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Are they still in business? (Fado's) I visited their Cleveland location when it was near completion and the bar manager proudly displayed an iron door that was older than the United States. That was pretty cool, but my boxty (spelling?) wasn't so terrific.

Holiday Cookies 2002 Brandy Snap Cones filled (just before serving) with Chocolate Whipped Cream Pistachio Orange Lace Cookies Pignoli Cookies Martha Stewart's Buttery Pecan Rounds (a required yearly cookie according to my coworkers) Meringue Snowflakes Hazelnut Linzer Thumbprints filled with my own picked and homemade salmonberry jam This year, the considerations are still in the works.

quite well too The memorbilia on the wall reminded me of underwear that was show cased because it was worn by a rockstar and hanging in the middle of the diningroom.

Lights dimmed low enough to mask grease spattered dining booths. (one fondue place comes to mind) Use of paper plates. "all you can eat" anything bleh.

Wow. Tough crowd! The restaurant I work for used to serve fresh from the oven hot bread in a basket; we all wear name tags; tell our guests our names and serve Hellman's mayo in packets on the pool patio (no glass permitted with bare toes being a concern with boaters/bathingsuit clad patrons).

Their management forced friendliness, warmth and kind attentiveness to your every need translated into providing something to call them is no indication of the food that is being served. Ahem. . Good point. What I meant to moan about is the pre canned greetings masquerading as warm and friendly service. Meh.

... or across a bartop

edited to add: Their management forced friendliness, warmth and kind attentiveness to your every need translated into providing something to call them is no indication of the food that is being served. Ahem. Do a search, there have been a few similar discussions kicked around eG about things of this nature.

Oh, crap. On a quick re-read, I can see my caffeine induced delirium. I was confusing the bartender/bar manager hiring issue. Bar managers with that minimum of 2 years under their belt tend to have the management experience of staff and actual bartending. The quiz stuff I mentioned were for all of the bartender wannabe applicants.

Here's a recent question on equipment. Here's an excellent discussion on a "Dream Bar" set up. A few random thoughts, in no particular order: I guess you can have too many or not enough. I think of my favourite local dive and they have probably the largest import inventory in town. But that's their gig, even if no one orders a Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale that they stock, in two years. I've also gone to clubs that want to focus upon their spirits instead of beer sales and will have only Bud/Bud Light as their sole domestic selection. Define a liquor cost percent and work as hard as possible to stick to it. For example, working with a 25 percent liquor cost regarding wine. Say your selected bottle of port is 750 ml, is $35 wholesale and 2 ounce portions are the standard service: 750 ml = approximately 12.67, two-ounce servings. Easily rounded to 12 servings with that little bit extra for error and/or a special treat to the chef? $35.00 x 4 = $140 ($35 needs to be 1/4th of the cost) $140/12 servings equals $11.66 to charge per drink order. -OR- $35/12 equals $2.916 per serving at cost. $2.916 x 4 = $11.66 to cover the 25% liquor cost. Another thought to liquor costs -- I've worked with bar/restaurant owners, management and other bartenders that view their "well" liquors with a minimum of "call" brands. Their starting well vodka would be either Absolut or Stoli, etc. While that does demonstrate a lovely discerning choice of offerings, well liquor is a HUGE money maker. Liquor cost is covered quickly allowing for the majority of the bottle of alcohol being sold more profitably. Servers are often trained to upsell their call drinks to bolster their guest checks, but it is the well drinker that is providing more revenue dollars. However you may also find very few well drinking patrons, depending upon your targeted market. ooooooh, very cool. Careful selection of professional service staff. Arm them with product knowledge. Training, training and more training. It sounds silly and often is when you have to go through the paces, but role playing, say for instance -- wine service, with their cohorts helps tremendously. Their guest service skills must be the cream of the crop. An old Disney training technique has proven to be quite effective outside of the little retail environment for what it was intended. It works in food and beverage (quite similar to retail -- you are selling a product and service) as wells with any workplace environment. Exceed expectations. Your guest and co-workers/bosses/owners, etc. How? At Disney, it was coined the "Guest service cycle:" Greet them sincerely and warmly. Make them feel welcome. Identify their needs. Some guests want to eat and be left alone. That is their needs. Some guests need assistance in descriptions of entrees, wines, etc., or recommendations. Product knowledge. Another Disney-like term: FAB. (Features And Benefits -- the 'what's in it for me?' point of view) For example, the guest would like a Vodka Martini (for the sake of this, forgive the improper word usage of Martini for cocktail ). What would you recommend? -Have you tried Stolichnaya Crystal? -No. -The vodka is quadruple distilled with rare winter wheat and glacial spring water for exceptional purity making a lovely Martini. Use this with wine service as well reinforcing the concept that particular wine is carefully served at the optimal temperature for the most enjoyment and/or best showcasing the varietal's wonderful nuances. Wine tastings are always fun training. Ensure guest satisfaction. If the guest is not satisfied, well then back to identifying their needs. Wrap up. In this case, thanking them for spending their evening dining in your service and a quick settling of the bill. There are alls sort of loss prevention. Also in no particular order, random loss prevention tools/ideas: Secret "spotters" that order and observe and report back to management are effective. They are good at observing cash handling skills, productivity (a loafing bartender chatting with their friends) and portion control (their liquor pours). Taking inventory on a regularly scheduled basis is key as well. There are many newer PDA software options that are really cool technology-wise and are fantastically precise. This ties into monitoring overall sales for each bartender. Now that is hard to do in the beginning because you don't have previous sales figures to make comparisons and some tenders will undoubtably be better at banging out high volume and/or are of varying selling abilities. Surveillance technology loves to sell their wares to restaurant owners. I've worked with and without. I've always felt an eye in the sky was in one form or another -- with a boss hanging out near the service end of the bar or electronically from the comforts of the restaurant offices. Although it has assisted nicely in the firings of others less than honest (our system records). Another consideration -- how are servers obtaining their drinks for the dining room guests? Is it run in a POS that generates a ticket behind the bar? (best) We used to have an audible calling system between servers and bartender, but it was with drink ticket in server's hand. No tickey, no washy. Unfortunately there were those that abused it so that process went to the wayside. And lastly, portion control. What will be the restaurant's standard pour? I've worked where it was 1 ounce and up to 1 1/2 ounces. (Think about : Who is over pouring?) What method will you employ? Free pouring? Free pouring with the use of a jigger for measurement? Portion controlled pourers? (the type with a ball bearing in them) As a bartender I've enjoyed free pouring. There is an Exacto Pour piece of equipment that are various test tubes with calibrated measurements that enables a manager to put a tender to the test. It is a "blind" pour for the bartender. At the Hard Rock, before each shift, every bartender needed to complete the pour test satisfactorily, twice, under management's watchful eye before being able to free pour on the floor. If you failed, well then you were the only one pouring with the assistance of a jigger. Do that once and trust me, accuracy becomes your newest priority under the eyes of questioning guests and your competitive peers. Pouring is also reflected in the scheduled inventory assessments. Yikes, I hope this is of some assistance, as I see this is a rather lengthy, and highly subjective point of view.... My apologies on length!

