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BARTENDER THEFT:Free Drinks, Stolen money into tip jar, Service to Minors
Bartender Summary
BAR 1/XXXXX – Caucasian male with short, dark hair. Tattoos on forearms. Observed wearing a yellow ASU t-shirt and grey pants. Overheard saying to a guest his name was XXXXX.
BAR 2 – Caucasian male with black hair and a patch of red hair on the top. Observed wearing a black work t-shirt over a grey long sleeve shirt.
Upon sitting down we were quickly approached and greeted by BAR 1/XXXXX. He took our drink order and then made it at a 4 pour count (~1.5 ounces). He placed the drinks in front of us and secured our tab with a credit card (See Food & Beverage Summary for details).
No napkins were given and it appeared that the majority of patrons sitting at the bar did not have napkins either.
XXXXX and BAR 2 appeared to be working together throughout the evening to take care of any and all of the guests at the bar. They seemed to be sociable with one another and worked well as a team.
XXXXX and BAR 2 were on several occasions observed cleaning the bar; mopping the floor and wiping down the bar top. The Agent found this to be an excellent display with respect to maintaining a clean atmosphere and work environment.
XXXXX was observed pouring numerous liquor based drinks for guests. During these observations he was consistent in his pour (4 count ~ 1.5 ounces), not a 3 count pour (~1.25 ounces). XXXXX appeared to be very knowledgeable about drink mixes, as several different/atypical drinks were ordered by various guests throughout the evaluation.
Upon closing out our tab, XXXXX presented the Agent's credit card and two credit card slips on the bar top with a pen. No itemized check was given.
Upon our departure XXXXX was observed to wish us a friendly/polite good night.
Several questionable instances were observed while sitting at the bar:
At approximately 11:38 PM, XXXXX had appeared to have lost a guests credit card and spent several minutes looking for it. Upon finding it, XXXXX gave this guest, his two friends, and two other guests a round of shots that he said were on him for the inconvenience of waiting. XXXXX prepared and served these shots but never made a move towards the computer screen to ring these in. Agent scores this as a theft occurrence as he did not record these drinks. This is also an ADLLC Violation as employees are not allowed do give away alcohol. Only owner/managers or on a managers command.
4-242. Sale of liquor on credit prohibited; exceptions
It is unlawful for a licensee, or an employee or agent of a licensee, to sell or offer to sell, directly or indirectly, or to sanction the sale on credit of spirituous liquor, or to give, lend or advance money or anything of value for the purpose of purchasing or bartering for spirituous liquor, except that sales of spirituous liquor consumed on the licensed premises may be included on bills rendered to registered guests in hotels and motels, and spirituous liquor sales for on or off premises consumption may be made with credit cards approved by the director, and sales of spirituous liquor consumed on the premises of private clubs may be included on bills rendered to bona fide members.
At approximately 11:49 PM, XXXXX was observed preparing three vodka and energy drinks (energy drinks being the assumption as it came from the soda gun and not a can and was gold in color). XXXXX prepared these drinks at an over pour of about a 5/6 count pour and made them in clear plastic Solo cups. Upon serving these girls their drinks they went out the front door and were no longer observed. The Agent was unable to determine if they had departed from the establishment or gone to some area of the patio where they could not be observed. These three girls were not seen again in the establishment throughout the remainder of the evaluation.
At approximately 11:54 PM, XXXXX was observed checking his cell phone, which was placed near his computer terminal. Cell phones should not be observed by the guests, XXXXX should have gone somewhere in the back of the establishment to use his phone. Moreover, cell phones are the new abacus system in which bartenders track stolen money. Agent isn't inferring this, just bringing it to management attention.
At approximately 11:57 PM, BAR 2 was observed to give two guests a round of Three Olives Cola shots. They had asked for a taste, but received almost two full shot glasses of this liquor. BAR 2 did not make a move towards either computer screen to ring these drinks up under a comp sheet.
At approximately 12:03 AM, a group of individuals who appeared to be in their late teens early 20's were observed to sit down at the bar. XXXXX appeared to know at least one or two of them based on their greeting exchange. He did not appear to know all of them as they were observed to be introduced to him at this time. Although the true age of these individuals was unknown, no attempts at identifying their ages had been observed. The Agent would have without a doubt carded these individuals as they looked extremely young, and this bar is in close proximity to a college campus.
4-241. Selling or giving liquor to underage person; illegally obtaining liquor by underage person; violation; classification
A. A licensee, an employee or any other person who questions or has reason to question whether or not a person ordering, purchasing, attempting to purchase or otherwise procuring or attempting to procure the serving or delivery of spirituous liquor is under the legal drinking age shall require the person to exhibit a written instrument of identification and may require the person on a card to be retained by the licensee to sign the person's name, the date, and the number of such identification. An off-sale retail licensee or employee of an off-sale retail licensee shall require an instrument of identification from any customer who appears to be under twenty-seven years of age and who is using a drive-through or other physical feature of the licensed premises that allows a customer to purchase spirituous liquor without leaving the customer's vehicle. The following written instruments are the only acceptable types of identification:
At approximately 12:06 AM, XXXXX was observed pouring two Jack and Cokes for a guest. XXXXX took the money for these drinks but then without ringing anything in, placed the money he received for these drinks on top of the cash register, not in the drawer. The money did not go into any tip jar and the Agent did not understand why the money would not then go into the cash drawer. The money remained singled out, sitting on top of the cash register for 15 minutes and then was opbserved to be dropped into the tip jar.
At approximately 12:08 AM, XXXXX was observed to make four shots of a deep blue colored liquor (presumably Blue Curacao). He then poured a little from each of them to make a fifth. These five drinks were served to a group of people playing beer pong next to the bar. No move was made towards the computer to ring these drinks up.
At approximately 12:09 AM, XXXXX was observed to pour a drink of well tequila and a yellow liquid (presumably a sour mix or a citrus mix). The drink was given to a female customer. No move was made towards the computer to ring these drinks up.
