The Stork Club. 28 ways to go from shady speakeasy to the “New Yorkiest” club

A few months ago I read the book Stork Club, by Ralph Blumenthal.

A great book on why and how the Stork club became the best club in NY, and some insight on his owner, Mr. Billingsley, a fascinating character. You can buy the book and read it yourself (300 pages) or read the following post (2 pages) and get some examples of what he did to go from a speakeasy with serial gangsters as partners to become the “New Yorkiest” club in NY.

The stork club existed between 1929 and 1965 and it was the source of the term Society Café. It was a busy place that demanded lots of attention (even when it was a speakeasy) so Mr. Billingsley licensed the checkroom to a concessionaire and used that freed time to focus on more influential duties.

Here are 28 examples of positive actions he did as the owner,

1. Above the bar stretched a long mirror that allowed Billingsley to look up and keep an eye on everything and patrons to admire themselves and one another under softly flattering lights.
2. The cash register rang to music, as Billingsley had long since discovered. The peppier the sound, the more customers drank and ate.
3. The ladies room was furnished with well-cushioned chairs. A counter was set with powder and perfumes, and in the stalls the toilet seats were sterilized by ultraviolet-ray devices
4. The men had a rest room downstairs by the bar, but it was urinals only. For stalls they had to take an elevator up to the third floor.
5. Billingsley’s love letter to his loyal patrons memorialized their comings and goings. And he also published and annual magazine called Stork Club talk.
6. Each year Mr. B and his intimates selected a dozen of debutantes for a kind of Stork Club fellowship who would make the club their headquarters and receive food and drinks gratis. He figured that they might be short of pocket money now but one day they’d be rich or famous, and as he often said “the finest decoration the Stork Club can have is a lot of beautiful girls”.
7. There were fresh flowers everywhere, multiplied by the omnipresent mirrors, and the signature Stork club ashtrays.
8. Expenses: he had 200 employees (earning more than union employers)  serving the 374 guests who could be seated at one time. He spent 50K a year on redecorating (around 500K on today’s money) and lost 25K on theft, bad checks and breakage.  7K a year on flowers, 12K on lights, 1500 a week for his 2 orchestras.
9. His guests were all the celebrities of the era, like JFK, Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Hemingway, Rita Hayworth, Ann Sheridan, Orson wells, A. Hitchcock, Shirley temple, Henry Ford II, Helen Keller, Clark gable, Ava Gardner, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, politicians and army lieutenants (who used to set up camps called The Stork club) together with other well to do guests from the highest level of society.  Most of these people had a Stork Club guest card.
10. Everyone at the Stork Club had a story – especially the people who worked there (Note: Mr. B made sure that the staff he hired was not only well versed but also interesting)
11. One fight a year was good publicity, he insisted, “providing the names of the fighters are big names” (Like E. Hemingway). One night Humphrey Bogart (who has been banned from Club 21 and El Morocco) showed up drunk and wanted to put up a fight with Mr. B.
12. He hired a regular club photographer (who once was defended by Frank Sinatra against a furious Coca Cola executive who wasn’t drinking his product) , a young socialite and an ex model  for PR, and made friends with Journalist and advertisement agent Steve Hannagan.
13. He lured pretty girls with champagne, pins, cosmetics and souvenir stocks. He also sent champagne bottles to the artist dressing rooms in Broadway, perfume to the ladies and shaving cream to the men.
14. Mr. B was bullheaded, but he was also open to listen to sensible ideas and learn something from his staff, as he informed in one of his memos: “Any suggestions you can make for private parties or functions for the new private rooms you will be doing a lot of good for all of us. Don’t fail to give me any ideas you may have”
15. He also was smart and used his staff’s skill on his favor, for example the doorman at his interview assured that he knew all the tough characters of the gangster era, Mr. B replied “you’ll be the doorman. Keep out everybody you know”
16. Paramount had paid him 100k (1.2 million today) to call a new movie The Stork Club, to shoot some scenes at the club and to copy parts of the interior for its Hollywood set. The movie All About Eve also stages a scene at the Stork Club.
17. He threw parties for his staff, with champagne, free drinks and ties as gifts.  In one occasion he handed them cash money or banknotes.  He also held family picnics for his employees. (also this were with the intention of blackmailing them against the union, which it worked out fine)
18. He gave an interview to Good housekeeping, in which he counseled women on “how to behave in a nightclub” (At a time when women were starting to being accepted in clubs)

Don’t give reasons when going to the Ladies’ lounge. Omit the coy remarks. Simply excuse yourself.

