Pouring drinks seems like a pretty straightforward thing, and it looks like a job anyone is qualified to do. While this may be true to a certain extent, hiring a random individual to handle beverage serving is inherently a bad idea due to several reasons. The most important reason is the adverse financial impact of overpouring.
Now, excess pouring isn’t a new phenomenon nor is it a rare occurrence. It can happen to anyone, including experienced bartenders.
The question is – what can one do to minimize the financial loss caused by overpouring?
We have a couple of tips and insights you can use to improve your beverage serving efficiency as well as minimize the potential losses.
Common Causes of Overpouring
There are plenty of things that can have an impact on your beverage serving efficiency. For example, the lack of measuring tools and solid practices is among the most common causes of overpouring. In other words, if you can’t afford to provide a set of measuring instruments for your staff to use, you can expect them to eyeball the amount they are pouring and consequently misjudge it most of the time.
Needless to say, serving sizes are incredibly difficult to judge without the proper equipment which is one of the main reasons why unintentional excess pouring occurs.
Overpouring can also be intentional, which is a much bigger concern for a business owner in comparison to unintentional occurrences. Adding in an extra sip to extort a bigger tip is one of the most frequent practices of servers around the world.
While it may seem harmless and benevolent, it’s actually a massive problem, and it can cause up to 20% in revenue loss. In fact, a single ounce of excess pour on a glass of wine can completely annul the profit on a whole bottle, depending on the price.
Methods You Can Use to Battle Against Overpouring
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Choose Your Staff Wisely
Even though you shouldn’t turn a job interview into a police interrogation, you should still collect as much data as possible about your candidate, their previous experience in the business, as well as their capability to handle tasks that require a good deal of personal responsibility.
On top of that, you should also train your staff properly and prepare them for various unforeseen scenarios. For example, discouraging them from pouring multiple drinks at once is a good starting point. While this can have an adverse effect on the sheer speed of serving, it’s always better to do things properly in lieu of compromising quality for speed.
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Utilize Proper Measuring Tools
Calibrated pouring spouts, jiggers, and other precision tools are all a viable investment. Even though they can add some extra time to service, it’s definitely a worthy sacrifice. On top of that, your guests will probably appreciate consistency over speed.
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Invest in Modern Technology
Automated methods are always a better idea to incorporate in comparison to letting people handle things all by themselves. An added bonus of automated solutions is the increase in the speed and efficiency of your staff, and of course, the decrease in excess pouring.
One of the most notable benefits of modern automated systems is that they are also capable of tracking your inventory, thus alleviating some of the pressure in that aspect of your business.
If you want to find out more about proper techniques and methods for running a successful business, don’t hesitate to check out our other articles!
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