At approximately 12:11 AM, XXXXX was observed to pour two draft beers for a guest described as a Caucasian male with a red and black flannel print shirt. XXXXX then poured a third draft beer for this individual who then relocated to resume playing beer pong. No move was made towards the computer to ring these drinks up.
Food and Beverage Summary
Upon our arrival there was no one standing at the downstairs podium to this establishment. However, upon reaching the top of the escalator SERVER 1/XXXXX was observed standing waiting for customers. She greeted us very warmly and walked with us inside. As we walked she rattled off some of the features that were offered that evening, namely beer pong. Furthermore she talked briefly about the menu, stating that this establishment had good food especially the Chicken Parmesan Sliders. There was another female server, however it had appeared she was cut for the evening and about to leave.
XXXXX sat us in the main dining room area and asked us what we wanted to drink. Several items had been attempted to be ordered but the establishment was out of them, initially the Sonoran White Chocolate Ale which the Agent tried to order. XXXXX knew they were out of this and was very polite. A Four Peaks Kiltlifter was instead ordered by the Agent and delivered to the table as a 20 ounce beer, no size was specified when placing the order. The Associate tried to order a Guinness draft, which they were out of, then tried to order a Newcastle, which they were also out of. BAR 1/XXXXX came over and sat down at our table and had a better idea of what this establishment had or didn't have and a Blue Moon Winter Ale was suggested and then ordered, which also came to the table in a 20 ounce glass. Both drinks were served in clean, chip free glassware, both were chilled to the right temperature.
At approximately 10:23 PM, the food items were ordered; initially a New York Style Pretzel was placed, but politely shot down by XXXXX as they were out of this item as well. Wisconsin White Cheese Curds were then suggested and then ordered. The Chicken Parmesan sliders and the Buffalo Chicken wrap were ordered as entrees at the same time the appetizer was placed. The Agent, at the time, found that XXXXX did not write down any of the items ordered but repeated them back to us and clarified sides being ordered.
At 10:31 PM, the Cheese curds arrived, they were served with a side of Ancho Chili Ranch Dressing that complemented the perfectly fried cheese curds. Overall this item was very tasty, appropriately priced as well as portioned, and a good start to a meal.
At 10:47 PM, XXXXX stopped by to check on us and grabbed our finished appetizer plate.
At 10:50 PM, XXXXX delivered the entrees to the table. The Chicken Parmesan Sliders were aesthetically displayed on the platter in between a modest portion of sweet potato fries. They were presumably finished in the oven or Salamander as the cheese on top was nicely melted into the marinara sauce. The sweet potato fries were cooked to a golden brown and were an excellent accompaniment to the small sandwiches. The Associates Buffalo Chicken Wrap was ordered with coleslaw, however fries were delivered on the plate. XXXXX was quickly made aware of this, apologized, and returned from the kitchen with coleslaw but also left he fries on the table incase we wanted them. It is presumed that XXXXX had this item comped as neither the fries nor the coleslaw were itemized on the bill. According to the Associate the Buffalo Chicken Wrap and coleslaw were both delicious. Our beer glasses were near empty and another round of drinks were offered and ordered at this time.
At 10:57 PM, XXXXX dropped our 2nd round of beers; 1 Kiltlifter and 1 Blue Moon Winter Ale. Both drinks were served in clean, chip free glassware, both were chilled to the right temperature. The restaurant appeared to mostly clear by this time, and XXXXX had asked us if it would be ok if she played a quick round of beer pong with other guests, which we were ok with. It appeared as though all of her side work was done and no guests were in need of her services. Furthermore, the Agent felt this was a nice gesture to not only us by asking, but that she went above her expected work duties to engage other patrons in playing this game. While XXXXX was playing this game she was not observed to consume any alcoholic beverages, although she was playing with guests who were drinking.
At 11:16 PM, we had finished with our plates of food. Empty plates and glassware were cleared and XXXXX was observed to ask us if we wanted/needed anything else. We said no to anything else and she quickly returned with a correctly itemized bill. The bill was closed out shortly after the Agent placed a credit card in the check presenter.
At 11:33 PM, Upon departure from the table XXXXX was observed to thank us at this time for coming in. As we walked out the front door she also said goodbye.
The Agent and Associate stood outside for a minute or two before returning inside to now sit at the bar. This gesture was done to not raise suspicion of our evaluation purposes in an establishment with such an open floor plan.
At 11:35 PM, we sat down at the bar. Within moments, XXXXX was observed to greet us and take our drink order. A Jack and Coke and a vodka tonic were ordered. XXXXX did not ask for preference, but made both of these drinks in tall glasses. A 4 count pour (~1.5 ounces) of liquor was observed as he made both of these drinks. He quoted the well vodka at $2 and the Jack Daniels at $4. When the bill later arrived this quote was accurate with what we paid.
For discretionary reasons in the Bartender Summary to this report, this section stated that at 11:38 PM, two guests were given Kamikaze shots. The Agent and Associate were these two guests.
For discretionary reasons in the Bartender Summary to this report, this section stated that at 11:57 PM, two guests were each given a Three Olives Cola shot by BAR 2. The Agent and Associate were these two guests.
At 12:17 AM, We departed from the establishment. Upon our departure XXXXX wished us a polite good night.
Of note: Three beers and one food item were selected that were out of stock. It is understandable that after St. Patty's Day and during ASU's spring break that items that would normally be stocked would be depleted or absent. Aside from these mitigating circumstances, four randomly selected items is a bit excessive and compromises the Agent's belief that should they ever return to this establishment or tell friends to go here that things won't be missing from the food and drink menus again.