I agree with the ten years. But you've got some candidates that have done this job, and done it well and are ready to grow! However, invest time in the interviewing process. If there is a thief in the process for consideration for management, they usually don't last a whole two years in any successful bar management situation let alone one location, nor do they tend to apply because they will be reseached. (not at all a bad idea) With a minimum of two years in the trenches you can actually "feel" during an interview. Either they've done it or it is all crap. For the most part, it weeds out everyone that will walk in with a flimsy piece of paper in their hands regarding some bartending academy certificate of completion. (bleh!) You want the real folks that've done for awhile. Their resumes will shine above all others. Easy questions are asking them to tell you about their highest ring, their average domestic beer price and requesting what an average ring was, in their opinion, on Wednesday nigth and then on Friday night. To weed out some of the fakers, we provide a quiz with every application that must be completed accurately for consideration for hire. I'd be happy to forward same. Thieves are caught, usually pretty easily. (Fortunately, I really get into what thieves are doing because I have my own culinary palace ideas....!) The interviewing process and reference checks are crucial. If it cannot be verified, well then they are not a part of the team! Liquor cost keeps my job, along with an awesome schedule and lovely bonuses. I've earned that. I'll be very happy to post what thieves can and will do because they are the bane of my profession and existance. I have zero tolerance. edited to warn you about my spelling -- never trust that!

I'll start with: WANTED Experienced Bar Manager We are seeking a candidate with a minimum of two years successful, high volume bar management utilising oustanding guest service skills balanced with an excellent grasp of wine knowledge, current cocktail trends and human resource skills to motivate and promote FOH staff product knowledge, increased/repeat guest revenues as well as maintaining a low alcohol cost of operation. It is a little scary, but it should be. And it can be done.

Watch the hockey for heaven sakes! Usually the bar folks, management wise, can come on board relatively near to completion of the project, that is if they've got experience because they'll be able to jump right in without missing a beat if they share the same vision you have with this venture. (screened out via the interviewing process) Developing wine lists, well that usually starts with the owner/Executive Chef (whichever, if both, applies) since they tend to already have a good idea of what they'd like to offer their guests through the restaurant concept/menu development. Don't be shy about it -- ask any question, large or small, via post or PM and an answer will be supplied! What part of the bar would you like to start? (Sorry if this is so forward, but I drank way too much coffee tonight! )

