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I've gotten myself in a bit of a conundrum A few months ago I kinda blagged my way into a bartending job at a mid-range restaurant in a fancy neighborhood in Brooklyn. I was a bit desperate for work was willing to take what I could get. My background; roughly 7 years in the industry, some bussing, mostly serving. Most of my knowledge was gained at a fine dining Italian restaurant in regards to composition and execution of proper service. Bartending school some 8 years ago. No prior experience as a bartender. After getting hired they promptly fired the previous bartender (apparently she had to google drinks before she made them) and left me as sole bartender. The expectations were high and was closely watched my first week there, I pulled it off okay and the responsibilities ensued. The establishment; seats about 140, currently does anywhere from 20 to 70 covers a night, mostly retirees (lots of gimlets, gin martinis), 2-4 servers for dinner service, manager has pretty good knowledge but not a very effective manager. Bored, inexperienced millionaire owner opened the place a year ago and I can tell it won't close anytime soon. Something I find a bit alarming is their insistence to purchase 1.75s and pour them into liters once they get low - they say this is cheaper but is a bit shady? My current tasks given to me are to draft a 12 drink greek-themed cocktail list, order appropriate liquor (when I walked in it was dismal - only vodkas were Grey Goose, Absolut, Ed Hardy[!], and some well in a plastic [1.75] jug), dispense all inappropriate liquors (including the Bols rainbow of poo poo which I don't know how, shitloads of amaretto and irish creame), install a profitable happy hour, offer nightly drink specials. Beerwise I have 6 drafts, 3 bottles What I've accomplished thusfar; taken inventory of both wine & liquor - we're trying to exhaust the wines to roll out a new list, given input on the initial liquor order, rearrange and streamline my fridge/workarea. Things I need advice on; cocktail menu! how to get rid of lovely Bols crap/amaretto/irish creame I've been holding my own bartending - I took to it quite naturally, surprisingly my bartending school finally paid off. I've mostly been pouring wines - rarely have people sit at my bar (any advice to increase traffic there?) Quitting isn't an option, even though I'm making a laughable wage (~400$/week) they are currently providing me with housing.. and in NYC that is priceless.
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Sep 13, 2012 07:07
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Sheep-Goats posted:Louis XIII was 150 a shot, not 1500. Remy Diamond was basically an upsell on that same product though, the bottle was very similar but faceted instead of smooth and there was a little diamond set in there (in our bottle, I don't think the commercial version has those). You can buy it in in-flight magazines and stuff now for like 1500 a bottle (the Diamond one), which I think is less than a bottle of regular Louis so, like everything else in that part of the nightlife industry, we were selling smoke and mirrors. Jesus, I've never seen Louis XIII in a bar for under $230/shot. Man, Canadians get screwed on booze prices.
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Sep 13, 2012 16:48
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PT6A posted:Jesus, I've never seen Louis XIII in a bar for under $230/shot. Man, Canadians get screwed on booze prices. I know, right? We gouged on everything else, why not that one. Also back then 230CAD was probably about 150USD.
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Sep 13, 2012 17:25
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Sheep-Goats posted:I know, right? We gouged on everything else, why not that one. I saw it for $230 when the Canadian dollar was at par.
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Sep 13, 2012 17:34
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PT6A posted:Jesus, I've never seen Louis XIII in a bar for under $230/shot. Man, Canadians get screwed on booze prices. The only people who buy it are international horse industry folks. (we are in Kentucky)
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Sep 13, 2012 20:36
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..my most expensive liquor is $6. 
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Sep 14, 2012 01:47
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Dirnok posted:..my most expensive liquor is $6. Dirnok posted:Dirnok: High-volume college bar There's your problem right there. Does a $175/shot drink really taste that much better? I just can't imagine it being worth that price. I understand the whole mindset of some people needing to obnoxiously display their affluence with this sort of gesture, but is there anything more to it?
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Sep 14, 2012 04:42
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I'm guessing once you get into that range your tongue is already coated with ground up diamonds so you probably can't taste anything anyway  For real though, there are definite tiers to quality/price in liquor/liqueurs so maybe? The most expensive thing I've ever drank is JW Blue, and that was nice but I don't much enjoy scotch so it was wasted on me. I'm sure to some extent higher-price equates in a much more rigorous production of the product, and not just scarcity, but there's bound to be some kind of plateau for price/quality somewhere.
