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Looking to elevate your cocktail game, streamline your bar operations, or simply unlock the secrets of the perfect pour? You've come to the right place!
At Überbartools™, we're passionate about all things bar-related, and we're dedicated to sharing our knowledge and insights with you.
WHEN BIG GOES SMALL: COMPETING AGAINST SMALL CONCEPT BARS
The days of bar barons and ‘pub-preneurs’ has taken a beating.
In many markets liquor licensing requirements were deliberately onerous precluding smaller players from entering the market!
Clever operators used licensing as a barrier to competitive entry leaving only the giants to compete against each other.
To further control the market, large operators would open multiple concepts in easy steps from their own venues to help maintain share of wallet.
Then some years back the democratisation of the bar changed everything as small bar licenses were granted allowing independent bartenders to become owners, helping to fuel the craft bar boom.
The boom then created massive competition, pulling from big boxed venues consumers, particularly those searching for more authentic experiences.
The Empire Strikes back
The big guys began to understand that to tackle the small guys they too needed to get small, creating niche competitors to meet the needs of a market fracturing into micro segments.
Relying on unlimited access to money, designers, process, volume discounts advertising and the best ideas from around the world, the big guys turned the tables.
Here's some of the different plays we’ve seen:
- Large venues cut down large spaces into unique spaces with multiple concepts
- Satellite micro venues – surrounding hub venues, smaller specialized offerings that feed into the fickleness of consumers looking for other options within easy walk of main venues.
- Chain concepts developing niche brands.
- Pair n' partner Pop Ups: Bringing a well-known chef in with an experienced bartender or bar team to deliver short term concepts.
Whereas the little guys were once the disrupters, the bigger players have learnt fast & scaled down to meet and beat the people who created market instability in the first place.
Who’s the loser in this redrawn market place, now that's your call!
AIRBNB YOUR BAR ÜBER INNOVATION: SPACE FLIPPING!
The sharing economy has spawned new ways of thinking about limited resources.
New examples: car sharing, private residences for rent, office sharing, private taxis… the list goes on and on!
Let’s pose the question: why not potentially share your existing business space with another business? Sound crazy?
May be not... we call it “Space Flipping”
Defined as: a purpose built space designed for dual concept occupancy co-existing in the same area, yet operating at completely different times.
As we know many businesses operate within a fixed time frame say 9-5 pm, 6am -3 pm, i.e. coffee and sandwich shops.
Irrespective of the number of hours a business premises is in used daily, rent is payable 24/7/365.
It will come as no surprise that after wages, RENT, is the number 2 expense most businesses must pay... so why not turn a challenge and flip it into a leveraged opportunity!
So can we apply the concept to a bar, is it possible?
The answer is of course it is, so long as there’s willingness, flexibility, and great design!
Assuming willingness and flexibility amongst parties how then could design be critical to completing this picture?
Well, let’s think of it like this: smart design allows one to re-imagine, plan and execute around a framework mandated to achieve a desired outcome i.e. dual occupancy space...
To see what we mean check out this simple space plan... from 6 am-3 pm the space is known as “Johnny’s Coffee Emporium”, late afternoon to early morning “El Diablo Tapas and Tequila Bar”
Here’s a way it may work.
- A two side revolving shingle outside of the space... depending who’s in occupancy.
- Two working areas... one open kitchen with coffee and other value add services; the other as a bar
- The non-used area is closed and concealed when not in use-possibly using the space to advertise the no-open business as an example.
- Stack-able table and chairs to allow for furniture changeover... or possibly utilize existing tables and use different coverings.
- Separate incoming telephone lines.
- The bar could retain the coffee shop to make tapas to supply the bar, and the kitchen uses the bar to create bespoke batched non-alcoholic drinks.
The potential opportunities are endless with willing parties. Of course like any relationship it needs to be carefully regulated, with plenty of mutually agreed boundaries-yes it’s not going to be a walk in the park, but it’s doable!
With more and more young people unable to find employment or make the jump from employee to entrepreneur… the chance to Space Flip may be an opportunity for 2 people to co-exist in business sharing the risk and expense!
What do you think?
BRING AN ICE PROGRAM TO YOUR BAR
Bartender Joe Villanueva
Bringing a great ice program to your bar can make a huge difference!
Once the preserve of craft cocktail bars providing bespoke experiences, ice has become the new “it” providing a WOW factor to enhanced guest drinking experiences.
Today more mid-tiered bars are searching for ways to generate incremental income at the expense of the “guys at the top” by replicating or dumbing down ice programs.
