1954 Practical Bar Management by Eddie Clarke

BAR ACCOUNTANCY AND CONTROL

being used for replenishment to the bar wine stock which could be maintained to a standard quantity. Attention should be paid to the glasses used in the hotel. The glass which looks the best is not necessarily the best proposition— it is the liquid content which should be the deciding feature. Once the return required from the Port and Sherry bottles has been agreed, glasses should be ordered accordingly—and what is more important still, care should be taken to see that replace ments are always made to this standard. In many hotels a legacy still exists of old miscellaneous glasses of varying content, and in these cases it would be wise to overhaul these stocks and remove from service those which differ from the main supply. Where such action necessitates the re-ordering of glass supplies, the cost of such replacement will be more than recovered in a very short space of time. The stumbling block of many a control enterprise in hotels of this size is the correct recording of allowances due to the bar. How this is to be achieved is best left to the individual hotel, but it is clearly only fair to the barman that a record should be main tained of all managerial and entertainment drinks, and this should be signed daily by the Manager. Sales of tobacco should, where possible, be divorced entirely from liquor business, and this not only simplifies control but is of considerable accountancy convenience. It is sometimes practical for such sales to be made only from the Front Office, but where a bar stock is desirable, they should be sold to the barman at full retail price. Payment would then be arranged either through a separate float, or by apportioning the amountfrom the immediate bar takings.

SOME POINTS OF INTEREST ON BAR OPERATION AND CONTROL

1 Have a cash register in each main bar and watch its operation. 2 See that each bar has a current price list visible to all. 3 Similarly ensure that details of recipes of the more popular made drinks are available in each bar and check your barman on "private recipes" that he mayfrom time to time introduce. 4 Ensure that your Cocktail List prices are made out in

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