Michael Zenner - CEO
Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc.
bartheft.com (blog)
PO BOX 995 Gilbert AZ 85299
Office: 480-777-1919
Toll Free: 800-880-0811
© Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc. 2014
BARTENDER THEFT: Bar Theft, Palming Stolen Money, Stolen Money to Tip Jar, Underage Drinking, Dram Shop Concerns
Bartender Summary
The agent observed the following bartenders the evening of June 30th:
-Indoor Bar
· Xxxxx: Caucasian male, 6'2", medium build, short dark hair
· Xxxxx: Caucasian male, 6'0", medium build, short dark hair
-Near Bar
· Bartender 3: Caucasian male, 6'1", medium build, short spiked brown hair
· Bartender 4: Caucasian male, 6'2", medium build, short dark hair
The agent initially approached the nearer of the two outdoor bars at 7:17. At that time, all three bartenders were doing their best to keep up with the demand, but from the moment the agent walked in, it was obvious that they were beyond the limit of how much business they could keep up with. And while both of them were working gamely to do all that they could, it was six minutes before one of them was able to get to a given guest after her arrival.
This was not an isolated incident either, as the experience was typical of the average guest. Even so, after initially speaking to the agent at 17:23, Bartender 3 was able to present the ordered beverage a mere two minutes later. Though it is worth noting that no beverage napkins were used by either bartender at any point. Of some additional concern, the agent noted that the bartender never actually rang the order in. Rather, he approached the POS, and registered a flurry of screen touches that ultimately culminated in a "No sale" screen and the cash being split between the register and tip jar. Again, this experience was sadly typical. (see photo below from 8:20).
In addition to multiple "No sale" ring-ins, the agent also witnessed another common practice effective for hiding cash theft: rather than create and close out each individual order, both Bartenders 3 and 4 had a tendency to leave a tab open at all times, which they would add drinks to and apply cash payments to repeatedly without closing out. In addition to making the cash sales record a confused jumble, this also gives a readout less than a centimeter in size stating the change due back to the guest. Obviously, in a bar where the nearest guest is ten feet away, this is a serious problem.
Yet two additional methods of outright theft were observed. At 8:07, Bartender 3 received a drink order and a stack of bills with a suggestion to "keep the change." Rather than ring the order in, Bartender 3 held onto it, palmed in one of his hands while going about stocking work, until he eventually dropped it directly in the tip jar.
Similarly, at 8:34, Bartender 4 poured two draft beers for a guest, quoted her a price of $10, then went to the POS, and rang it in for a single draft, pressing the cash button as quickly as possible so that the large "$5.00" display was visible for only a fraction of a second, and then dropped the remainder and tip in the tip jar.
Each of these theft methods relies on quoting a price, waiting for the guest to present cash, and then ringing in something unorthodox to disguise the theft of the overage.
One practice that would go a long way to eliminating these practices would be to insist that bartenders announce the price only after having rung in the items. This would at least make the practices above more difficult, but the fact that bartenders feel free to just ring in "No sales" and drop in cash means that they are stealing with impunity. A good way to address this problem would be to have surprise cash drawer changes at random and unannounced times, making it easy for management to prove that some bartenders have impossible overages. Also, since theft was consistently observed only at the outdoor bars, this would be a way of extending management's control over the satellite bars that seem to operate with a sense of impunity.
Given the profit motivation the bartenders displayed, it surprised the agent to never see either of them offer food to a guest or even try to upsell to a more expensive brand of liquor, easy ways to increase check and tip averages.
Also, paradoxically, the bartenders were very slow about offering additional drinks to those guests whose had gone empty. Initially, they were very busy with guests, then with cleaning up and restocking, but after this period, they tended to wait around to be approached rather than offer new drinks to guests sitting there with empties.
The agent also never observed either bartender giving any guest a check for any cash order at any time. They simply did not do it. This was even true at the inside bar where rampant theft methods were not observed.
Additionally, other, numerous operating controls seemed to have broken down, especially the system for checking ID. It is possible that the bartenders were under the impression that IDs were being checked at the door, because no bartender in the establishment or out was ever seen to ask for identification of any guest. This is obviously a big enough risk for the establishment, but on top of that, much of the crowd that evening was young, including several people that were clearly under 30. Additionally, by the end of the evening multiple guests made statements both to the bartenders and to fellow patrons to the effect of their being completely intoxicated. Sure enough, both guests showed all the symptoms of visible intoxication, yet they continued to receive drinks from Bartenders 3 and 4.
Even more worryingly, at 9:27, the agent observed Xxxxx serving a Mojito and a Pomonat to two girls that appeared to the agent to be underage (pictured at left) . What's more, Xxxxx not only never carded them, he was also never seen to ring the drink in, meaning that he either delayed the ring-in considerably, or they were given away without being properly comped and accounted for. Agent never observed the drinks to be accounted for.
Obviously, it goes without saying that under New Jersey's dram shop law, these are massive sources of liability to the establishment, as any damages caused to either any individual or any property by a minor who has been served in a restaurant can be considered the liability of the establishment, and can be recouped by litigation. In fact, the law is so stringent, that even minors who have not been served on the premises, but have been seen to have been intoxicated on the premises and then go on to cause damages can be a source of liability for the establishment, as the establishment is legally obligated to stop the process. This is why it is so essential that all guests be identified in terms of age upon entry to the establishment. Of course, when it comes to intoxicated guests, the liability exists regardless of guests' minor status.
On the other hand, there were minimal problems with correct pouring controls at both bars. The only overpour was actually poured by a chef (see "Managers" section for details).
All bartenders appearance was always professional and hygienic, with no cause for concern with respect to their hand washing. The agent did observe both outdoor bartenders and Xxxxx drinking from plastic cups though.
The outdoor bar farthest from the entrance was closed.
Manager Summary
· Patio Manager: Caucasian male, 6'0", short dark hair and goatee , average build, black short-sleeved collared shirt labeled "Baia," and black slacks (pictured at right)
· Chef: Caucasian male, 6'0", short light brown hair in a baseball cap, glasses, wearing a black chef's uniform monogrammed with a name beginning "Sch"
For the most part, the agent only observed the Patio Manager. He was generally busy and effective though. He was first seen in conversation with the hostess outside the patio bar at 8:16, then was seen circulating around the patio, in one case talking to a guest.
Next, at several times between 8:50 and 9:28, he was seen preparing bar drinks and taking them outside, presumably to help the swamped bartenders.
The only negative finding about the Patio Manager is that he was just five feet away when Xxxxx was seen presenting the alcohol to the seemingly underage guests.
Finally, the Chef described above was briefly observed at 9:20 when he stepped behind the indoor bar, grabbed a goblet, poured himself an eight-count (>3 oz) of Grey Goose, emptied a can of Red Bull over it, and then walked back into the kitchen, taking a large gulp of the drink as he walked. It was not observed to be comped in the POS.
While the Patio Manager was doing a laudable job of assisting his staff, in the agent's opinion, his time might have been better spent by inspiring a bit of fear of authority in his bar staff.
There were no guest problems at any point that required manager intervention.
Hospitality Checkpoint
Office: 480-777-7056
BARTENDER THEFT: Bar Theft, Free Drinks, Employye Alcohol Consumption, ADLLC Violations
Bartender Summary
· Bartender 1: Caucasian male, approximately 6', athletic build, wearing a black uniform t-shirt, jeans, and a black hat.
· Bartender 2: Caucasian male, approximately 5'10, thin build, brown hair worn in a xxxxxx, wearing a black uniform t-shirt, and jeans.
· Bartender 3: Caucasian female, approximately 5'3, petite build, with long blonde hair, wearing a female style uniform t-shirt.
Throughout the evaluation Bartender 1, Bartender 2, and Bartender 3 were extremely distracted and barely interacted with those patrons seated at the bar. Throughout the evaluation Bartender 1, Bartender 2, and Bartender 3 appeared to be more interested in each other, the serving staff, or their cell phones than they were the customers at the bar. Only on few occasions did Bartender 3 appear to engage in conversation and flirtatious banter with some of the bar patrons. Otherwise, Bartender 1, Bartender 2, and Bartender 3 were observed walking around the bar, fidgeting with glassware, bottles, or their cell phones.
The more extreme examples of this behavior include:
At 10:26pm Bartender 1 was texting or playing on his cell phone. He was observed with his head down using his cell phone for over 3 minutes straight. He glanced up a few times during this period but did not stop texting.
At 10:56pm Bartender 3 was observed using/texting on her cell phone for almost five minutes. Bartender 3 was also looking down at her cell phone most of the time, glancing around a few times but not moving from the spot in which she stood.
Additionally observations include:
At 11:09pm Bartender 1 was observed aggressively smacking his mouth while chewing gum behind the bar.
At 11:31pm Bartender 1 used his mixing tin to scoop ice from the ice bin for beverages. While pouring the ice into the glasses Bartender 1 placed his hand over the tin, preventing the ice from falling out and not landing in the glass, guiding the ice with his hand. As a patron, the agent would have been bothered by this behavior, not wanting Bartender 1's hands, which had notably not been washed or cleaned for most of the evaluation, all over the ice within the agent's beverage. This is also an AZ Health Code Violation.
At 10:32pm the agent noted that Bartender 1 was drinking out of a plastic cup behind the bar. The cup was closed with a lid and Bartender 1 used a straw as per liquor law and health code requirements. However, the substance within the drink was a light color with a lemon inside the cup. It is possible that the drink was just Iced Tea, however, the way Bartender 1 sipped the beverage over the course of the evaluation leads the agent to speculate that the beverage may not have been a non-alcoholic beverage and may have been alcohol. This is obviously speculation, but from his mannerisms, I'm fairly certain of it. If so this is an ADLLC Violation.
At 11:54pm Bartender 3 was observed drinking a redbull directly out of the can, leaving the can by her register when she was not drinking it. ths iis an AZ Health Code Violation.
In addition several beverages were observed being served without being charged for as well as not being accounted for within the POS:
At around 10:20pm a local delivery man from a Mexican restaurant entered the establishment delivering food for Bartender 2. The delivery was handed to Bartender 1 and then Bartender 2 came by to greet the delivery man. While Bartender 1 was standing there talking to the delivery man Bartender 2 poured the delivery man two shots of jager in two separate shot glasses. The delivery man drank one immediately, chatted with Bartender 1 and Bartender 2 for several minutes, took the second shot and left. Neither of the shots were charged for nor recorded in the POS.
At 11:33pm Bartender 1 was observed serving two Vodka Redbulls to patrons standing at the bar. These patrons appeared to know the MOD and the staff. Neither drink was charged for nor accounted for in the POS.
Wait Staff Summary
Server 1: Named Xxxxx; Caucasian female, approximately 5'4, medium build, with dirty blonde/brown curly hair, wearing a black female uniform t-shirt, a black wool hat, and jeans.
Server 2: Named Xxxxx; Caucasian female, approximately 5'3, petite build, with long blonde hair, wearing a uniform female t-shirt, and jeans. Xxxxx was training that evening.
The agent and associate sat at a table and were approached by Xxxxx and Xxxxx after waiting several minutes. Xxxxx placed beverage napkins onto the table and asked the agent and associate what they wanted to drink. The agent and associate placed drink orders (Please see Food and Beverage for details).
Over the course of the evaluation only the associate was IDed however both the associate and the agent received alcoholic beverages (Please see Food and Beverage for details).
After viewing the menu the agent and associate placed a food order with Xxxxx and Xxxxx (Please see Food and Beverage for details). The agent asked a question which neither Xxxxx nor Xxxxx knew the answer to (Please see Food and Beverage for details).
While the agent and associate ate the first course Xxxxx and Xxxxx checked in a few times. During one of these check-ins the associate ordered an additional beverage. The agent is not sure how long it took for this beverage to be delivered, although it was at least five minutes. Considering the low volume of business, the agent and associate felt that this wait time was not appropriate.
Regarding the second course the agent asked Xxxxx for something which was immediately provided, which the agent greatly appreciated (please see Food and Beverage for details).
