to manage your costs is directly linked to the degree to which you empower your staff to help you manage those costs. We’ve all heard that the best defense is a good offense… so consider this.

Keep things simple:

Based on $10,000 in sales:

Your current liquor cost is 25% = $2500

Your budget liquor cost is 23% = $2300

Simple math says that you’re running 2% above cost or at a 2% surplus.

Your target liquor cost is 22% = $2200


This could be as a result of carelessness, spillage, spoilage, etc. As an incentive to keep costs in line, share these numbers with your staff regularly, and offer your bar team a quarterly party, or pay out a cash bonus to your bartenders if they hit a target 1% below your targeted liquor cost, in this case 22%. (Goals have to be within reason, and shouldn’t promote short changing the guest.)

Each year, based on these numbers, you are rewarded with $1200 in teambuilding and staff incentives. Your staff retention and job satisfaction goes up, turnover goes down and you empower a team of people to work

So put your hands on this and remember“Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation.”  Embrace a culture of continuous perfection and success will come to you.

See you behind the bar

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Misconceptions about locations and libations…

Misconceptions…
As a bartender, I frequently deal with guests who have misconceptions about the cocktails I make.  People tend to drink beverages with little or no flavour other than the lime that is squeezed into their lowball.  It is a little beyond me why someone might want to drink something that tastes like nothing, but my own pre-conceptions aside, everyone is entitled to drink what they want.  Far be it for me to tell you what you like!  Give me a chance and I will certainly show you my version of a well balanced creative cocktail, and if you dont like it, I will buy it for you and you can go back to your vodka soda.
I have recently purchased a house with my fiancĂ©, in one of my most unfavoured places, Oshawa, Ontario.  Commonly known as  “the SHWA”, “the SHWIGGEDY”, I had my own misconceptions that had always had a sour taste in my mouth about this place, that was until I recently met my new neighbor Missy. She welcomed us to the neighborhood with a bottle of gin from her late husband. “I can’t stand the stuff”, she said with a scrunched up face.  That was my cue to show her what a wonderful backbone a good Gin could be in a cocktail that was lovingly mixed.  I had never tried this particular bottle, but I played with it a little and when I was happy with a new gin cocktail that worked with this particular spirit, I decided to invite Missy over for a to taste it. I proceeded to mix her up a cocktail that was adapted from a bartender I met years earlier, but worked particularly well with this spirit.
No.209 gin, Pimms No. 1, Rubicon guava juice, cloudy apple juice, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup & some bruised mint. Finished off with some caramelized Angostura Bitter figs. Needless to say, she had never tasted anything like it and I think I am her new best friend! Just as I had a misconception of the place I now call home & she had a similar misconception of gin. I was reminded of the dangers of passing  judgement on something, because sometimes all it takes is the right individual to show you how it really is.  They say that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. As it turns out, I love to teach people about mixology and bartending and while there is a quiet cocktail culture out here in Durham, I think I shall be the pioneer & unleash some phenomenal cocktails on the taste buds of the SHWIGGEDEZE!. The cocktail was called Gone Native, think I’ll change it to what I am now proud to be….Oshawa Native. From out east, may your vessel never be empty, keep mixing 🙂
Jeremy!

As a bartender, I frequently deal with guests who have misconceptions about the cocktails I make.  People tend to drink beverages with little or no flavour other than the lime that is squeezed into their lowball.  It is a little beyond me why someone might want to drink something that tastes like nothing, but my own pre-conceptions aside, everyone is entitled to drink what they want.  Far be it for me to tell you what you like!  Give me a chance and I will certainly show you my version of a well balanced creative cocktail, and if you dont like it, I will buy it for you and you can go back to your vodka soda.

oshawa

I have recently purchased a house with my fiancĂ©, in one of my most unfavoured places, Oshawa, Ontario.  Commonly known as  “the SHWA”, “the SHWIGGEDY”, I had my own misconceptions that had always had a sour taste in my mouth about this place, that was until I recently met my new neighbor Missy. She welcomed us to the neighborhood with a bottle of gin from her late husband. “I can’t stand the stuff”, she said with a scrunched up face.  That was my cue to show her what a wonderful backbone a good Gin could be in a cocktail that was lovingly mixed.  I had never tried this particular bottle, but I played with it a little and when I was happy with a new gin cocktail that worked with this particular spirit, I decided to invite Missy over for a to taste it. I proceeded to mix her up a cocktail that was adapted from a bartender I met years earlier, but worked particularly well with this Gin.

