How do you stop bartender's from 'drinking' on the job....?

Question

They are surrounded by camera's, but somehow know where all the blind spots are. They are very careful and sneaky as how to 'pour' the drinks, pretending they go to a customer, etc, etc, but are definitely drinking on the job.....How do you deal with this in today's market where 'bartender's' are a real rare commodity in the Mom and Pop type business....They are not the bartender's of old either, with the ethics and committment of years ago.

The laws in our area prohibit any drinking behind the bar or by employees...we could lose a liquor license which would shut us down....

Answer 1

Any of my bar staff who drink on the job, no matter what, get sacked on the spot.
I usually supervise the bar myself or put in someone I really trust.
It is usually illegal to imbibe alcohol while serving it. Perhaps a notice could be put up to that effect. Then you can sack them without a reference or warning because they are breaking a law of which they had been previously made aware.
NOBODY drinks behind my bars.

Answer 2

You need to catch them and give out warnings and subsequently fire people. not much will stop a bartender from having a few if that's the sort of person they are. I am sure if they are making 3 bucks an hour and the tips are not exactly pouring in, they feel like they are owed something for their time. That's how they justify it. The bar industry has changed over the years and that dollar tip just is not what it used to be. The company I worked at would hire "spotters". These people would come into the bar as a regular customer, sit at or near the bar and order a drink. The whole time he would be noting who was working, if they were nice, if they poured the drink correctly and in the right proportions, how much he was charged, etc. Sometimes the spotter would even test the staff and say something like "let's do a shot" and see how the bartender responds. He would do this at each station-it was a large bar- until he had collected a reciept from each worker, and that would tell him their names, time served, if they charged accordingly for what was ordered, if they asked for ID (if that is something you do) etc. More than once people were called into the office and fired on the spot.
I have to say, I do not understand the part about bartenders being a rare commodity. I worked in the city and we would hire or fire people every other week it seemed.
In closing, I would not go and fire anyone who had a drink or 2 at work, but if you have a staff member who is consistently drunk at the end of a shift, they need to go. The bottom line is drinking is stealing when you work at a bar. If you want to allow a shift beer or something or a comp check, that is fine, but as soon as people take liberties like this you need to stop it before there is trouble.

Answer 3

Bartenders are among the craftier of service industry employees. I think the bigger question that I would have to ask you is this. Are the bartenders drinking to that point that you are losing an excessive amount of revenue (I know that most bars have a margin of 300-600%) or are the bartenders drinking to the point that they are no longer able to perform their jobs approprietly. If you can not answer yes to either of these questions then why exactly is this such a large issue with you. In my opinion a bartenders job is to not only pour and serve drinks but to also interact with the guests that are enjoying your establishment. Now this interaction often does include having a drink or two as drinking is a social activity and therefore is somewhat customary for bartenders to have a drink with a guest when appropriate. I understand that drinking on the job is frowned upon almost universally but as a bartender it is part of the persona that you are supposed to convey. A bartender who refuses a drink can often be thought of as being unfriendly or rude which is not at all what a guest wants when they are trying to unwind with a cocktail and some good conversation. Now with that all being said if someone is taking their drinking too far and is either costing you "too much" or getting drunk to the point that they can't perform their job then your hands are tied and you have to let them go. Bartenders are the last form of inventory control and therefore are responsible for the correct allocation of those assets. If they are unable to protect the assets of the bar (the booze) then they have violated one of their main responsibilities and can not be kept on. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Hire more honest/reliable employees. I was a bartender for over a year and never drank on the job.

If that doesn't work maybe you could offer them a free drink after their shift is complete. That may make them happier and lessen the amount they are stealing from you. I know a few restaurants that do this.

If I were you I would say clean house and start over. If they know that they can get away with it then they will never stop.

They also make devices that go on bottles that pour/count the shots taken from the bottle. If the workers know that they are being tracked( or think that they are) they will be less likely to steal. You could also compare your drink sales to shots poured, measured by the device.

Answer 5

I guess rural Nevada is still behind the times. Most of us grew up in casinos and such where you were handed a "before shifter" as soon as you walked in the door and your relief had your "after shifter" poured for you before you clocked out. A good bartender would rarely drink anything more than a few sips of beer during the shift because they never had the time. As far as spotters went, your customers would tell you if your bartender had fallen off the wagon because NOBODY likes a drunk bartender. We still do it this way out here in the sticks and it seems to work quite well.

Answer 6

Have a bar meeting; tell all your bartenders that you know some have been drinking behind the bar and that it has to stop. Then enforce the rule by firing those who are caught.

I've worked at bars where you are allowed to drink on shift, bars where you weren't technically permitted but the managers "winked" at it, and bars where you were definitely not allowed. I always followed the rules of the place, because I valued my job.

If your employees think drinking behind the bar is no big deal, they will do it.

Answer 7

I have worked in many venues (both large and small) where this is an issue. The only remedy the large venues had was this:

You know what your pour margins are for each bottle you have, and what is an acceptable number for overages on those margins. (ie, you get 12 shots out of brand X bottle, but you allow for 10 shots because of comps). Anything outside of that margin is the bartenders responsibility to pay back BEFORE their next shift at customer price, or they can not come on shift.

Yes, this method requires a bit more detailed inventory, but you will find your liquor cost drastically reduced by employing this method.

Answer 8

Agree with quicksilvergirl. Owners who use a tight leash get bit the most. Goodness knows all owners send enough customers out their doors with a taste of sauce so if it is good enough for the revenue goose then why not a free tot
for ganders. Think of them more as crew and less as wage slaves. I suggest a measured cup of Naval Grog exactly as
the Royal Navy has issued. It was good enough for England.
Don't be amoral prissy tight-fisted publican. Sin is your
trade so stop looking for saints during your 'open' hours.
I was never other than a customer but there's nothing wrong with this opinion since my trade keeps those doors open.

Answer 9

The bar owners that I worked for over the years always let us have a few. It allowed us to to keep the customers a "party buddy" at the titty bars, and just made more sense than to have to ride your employees like a dog and then fire them leaving you short handed. Glad I never worked for you or the folks that answered this question!

Answer 10

I would install web cams without them knowing. There are so many little ones out on the market right now. look for those blind spots!

firing them would be an option too. you can buy those Breathalyzer tests at a drug store and have them take one after their shift. if they fail then they've been drinking, and they shouldn't be drinking while on the clock.