Don’t become overfriendly with the musicians. It isn’t considered nice

Don’t talk to strangers at adjoining tables. And don’t be too friendly ever with people you know but who are not part of your party. Particularly, don’t flirt – it is embarrassing to your escort

Don’t table-hop, no matter how well you know the other guests. It often looks show-offy, and it’s always almost annoying

Don’t accept notes sent to your table by strangers, and never give your name, address or telephone number to anyone to whom you have not been properly introduced

Don’t engage in conversation with waiters. Don’t give your order to a waiter – give it to your escort; he, not you, is supposed to do the ordering

Don’t hold conversations with cab drivers while going to or from nightclubs

19. He sent gifts to guests and tables like orchids, ties, suspenders or samples of his own perfume brand. He had silent signals identifying each present that he used to direct his maître d’ . Billingsley’s signals cleverly allowed the club to provide seamless good service to his favored patrons while also letting him be the bad guy with less favorable customers without them knowing it.
    
20. On one occasion he sent pearls to of one of his customer’s new born baby.
21. Mr. B was ahead of his time and he invested in a farm (today’s farm to table trend), willing to supply the Stork club with some produce, and had a truck marked Stork Club Farm. / He boasted in his menus his suppliers (such as Schweppes) stating “we buy the best to serve you best”
22. He banned prostitutes, gamblers, and other undesirables. One time he removed the table of a madam who refused to leave, leaving her and her escort exposed.
23. He selected a softer décor that he thought would appeal to ladies.
24. When he opened he presented all the reports with a guest card numbered 353, as a reminder of the address (3 East 53^rd st.).  One of them was Herald Tribune columnist Lucius Beebe, who later went on to write a book on the club.
25. He hired private detectives to check out on other clubs (something usual at that time)
26. He certainly was a hard- working man, being at the club 7 days a week for most of the day.
27. He hold balloon parties with balloons containing prizes such as hundred dollar notes (u$1000 in today’s money) and other treasures.  Also eccentric parties were thrown, one in which the room was decorated with orange trees and stuffed birds.
28. And he cashed E. Hemingway a u$100K check at the end of the night.

As you can see, Mr. B. was fully passionate and dedicated to his club, some of his ideas were revolutionary at the time and still are today. I am sure this post will put you to think about what you can do for your place.

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia.

22 Ideas to improve your sales. – part 2, the last 11 ideas.

Here we share with you the last 11 Ideas to complete the 22.The first 11 Ideas are HERE.
Feel free to give us your feedback or share with us any other one you may have.

1. Alcohol- Free options

This unexploded segment has low risk and high profits. You will be using mainly the same ingredients that you already have, just develop creative cocktails with great presentation and you have good chances to improve your business. Consider healthy and caloric options, use local produce and fresh fruits.

2. Create free or to sell souvenirs

This kind of program works because both the guest and the business walk away happy. Selling or giving away souvenirs works because it spreads word of mouth and increases profit margins. In the case of giving something away, it has to be estimated in the cost, and you can do this only if you sell in volumes, like the case of Trader Vic’s Menehune plastic figure.

Now if you want to sell a souvenir you have plenty of options, form glassware to bar tools or uniform. For example with the glass you serve it in the glass and give the guest the chance to keep it paying an extra cost. This drives sales and creates brand awareness.

3. Wines from emerging areas

Carry great value. Consider south America, Australia, New Zealand and your local area to find great wines at a good cost.

4. Drink Menus – What Works, What Doesn’t and What Consumers Want 

Spend some time checking out your sales rank and consider what customers order (even if it is not in your menu) that will give you good feedback on your menu and offer.

Consider carrying a simple research with your guests asking them what they will like to see on your menu. Asking a straight forward question gives you the answer you need, guests feel appreciated feeling that you really care by involving them in the process.

Have a look at what your brands call split is and have a look at your prices for premium, according to a research done by Nightclub & Bar, guests said, “they expected to pay, on average, $1.50 more for premium beer, $2.21 more for premium wine and an additional $2.80 for a branded cocktail.”