No.209 gin, Pimms No. 1, Rubicon guava juice, cloudy apple juice, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup & some bruised mint. Finished off with some caramelized Angostura Bitter figs. Needless to say, she had never tasted anything like it and I think I am her new best friend! Just as I had a misconception of the place I now call home & she had a similar misconception of gin. I was reminded of the dangers of passing  judgement on something before you have really given it a chance, because sometimes all it takes is the right individual to show you how it really is, or how great it can be!  They say that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. As it turns out, I love to teach people about mixology and bartending and while there is a quiet cocktail culture out here in Durham, I think I shall be the pioneer & unleash some phenomenal cocktails on the taste buds of the SHWIGGEDEZE!. The cocktail was called Gone Native, think I’ll change it to what I am now proud to be….Oshawa Native. From out east, may your vessel never be empty, keep mixing 🙂

Jeremy!

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Nightclubs: A different demon…

I have had the pleasure of working in all walks of the service industry, from roadhouses to fine dining establishments as a bartender, but never in the fast-paced environment of a nightclub until recently…

Jay Patience

My nightclub cherry has been popped in Toronto as a flair bartender and it has been a great experience.  Going from having no customers one minute to being completely slammed the next; with no time to breathe or think; and then… bartender instinct suddenly kicks in.

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Ryan’s B1 Adventures..

Just an average Thursday for our buddy Ryan here at BartenderOne. Join him on his rounds at a Diageo event and later on at our Mojito Madness workshop.

Diageo Vlog from Ryan Desjardins on Vimeo.

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Coffee, Caffe, Café!

Coffee anyone?

Coffee anyone?

Coffee, Caffe, Café! It doesn’t matter where you come from or how you say it: If there is one thing I can’t go a morning with out this would be it. It’s a good thing I live in the Café rich city of Toronto.

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Barback “the backbone of a great bartender”

Running-Back

A running back in football breaks a tackle and runs the whole field for a glorious touchdown run, but no one reflects on the vital block thrown by the fullback that made it all possible.

A lawyer makes a break in a big case and becomes an instant legal star, but who thinks about the members of their team who did all of the vital legwork behind the scenes to make the big break happen?

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The Power of a Good Team

Jeremy presenting his cocktail for the IBC

Jeremy presenting his cocktail for the IBC

Long before bartending even entered my mind the biggest thing in my life was organized sports, more specifically ice hockey. Being part of a competitive sports team taught me many life lessons that have helped shape my life and I often reference them in my day to day travels. Through the years my grandfather was always my biggest fan and one of the things he used encourage was offseason training to stay sharp and ahead of the curve. He used to always say “if you play with better players they will make you better without you even knowing it” Every summer I would train and actively play in summer teams, but it wasn’t until I started playing with players of a higher calibre that I truly evolved as a player. They indirectly pushed me to be better by holding me accountable for my mistakes and making me strive to be at their high level. How this pertains to bartending you ask?

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BartenderOne in New York

Gin and Pears and Rosemary, Oh My!

Gin and Pears and Rosemary, Oh My!

Imagine walking into a phone booth, dialling a number, and being redirected back to a world of sipping cocktails next to Charlie Chaplin, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald……

On March 11th of this year, I traveled to New York to experience some of North America’s finest Speakeasies and Mixology bars. With only having one amazing speakeasy in Toronto, we were eager to head to the Big Apple and meet the bartenders that compete in Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.

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Bar Chef Finals – Winter 2011

Have you wished you could jump behind a bar with hundreds of ingredients, tastes, and ideas and be able to create the cocktail of your dreams?

On April 4th, 2011 the BartenderOne Bar Chef Finals took place at Empire Lounge in Toronto in Yorkville. As students, the mixologists had completed tasting over five hundred different spirits, bitters, liqueurs, sweeteners, types of citrus, infused foams and spirits, along with homemade syrups.

As mixologists, the students were asked to create an original cocktail from each of the 5 spirit categories. The cocktails could have been made with anything that the mixologists could think of; but were required to hold dear the traditional balanced cocktail theory. While they did have guidelines for balance, there were none for flavour profiles or presentation. Mixologists could incorporate elements that were taught in class such as: infusion, fatwashing, bruleeing, molecular mixology, spherification, custom foams, misting and much more.

As the student mixologists watched tentatively, their cocktails were tasted by three of Toronto’s top mixologists; Rob Montgomery, Gavin MacMillan and Scott McMaster. The students were were delighted to see that their hard work and development had paid off. The judges were impressed by all of the thought and effort that was incorporated into the final cocktails. The mixologists showed that they weren’t scared to test some boundaries in coming up with their very own recipes, and here are the top cocktails entered:

VODKA COCKTAILS

Strawbarb Bullets by Krissy Calkins

Strawbarb Bullets by Krissy Calkins

STRAWBARB BULLETS – By Mixologist Krissy Calkins

2/3 oz Strawberry reduction (no sugar added)
1/3 oz Rhubarb reduction (no sugar added)
1 oz Vodka
Shaken on Ice
Strain into Chocolate Cups
Float – Vanilla bean infused simple syrup on top
Served on a bed of Gram Crackers

Rainbow 1943 By Elizabeth Saad

Rainbow 1943 By Elizabeth Saad

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