With more consumers educated to appreciate that better ice makes for superior cocktail experiences, the genie is out of the bottle!
The new democratisation of ice establishes an expectation that all bars should/must offer a premium ice experience as part of the deal! So then why can't a $10 cocktail contain a big piece of hand carved ice, versus cocktails selling at $15-$25?
So, if you want to add some extra pizzazz to your bar consider a deconstructed ice program. Here’s some tips:
- Craft ice is now delivered as you like it by entrepreneurs seeking to cash in on the bonanza.. so why not buy it in!
- More bartenders have self-educated, so make your own blocks, by-passing the more expensive option of delivered ice
- Ice machine manufacturers are offering machines making larger format ice cubes.
With more competition it’s possibly a chance for high end bars to go back to the drawing board to offer more interesting, bespoke ice experiences. here's a thought: carving ice balls in front of guests!
Recently Uberbartools™ introduced the LuxPik™ and LuxFork™ to allow bartenders the opportunity to hand carve ice balls. Taking a very non-Japanese approach, we put the bartender’s need front of mind and designed some really innovative ice tools incorporating comfort grips, safety with enhanced control together with modularity to prolong product usage life to indefinite!
If you’ve never watched an ice show, check it out, as there's few more engaging pieces of bar theatre. You might be pleasantly surprised to see guest spend increase by introducing ice carving!
Wherever your bar stands on the ice sheet, maybe it’s a good time to re-visit your ice program! Go on, take a crack!
The Causality Dilemma
In a world of technological advancement – where the prospect of attaining information and answers requires only the click of a button – is it possible to solve the age-old dilemma of causality?
Forget the vexed question of chicken or egg; we’re confronting the more pressing issue of which came first, the theme of the bar or the widespread trend.
Take Tiki culture for example, an enduring concept used in restaurants and bars primarily in the United States and to a lesser extent around the world.
Tiki culture first gained traction in 1934, with the opening of Don the Beachcomber in California – a Polynesian-themed restaurant and bar. Serving Cantonese cuisine and exotic rum punch, this exciting new establishment was decked out in pacific cane furniture, bamboo torches and flower leis.
Don Beach, the owner of what came to be this popular and extensive chain, has even been credited for the innovation of several Tiki cocktails that have stood the test of time.
One establishment, that drew inspiration from and went on to rival the Don the Beachcomber brand was Trader Vic’s, which also grew to international fame.
From here, Tiki culture spread like wildfire, with fruity, tropical cocktails packed with the punch of rum popping up everywhere, including Hollywood – where the Mai Tai featured heavily in the film Blue Hawaii, starring Elvis Presley – before coming to a calm at the end of the decade.
Tiki culture then surfed its way back into the U.S.A on the wave of alcoholic globalization that followed the Second World War, as soldiers previously stationed in the South Pacific wanted to celebrate the good times and forget about the bad.
This time, however the bartenders raised the benchmark for quality cocktails by introducing flavours inspired by the cultures of Hawaii, Tahiti and the Philippines.
As all good things do, Tiki culture came to an end in the 1970’s where it was seen as incredibly kitsch – nothing but a lowbrow style of mass-produced popular culture.
Until more recently, Tiki cocktails – the Zombie in particular – were resurrected by bartenders working in the nooks and crannies of hipster havens across the globe.
Still served in a traditional Tiki mug, the classic cocktails continue to reach new standards as the bartenders interject a modern twist.
While a history of Tiki culture makes it look as though the theme of Don the Beachcomber fuelled a widespread trend, others would argue that the venue simply amplified the relaxed lifestyle of tropical cultures that we as consumers already adored.
So instead of offering a definitive response we dare to question:
When the quality of establishments continues to peak and our cocktail preferences are consistently met, does it really matter if theme trumps trend or does it point to the futility of identifying the first case of a circular cause and effect?
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The Perfect Pour... Why it works for Guinness!
WHAT'S IN YOUR DRINK?
Most of us are guilty of flipping a bottle, can or packet to check the content label for the sugar, fat and preservatives contained therein.
Many of us understand: we are what we eat; therefore cant the same be said about the things we drink too: such as spirits, wine and sparkling (SWS)?
Soft drinks and most beers routinely display nutritional information on content labels, strangely though (SWS) do not!
In a quickly changing world what would happen when consumers demand the same level of nutritional compliance on SWS.
Spirits in particular are renowned for using generic marketing descriptors to evoke some form of emotional connection via history and processes to differentiate against competing offers.