Considering the low level of business again, the agent and associate felt that the wait time for the second course was also longer than appropriate (Please see Food and Beverage for details).
When the food was delivered the agent ordered an additional beverage through Xxxxx. There was an issue with the beverage that was not Xxxxx's fault, however, Xxxxx handled this issue very well (Please see Food and Beverage for details).
When the agent and associate were finished with their meal the agent requested the check. The check was promptly provided and paid for. There was no customer receipt included with the bill, however, and another item on the bill was very odd (Please see Food and Beverage for details).
As a training server it is expected that Xxxxx would be on her best behavior, which she was. The agent and associate were surprised, however, at Xxxxx's performance in comparison to Xxxxx's, Xxxxx seeming to slack and be less helpful as well as be a bad role model and trainer for Xxxxx considering her lack of knowledge and lack of attention.
Xxxxx was a very friendly and attentive server, on the other hand. However, throughout the meal the table was not maintained, leaving a clutter of dirty plates and glassware for almost the entire meal.
Security Summary
· Security 1- Caucasian male, approximately 5'10, with an athletic build and dark short hair, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.
When the agent and associate approached there was no Security stationed at the door nor did there appear to be security staff within the establishment. Consequently, no patrons were being IDed upon entering, which, based on the assumption of staff assuming the patrons had been IDed, caused some patrons to not be IDed at all.
About half way through the evaluation there was a single security guard that was noted to have arrived and started working.
Security 1 was observed walking into the establishment only several times during the evaluation, spending most of his time at or near the front entrance.
On the agent and associate's way out Security 1 wished the agent and associate a good evening.
Although it appeared that only staff and a few friends of staff walked through the back door of the establishment that went into the back parking lot, the agent warns that there was no staff member watching that entrance/exit throughout the evaluation. The agent notes that this is an easy area for underage individuals to enter the establishment and be assumed as having been IDed by the servers and bartenders.
Overall, the agent is not sure whether or not the security staff was short just for that evening or if only one staff member was scheduled. The agent also does not assume that Security 1 was necessarily late. Nonetheless, the agent does warn that the establishment was not being watched over in the way security staff would and should, IDing all patrons at the door and watching all entrances. Such responsibilities should be handled, therefore, by the rest of the staff watching for incoming patrons through the back entrance and IDing all patrons as they are served, however, this did not appear to be the case either, causing the establishment to have face the risk of serving underage and/or intoxicated patrons.
Food and Beverage Summary
When the agent and associate entered the establishment there was no security working at the door. The agent and associate were, therefore, not IDed upon initial entry into the facility.
The agent and associate sat at a table and were greeted by Xxxxx and Xxxxx. Xxxxx placed down beverage napkins and asked the agent and associate what they would like to drink. The agent ordered a water and the associate ordered a corona. At this point the associate was IDed, however, the agent was not due to the fact that the agent only ordered water.
In addition the agent asked Xxxxx if the agent and associate could have another menu since there was only one on the table. Xxxxx did not appear to understand why the agent wanted another menu, and then assumed based on the disheveled appearance of the first menu, that the agent wanted a cleaner menu. Nonetheless, the agent wanted an additional menu for the associate to look at as well.
When Xxxxx returned with the corona the agent and associate ordered nachos as an appetizer and stated that they would continue to browse the menu to look for larger items.
Ten minutes later the nachos arrived, served in a large plastic basket on top of a wax sheet. There was cheese sauce drizzled over the chips, a handful of sliced jalapenos, a handful of diced tomatoes, and a large dollop of sour cream. The agent and associate were extremely disappointed with the nachos, however. The nachos came out barely room temperature and it was obvious that the jalapenos and tomatoes had just been sprinkled onto the chips, instead of having some salsa or pico de gallo on the chips, giving the nachos a more complex flavor. Instead the nachos were very basic and cold, both the agent and associate feeling they could make better nachos in their homes with basic ingredients.
When the agent was finished with his first beverage Xxxxx returned and asked if the agent and associate were interested in additional beverages. The associate ordered another Corona. The associate and agent were also ready to order their food at this point.
The agent asked Xxxxx what the "healthy heart special" was, which she did not know. Xxxxx asked Xxxxx and Xxxxx was not aware either. Xxxxx directed Xxxxx to ask the MOD who informed her that it was a pesto chicken meal.
When Xxxxx returned with the information the associate placed an order for the Social Burger with fries and the agent placed an order for the loaded grilled cheese with fries.
Nine minutes later the agent realized that the agent had forgotten to ask for the Grilled cheese without the pesto sauce. The agent flagged down Xxxxx and apologized, informing her of the modification. Xxxxx ran upstairs to inform that chef and quickly returned stating that the agent need not worry and that Xxxxx had caught the chef just in time.
16 minutes after the second course was ordered it was delivered by Xxxxx. Xxxxx asked if the agent or associate needed anything else. The agent asked for a coke. Xxxxx left to retrieve the coke but shortly returned stating that the syrup was low and needed to be changed. Xxxxx stated that the agent would receive her beverage as soon as the coke was changed. Several minutes later the drink was delivered.
The agent's food was very good. The grilled cheese served on soft, thick bread, with hot, thick, gooey cheese in the center. The fries were hot and crisp with a soft center. Overall, the agent's meal was very satisfying.
The associate's meal was okay but not impressive. Again the associate felt that the burger was comparable to a burger the associate would make for himself at home. The meat was good, and cooked as per the associate's request. The bun was soft and warm. There was nothing in particular that was wrong with the meal, however, there was nothing particularly noteworthy either.
When the agent and associate were finished with their meals the agent requested the check. The bill was presented in a clean check presenter with seemingly accurate charges. Upon closer examination the agent noted an odd discount on the bill that did not pertain to any problem the agent and associate had.
The agent provided a credit card for the bill, which Xxxxx promptly ran and returned. At this point the bill was returned with a receipt to sign, however, without a customer copy.
Overall the agent thought that Xxxxx was working very hard to provide the best service with her level of training. The food, however, was mostly disappointing and the kitchen appeared to be taking an inappropriate amount of time considering the low level of business.
Promotional Addendum:
During the evaluation there were three promotional models working to promote Bacardi. The MOD made two separate mixtures with Bacardi; one with coke, and one with juices. At this point the coke syrup was already low and, unaware of the issue, the MOD poured the shots with what tasted like watered down coke. This was evident in the flavor of the shots provided by the models.
Due to the fact that the agent had not ordered an alcoholic beverage and, therefore, had not been IDed, when the agent did receive Bacardi shots from the promotional models the facility ended up serving a patron that had not been verified. Although the agent is of legal age to drink, the agent warns that such slip-ups run the risk of serious penalties. The agent feels that all staff should always ID patrons, especially when security is not checking IDs at the door, and, additionally, especially when promotional models are handing out free shots.
MOD Addendum:
MOD- Caucasian male, approximately 5'7, wearing a black suit, black shirt, and ablack large, wool hat/beanie.
At 10:28pm the MOD poured and served to pink, mixed shots to the Bacardi Promo Girls. Neither shot was accounted for in the POS.
At 11:15pm the MOD served the promo girls three large shots that appeared to be small glasses of an ADIOS mixture, possibly the equivalent of 2-3 ounces.
At 11:55pm the MOD poured and served 4 more mixed shots, one for himself, and three for the promo girls.
Although in accordance with the expectations of the MOD provided by the business owners, the MOD may have the ability to provide free shots and not have to account for them, the agent still warns that Promotional Contracted Models are still considered patrons regarding alcohol consumption. After having consumed over 6 ounces of mixed drinks in the form of 3 shots, within an hour and a half, the girls appeared to be comfortably intoxicated, however, if either of them drove from the establishment at midnight when they left, all three of them would have had a high BAC level and thus a dram shop liquor liability issue.
The agent also noted that throughout the evaluation the MOD appeared to be solely concerned with the promo girls and not concerned with the management of the business, in the Agent's opinion.
BARTENDER THEFT: Bar Theft, Intoxicated Patrons, Free Drinks for Friends, Bartender Pockets Money
Bartender Summary
· Bartender 1: Xxxxx, Caucasian fem ale, about 5'5"tall, thin, long blond curled hair, wearing a black bustier, a black jacket and a black skirt. (Pictured)
· Bartender 2: Xxxxx, Caucasian female, about 5'4"tall, thin build, long straight blond hair worn up on the sides, wearing a black and gray striped shirt and a black skirt.
· Bartender 3: Caucasian male, about 5'7"tall, stocky athletic build, short light brown spiky hair, wearing a black shirt and black pants with a sweat band and church key on his arm.
· Bartender 4: Caucasian male, about 5'9"tall, thin build, short dark hair, wearing black rimmed glasses, a black hoodie with the hood on and black pants.
· Bartender 5: Caucasian male, about 5'8"tall, medium build, short dark hair, wearing a black shirt and black pants.
· Bartender 6: Caucasian female, about 5'6"tall, long straight brown hair, wearing a black shirt and black skirt.
· Bartender 7: Xxxxx, Caucasian male, about 5'11"tall, large build, short dark hair, facial hair, dark rimmed glasses, wearing a dark shirt and pants.
· Bartender 8: Caucasian male, about 5'9"tall, medium build, short dark hair, wearing a black shirt and black pants
· Bartender 9: Caucasian female, about 5'7"tall, thin build, long dark curled hair, wearing a black bustier and a black skirt.
· Bartender 10: African American female, about 5'5"tall, thin build, long dark hair in a ponytail, wearing a black bustier and a black skirt.
In this summary the downstairs Radius bar will be referred to as bar 1, the downstairs Xxxxx bar will be bar 2 and the upstairs Xxxxx bar will be referred to as bar 3. Bartender 10 was at the upstairs Xxxxx bar which was not evaluated due to the fact agent could not get to the bar as this area was extremely crowded.
Agent approached bartender 1 at bar 1 upon entering the establishment. She looked over at agent, leaned forward and asked what she could get agent to drink. Agent placed a drink order and Xxxxx quickly made the drink using the proper recipe. She poured about a 6 count pour for this drink. She served it to the agent and gave agent a price. Agent gave her a card and she went to the POS rang in the drink and processed the payment. She returned the credit card receipt in a clean black check presenter.
When agent's drink was empty Xxxxx asked if agent would like another. Agent said yes and she quickly made the drink and processed the payment in the same fashion as above.
Some observations made while at bar 1:
At 11:56pm Two Caucasian females that appeared to be Xxxxx's friends approached bar 1 and she excitedly said hello to them. She then poured each of them a double vodka cranberry tall. No money was exchanged nor was anything rang up in the POS.
At 12:00am a Caucasian male and female couple approached the bar and the male shouted Xxxxx's name. He said he wanted a bottle of champagne and Xxxxx repeated the order. He said yes and said "give it to me for $40" Xxxxx said she couldn't do that. She got the bottle of champagne, opened it and then served it to the couple. She then took the $100.00 bill from the male patron and went to the POS where she entered an open charge of $45.00. She then gave the male patron the proper amount of change back. He tipped her what appeared to be a large sum and she put the cash into the tip jar.
At 12:03pm an African American male patron approached the bar. Xxxxx happily waved to him and grabbed his hand. They talked which agent could not over hear. Agent then saw Xxxxx move to the well and proceed to make 12 double shots in tall glasses. The shots were made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, additional liquor and other ingredients agent could not recall. The shots filled each glass 2/3 to ¾ full. She made these shots in 4 separate batches and as she would make 3 she would handle them to the man and he would hand them back to the crowd standing behind him. When she served the last shots Xxxxx waived off the man and then went to the POS. Agent saw the screen display VOID then she tapped a square about 4 times and closed the screen. Agent is unsure exactly what she put in the POS but it was not 12 double shots. There was no money transferred, not even a tip that agent saw.
Around 12:08pm Xxxxx served 2 Caucasian females in their early 20's standing at the bar. She served them 5 drinks at one time; the drinks sat in front of the 2 girls and agent did not see the drinks distributed to anyone else. About 3 minutes later Xxxxx served these same 2 girls each a fireball shot. That is 7 drinks in 3 minutes for these 2 young ladies. She did ring all these drinks into the POS.
4-244. Unlawful acts
23. For an on-sale retailer or employee to conduct drinking contests, to sell or deliver to a person an unlimited number of spirituous liquor beverages during any set period of time for a fixed price, to deliver more than thirty-two ounces of beer, one liter of wine or four ounces of distilled spirits in any spirituous liquor drink to one person at one time for that person's consumption or to advertise any practice prohibited by this paragraph.
At 12:24pm a Caucasian female approached Xxxxx and asked for a vodka cranberry. Xxxxx poured the female Absolute without asking for a preference. She then rang up the drink at the premium price.
Agent noticed all bartenders at this bar using cups or tins as ice scoops. They all appeared to pour a 5-6 count pour per regular shots.
Bartender 4 was at the well facing the dance floor down from Xxxxx and Xxxxx. Agent was wondering what his actual job was as he was seen standing behind the bar dancing and getting up on the reach in cooler to dance the majority of time agent was at the bar. Around 12:20am agent finally saw him pour a couple of drinks for patrons.
Agent observed bartender 3 and bartender 5 from afar. They appeared to ring in every drink and to stay busy. Agent did not see either one with hands in the tip jar or waiving patrons off.
Agent then moved on to bar 2. Agent approached the bar and was immediately greeted by bartender 6. She was very friendly, said hello and asked agent what she could agent get to drink. Bartender 6 quickly made and served agent's drink. She gave agent a price. Agent gave her a credit card and she went to the POS, rang up the drink and gave agent the receipt to the agent in a clean black check presenter. She thanked the agent. Bartender 6 could not find an ingredient for agent's drink so agent changed the drink. Bartender 6 quickly adapted and made agent the second choice.
Observations made at bar 2.
Agent observed bartender 6 with other patrons and she seemed to serve all other patrons in the same fashion as agent. Agent also observed bartender 8 from afar. He appeared to ring in all drinks served. They both were seen to pour a 4-6 count pour and used cups or tins as ice scoops.
Around 12:40am agent saw Xxxxx walk behind bar 2 and talk with bartender 8 and Xxxxx.
About 12:51am Xxxxx began breaking down his well by the patio entrance. At around 12:57am 3 patrons walked up; 2 Caucasian males and 1 Caucasian female. They appeared to know Xxxxx and he told them he was getting out of there. He then served them 2 shots of Jager and a shot of Fire ball. He did not move to the register or collect any money.
The patrons stayed at the bar and talked to Xxxxx. At 1:00am Xxxxx gave each of them a bottle beer. The blond male then gave Xxxxx money. Xxxxx looked around and then put the money into his pocket. Right after a Caucasian male patron walked up to the well and placed an order with Xxxxx. Xxxxx made and served the drink and went to the POS.
Agent then went onto bar 3 upstairs. Agent approached the bar and was immediately greeted by bartender 9. She smiled at agent and asked what she could get agent to drink. Agent placed an order. Bartender 9 made the drink incorrectly and served it to agent. She did not use a cocktail napkin. Agent gave her a credit card and she rang up the drink and gave agent the credit card receipt in a clean black check presenter. She said thank you.
Agent observed bartender 9 to ring in every drink she made. She poured about a 5 count pour. Her hands were never in the tip jar and she attempted to keep the bar top clean. Bartender 9 appeared friendly and to do a good job.
Agent left through the Xxxxx side of the establishment when agent left Xxxxx was behind the bar at Xxxxx's well and appeared to be working that well.
There were several members of security seen inside and outside the establishment; way too many for agent to describe. They all presented well and were dressed professionally. Agent personally spoke with the member at the VIP ropes who was a tall male with a bald head wearing a dark suit. He seemed friendly enough and directed agent to the will-call table. Upon leaving 2 different security members told agent to have a good night.
There were no problems that agent is aware of.
There were a lot of really drunk patrons noticed by the agent. Agent witnessed two separate females in the ladies room who could barely stand. One of them almost fell twice but her friend caught her. Over serving was quite evident. With the amount of people in the establishment this could be quite dangerous.
14. For a licensee or other person to serve, sell or furnish spirituous liquor to a disorderly or obviously intoxicated person, or for a licensee or employee of the licensee to allow or permit a disorderly or obviously intoxicated person to come into or remain on or about the premises, except that a licensee or an employee of the licensee may allow an obviously intoxicated person to remain on the premises for a period of time of not to exceed thirty minutes after the state of obvious intoxication is known or should be known to the licensee in order that a nonintoxicated person may transport the obviously intoxicated person from the premises. For purposes of this section, "obviously intoxicated" means inebriated to the extent that a person's physical faculties are substantially impaired and the impairment is shown by significantly uncoordinated physical action or significant physical dysfunction that would have been obvious to a reasonable person.
At bar 1 agent ordered 2 identical rounds.
A dirty martini and Bud Light bottle. The martini was made with the well vodka and olive juice from the fruit tray. The martini glass was chilled and the martini well shaken. It was served with 2 olives on a skewer. The martini was cold and tasted fine. The Bud Lights were served cold and fresh. Agent was charged $16.00 for each round.
At bar 2 agent ordered a dirty martini. Bartender 6 could not find any olive juice and had only poured the vodka in the tin. Agent told her she could just make it a Cosmo. She asked if agent was sure and agent said yes that it sounded good. She then made the Cosmo and served it up in a chilled martini glass and garnished with a lime twist. Agent was charged $6.00 for this drink.
At bar 3 agents ordered another Cosmo. Bartender 9 filled a short glass with ice, poured well vodka and cranberry juice then put a straw in it and served it to agent. This was a vodka cranberry and in no way a Cosmo other than sharing the vodka and cranberry in common. If she did not have martini glasses agent feels she should have said something. Agent was charged $8.00 for this drink.