Consider your item descriptions and branding when appropriate. it’s clear that if your marketing strategy doesn’t include a well-conceived drink menu, you might be  wasting time and effort.

5. Invest in Bar backs

They support bartenders, and if they are well trained and respected you will find yourself soon promoting them to bartenders whenever a spot is open. Bar backs support bartenders making them more efficient in serving and selling drinks freeing their minds and hands. Promoting from within creates a solid bar team and sneds a good message to the rest of the staff.

6. Clean glasses

Don’t underestimate the importance of having perfectly clean glasses. Dirty glassware sends a wrong message.

 Invest in quality Bar Tools

As we talk about in our previous post, buy the right tools for your bar staff and they will certainly deliver you higher profits. As a Bartender, be ready to invest in your own bar tools, you will feel more comfortable and your professionalism will be recognized.

8. Control your portions

There are different ways you can implement to control your portions, and the first of al lis to have your recipes properly written and communicated. The use of jiggers has become fashionable, yet some bartenders do not seem to know how to use them, a jigger volume is measure to its rim. Using a 1 oz jigger to measure 20 ml is a mistake. Another option is to use pour spots and regularly check your staff precision with an exacto pour. With properly used jiggers, training and practice, the necessary speed will come, and every guest ultimately appreciates a balanced, well-made cocktail. The ROI comes in less waste and happier guests.

9. Draft beers – serve them right

While it is a rather profitable category, you need to pay attention to it. Keep the system in good conditions and at the right temperature. Use cold glasses and make sure they are clean, check out for lipstick since women tend to drink light beers and white wines especially in summer time. Make sure the bar team knows how to serve a proper pint and pay attention to the waiters delivery time, nothing worse than receiving a flat beer in your table.

10. Talk to your suppliers and ask for what you need.

When you are negotiating with your suppliers and vendors make sure you tell them what you need and do not accept whatever they want to give you if it is not good for your business. Work with them to train your staff on their brand and in the category. Working as a team will be beneficial for both of you.

11. Be aware of internal theft

Simply by monitoring you won’t reduce internal theft, if you are having the bad luck of it being occurring in your place. Start monitoring; let them know that you are controlling productivity, stock and cash.

Yet if you find someone stealing from you do not take it as an offense, indeed take it as a good opportunity to improve because when it happens it is because you are making a mistake. We’ll talk about it in later post but you need to think about the circumstance under which you hired that member of the staff, consider if they are making enough tips, if they are unhappy or upset at something, etc.

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia

22 Ideas to improve your sales. – part 1, first 11 ideas.

Need to improve your sales and do not how to? here we have  22 ideas,
Part 1,  11 ideas
Part 2, the last 11 ideas (to be published on April 30th)

1. Pay for your free drinks.

It is sometimes common practice or a matter of courtesy giving away free drinks to special guests; however today’s savvy guests know it’s not coming out from the manager pocket but from the owners pocket and the impact is not that great. Indeed it can encourage the group to come back expecting more free drinks. A way to avoid this is to establish a money limit policy and give that amount of cash to the manager who whenever pays with actual cash the tab of the special guests is leaving a long lasting impression. The bartender gets to keep a small tip so your costs don’t skyrocket while your staff remains happy. It is important in this procedure that the manager understands he is representing your place and not himself, put it in practice only when you know your manager is going to stay working with you for a long time.

2. Display what you sell.

In the same manner a boulangerie displays its breads and home backed pastries; you should do it with your best products. Are you using fresh fruits or herbs? Set it in bowls and display it. Do you want to sell Mojitos? Display fresh mint and even try way aromatizing the space.

3. Subtle messages matter.

What your staff and bartenders say matters since they convey subtle messages. Spending some time considering the way your staff approaches the guests can result in differentiation from competitors. While your staff should be professional enough to know how to handle different guests, there are certain principles that you can set. For example, saying “no problem” when asked for something by a guest indicates that it may have been a problem, but in this time is not.  Want another is less professional than asking “how was your drink? Can I fix you another one or offer you X or Y?”

Words and phrases you use should show that you’re glad people are there and that you are happy to serve them. It will pay off in better guest’s satisfaction and sale opportunities, resulting in higher checks and tips.

