Beginner in Liquor sales

[rbr272]

After selling only beer for 30 years, we have just been approved for liquor by the drink and have an Aloha POS system on the way. If there were things you would do again, advice for liquor bar design, plastic vs. glass as we have no dishwasher and have great problem with glass beer mugs now, I would appreciate some pointers. Tips for hiring bartenders, what if you only have one person working an early shift, do they bartend, serve beer also. We currently have each server using their own drawer, does the bartender make their drinks, do the servers tip out, could the bartender have her own section in order to make her own tips. These are issues I felt you all might have dealt with and considered. Pay for bartender? Starting small and growing over the years my girls have stayed and make up to 7.75 per hr. now which has caught up with me (plus tips) My bottom line is hurting now and I would like to start this out right. What about individual bottles of wine rather than pouring? Jiggers or pour spouts, 1 Bartender per shift, usually we have 2 girls per shift and 3 on busier times, 4000 Sq. ft. to serve, around 120 seats. Blue collar, regulars, and some weekend younger. Any help appreciated.

[gknoob]

I think we need more information.. Do you only serve beer now, or do you serve food as well? What kind of food? What are you trying to achieve with the liquor sales? Why would one person not be able to pour beer and bartend? It is part of the job of a bartender to pour beer, or are you asking about serving to tables?

Pay rates, usually starting at minimums, but changes for experience, abilities and 100 other things they can bring to the table to help you out. Bartender should not have a section, but people should be able to sit at the bar. The bartender should be tipped out by the wait staff. The use of glass vs plastic is only dependent on whether you want it upscale or cheap. The cost is usually about the same even when considering breakage.

Bottles of wine and by the glass. Some should only be by the bottle, while more popular wines can be by the glass. Jiggers and pour spouts together, for speed and accuracy as well as some other type of accounting to what is being sold vs what is being used. Metered pourers are a cheap way to do this without jiggers, but you should have a way to account for every pour. You could go all the way to a bigger inventory management system, but for now, a basic accounting of every ounce of liquor as well as an accounting of every sale should suffice.

I dunno, could prolly think of 1000 other things, but this should be a start.

[Oxrock]

You have to have a method to account for the amount of liquor poured versus what was rung up. My wife does inventory on this by "visual" count. She is very good a looking at a liquor bottle and knowing (despite differing shapes and sizes) how many shots were poured the day before. She then runs a report from the POS which breaks it down by liquor name and how many "servings" were rung up. We have a low tolerance meaning that 1 shot not rung up can be a cumulative effect of just a "tad" too much in the jigger. 2 shots not rung up....then their had better be an explanation in the turnover log (i.e. birthday drink, helped with stopped toilet, good customer comp, etc...). That's the cheapest way.

Next to cheap would be a scale to weigh the bottles (what BEVINCO (http://www.bevinco.com/) does I think...I just don't have the volume to hire them and justify paying them). You can find other control systems here: Alcohol Controls (http://www.alcoholcontrols.com/liquorcontrols.html)

[rbr272]

Our food includes appetizers, burgers, pizzas and plate lunches. The servers take the orders, deliver the food, beer includes draft and bottles, volume keeps them very busy during part of the shift and slows down later through the week. I had in mind bringing in a bartender to mix drinks, and wondered if that person could work their bar and a few tables in front of them rather than be tipped out. I will look into the metered pours. I thought a good quality hard plastic would not appear "cheap". After 30 years of success in beer I thought some experienced owners might save me some mistakes. My goal is to help my bottom line and keep the customers that have a few beers then go somewhere else for "shots" etc.