Bartending Etiquette by Mario Villegas Seattle

Mario Villegas Seattle - A quick look around the room tells the story. The guy in the corner booth...the one with the irritated expression...has a drink sloshing over the rim with little pieces of sopping paper napkin stuck to the sides. The woman to his right is miffed…the cigarette she just lit has turned into a soggy mess because the ashtray the bartender left her was wet on the inside.

She looks a lot happier, though, than the guys in the suits at the bar. They've been waiting easily ten or twelve minutes with empty glasses and an over-flowing ashtray. The impatient rapping of their glasses on the bar is a sure sign they're a lost cause. A few short minutes later the two briskly head out the front door with the deportment of men who have tolerated enough bad service for one night.

The problem is that the bartender is otherwise occupied -- occasionally making drinks for the servers, washing a glass or two and flirting with the coed sitting by the station is about all the young man can handle.

Mario Villegas, Seattle - Ten Do's & Don'ts for Behind the Bar

Mario Villages is member of the restaurant owner association.

1. DON'T -- Settling for mediocrity is unprofessional. Bartenders shouldn't serve drinks that have been improperly prepared or inferior in any respect. Amateurism is not a tipped quality.
2. DON'T -- It is highly unprofessional to gossip, argue, gamble or loan out money to the clientele. By any means possible, bartenders should also avoid becoming embroiled in inflammatory conversations. Taking sides in a heated debate exacts a heavy toll on gratuities.

How to do your Weekly Food Inventory by Mario Villegas

Mario Villegas Seattle : Most independent restaurants calculate their food cost only once a month. Yet, virtually all the major chain restaurants calculate their food cost each week. According to industry averages, chain restaurants (before corporate expenses) are two to three times as profitable as independent restaurants.

While weekly food costing isn't the entire the reason, it's part of it.

In order to accurately calculate your cost weekly, you'll need to take inventory weekly as well. The only method for computing accurate cost of sales is to take physical inventories and then calculate the value of inventory on hand. Many operators erroneously believe that what they spend on food and beverage purchases is their cost of sales. While this may be true in the long run, for specific-period analysis it is inaccurate.

Mario Villegas - Operating a Restaurant from a CEO's Perspective

Mario Villegas - Every restaurant has three major areas that must function well to achieve its potential for success.

• Operations.Operations include all those functions that are necessary to prepare and serve your products to your customers. It includes all those activities that take place every day in the kitchen, dining room and bar.
• Financial. Financial functions deals with safeguarding cash, accounting, cash management, cost control as well as operational and financial reporting.
• Marketing. Marketing is getting the word out about the restaurant and positioning it correctly in the minds of the public. It includes public relations, community involvement, advertising, promotions and projecting the right image.

Now, think about how successful your restaurant could be if you regularly gave competent attention to each of these three areas. Imagine that operations was capable of consistently providing products and service in a manner that meets your high standards.