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Sep 14, 2012 04:52
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Crazyeyes posted:There's your problem right there. No. It doesn't. It's just to demonstrate affluence on the part of the customer and control over a supply chain for a vendor. The only people who could reliably tell a difference are freaks of nature like that Wine Spectator guy. After 100 or so a bottle it's pure flash for the rest of us. This goes treble after your first glass by which time you've started to have your judgment tainted by the booze.
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Sep 14, 2012 07:14
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JawKnee posted:For real though, there are definite tiers to quality/price in liquor/liqueurs so maybe? The most expensive thing I've ever drank is JW Blue, and that was nice but I don't much enjoy scotch so it was wasted on me. I'm sure to some extent higher-price equates in a much more rigorous production of the product, and not just scarcity, but there's bound to be some kind of plateau for price/quality somewhere. Johnnie Blue Label is also the most expensive thing I've ever drank. And I am quite fond of scotch. That being said, Johnnie Gold Label (the next step down) is $80 a bottle where as Johnnie Blue Label is $250. Yeah, Blue does taste better, but not $170 better. And you'd sure as poo poo never find me paying bar markup for it. I just don't buy anything now that's more than $100 a bottle because every time I did in the past, I'd either not drink it for months or feel guilty when I did. This $200+ for a SHOT stuff blows my midwest college bar mind.
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Sep 14, 2012 08:43
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I think this sort of stuff falls under my earlier arguemnt that if you really like and appreciate a good quality cocktail, like an old fashioned or something of that ilk, then you don't ask for it in a lovely crowded bar/club. Same thing goes for super expensive scotch/cognac/whatever. Even though the barender fuckup element is taken out of pouring a single ounce of nice booze vs making a great cocktail, the chances that you're going to be able to get $100+ worth of enjoyment out of that ounce of great booze while being jostled around in a club with lovely music, is practically zero. Here's where you're going to get your enjoyment: having everyone know that you're drinking $100+ an ounce booze and acting like it's no big deal. Even though it is a big deal to you because you desperately want everyone around to know that your casual drink is more than they're spending on their whole night. Once again, smoke and mirrors, and a big, beautiful honeypot to catch all those dumbasses who think they're cool as poo poo for throwing money around. If you really enjoy your good quality scotch/cognac that costs a grand + a bottle, then you'll drink it with your friends on your yacht, or in your jet. Not at some lovely bar, trying to impress kids in between Katy Perry songs.
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Sep 14, 2012 09:16
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nrr posted:Once again, smoke and mirrors, and a big, beautiful honeypot to catch all those dumbasses who think they're cool as poo poo for throwing money around. If you really enjoy your good quality scotch/cognac that costs a grand + a bottle, then you'll drink it with your friends on your yacht, or in your jet. Not at some lovely bar, trying to impress kids in between Katy Perry songs. This is all beautiful truth like a diamond bullet to the forehead. I am really a fan of the existence of these ultra-premium cognacs and blended scotches. They keep the noveau-riches assholes from running up the price on stuff like armagnac or calvados.
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Sep 14, 2012 16:59
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Coincidentally I had about 5 young nouveau-riche banker types try that last night. The best part was that we ran out of armagnac and cognac after their first round because our bar manager is useless, so these guys just asked for bourbon in snifters so that the barflies would stick around. To which I acceded, and promptly pushed forward the glasses with a loud "Your Jack Daniels, gentlemen". Didn't even care that they tipped lovely. Der Luftwaffle fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Sep 14, 2012 |
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Sep 14, 2012 19:10
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Der Luftwaffle posted:Coincidentally I had about 5 young nouveau-riche banker types try that last night. The best part was that we ran out of armagnac and cognac after their first round because our bar manager is useless, so these guys just asked for bourbon in snifters so that the barflies would stick around. Don't ever tell them about Calvados.
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Sep 14, 2012 19:38
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Perdido posted:Jagerettes I decided to Google this, and found this image: 
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Sep 16, 2012 05:34
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I just took a lowboy door to the dome. Careful out there.