Chef Fowke: Thank you. I'll get back to Vancouver at some point in the future. I have a lovely friend in Seattle that I think would be a perfect date for a trip north for some fine dining at your newly opened restaurant! Pan: Which one? Silly personal webpage (designed with the help of my good friend's two pre-teen children one rainy afternoon activity) Silly bartender page, very much in need of an update/face lift and/or deletion! Employer This website is in the works for an overhaul too. The menus have not been kept up to date. It also does make light mention of the Upper Deck (an 'isolated' dining area), but does not include or highlight the patio and pool patio areas (two other separate dining areas each seating 80-100 guests). Now regarding bar/wine bar set ups. I have posted about ideal situations on Webtender last winter and we had a decent discussion on this. I'll revisit it tomorrow and start a post of recommendations and some good links that may be of assistance. For the most part, I can certainly discuss what didn't work and why since I've gone through a few openings and clever architects that have lacked any prior food and beverage design experience, either that or they threw it all to the wind and crammed it all in regardless. I opened Ladd's Landing in Put in Bay, Shula's Steak 2 and Hard Rock Cafe in Cleveland from the ground up. Elsewise I've done many set ups at the beginning of each Spring -- someone's got to do it from cracking open the weather beaten lock on the outdoor bars and power hosing countless spider sort of things out to carrying in the bottles to stock and get ready for another season of business. That's usually when something, whether that is a new addition or an obstacle, is given consideration and addressed with "Mr. Crabs," our owner, management, our favourite contractor, and a few restaurant supply firms. What sort of specifics are you looking for? Equipment recommendations? Stuff like double speed rail v. none? Loss prevention/effective service bar set up, for both smooth service and minimising administrative and internal loss? Ask away! And on a service issue -- Two places I really enjoyed working for employed a 'creating a raving fan' with each of your guests as a mantra. Something similar, when I worked for Hard Rock we approached each shift as an opportunity to throw a party, anticipating our guests' needs while providing an entertaining and welcoming atmosphere. Key to outstanding tips and happy guests from one who knows!

Sleepiness is winning, but this caught my eye. The owner (and at one time the major investor of several in the beginning) of the restaurant I work for inherited his father's millions. He jumped into the investment opportunity because of a trip to southern Florida with the pretty young women and flashy speed boats (it was the Miami Vice era). He had no previous food and beverage experience and was guided solely by his ego. Since opening, his 55 foot speed boat was docked permanently at the restaurant's dockage, he named the boat after the restaurant and he has since become quite a hit with the 20 something year olds. ****** Very cool Chef Fowke. Your excitement shines through every word you post. What a wonderful project!

WOW!

Chef Fowke -- What an incredible opportunity! I wish you much success. Yes, quite true. Where I work we have had up to 7 dining rooms (now 6), three bars where dining is permitted and then ample dockage for boaters to tie up/raft and be served on board (subject to oHIo's weather permitting, boating season). Our location's owner bought out of the four store "franchise" and we are now separate from the Florida restaurants -- our beginnings and the sole source of our menus, chefs and kitchen managers. Since we've hired some well trained executive chefs that now see the many challenges of a long time crew and have felt the pain of the lowest-common-denominator bottom line. I have to say the good days (even fantastic ones) certainly out number the bad ones. The quality of the food going out to the tables has consistently improved and long time regulars pleasantly surprised with the new directions of our truly creative chefs. Each menu progresses, with the occasional battle of wills of what our chef wants to present and whether our owner will go along with it. Exciting stuff.

To supplement: Bourbon is made of from mash of at least 51% but no more than 79% corn. It is a "straight" whiskey that is aged at a minimum of 2 years, but usually for 4 years in oak barrels. The only additive is water to reduce the proof. We had him, too, a couple of years ago for a cigar dinner. He was a treat. I digress: Last Tuesday or Wednesday, The History Channel's Time Machine series did one called "Rumrunners, Bootleggers and Moonshiners" offering up evidence to support those were the three things that built this nation. I only caught about the last hour or so of it. The episode was fascinating and covered a story about one of the Beam brothers that were caught by ATF agents with a big ol' still of moonshine. Grandma Beam bailed him out of jail paying $1000 to keep the Beam name out of the news. Guess it was a family secret for 50 years -- so the narrator claimed! Other topics covered -- (of course Prohibition, Al Capone, The Purple Gang, Elliot Ness, etc.) The Kennedys made their fortune on bootlegging and NASCAR is entirely a result of moonshine. I'd consider purchasing a DVD of that one. Bourbon? I enjoy Woodford Reserve. Anyone else? edited for clarity

More crafty marketers utilising the low-carb approach to product promotion. Can Coors Catch Up?

Two of my interests, tied together: undergraduate university studies in advertising and alcohol (umm, errr, for the sake of merely bartending -- ) article Cheers!

I thought perhaps this recent article may be of interest: Glenmorangie challenges Glenfiddich as UK top malt edit: "close all tags"

I love that combination too.

Welcome to eG catiii! Try a home infusion and you'll think twice about commercially distilled! I think you'd be quite pleasantly surprised. edited to add: Sweet signature. I know all about that fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning...