1954 Practical Bar Management by Eddie Clarke

PRACTICAL BAR MANAGEMENT

Where there are two bars it will be simple for the smaller of the two to indent for supplies on the other. It remains essential for a permanent record of deliveries to be made, and the operation of the Goods Received Book (Fig. i) can be followed. Where responsibility for receiving goods is divided—for example, where the proprietor receives wine and spirits, and the barman beer and minerals—the person receiving the greater volume of deliveries should be in charge of the book, and goods received other than those taken in charge himself will be entered when a signed delivery note is passed to him. In all cases the proprietor should receive all invoices and personally check all delivery notes to the Goods Received Book, in cases where these have not been made by himself. It is advanta geousfrom a record point of view if at the same time he completes the Goods Received Book entries with cost prices. The initial purpose of this book is, of course, to ensure that no delivery note is lost or nnislaid, but it can ultimately be used to ensure that a permanent priced record of all purchases is immediately available. The number of separate bar stocks should be limited to those essential to the business—for example,where it is desirable for the restaurant wine butler, or perhaps the night porter,to hold a small stock, this can generally be made the subject of a day-to-day sale or return basis to the main bar. No separate stocks should be allocated in any case unless arrangements are available for the separate calculation of revenue accruing from their sales. There is a tendency in some smaller hotels to vary Wine List and Bar prices between the bars,lounge and restaurant. A policy of this nature hampers liquor control and is, in any case, seldom conducive to good business. Generally speaking there should be one price throughout the hotel with, of course, the exception of a bar which may have an entirely separate character. Bottle wine sales as a rule are small, and it is advantageous if they can be accounted for separately. In most small hotels these items are drawn from the cellar as required. A wine waiter's check should be made out for each sale, and if these are entered on a requisition sheet at the end of each day and extended in cash total, they can be agreed daily with the Tabular Sheet total of bottle wines. This procedure can also be followed where a small stock is maintained in the bar, the wine waiter's checks

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