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Sep 16, 2012 05:52
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Vegetable Melange posted:I just took a lowboy door to the dome. Careful out there. I have 2 favorite injuries. The common one was raking my arm across a speed rack, with every Spill Stop 285 pulling some skin off. Enjoy your drinks, guys! As for a particular injury, hands down it's the time another bartender dropped a bottle inside our 90" horizontal. Reached in and got a 3" sliver of glass up my middle finger - used a whole bottle of skin glue trying to stem the bleeding. Didn't help that I'd chugged 3 Red Bulls and couldn't stop shaking. Then again, I also know a guy that nailed himself in the eye with a champagne cork. Great guy, too.
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Sep 16, 2012 06:14
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FISHMANPET posted:Jager sluts picture Vegetable Melange posted:I just took a lowboy door to the dome. Careful out there. Shooting Blanks posted:I have 2 favorite injuries. The common one was raking my arm across a speed rack, with every Spill Stop 285 pulling some skin off. Enjoy your drinks, guys! I'm not sure I have a favorite. But my most visible one is a 3" scar along my arm that I acquired while trying to put some guy in a headlock and caught his inhumanly sharp tooth in the process. Breaking up a brawl, managed to get it all squared away and seperated, cops show up. One of them sees my arm and is like "Whoa, wait, did one of them pull a knife?!" "Oh.. no. He uh.. kinda bit me."
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Sep 16, 2012 10:16
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I watched another bartender blind kick a fridge door closed behind him once while our bussers fingers were in it and then got to hear him freak out as he realized not only that he could see into his finger but that it was pretty much only hanging on by some skin. I've also done the dumbest and most hilarious fuckup I've ever come across, to myself. If you've ever married a bottle too full, then you know what happens when you jam a speed spout into it: The excess liquid shoots straight out of that spout like a fuckin laser beam. It's cool as hell and fun for the whole family, except I'd just finished squeezing a litre of fresh lime juice and wasn't paying attention to how full the bottle was because one of my cocktail waitresses was flirting like crazy with me. So I lean forward and put all my weight into jamming this spout into the overfilled bottle of fresh squeezed citrus and inadvertently manage to position my loving eyeball directly over the spout as I apply downward pressure, unleashing the dragon of literally a million tonnes of pure citric acid in a concentrated, jet fueled laser beam, directly into my loving eyeball which was maybe hovering 4 inches above the spout. The combination of searing pain and uncontrollable laughter somehow fused together to make it feel like some kind of bizarre trip down the rabbit hole, as i muffled my screams into my arm and cried what felt like an ocean of tears out of one eye, I suddenly realized that I wasn't alone in shedding tears and not only my cocktail waitress, but half of the rest of my staff had seen it as well and were doubled over, howling with laughter. It only made things worse that my disapproving look was one super angry looking eye, with the other one fused completely shut and unable to open because of how much citrus it had just ingested. The result being the dirtiest, most shameful crying stinkeye that has ever been seen. So apart from dongs and fridges, steel and shins, you can also add citrus laser beams and eyeballs to the list of things that don't mix.
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Sep 16, 2012 11:41
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I've been mercifully free from major injury but there was one time I reached down to the rail for a bottle of rum and came up with only the top half because the barback had previously slammed the bottle down too hard. Our bar is also in the middle of a kitchen hot line so I'm waiting for the day when I'm drenched in boiling oil like the poor girl in that Canadian workplace safety commercial.
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Sep 16, 2012 19:10
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Der Luftwaffle posted:I've been mercifully free from major injury but there was one time I reached down to the rail for a bottle of rum and came up with only the top half because the barback had previously slammed the bottle down too hard. Our bar is also in the middle of a kitchen hot line so I'm waiting for the day when I'm drenched in boiling oil like the poor girl in that Canadian workplace safety commercial. Jesus CHRIST you could not pay me enough to work that bar. The amount of poo poo I have seen/have heard of that has injured kitchen staff at the couple of places I've worked is enough to keep me away from a bar that's somehow (magically?) placed on a line... How the gently caress is that even possible? I'm trying to conceive it and just can't picture how that must look. Describe this bizzaro bar-tchen. Or Kitch-ar, please. I've been lucky (knock on wood) to avoid bloody injury but I think I've got a hernia from being a hardass and re-organizing our walk-in keg setup by myself, throwing around full kegs in a very, very tight space and stacking them and soforth. Going to the doctor on Thursday! Wee!