In the US there’ve been famous court cases started by consumer activists over “misleading claims” made by Distillers concerning what the terms “handmade” and/or “ hand crafted” really mean?
Is it only a matter of time before consumers ask far more vexing questions moving beyond “authenticity”, to demand total transparency on the contents of the liquids they drink?
We suspect this prospect may be lurking around the corner, if so, there’ll be tremendous changes on the way SWS are packaged, advertised and marketed.
Further down the track what would happen when bars, clubs and pubs are required to list on cocktail menus, calories, sugar, fat, preservatives on every drink served?
Are you prepared?
HOW LONG WOULD YOU WAIT FOR A DRINK?
How long should a guest wait for their drink? Or, the real question should be; whilst a cocktail can take anywhere from 10 seconds to 5 minutes (or more!) to make, what's a reasonable wait time for a customer to be both intrigued and fascinated by a mixologist/bartender making a drink?
Depending on a number of factors, the style of the bar, the skill set of the bartender and how busy the venue is, the wait time can vary tremendously.
Many rookies transitioning from bartender to owner do not necessarily take timing into account. When looking at potential guest wait time, there appears to be a laissez faire or, "she'll be fine" attitude. Sadly, a wrong decision made at the very onset may doom a bars income generation and profitability.
So when making a cocktail what are some factors you need to take into account. Below we have identified key elements that need to be considered to ensure efficiency, management of your guest’s expectations and positive turnover.
- The number of separate ingredients and how long they take to gather and combine
- How much will the drink sell for, versus cost and time to make?
- Can you make an 80 per cent GP and still sell the drink? What's the expected sell price, versus the cost price, including labour
- How many people are making drinks behind the bar?
- Are there pre-batched ingredients on hand for more popular / high volume selling drinks?
- What type of venue is it? i.e. High volume cocktail bar, speak-easy, dive bar
- What are the guest’s expectations?
- Do you have a clear drinks philosophy?
- What's the expected spend per guest target?
- What’s the demographics of your patrons?
- Who is your competition in the area?
- Is your bar set-up so staff can move quickly and efficiently?
- Do you have a glassy/bar back support to help?
Reflecting carefully on each of the questions will determine the ideal time your bar can turn a multi-drink order around. Ultimately, it's the guest and what's left in the till at the end of a shift that will be the ultimate arbiter of how long the average drink should take to make!
CONSISTENCY: IS YOUR BAR MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT?
Behind every great bar there are great brands, great bartenders and great tools – the perfect combination for delivering liquid gold to thirsty guests. But, when the competition is literally only a few steps down the road, quality, value and consistency (QVC) become the real metrics to use when measuring success. Unfortunately, as a business it is a lot easier to stock the bar with top-shelf product than it is to deliver top-notch QVC.
Quality and value are both driven by related factors, yet contrary to popular thinking, consistency is not something that automatically occurs from success in these two areas. Instead, consistency is something that much be practiced and earned until a staff member holds the ability to replicate an exact outcome every time, regardless of either quality or value.
In a mixed drink, success in consistency requires a correctly portioned amount of alcohol to be delivered, without wastage, into its final serve – no variation in volume, taste, or appearance. Of course, this is often something that is easier said than done.
We’ve all returned to a bar and ordered a repeat drink that tasted completely different to when it was previously consumed.
This common occurrence begs the question: how can two drinks, made by the same bartender with identical ingredients taste so different?
It is the pouring paradox; great spirits brands are manufactured consistently, yet at the point of serve if the spirits are not poured by a bartender using proper measuring and pouring tools, then certainty changes and consistency is no longer guaranteed.
More than just an annoyance, unwittingly this same inconsistency affects venue profits. When customers (even subconsciously) don’t know what to expect from the next order they tend to migrate away from a prepared, mixed alcoholic beverage on to the certainty of a bottled drink alternative – which are almost always sold at lower price points with a lower margin. It is a sad truth known as ‘category swapping’ and is a constant that could have been avoided.
As a business outcome, consistency becomes an important pivot around which quality and value live, and something a reputation depends on.
With increased inconsistency comes poor quality and a greater loss in value - the failure to make the few-hundred-dollar investment in accurate bar tools has then allowed for a far more detrimental impact than many publicans or managers imagine.
UNLOCKING THE POWER OF JAPANESE RITUAL
For most of us in the industry there lies a certain mysterious air around Japan, a secretive knowledge of history that is far deeper than pre-prohibition cocktails or the preferred drink of English Kings. It is not an understanding of fact or instance but of earthly pursuits— of precision and order.
Japanese bartending is unique in the sense that it extends beyond the way a drink tastes, and though the finest and most considered ingredients are often used, drinking in Japan is not spawned from a cocktail list, but rather a cocktail experience.
For those working in Japan a “classic” is more than a recipe, it is instead something of noble tradition—and making these classics become an art well before the final pour. Like seasoned chefs or dojo masters, many aspiring high-level Japanese bartenders have been known to train for years before ever stepping foot behind a bar during service. However once there, they craft cocktails with restrained perfection, carve ice with seeming ease, and embody the ethics of hospitality to the very core.
Western visitors have commented that when served in the finer bars of Tokyo, the cocktail was placed in front of them with the same level of care as when a jeweller places his most expensive diamond on a mat for viewing. The result is a drink so beautiful, so perfect and so steeped in ritual that a customer is almost afraid to breathe in its presence for fear of ruining the illusion. By the time he or she is ready to sip they have formed such connection to the experience that the night will likely never be forgotten.
Of course there is a downside to such craft, especially when transferred out of the small private dining clubs of Tokyo – many which only sit 10 to 12 patrons. In a less ridged market, where even a small bar can mean upwards of 100 guests at any given time, the ability to meet volume and still maintain such severe and rigorous talent is obviously taxed.
So what can you take away from Japanese bar culture? What is possible (or moreover feasible) to duplicate in your bar?
The answer, at any level, is refinement.
If you are a large bar, refine the ritual of how you value customers, do you welcome them? Do you listen to them? Are your glasses clean? While you may not have the time or capacity to provide a full experience, refining the points of hospitality that are often ignored – like greeting, is a step at harnessing the respect and professionalism Japanese bartenders communicate to their guests.
If you are a mid-tier bar, refine you tools. Replace worn glassware, teach a proper hard shake (the technique was invented in Japan), and invest in stirring or straining equipment that provide a level of imperial dignity to the acts. Equipment that is streamlined and easy to use across stations allow for more elegant applications of technique, even in higher volume situations. Most importantly once you have the proper tools to facilitate heighten technique (in little time) ensure they are respected.
If you are a craft bar, refine your presentation. Allow guests to connect with their drinks as closely as your bartenders who create them. Allow them to watch as the whisk(e)y is gently poured over the rounded ice, and then swirled to chill, using an elegant, extra-long bar spoon with a trident on one end that is so revered in Japan. Develop a higher level of theatre and consistency that will translate in their eyes into intrigue, remembered experience, and loyalty. Take notice of BarShido, our notion of the study, repetition and respect attained from a long and practiced pursuit.
For those who possess the right environment and a level of commitment, making the benefits of Japanese bar culture more readily utilised is not a difficult feat. There are many additional techniques that can be easily learned by top level professionals. Have a look at the following styles explored by industry experts who have made a point to see the ritual culture of presentation travel well across international markets.
CANDOR OR CANDY
Checking in with your customers is a valuable part of the business cycle. Through surveys, social media, or even word of mouth, it is important to gather feedback properly… and ask for it correctly.
We’ve all likely been surveyed incorrectly before, asked to weight in even though the questions provided were so leading or sugar-coated that it was impossible to generate honest feedback.
Though these types of prompts can certainly produce ego-boosting results, they ignore general areas of concern — the very aspect that makes asking for customer response wholly beneficial.
Without uncovering points to focus and improve on, any survey losses its true insight, the type of information your staff needs to know in order to learn and progress.
Asking customers for help requires the implication that we intend to respect their time by ensuring their answers always lead to a payoff, be it improved service, an enhanced product or a better experience ahead.
Asking the no-holds-barred questions, especially publically, takes guts – but becoming vulnerable, stirring the dust, and opening up to the hard truths will lead to the benefits customers ultimately desire.
Ask how you can better your business, not what a favourite product or experience was, opt for candor over candy!
Candor is that ability to look honestly at your business’s reflection, to see not only areas of light, but also those that shadows cast across the mirror of your customer’s involvement.
Hospitality is about learning and delivering quickly, even if that means sometimes uncovering areas of your business that you would rather hide - it is much better to jump off a cliff and unpack a parachute on the way down then it is to unexpectedly fall later.
FROM PHONE RESERVATION TO RAVING FAN... FOLLOW THIS SCRIPT AND LEAD YOURSELF TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY
In a world where communication is increasingly disconnected, hospitality remains inherently human. At a number of points, our industry has the opportunity to provide real interactions that can turn into remembered experiences within guest’s hearts.
This personal nature, expressed through everything from first-impressions to final goodbyes, can potentially become another competitive advantage for your venue; as long as you manage to convey it authentically.
Ironically, this same warmth, responsiveness and care can be projected even before a customer meets your staff face-to-face. Follow this script below to transform an unknown visitor into an instant raving fan – all before they actually arrive at your venue. Sound impossible? Give the role-play below a try!
Phone rings in a restaurant…
Staff Member: Good afternoon… this is [NAME OF VENUE]
Guest: Hi I’d like to make a reservation for… at… on…
Staff Member: Certainly Sir/Ma’am, it will be our pleasure. May l ask if this is your first time joining us or are you a returning guest?
If he or she is a first-time guest…
Staff Member: We are looking forward to welcoming you and your friends, and we’re looking forward to providing a wonderful evening.
Is there anything specific you’d like us to take care of before you arrive, say a special occasion?
The conversation continues shortly thereafter.
This is a the first big step towards an ultimately happy, or daresay ecstatic, guest— one who is looking forward to a new experience and is confident in the knowledge that their friends will be happy with the choice of venue selected.
From here manually input the details gathered on your reservation system, noting NEW GUEST and special requirements (if any).
With this system, needs and expectations of the group are assessed, and staff members are aware of potential areas to go above and beyond— all before the evening begins.
Follow through ensures when the guests arrive, whoever welcomes them will be able to maintain expectations and extend the personal connection established at the very first touch point.
If the person calling is a returning guest, make use of the same system by pulling up the guest’s history (if on file). Continue by noting anything relevant and informing front of house staff to look for further opportunities to add nice touches or a friendly flourishes to the visit.
There are so many more extra touches your staff members can add throughout the evening to enhance guest experience, critical of course that each team member in your chain of service is willing to pay attention and provide the same level of care.
This level of consideration is usually provided at top tier venues. The creation of higher customer service standards particularly when not initially expected can really resonate with guests and can easily (and almost effortlessly) become the difference between sending off a one-time diner and welcoming back a life-long regular.
SOWO... SPILLS, OVER-POURING, WASTAGE, OUCH!
We all know how hard bar-tending can be - even simple mixed drinks are far from child’s play when a night is busy and nerves are high. The jigger jitters are real, and as all of us can attest, just pouring alcohol from a bottle into its final serving place can be fraught with shakes, quakes and trouble.
A slip of the hand, bump of the bottle, every innocent mishap creates potential SOWO for your venue’s bottom line. That’s Spills, Over-pouring, Wastage, Ouch – and this is an acronym none of us have time for.
In an average bar SOWO accounts for a 3-5 mL (1/10-1/6Oz) loss on every 30 mL (1Oz) shot of alcohol served, multiply this by how many serves are poured daily and you’re looking at a massive volume of liquor forfeited yearly.
Mistakes happen at all levels, but pinpointing the difference between an occasional misstep and a pattern of poor performance can save a significant amount of your stock and sanity.
Recognizing bar-tending bad habits is the first step to stopping SOWO, here’s some of the potential warning signs:
Improper Positioning
Holding a bottle in an awkward or unusual manner making it difficult to stop or better control a pouring process potentially results in over-pouring alcohol. This problem is usually easy to fix with proper training, however if the behaviour is a result of general carelessness or laziness this may be a sign of other risk factors.
Flash Over Function
Unusual bottle cuts and martial moves based on show rather than care can increase the frequency of mistakes and disrupt the work flow of a bar with collisions, distractions, spilt drinks the result.
Sloppiness
Nothing is a bigger risk factor than good old-fashioned sloppiness. A need to slow down is often difficult to distinguish from a lack of care, and a staff member with little to no pride in their work is challenging to correct.
Premature Pouring
A safe pouring process requires the filling of a jigger to capacity, stopping the liquid flow from a bottle, and then emptying the jigger into a glass or shaker. Watch closely for a bartender who cuts corners and dumps the jigger just before it’s full, yet continues to free pour more alcohol into a receiving vessel. This really bad habit is possibly the most costly, as every ½ second of pouring time equates to 5 mL (1/6 Oz) of extra alcohol being poured away FREE!
The best way to stop SOWO is to invest in bar training programs that continuously re-enforce HOW and WHY you want bar practice to be done. Reward good practice, re-inforce bad practice with consequences!