Sometimes big ideas come in small packages, other times they’re plastered on a billboard or tattooed on a server’s arm. What’s the difference how or where you come by a good idea as long as it eventually lands in your laptop. To expedite things, here are some nuggets that caught the attention of our editorial staff.

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AVOIDING THE MONDAY NIGHT EXODUS — There are no sure things when  it  comes  to sports. For example, many a game on Monday Night Football turns out to be so lopsided that disgruntled fans watching in the lounge clear their tabs and leave at halftime. It’s an exodus that deflates staff morale and leaves operators scratching their heads. What to do? Well until the NFL issues an insurance policy against non-competitive games, the good folks at Henry’s Hat in Los Angeles have come up with a viable alternative. The Studio City gastropub has debuted the “Halftime Hilarity” series in which notable comics are invited to perform five- to six-minute sets during halftime of the evening’s featured game. The ongoing promotion is intended to bring a unique twist to the typical sports-watching experience, and perhaps more importantly, keep people in the seats. Comedy acts are performed in a separate room adjacent to the main bar where the games are shown on the 5-by-5-foot projection screen.

The venue has also unveiled a post-game “highlights” menu featuring upscale takes on traditional pub favorites, alongside a collection of craft beers and a seasonal cocktail menu.

While still early in the season, our sources within the organization say the promotion is exceeding their expectations.

 

WASTE REDUCTION — Waste and spillage can quickly erode profitability. In an effort to raise staff awareness of the considerable costs involved with operating a bar or restaurant, some operators have taken to creating large posters that illustrate every piece of flatware, china and glassware with what they cost posted underneath.

The bar staff should be given a similar reality check as bartenders often think liquors, beers and wine cost much less than they actually do. At the same time, they need to be made to understand that when they give away a drink, it costs the business more than the sum of its constituent ingredients. Far more expensive is the sales value of losing the potential sale.

Proper bar procedures can also have a significant impact on lowering costs and improving guest satisfaction. Examples abound. Your bartender fails to check the freshness  of  the  whipped  cream,  which

results in a hot specialty drink being returned as unpalatable. A bartender pours a shot of Baileys Irish Cream into stale, bitter coffee only to have the drink returned. In both cases, product is lost and customers are left with a bad taste in their mouth.

As the adage goes, “Look after the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.”

BARE ESSENTIALS — Unless screw-top enclosures become the universal standard for wine bottles, French waiter’s wine openers will remain the professional standard. When choosing which type to supply your staff, select an opener that has a worm screw with five coils instead of four, and preferably one that has a center groove etched down the middle of the coils. The groove will reduce friction and is easier to use. Likewise, pick one that has a straight blade for cutting away the foil on the neck of a wine bottle; curved blades often tear the foil.

Wall-mounted wine openers are an option. These devices are capable of removing the cork from a bottle in one smooth, effortless motion. They’re a fast and efficient method of opening bottles of wine.

 

ESTABLISHING PAR LEVELS FOR OPENED BOTTLES OF WINE — Establish par levels for each label of wine being featured by the glass. Only a set number of bottles should be opened prior to each shift to reduce their susceptibility to spoilage. Something as simple as not pulling a cork completely out of the bottle goes a long way to reducing waste. Pulling a cork only 3/4 of the way out of a wine bottle keeps its contents from oxidizing.

DOING THE RIGHT THING — Kudos to Sláinte Irish Pub and Restaurant in Baltimore. The landmark pub hosted a blood drive coinciding with the World Cup Qualifying matches in the early part of September. Working with the American Red Cross and the Baltimore Area Liverpool Soccer Support Club, patrons were asked to donate a pint and receive a free pint of Carlsberg for their efforts. The promotional email sent to the pub’s extensive mailing list mentioned that 60% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, yet only 5% do so on a yearly basis.

INVALUABLE ON-LINE READING — If knowledge is power, then timely information must be the ammunition. That’s the working premise behind the growing ranks of on-line business-to-business newsletters. The most successful of these are written by working professionals for working professionals. And unlike traditional trade publications, they’re uncluttered with glitzy ads, pullout cards or other such nonsense.

We’ve combed through our in-boxes and selected the ten newsletters that we couldn’t live without, five of which are reviewed in this issue with the balance to be featured in the November/December issue of the BarProfits newsletter. Ours needs no mention. You decide that!

COCKTAILTIMES.COM — Published on-line since 1998 by former CNN correspondent Yuri Kato, the visually appealing newsletter focuses exclusively on contemporary drink trends and all things mixology.

COCKTAIL GURU’S NEWSLETTER — In its first year, the newsletter is the brainchild of noted mixologist Jonathan Pogash and covers cutting edge techniques, cocktail recipes and top flight drink events.

LIQUID CHEF — Subtitled “taste the art, drink with your senses,” reading the Liquid Chef newsletter is like taking a graduate level course in alchemy. Written by international celebrity Junior Merino, each issue is packed with high-end mixology advice.

HOSPITALITY LAWYER — Produced by attorney and industry veteran Stephen Barth, the newsletter deals strictly with on-premise issues of safety, security and liability issues. Not necessarily light-hearted fare, its must reading in this litigious society.

THE BEVERAGE AUTHORITY — Now in its ninth year, the Beverage Authority newsletter is written by our own Robert Plotkin (humility be damned) and includes spirit reviews, drink ideas, management advice and the latest research into drink trends.