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The “Claw of Averages” (COA) is the story of misunderstanding business metrics to create false readings!

Customer sees speed, bar owner measures efficiency in dollars. Are your bartenders equipped with trainings and bar tools to achieve speed and efficiency?

The race to become technically proficient in as little time as  possible for many is the key to becoming successful bartenders, maybe they’re right, yet on a more human level doesn't kindness, patience and respect lay at the center of what it means to deliver memorable hospitality experiences that guests crave?  

Not all jiggers are made equal when it comes to accuracy. Check out our range of jiggers to reduce waste, increase profit and improve efficiency.

Should you focus on the small things or the bigger picture? Learn the three small points for every venue that can make a massive difference.

Like many people getting back down to business this January, you're probably looking at the how, what, why, when of the year.

But there's one simple question, that may help you answer a lot of those other questions....

How long should a guest wait for their drink?

We’ve all seen it before – that team member who lets the side down and refuses to pick up their game - they're sloppy and messy. When it’s your business and your profits at stake, there is only one way this can go down. And that’s with the decision to give the sloppy bartender that boot. The question is then, should we use the same approach with our bar tools?

If you want to be part of 2018’s biggest trend then you need to turn eco-warrior.
One in three consumers now prefer eco-friendly options. And the hospitality industry is no stranger to this demand, with many bars becoming more eco-friendly. Here are our top sustainability tips for bars.

Recently I went to a diner and ordered a hamburger for lunch. The traditional square napkin holder was on the table, dispensing single square folded napkins.

By the end of the meal l'd unintentionally used 4 napkins, and felt a little embarrassed.

Did I just make far too much mess?

After the initial guilt trip, some semblance of logic kicked in: on one hand I thought, who cares how many napkins I've used, they’re cheap! On the other I thought isn’t there a financial cost and environmental impact of what I had just done?

The average person isn’t going to be consumed by these thoughts, however on further reflection - who's really to blame? The customer or the manager?

Understand l ordered a messy burger, and was going to make a mess, however the provided napkins were very small when opened, brittle and not well absorbing.

Would l have used as much as l did if the napkins happened to be thicker and higher quality?

Bingo...the answer in one: management presumably wanted to save money buying napkins. Napkins are consumable, rarely thought of, yet still part of a customer experience.

Buyers mandate are built around saving money/reducing costs and do not usually consider end results and consequences.

By opting for the cheapest napkin, the diners still need to get the job done, but at what extra cost in terms of purchase quantity, extra labor and disposal costs?

On face value who'd argue with the righteousness of saving a buck? Yet in practical terms using 2, 3 or 4 times the necessary amount of paper will probably end up costing far more than having purchased a higher grade quality of napkin to start with!

 

The point: failure to properly invest ends up costing more when the cheapest option tends not to be the best, requiring more time, effort and usage to get the job done.
 
So isn't this a case of too little costing far too much?

What do you think!?

Each incoming new year overloads us with information on the latest cocktail trends - what's fading, popular and what will be popular.

Whenever these reports surface, there’s lots of chatter and interest amongst bartenders and bar owners hoping to gobble up and then commercialise the latest trends:

However, the resulting consequence is less exciting than one hoped to imagine - with bars around the world following the exact same trend and offering similar concoctions with little to no differentiation.

Here’s some things to consider the next time you’re reading (and hoping to implement) about the latest cocktail trend.

Trends are the talk of the town. Whilst it’s great to know what’s happening away from your bar, do you really want to follow a trend that too many others close by will soon follow?
Some trends are irrelevant. Trends tend not to account for nuances such as culture, demographics and geographic differences and can prove to be irrelevant to your customers.

Trends should be symbolic only. Trends should be seen more as an indicator, rather than something that’s definitive, to represent the theme and taste relevant of your bar and its guests.

Who is reporting the trend? Can the information reported be trusted? Is the trend promoted by a liquor company or its reps with a vested interest?

When it comes down to reality, the bar world is competitive with everyone looking to gain an edge...and following a cocktail trend seems like a good idea!

Therefore, while a bar can start crunching profits early on by adopting a trend, the question of a trend's longevity must be taken into consideration. Is investing in the trend worthwhile? Will it provide sustainability for the business? Rather than answering these questions, we can focus our energy on creating a craft bar experience - who are better served being beacons of creativity while offering inspiration, art and experiences rather than slavishly following cocktail trends of dubious or possibly irrelevant provenance.

Imagine that really bad hire, the one refusing to pick up their game, is consistently late, sloppy, unhygienic and worst of all doesn’t care about waste or your business!

For most managers the decision is an easy one…fire the “ass” out of that guy!

Ok, we mostly agree that that’s the solution for a human being, so should it be different with bar tools guilty of the same transgressions as a really bad hire?

Many believe so, as anything that can potentially reduce quality, efficiency, consistency, speed, accuracy and profitability cannot be good for business!

One industry stalwart routinely re-buying generic speed pourers says: “I wouldn’t keep a bartender that fails regularly…so why wouldn’t l get rid of speed pourers for doing the same thing!”

A trade tool that occasionally fails, is bad luck, however when bad luck happens weekly and monthly then its time for management to step in!

Any failure to perform is bad for business potentially impacting, morale, quality and ultimately the guest experience.

If you’re continuously replacing your speed pourers maybe it’s time to fire the ASS out of them!