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Sep 17, 2012 08:44
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It's a pretty massive clusterfuck of design, the place basically goes ___prep kitchen_______bar_____ ___hot line_______ And the space below is all seating or open ground for patrons. Not exactly in the middle of the hot line but there are always people going back and forth with giant pots of god knows what, plated courses and knives. The line break is the little hole we can use to bring stuff out to people, but there's a giant pillar on one side so god help you if you rush in and run the risk of getting nailed by someone carrying something dangerous. Also the espresso machine is against the wall behind us, so better look both ways for traffic before turning around! The best part is that the bar is also the service bar and there are no service bartenders so there's basically zero time to interact with patrons, 80% of the job is managing chit overflows and tracking down orders transferred to tables. The place is really all about the food, it's been pretty apparent by now that management gives no fucks about the bar besides wine service, which is a real shame.
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Sep 17, 2012 09:12
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FaceEater posted:I've been lucky (knock on wood) to avoid bloody injury but I think I've got a hernia from being a hardass and re-organizing our walk-in keg setup by myself, throwing around full kegs in a very, very tight space and stacking them and soforth. Going to the doctor on Thursday! Wee! I know three other bartenders who have gotten one from doing exactly the same thing. Only one of them has gotten it fixed, and it's because he is 23 and still on his parents' health insurance. The other two continue to suffer because they can't afford to do anything about it. I refuse to lift a keg by myself because of that. Which is absolutely agonizing when I come in to work after a delivery and my walk-in is a total clusterfuck and all I can do is just stare at it and seethe. Convinced the drivers do that poo poo on purpose. BIG NEWS! Not really big for any of you, but big for me. My GM asked me to attend a distributor's trade show in his place in a couple days. This is unheard of at my bar. He always goes to these, and always by himself. And it's not only this one, he gave me dates for upcoming ones as well. This comes a few months before his 25th anniversary of working at the bar. It continues the trend this last year of him taking steps back, showing me more of the back end stuff, giving me more responsibility and more say in things. I'm stupidly excited. Drinking for free in a fancy venue, schmoozing with the other bar managers, reps trying their damnedest to sell me on some new products. And it's a distributor that carries some of my favorite breweries; Rogue, Odell, Newcastle, Samuel Smith, others I'm forgetting. Any advice you veterans have on attending these? Do's and don'ts? Things to be aware of? Things to take advantage of?
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Sep 17, 2012 10:04
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Don't buy anything your boss wouldn't buy. Bang a cougar.
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Sep 17, 2012 13:22
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Here's a quick question for everyone (but especially those of you who take part in hiring) - how do you react to/deal with resume's (and the individuals behind them) who have post-secondary degrees listed? I was talking to a co-worker recently who says she always leaves her BFA off of her resume as she gets fewer call backs and worse interviews with it on there. I've only recently graduated (and am pursuing a second degree) but I've always listed my University, faculty, and recently my completed degree on my resume - is this a bad idea?
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Sep 17, 2012 19:30
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Don't buy anything; let them bathe you in swag and samples. If they push Voli vodka, they'd better do it with sexual favors and a big bag o'blow. e: Also, I just submitted a cocktail to Garden and Gun magazine, but to be certain my flavors blended I made one about an hour after I woke up. At 230. On a Monday. And I have the USBG meeting this afternoon before I haul off to have absinthe and oysters. Might be a real short day. bloody ghost titty fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Sep 17, 2012 |
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Sep 17, 2012 19:42
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JawKnee posted:Here's a quick question for everyone (but especially those of you who take part in hiring) - how do you react to/deal with resume's (and the individuals behind them) who have post-secondary degrees listed? It's not a bad idea, per se, because a lot of places are interested in retaining staff, and service jobs can be a stopgap for people while they look for work more relevant to their degree/original interests. If that's the case, definitely leave it off, because if it's entirely possible to be overqualified to sling drank.
