1954 Practical Bar Management by Eddie Clarke

GLASSWARE

the delight of drinking. Reflecting on the favourite species of tumblers,there are those which bear the trade name of"conical meaning that they have fairly thick base bottoms, which are narrower than the mouth ofthe glass. The main advantage ofthis form of tumbler over those which are straight-sided, being the same width atthetop as at the bottom(trade name,"cylindrical"), is that they will stack one on the other, thereby taking up less of the limited space behind the bar. One final word in regard to tumblers: there is a statutory ruling that all half-pint and pint glasses must be Government stamped. Breakages and Washing-up There was a mention previously about the breakages caused in a busy bar, an item which is one of the deadliest enemies to the profits, in fact it used to be stated that a broken glass killed the financial benefit gained in the sale of three drinks. That may be a debatable point, but there is no doubt that these breakages can be greatly reduced by the careful handling of glassware,and the strict supervision of staff in this matter. They must be made to realize the seriousness of continually having to spend money in purchas ing new supplies of glasses, by making them take a personal interest in the breakages, and bringing a spirit of competition into the job. Try as an experiment having a little fund to which, each time a glass is broken, the culprit pays a forfeit of a few coppers, then at the end of a stated period a ticket in a sweep stake or some other such thing is purchased from the proceeds, which will be to the advantage of all the staffshould it prove lucky. This type of idea really does cut down the breakages, as each member of the staff will be on his toes to ward against having too many black marks against his name. Glass washing is always a sticky problem behind a bar for, unlike the other departments of a catering establishment which have special pantries set aside for washing up, the bar staff must do all their cleaning of glasses at the counter, and in full view of any patron who happens to be watching them. Taking into consideration the fact that a quick turn round of glasses is essential, at the same time as coping with the speedy service of drinks, especially during the peak hours of business, it is to the credit of the bartenders if they can overcome such a handicap 67