Bartender Questionaire

[Estefon]

Hey gang,

I'm in the position where I need to hire a full-time evening bartender for our sports bar/grill. The bad news is that I don't have anyone currently on our serving staff that I feel I can promote to this position (It's for our busiest shifts of the week and they're just not ready yet).

I've always been a big proponent of promoting bartenders from within the company and haven't had the need to hire outside until now. We placed in ad in the paper over the weekend and we have been inundated with applicants. I knew we would be and I set the screening process at 5 years minimum of bartending experience. However, I have conducted 4 interviews today, have 6 scheduled for tomorrow and still have a pile of applicants that I think deserve an interview.

I've been a bartender for 12 years and still currently sling drinks 2-3 shifts per week, but I feel like I'm shooting from the hip when it comes to interviewing these bartenders. I'm looking for a bartender questionaire/interview form that would help me standardize the process.

Here's what I have so far and please feel free to critique anything I ask.

1. Tell me about yourself?

This tends to losen the conversation, relax both of us and give me a feel for who they are and what's important to them. However, it's amazing the difference in responses based upon gender and may bias my intial opinions. Men tend to respond by giving me their work history while women respond by telling me about their family. Please understand that I'm not trying to stereo-type, which is why I'm uncertain if this question is baited.

2. Talk about each of the jobs on their resume/application and what they liked best and least about each job. Why they left and what they learned from it.

3. What's the best job you ever had and why?
So far, they're all jobs from their teen years. Did every teenager in America work at a movie theater? How did I miss that boat? I was increasing my acne count in front of a fryer when I was 16. They were having kegers during new-releases at 2:00 in the morning.

4. Who's the best manager you ever had and why?

5. As an experienced bartender, you know that theft is a major issue. If you were in my shoes, how would you best deter this issue and handle it when/if it happens?

This is always a long conversation. The answers I've received are allowing bartenders a comp tab, having cameras and keeping inventory. All good answers. I've followed up with more answers to how we do it. I explain our comp policy, inventory control methods (perpetual vs actual) and throw in the spotters we hire and our random drawer audit policy. I don't really ask this question for their advice, but more for them to understand that we monitor theft closely and prosecute 100% of all offenders.

6. A bartender is not only a drink server, but an entertainer, especialy in a place like ours. How do you entertain your guests?

7. Tell me your favorite joke?

This one is not going well. Some bartenders like me can rattle off 20 jokes without even thinking, but I've noticed that most don't use jokes to entertain. I know it's common, but one good joke seems like a pretty easy thing to conjur up, doesn't it?

8. Do you consider yourself a lucky person?

Again, it's not going well on this one. I want to gauge their outlook on life. Someone who considers themselves to have nothing but bad things happen to them really isn't someone I want on our team. I would like to think that most of us have far better things going for us than against us. I'm thinking of 86'ing the question since no one has answered it correctly.

9. Drink knowledge. Tell me what in a L.I.T., Colorado Bulldog, Washington Apple, A.M.F., Red Headed Slut, etc..

I'm not going for the regional drinks that vary from bartender to bartender, but the ones that I think are universally known around the country.

10. Free pour test. Give me 1 oz, 3/4 oz, 1 1/2 oz. and 2 oz. pours. We measure it with a bottle of water, pour spout, jigger and empty glass. It's really not a big deal. I drill counts into every bartender's head constantly and test them all the time. If they fail during the test, they're forced to jigger pour the rest of the shift.

Please tell me if there is something I should be asking or not asking to help me in this process. It's a very loose interview and I try to make them as cofortable as possible without lasting over 30 minutes.

I plan on narrowing the second interview process to less than ten candidates. Of those, I want to have a working interview where he/she works a few ours of a shift (with my help and on their dime) and see how they perform in real life.

This is a prime opportunity I'm offering to someone from the outside and I can afford to be very selective. This will be a full-time gig, no side jobs and will be the shifts I need to have covered. I would appreciate any input or advice from anyone who has done this before.

Regards and thanks in advance,

Steve

[67Camaro]

Hey Steve,

Looks like a pretty good start so far...
In my experience a "nay-sayer" is the worst employee to have on staff. As soon as they are comfortable with the new posistion they start complaining about the way things are done. This can bring down the whole staff and/or snowball drama and politics.
I spend a great deal of time on their former posistions and employers
1. Why did you leave (each and every one)
2. What was your manager/and boss like
3. If you owned that bar what would you have done differently, Why
4. What areas did they do well in
5. What did your former manager compliment you for
6. Everyone has a bad habit, and no one is perfect, we understand that. Where will your short commings be?
7. Getting people in the door is the hard part... If I told you I would give you ten dollars for every person you made walk in here how would you make that happen?
8. OK now you have the bar full, in addition to that ten dollars I would give you another ten per person for everyone that stays here more than two hours, how would you acomplish that?
9. OK now you filled the bar, and they all stayed for more than two hours each. But this business lives only by the till... how would you ensure the till made all this worthwhile. In other words 50 people spend $5 in two hours is $250 right, is there anything you can do to get each one to spend $10 there by doubling the till with the same number of people?
From these questions I learn about their honesty, if they are nay-sayers, gain valuable insight in the way the competition does things, but most importantly if find out if they are business minded or if they are just an employee.

If I can, I try to interview when we are closed and ask them to go behind the bar while I sit as a patron. During the interview I will ask them to make a drink for me and I only tell them where the items are. (can they follow verbal directions) This also tends to eases their nerves.

Cleanliness is very important in our business... I always walk them to their car so I can see if it's clean or junk ridden. (A little sneaky perhaps but it's an excellent guage of what your bar will look like when they are working)

Hope this helps!

