For Owners and employees of bars pubs/taverns/etc?

Question

As owners or employees of these typs of businesses what problems do you run into that seem like they cant be fixed, or problems that can be fixed but its out of your hands?

Answer 1

Theft.
If you can't afford the time to be at your business continuously, be prepared to be ripped off.
Greedy bartenders will invariably pour heavy to gain the favor (and tips) of customers. Not all of them do this, of course, but there seems to always be one or two who have learned this tactic.
Other bartenders will simply 'forget' to ring up drinks and bag the cash.
Solutions:
Some owners employ 'shoppers' - someone who sits at the bar and watches the action and submits reports to the owner.
Some use sophisticated inventory monitoring systems.
Drunks are a problem but you just throw them out and they're gone. Terminated employees will sue you if they feel like it and kill you with worker's comp stuff, etc.
I prefer life on the other side of the bar.

Answer 2

People that have an invisible "switch" that seems to turn them into @ssholes after an undetermined number of drinks! These are usually good people, regular customers that we see several times a week, but some unknowable factor makes them occasionally turn mean and abusive. The next time they come in all is forgotten.... but we have to watch them soooo carefully looking for signs of the next outbreak!

Answer 3

All my bar glasses went to the dishroom to be washed. The kids that worked for me didn't care and wouldn't scrub lipstick off them and they had a high rate of breaking glasses, leaving me with a shortage of glasses. My husband at the time was no help. Those kids stole booze too and he wouldn't let me fire them. He also wouldn't let me buy in what I needed for the bar. I knew exactly how much beer, wine, booze, and mixers we needed but he'd say we couldn't afford it. So I'd be forced to use the high-end liquor for low-end drinks, but for the same price.

Highly frustrating. But I knew my customers and I can only remember 3 right now who were jerks.

Answer 4

To me the biggest problem has always been portion control. Bar owners and managers want to use meters on their drinks, but customers HATE seeing a meter being used. Customers want strong drinks, but bar owners/managers want to control their costs.

Answer 5

What the heck?!?! What are you mad at an worker for donating blood or going to the surgeon? Your ideals can't dictate what they decide for to do with their bodies including going to the surgeon and donating blood. this is unlawful! Donating blood= saving 3 lives. Going to the surgeon= taking care of their very own wellness. Why could that be a subject for you? I propose whats up in case you do no longer wanna do this, this is as much as you, yet for themselves this is as much as them. Sorry dude.

Answer 6

The quality of person that comes in...tabs unpaid---employees drinking on the job--free drinks being handed out---stuff like that

Answer 7

Drunkards. My husband gets tons of victims of fighting/driving under the influence at his hospital.

Answer 8

as a bartender, i can always deal with the drunk fighters, my bouncers got my back for the ones i cant handle myself! my regulars have mad respect for me as well, so i usually dont run into a problem i cant fix... unless we run out of something. that is out of my hands... i dont do the ordering!

Answer 9

people sneaking in thier own drinks, for example if your establishment only sells pepsi products, people will occasionally sneak in a bottle of coke. some people even bring their own whiskey to save money.

Answer 10

Fighting and drunkards messing around.