4. Head hunt attitude and Hospitality.

When you look for staff, be picky. You are hiring those who will represent your values and drastically impact your business. Hire for the smile, the ethics, attitude, and commitment. Do not doubt to ask for and check out for references. When interviewing look for hospitality values a smile when adequate and common sense are the heart of the industry.

5. Train your staff, tell them what to say.

Nothing can ruin your business as an uneducated front of the house. Be sure to train your staff on what you sell, your products, and categories and why you are different from the competitors.

Hire external training programs, ask drinks companies for staff trainings, use your chef or managers for internal staff training. Train them in the basics of different categories, the brands you carry, plan tasting sessions so they can sale them easier, increase revenue and get better tips with less effort.

Do you have signature drinks or dishes? Are you serving a week special? Are you using any uncommon ingredients? Make sure your staff tastes what you sell.

You may argue that staff training is too expensive and in most cases the leave anyway, but what if you don’t train them and they stay…

6. Congratulate your Staff doing well.

Whenever your staff does something good, big or small, recognize them as soon as you can; if it is something inspiring make sure the rest of the staff knows about it in a team meeting or with a personal comment.

If you can give the staff some prize, a ticket to a movie theater, a gift card, a book or something they are interested about. Something meaningful to them can bring great benefits to your bar with a very low cost.

7. Make sure your bartenders are having fun

It doesn’t mean that they should be getting drunk. That is a myth in most cases. What is real is that a bar where bartenders are to frantic and forgets to smile is not giving a good service, regardless of how fast drinks are being served. If your staff doesn’t enjoy being there neither will the guest.

8. Work along your bar team

Control your temperament when talking to your staff or your team. Especially once the place is open, better wait to have conversations at the end of the shift or the following day.

Avoid using your rank in sentences, for example “As the owner, I…..” or  “….because I am the manager”, and for God sake! Don’t do it if you are the bar manager, you will certainly ruin your bar team. They state something obvious and sound authoritative, staff usually doesn’t appreciate being treated as less when they are in the front row (well, never actually), all of you together make a team and they are not your soldiers.

As an owner it may be a big chance that you don’t live paycheck to paycheck like the rest of us. So whenever you can try to avoid showing your fortune to the rest of the team. If you have a luxury car, park out of view and walk one block for example. It will prevent negative consequences and make you look like one of the team.

9. Use social media to increase transit and revenue

While you can hire professional agencies to this for you, there are a few tricks you can do yourself. For example, tweet a secret word with a special offer. Promote a special event, share pictures of your drinks, share recipes, share information on a special ingredient you are using.

If you share something exciting, they will share it with their “Friends” and expand your customers base.

10. Suggestive Selling – Increase Sales and Guest Satisfaction

Train your staff so they are able to make suggestions. Short description of options opens the doors for selling premium items or the one that brings higher benefits for your business. Guest will start trusting on your staff planting the seed for future sales.

11. Infusions and home-made products

Find a nice container and fill it with something special according to your concept. Create a flavor that your competitors can’t duplicate. Place it in a prominent space in your front bar so guest can see it and create word of mouth. There you have a conversation starter. You must check your local regulations to make sure you are infusing something legal.

Put them in practice and let us know your results,

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia

No need to drink from a urinal.

I found an article in The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper reporting an upscale event where they served yellow “specialty cocktails” that “flowed from white ceramic urinals”. I saw no pleasure in a drink like that and It may me wonder what is the limit.

It instantly made me remember what Arrigo Cipriani said about what makes a good barman. Please take a few minutes to read both articles and share your thoughts with me.

THE EVENT AND THE URINALS:

and WHAT MAKES A GOOD BARTENDER ACCORDING TO ARRIGO CIPRIANI:

Just on a side note, you can read this article about a London bar infusing liqueur with Whale skin (yes, it’s true, they infused the same 2×5 cm piece of skin several times through out the year, also serving you an inconsistent drink). The bar got raised by the police because of this. I agree with the cops this time.

I would love to know your opinions or any interesting story to share regarding this topic.

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia

Right Name, Right sales

There are plenty of alternatives when it comes to naming a cocktail and some of them will be better than others, but one thing is certain: the name will directly impact the sales.