[Nekosohana]

7. Getting people in the door is the hard part... If I told you I would give you ten dollars for every person you made walk in here how would you make that happen?
8. OK now you have the bar full, in addition to that ten dollars I would give you another ten per person for everyone that stays here more than two hours, how would you acomplish that?
9. OK now you filled the bar, and they all stayed for more than two hours each. But this business lives only by the till... how would you ensure the till made all this worthwhile. In other words 50 people spend $5 in two hours is $250 right, is there anything you can do to get each one to spend $10 there by doubling the till with the same number of people?

- I just want to say that this is a great series of questions! Well thought out!

[SomewhereInAug]

Go to www.RestaurantOwner.com - excellent interview questions and forms as well as employee evaluations, etc.

[Estefon]

Thank you So much 67 Camaro for your well artriculated response. I'm defintatedly going to use your questions in my next few interviews. You're AWESOME!

WOW. I've reread the post and think you're better than awesome. Thanks so much for your advice.

[Falcon]

great post, I use many of these questions or variations but there is some new stuff here that is super...

I also like to find out about transportation, jealous husbands/wifes/or signif others, childcare preferred hours next vacation etc.

[67Camaro]

Hey Steve,
I don't know about the awesome part... Just trying to help, but thanks for the Kudos.
Falcon, I know where your going with the personal questions but that has to be phrased the proper way. (My ex-wife was an HR director) Personal questions about personal relationships are illegal in Wisconsin, and can come back to bite you. "XYZ Bar didn't hire me because I have children, or an ex, or unstable spouse, or what ever". They can file discrimination charges and cause all kinds of trouble. Not that they would win any judgements but you can waste a ton of time on the phone.
I set up a scenario of a former employee that had problems with a spouse being jealous of the attention they receive as a bartender. "Their spouse would confront patrons in the bar,or follow them to bathroom, some even have caused physical confrontations. I then follow up with " I don't know your marital status but if this ever happened to you how would you deal with it"
The important thing to note here is that I have not directly asked anything about their personal life, only posed a scenario and asked them to role play a response.
I do the same thing with ex's dropping off kids at the bar, and teenage kids coming in to ask questions of mom, as well as kids calling every half hour to have mom settle disputes at home.
I end with I'm glad you are able to handle those situations so well... I've lost some great employee's indirectly to these root problems... not because of their problems in their personal lives but because they were dealing with personal issues when they were supposed to be working. We live and die by the till here so if customers have to wait or have to listen to your problems then you are not performing.
This isn't the cure all but planting that seed right from the start keeps them on their toes. (Whats the old saying about skinning a cat?)

[David]

I didn't see the question on theft?

Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
If so, please explain in detail.

Pay attention to body language as soon as you ask the question.
1. Does the interviewee look down and to the left?
2. Does he/she stutter and stammer and get uncomfortable?
3. Ask them if they have ever worked in a bar that had an employee theft problem? Ask them to explain what types of thefts were occurring and how it was handled.
4. Ask this question: If you were aware of any illegal activity within the club, outside of the club or with any of its employees, how would you handle it?
Would you:
a: talk to the person that is conducting this illegal activity and ask them to stop?
b: report the activity to your immediate supervisor?
c: alert the other employees to the illegal activity?
d: ignore the illegal activity and go about your business?

How they answer these questions will give you a little knowledge of their respect for the law and your business. This is one of the areas that should be addressed and answered in your Employee Manual.

[Michael Zenner]

I see Arizona and I'm guessing Phoenix

Cast a wide net and skim the cream from the top.

Here's a recommendation I gave a Scottsdale club owner:

It’s quite obvious that you can’t fire the entire staff all at once at this point because you’re open for business; although that crossed my mind. I would like to give you a few opinions and scenarios that you take or leave.

Letting go the entire staff and bringing in a completely new one that you can mold into your own personality. This can be accomplished over a number of weeks. Just let the monkeys run the asylum while you gather information and plan a strategy. They aren’t showing any loyalty to you so you have no obligation to them.

I would recommend that TOMMORROW you begin the search for new employees if you choose this scenario. Be sure to make sure that it is all done very anonymously as to prevent suspicion by the current staff. The ads should be vague but to the point.

Experienced bartenders needed.
Very high volume Scottsdale nightclub now accepting applications for experienced bartenders.
$200-300+ average in tips a night.
Please e-mail resume to xxxxxxx@xxxxx.com

Place these ads in the Wednesday/Sunday AZ republic, Phoenix Craig’s list (free), and phoenix Backpage.com (free). The latter two are really a gold mine and moreover, both free!

Open an e-mail address that doesn’t reveal the club i.e. scottsclubbartender@xxxx.com. You can also use a fax machine or open an anonymous PO Box. The former is recommended over the later.

Have people e-mail their resume if they are interested. Then send them a digital application and also request that they attach a digital picture of themselves with the included application. This helps narrow things down. I have attached a digital application that you can send to perspective employees.

Michael

eyespyspotter.com (http://www.eyespyspotter.com/new/content/index.php)

[bennyb]

This is a basic question that is not nearly as deep as everyone else's but I always ask it nonetheless.

Do you have any plans to leave on vacation or otherwise in the next three months?

For a period of time, it seemed that everyone I hired would say (on their last day of training), "Oh by the way, I have a wedding that I have to go to in a week, so I won't be able to work my shift and if you have to fire me I understand but it's my best friend and I absolutley can't miss it." Or something exactly to that effect.

Many times, if I had known they wouldn't be here that weekend, I would never have hired them in the first place!

Long term, however, not such a big deal.

[Justin [MSM]]

Steve

Have you found a good candidate for the position yet? If not, Contact me, I have a perfect person for you. (no, it's not me)

[Ruben]

Dude look at the date.... Its from 3 years ago!

Lol I think he ended up finding a couple of people and have replaced them about 6times because 1 got knocked up!