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Sep 17, 2012 19:50
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JawKnee posted:Here's a quick question for everyone (but especially those of you who take part in hiring) - how do you react to/deal with resume's (and the individuals behind them) who have post-secondary degrees listed? 1. Leave it off if it matters where you live 2. It doesn't matter in NYC 3. A BFA doesn't count in any case because no one is going to think "oh this person is going to leave for something better" because they literally have nothing to leave for
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Sep 17, 2012 20:42
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Sheep-Goats posted:1. Leave it off if it matters where you live 1. Vancouver is pretty competitive as far as service jobs go - bartenders here in the nicer bars usually have 5+ years experience (I'm at around that myself). 2. I've heard that actually, a couple friends I've got there got FOH jobs as servers/bartenders with little to no experience at all. 3. She's actually quit a short while ago due to getting contracted for a year with a local theatre troupe and already has another job at a local playhouse as an office bitch/intern. Better than my Philosophy degree, that's for sure (which is why I'm completing a CS degree in the first place).
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Sep 17, 2012 20:48
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Coupled with the downside to leaving these degrees on, you've got to add in the upside too. Which if you're straight out going for a bartending job, there really isn't going to be many. No one's going to look at your resume and think, hmm doesn't look like he's what im aft-woah hold on a second, a philosophy degree? He's our man. One of my other bartenders in with at the moment has a chemistry degree and he definitely mentioned it and was able to relate it to having knowledge of how and why distillation and infusion processes work, which is handy in a fine dining cocktail bar. On top of that though, he's got really solid experience, knowledge and enthusiasm about cocktails, wine and spirits in general and I think the chemistry thing was more icing on the cake than actually any kind of driving force to him getting the gig. Unless you can specifically relate your degree to the job you're going for, then in this industry I don't really think it's worth putting it on there.
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Sep 18, 2012 00:50
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JawKnee posted:Better than my Philosophy/CS Give up/Die young.
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Sep 18, 2012 00:54
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nrr posted:Coupled with the downside to leaving these degrees on, you've got to add in the upside too. Which if you're straight out going for a bartending job, there really isn't going to be many. No one's going to look at your resume and think, hmm doesn't look like he's what im aft-woah hold on a second, a philosophy degree? He's our man. Philosophy could be useful, just mentioned that when you were growing up, you saw Dalton from Road House as a personal hero.
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Sep 18, 2012 01:33
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I already have him listed on my resume as a reference, I don't need no damned philosphy degree.
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Sep 18, 2012 05:54
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If bartending degrees were obtainable imagine the classes you'd have to go to.
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Sep 18, 2012 21:07
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Drunk Whispering 101 - Control Your Drunks
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Sep 18, 2012 21:09
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Vegetable Melange posted:Don't buy anything; let them bathe you in swag and samples. If they push Voli vodka, they'd better do it with sexual favors and a big bag o'blow. Maison Premiere? I just got back home from Camp Runamok. Without exaggeration I would estimate that the 120 or so of us went through 350-400 cases of bourbon in a week's time. Also, Hollis Bulleit parties harder than most very grown men. By the third or so day, hangovers no longer exist. Time to sober up before PDXCW. Choom Gangster fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Sep 18, 2012 |
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Sep 18, 2012 23:02
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leica posted:Drunk Whispering 101 - Control Your Drunks BRT 236 - Advanced Fruit Cutting - Fri 6:15-6:30pm, Sat 12:34-12:36am, Sat 6:25-6:32pm, Sat 11:21-11:22pm, Sun 12:45-12:45am
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Sep 18, 2012 23:30
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I'm waiting for the graduate level seminar, "How to Market Yourself as a Professional Bartender Without Ever Actually Working Behind a Bar or Making Drinks." Seems to be a much sought-after skill these days.
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Sep 19, 2012 01:34
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Tuesday's my elective class. BRT 146 - Slow Nights: Flinging Coasters at Each Other.
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Sep 19, 2012 02:21
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| # ? May 15, 2024 16:20 |
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BAR 402 - Advanced Manager Management (4 credits) This class will investigate the different advanced techniques in the handling of management; lectures will focus on avoiding the wrath of GM's, deflecting blame to the BoH, and covering behaviors. Prerequisites: BAR 100 - Introduction to Bar Positions, BAR 202 - Beginners Manager Management, and at least 2 other second year courses.
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Sep 19, 2012 04:13
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