It’s 2013 and we have left behind the 90’s with the overused formula: “(Apple) + Martini”, right? Well….not really to tell you the truth. Let’s have a look at any random contemporary cocktail bar menu and we find the same formula still in existence: “(city/person/fruit/herb/noun, etc.) + family cocktail”.  What has changed though is that with today’s cocktail trends and higher levels of professionalism among bartenders, we’re seeing more cocktail families (correctly) used. Now we may find “Apple fizz” or “Blackberry Cobbler” or “Gin Basil Smash” being served in the same way that Gin Cocktails, N.O. Gin fizzes or St. Croix Daisies were served 100+ yrs. ago. There is nothing wrong with this ancient technique, indeed it can contribute to intrigue and educate the guests while helping the staff to know what it’s in the drink. Yet if this were the only naming method used, we’ll be missing on Mojitos, Piña Coladas, Sidecars, Zombies and South-sides.

On the other hand, random words or naming drinks in honor of your beloved girlfriend* won’t always do the trick when it comes to business; neither will do using Spanish words just because you’re using Sherry, Pisco or Tequila (like the “Oye mi canto” from the Artesian bar in London, or Bloody Maria for a tequila based Bloody Mary, named like this at least since 1960′s). (* On the other hand grandmothers ,mothers, uncles and aunties name usually do work and people may buy Uncle Tom’s flip in Christmas season).

There is indeed a lot behind a name, such as trends, your guests’ interests, their age or your bar mood and concept just to name a few things that you need to consider.

In an article from 2011 the author refers to a study showing that people on  diet avoid some foods by its name before reading the ingredients itself. They may happen to pick a less healthy option that carries a healthy name and end up completely out of their diet without been fully aware but convinced that they’ve picked the right one. The word Smoothie for example sounds healthier than milkshake (and goes hand in hand with today’s concern for health); while the word batida will instantly transport them to holidays on the beach and tropical fruits, even though a real batida has plenty of condensed milk, not appropriate for your bikini size.

Think about how you react to “fruits blended with lemon sorbet” Vs. “fruits blended with lemon ice cream”. Which one has more sugar and more calories?

So the next time that you have to name a drink consider your purpose and the role of that drink within the menu and your offer. If you have a drink that tastes really good but its ingredients may carry a negative image or fact that may put off your clients, try to find a name that will disguise negative facts. For example, a traditionally made Piña Colada demanded some effort to be made, but today it takes very little effort, yet the word “colada” (strained) was and still is a huge fact in its popularity giving it a sense of real craft while hiding the fact that it has plenty of sugar and is made by almost carelessly blending the ingredients for 15 seconds. There’s a reason why the Coco loco didn’t make it to the hall of fame. Words can enhance a cocktail but can also distract the guest so they don’t notice what you want to hide about it. “Colada” speaks craft, in the same way as Infused or Aged or Maestro or Special or A la minute or Bartender’s choice have connotations as well.

             Avoid names with negative references because they usually don’t work (like a brain hemorrhage that will crowd your bar with shot slammers). The same with childish names, you’re selling a luxury not Fruit loops. Try to come up with names that are specific to your product, this will help its sales and makes things easier for your customers; it will also speed up the service. Not every single name has to be glamorous, remember that you need contrast to appreciate the tones. Avoid funny sentences or word combinations if they have nothing to do with the drink, write them down and keep them for a future recipe. Yet if you still want to use them, make sure that you clearly communicate what’s in the drink so the guest knows what he/she’ll get. Think about the Penicillin or the Albermale fizz, you know the latest is a fizz, but with this information, do you know what any of those drinks taste like? But if I tell you a Honey suckle or Bee’s Knees, you’ll certainly know that it has honey in its flavor profile. Or what about Hot buttered rum….you can’t miss that one. And what about the Aviation or the Alexander? Well, those are pretty useless name on their own and they’ll need some description backing them up.

 This list of cocktail families may give you some ideas:

cocktail, slings, sour, fizz, cobbler, punch, plush, daisy, flips, toddies, fixes, frappe, collins, crusta, grog, highball, rickey, julep, pousse café, smash, swizzle, cooler, sangaree, etc.

And for a list of useful words that will help you sell more check out this other post

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia

Bar Tools: how to choose? how many to buy?‬

‪            When buying tools for a bar, fantasy and desires meet face to face with reality. Professional bartenders are geeks and would like to have the most complete spectrum of classic, contemporary and modern tools available for their trade; and since social media became part of our life, they want to be the first one to have it.

Then budget kicks in, just like in any other profession. The project owner or administrator is not always aware of what all those tools are for (or even if they’re needed) and not all bartenders are consciously aware of budgetary issues. So, how to solve this problem?

It is common to see bars lacking essential tools as much as seeing tools that are actually infrequently used, if at all. At the same time, we all need basic tools like a cocktail shaker, but how are you going to decide if you need a u$100 silver shaker, a u$10 stainless steel or a vintage glass shaker with silver top from ebay?

Let’s have a look at what was needed for a “First-class bar” a hundred years ago (this list can be found in “Drinks How to mix and how to serve”, Paul E. Lowe, pg. 138, NY, 1909),

Tools Utensils
Bottles (serving, mixture and stock), Bowls (punch, sugar, Tom and jerry, Cracker, Ice, Finger, for spoons and strainers), Boxes (for salt, sugar and supplies generally), Boxes (match, pepper and salt), Brace and Bit, Brooms, Brushes (clothes, hair, scrubbing, silver, window), bung starter, Business cards, Cash registers, Combs (hair), Cork press, Cork pullers, Corkscrew (counter and hand), demijohns (large and smalls), Dishes (fruit, spices), Dusters, Dust pans, Egg beaters, Envelopes, Faucets for ale for beer for champagne bottles for liquor, Filtering bags and paper, Flasks (quarts and pints and 1/2), Forks, Funnels, Furniture oils and polish, Gimlet, Hammer,  hot water kettle, ink, Ice pick, Ice scoop, Ice shaver, Jars, jiggers, knives (fruit and table), labels, lemon squeezers, liquor gauge, liquor pump, liquor thieves, mallet, matches, measures (for beer and liquors), muddler, nails and tacks, Newspaper file, nutmeg graters, paper (wrapping and writing), paste, pens, pitchers (honey and syrup, water, punch, molasses), punch ladles, rail road timetables, rubber hose, ruler (for beer foam), screws, Cigar cutter, set of books, Shakers, sieve, soap, spittoons, sponges, spoons (long and short), stepladder, stoppers and corks, Strainers (for individual drinks), straws, sugar tongs, telephone, thermometer, towels, trays, waiters, Washing soda, water pails, whitening.

That’s a long list. I couldn’t finish reading it. But If you had, you’ll find that some tools are not needed in modern times (a telephone? ink? a Gimlet?), while others sound plainly ridiculous to even be considered today (a comb?). However we may notice a few cheap items that will make customers happy (carrying a high ROI), like racks for newspapers or the rail road timetable (if you have a railroad nearby…).

When choosing bar tools we need to ask ourselves what is really necessary and what will make a real impact in our business while surpassing the guests expectations.

A few questions you may like to ask yourself are, Do we really need a super expensive Cocktail shaker or Japanese tools? Do we have enough (shakers)? Are those tools adequate to our concept and the ambiance we want to recreate? Will that be appreciated by the guests and will it benefit the business or just the bartender’s ego? Can I make that investment and make the bar staff happy and in return get their commitment?

You need to bare in mind your concept and the needs to implement it. For example, let’s say that you want your bar to serve the latest trends in cocktails; then you will need specific tools like a rotovapor, ice molds or Isi siphons, as much as 100 years ago they needed a “bung starter”. You will have to add all this to the rest of the standard bar equipment, which will also need to be congruent with the image and quality of your establishment. For example, don’t spend money in a rotovapor if you have cheap Chinese shakers or a TV showing sports in your front bar. The quality and style of the tools has to spread throughout all of the bar equipment, and that includes the bar top, the uniform and the hair of your staff (they may need to buy the comb themselves this time).

As a rule of thumb, the more sophistication you want in your bar and in your cocktails, the higher the budget you’ll need in tools and bar equipment and the more professional your staff needs to be.

You should however be conscious that bar tools are intensively used, so buy quality. Quality tools are actually cheaper. They last longer, they look better, they don’t break down or worn out easily and they make your staff happy.  You’ll save (and make) money in the long run. Consider the amount of times a knife is used (a lot, right?). A u$10 knife wont do it, and what is worse, it will cause you losses.

How does a knife relate to your profits? You may ask yourself.

Well, simple put: a knife is used to cut garnish with speed and precision for all your drinks, which are the little dwarf that generate your income. Guests will see the difference of a good knife, even if they can’t clearly spot what it is that makes the lime peel in their drinks nicer than the ones at other bars. Also you’ll allow your staff to work fast while preventing them from cutting their fingers when struggling with a blunt knife.
As a conclusion: the tools that are mostly used should be of the best quality possible according to your budget. No excuses there, don’t buy crap. (HINT: Take sometime to consider the relationship of other tools with your profits, now go and check out your bar. Are you loosing money there? What does your staff think)

Now, How are you going to prevent quality tools to get “lost”?
Well, for big volumes you’ll have to ask your bar staff and manager to keep a record of them. Start by taking a picture and writing down brand and model, cost and purveyor of all your tools and if you know it, the date of purchase. Keep it in a binder or in your computer. This will allow you to keep track of your buying and replacements so you’ll see if something gets lost too frequently, if the quality is not really that good and track  the cost of your bar tools. Barstaff should make sure that all the bar tools are present everyday, and if one tool needs to be replaced, add the new date of purchase in its particular file. If you have a “lost tools problem” you can also include the date in which it was lost and see if your tools get lost in a particular pattern, for example Saturday nights or during shift changes. This will also allow you to spot any thieves. however the best way to avoid loosing them is by hiring professional staff to begin with, and keep the most expensive tools secured under lock. No need to have a record binder if your bar is small.

A standard set of bar tools will be composed of: Cocktail shaker, corkscrew, cutting board, a small and a bigger knife, electric blender, bar towels, jiggers, pour spots, citrus squeezers, hawthorne and julep strainer, ice tongs and ice scoop, bar spoon and mixing glass. And don’t forget the straws ad napkins.

I recommend you these links to get your tools here, or here, or here and here

               Conclusion. Happy staff with quality tools makes your business more profitable and it also minimizes staff rotation. The details make all the difference in this competitive market. Buy what you need according to your concept, buy quality, help your staff work faster, minimize looses. Whenever possible, ask your purveyors for samples before committing to buying them.

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia

Useful Tip – Window farming

This Useful Tip is about one of the many activities I enjoy along bars and bartending: urban agriculture.

Urban agriculture is one of the reasons why I also studied landscaping and horticulture here’s a wiki link in English and Español to understand what it’s all about.

This time a very easy and useful way to grow some of your own edibles to use at the bar, or at home.

http://www.windowfarms.com/

Want to know more? let’s talk, it has so many benefits for the business along the human factor and guest satisfaction! (and you don’t need to grow a bear to do it)

Have you got experience with this system or a similar one? Like chef’s Michael Mina… please share what you’ve seen!

(urban agriculture – roof top farming)

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia

Spirits’ How to write Tasting notes and Descriptions – Absolut Vodka case.

Following the previous post on how to write engaging cocktail menus and use appropriate copy to describe items I will expand with examples from Absolut Vodka.

Why Absolut vodka? well,

1. Because I have this information handy.
2. Because they were sold in +126 countries
3. Because they won +400 ad awards and +40 online campaign awards
4. Because it’s a company that has invested heavily in clever and tasteful publicity and copy since its very beginnings. It is a brand that was inspirational and aspirational both for consumers and bartenders and left nothing to chance. They knew how to grab people’s attention. A forward thinking company with spectacular global sales that helped put bartenders in the right place and cocktails back in the map.

Here a few examples they used the world over, pay attention to the use of descriptors.

Absolut Vodka, Is made from winter wheat grown in the rich fields of southern Sweden. We use a process called continuous distillation to remove impurities. A method so efficient it eliminates the need of filtration. All water used comes from our own deep well. Absolut vodka has a rich taste, is smooth and mellow, with a distinct  character of grain.

Absolut Citron,  is made form citrus fruits. Lemon is dominant, but other citrus  flavours are added to give a fuller flavour. Absolut citron has a distinct character of lemon and lime with a hint of sweetness.

Absolut Mandrin, is made from citrus fruits. Mandarin and orange are dominant, but other citrus flavours are added to give a fuller flavour. It has a distinct character of mandarin and orange, with a hint of sweetness.

Absolut Vanilia, is made form natural vanilla. To reflect the full potential of the vanilla flavour, all parts of the pod are used. Absolut Vanilia has a rich, robust and complex taste of vanilla with notes of butterscotch and hints of dark chocolate.

Absout Raspberri, has the wild, rich and intense taste of ripened raspberries with a fresh and fruity finish. Made from all-natural ingredients and without any added sweetener.

Absolut Pears, has a fresh delicate taste of mellow pears and a long fruity aftertaste.

———

It is interesting to me how they followed a template, like in the case of Citron and Mandrin. If you do the same, it will help you organize your menu and facilitate the process for your guests. Your voice has to be the same through all your ad, and it has to be complimentary to your products. When you look at the brand’s cocktail pictures and drink styling, they still have the same voice. As they put it “One Global spirit, many Cultures”

image, ad and voice is complementary.

Do you know any other brand that has done such a great use of copy? do you have any examples?

I would love to know them, feel free to share them….or I’ll give you a warm Absolut Apeach shot next time I see you!

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia
http://www.compassbarsolutions.com

How to write engaging cocktail menus- Useful advice.

When was the last time you didn’t have to struggle while reading a bar menu?

Developing cocktail menus is a wide topic and one I am personally fascinated with (so it will be a frequently recurring topic in this blog and if you email me about it I will certainly reply back).

Throughout the years I have seen menus that don’t address the clientele and have no positive financial impact, but after having done consulting and redesigning menus for my clients we have immediately seen sales improvements. What did we do? I will share with you a secret.

First of all, we have to make clear that a menu is not just a written list of items in any order. Your sumptuous drinks need to be communicated with the right graphic design (typography, colors, paper texture, etc.), the right order and organization of your items, right prices and right pricing strategy, categories, menu length and ease of use, etc. They all play a role in defining your identity and finally maximizing your sales while having an exquisite menu. A properly designed menu can put you in the elite of guest’s perception, and more money in your pocket with less effort. Sounds like too much for your little weak menu? With total confidence I can assure you  that with the right menu you’ll see an increment in your sales.

One of the services we provide is complete development of efficient menus (from the recipes and training down to the menu itself), including development of its text and descriptors. A simple rule you can use to see if the items in your menu are good selling is to apply the rule of 100%. Quite simple, print a sales report for the last 3 months for example, then see what items sell the most and which ones don’t sell at all (get ready to be surprised!). Then keep the top 60% sellers, add the next 20% remaining and get rid of the non selling 20%. Now check the prices and make adjustments if needed. Then try this “quick edition” of your new menu and check it once a week for the next 4 weeks. Check how all your staff performs with this new menu and try to improve the quality of your items whenever possible.

Now I will share another secret with you. When it comes to describing your items one of the many tools we use to communicate them in the menu  is the book Words that sell, by Richard Bayan. This book will provide you with proven formulas to engage your reader and a long list of words (really long) to help you in many situations.

For example, how would you describe something as natural or fresh without sounding cliché or boring? Let’s quickly try it out with a Mojito for a healthy clientele, let’s say that this bar is in Los Angeles, USA.

“Our genuine Mojito combines soulful mint with unrefined pure sugar cane and pristine lemon juice. Carefully muddled and topped off with refreshingly crisp club soda making it a very relaxing and low-calorie drink.”

How does it sound? It certainly sounds appealing to me!

If you want to start putting more money in your pocket and run a better bar, now is the moment! You can get the book and give it a try yourself or you can contact us for our services and put our ideas and other secrets to work for you.

And please, don’t do this,  this is a BAD menu!

Better to this, a simple and good use of a chalkboard,

Have you seen any really good menu lately? share it with us!

If you apply the 100% rule or use the book I suggested for your menu, please share your experience here with all of us!

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia.

Quick and easy converter

This is not a real post (I repeat: this is not a real post) just that I’m sharing this quick online converter tool – from US / imperial oz to ml. US cups to ml, and other volumes into ml.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ounces+to+ml&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

The next real post is coming on January 15th, about menu development and a couple of secrets!

Hope you have enjoyed the first post (with over 600 views already and I’ve received no insults but nice words and feedback whatsoever)

Be my guest, Lucas Ranzuglia