There was quite a discrepancy in the difference of prices and at each bar agent was served well vodka, as this might be representative of the bartenders book boosting drinks for more profits.
· Bar 1: Caucasian female approximately 5'4 with short black hair and pink highlights and multiple facial piercings wearing a blue zip up sweater and jeans.
· Bar 2: Caucasian male approximately 6' with short spiked brown hair and multiple tattoos on his arms wearing a cross necklace.
The agent and associate approached the bar top and were greeted with a slight delay by Bar 1. She was surprisingly staring rather blankly off into space and didn't seem to notice new guests had approached her bar top (see food and beverage summary for details). She came over and asked "you didn't need anything to drink did you?" The agent was perplexed by her non-upselling greet as it was not inviting or good service in the agent's opinion.
A drink order was placed (see food and beverage summary for details). She brought the drinks in a timely manner and placed them on top of coasters. She reported to the POS to start our tab.
She did not introduce herself by name in case we needed anything further.
Later in the evaluation Bar 2 came onto shift. He greeted us with a smile and asked if we were doing ok which is good service in the agent's opinion. He was only observed for a short time but appeared to be friendly and attentive in the agent's opinion.
The agent presented payment for Bar 1 to process as it appeared she was getting ready to come off her shift. Payment was processed quickly. She did not return it in a check presenter and an itemized receipt was not included. She thanked us while walking away which impersonal and in genuine in the agent's opinion.
Overall the agent was not impressed with Bar 1's service. She moved around the bar without any sense of urgency which made her appear to be bored, tired and unenthused to be at work which is unpleasant in the agent's opinion. She was not observed conversing personally with any guests and only spoke when an order was being exchanged which is impersonal and not a quality that a bartender should posses in the agent's opinion.
She was only observed pouring one mixed drink and it was poured using a 3 count pour. She placed the pint glass directly into the ice well when making this drink which is a Health Code violation. Most of the drinks she served were bottled and draft beer. Draft beer was served with ¼ inch of head and in a cold glass. Drinks made for servers were accompanied with a ticket and no server call outs were observed.
There was one instance where she did not report to the POS after making a beverage for a walk up guest. At approximately 4:50PM she served a guest she personally knew by name a pint of beer and did not report to the POS. The agent did not see this drink accounted for on any tab.
Also, at approximately 5:02PM she served a single walk up guest a large pitcher of Blue Moon which is a violation of the liquor law as the pitcher is likely 64 ounces and a single customer can only be served 32 ounces of beer at one time.
23. For an on-sale retailer or employee to conduct drinking contests, to sell or deliver to a person an unlimited number of spirituous liquor beverages during any set period of time for a fixed price, to deliver more than thirty-two ounces of beer, one liter of wine or four ounces of distilled spirits in any spirituous liquor drink to one person at one time for that person's consumption or to advertise any practice prohibited by this paragraph.
· Host 1: Caucasian female approximately 5'6 with reddish hair in a ponytail wearing a pink sweater and jeans.
There was a host on duty upstairs when we arrived at the establishment. She did not greet us in a friendly manner instead asked "2 of you?" without smiling or welcoming us into the establishment. It was very unwelcoming. Server 1 was at the host stand and since we were going to be her table, she led us to our table in the dining room. Host 1 was not seen seating any tables and appeared to have gone off duty shortly after the evaluation began so the section was not scored.
Shortly after we sat down, two guests sat themselves in the dining room at a table nearby. The agent watched as Server 1 and Bar 1 obviously walked past this table numerous times without greeting them or even noticing they hadn't been acknowledged by staff members. The agent observed them looking around as they were desperately trying to get a staff member to come to the table. Finally, approximately 15-20 minutes after they sat down, the male patron went up to the bar and asked for menus and also asked to have a server sent to the table which is unacceptable in the agent's opinion. Server 2 approached shortly after to greet the table.
The agent was disconcerted by the lack of organization displayed by staff. The agent feels staff need to be diligent about watching the front door and watching for new tables to be sat if a host is not on duty. Also, the agent feels the slow business level at the time was such that the staff members should've been able to notice these new guests immediately. In fact, the agent was surprised they did not walk out.
At the table the agent ordered an iced tea. The tea tasted fresh brewed and was served with plenty of ice. The agent requested sweetener. The caddie it was delivered in was grimy and only half full. The associate ordered a Michelob Ultra bottle. The beer was cold and refreshing.
For an appetizer the chicken strips were ordered. The breading was flimsy and was falling of the chicken which made a mess on the table. The chicken was tender however neither the agent nor the associate cared for the flavor of the breading. BBQ sauce and ranch was requested on the side. Neither the agent nor the associate cared for the flavor of the BBQ sauce.
The agent ordered the Buffalo Chicken pizza with light chicken. The agent was brought a pizza with tomatoes and onions on top. At first the agent wondered if they made the mistake in ordering as neither vegetable is cared for by the agent and they would've been requested to be left off the pizza. The agent then tasted the brown sauce on the pizza and realized it was the same BBQ sauce that had been served with the chicken and not enjoyed. The agent believed the wrong pizza was brought so called over Server 1.
The agent asked Server 1 if the wing sauce was supposed to taste like BBQ sauce and if the pizza in front of the agent was the Buffalo Chicken pizza. She stated it was the Buffalo pizza. The agent stated they didn't want that pizza and asked for a menu. The agent then read the menu description of the BBQ pizza to Server 1 and stated that was obviously the pizza that had been delivered. Server 1 then went to the POS to look at the ticket and realized she had rung in the wrong pizza. She apologized and stated the correct pizza would be out soon. She was genuinely apologetic and asked if the agent needed anything while waiting for the pizza which was appreciated by the agent.
The agent feels this mistake should've been caught at the window and the pizza should not have been delivered to the agent. The fact that it was not realized until the menu description was read to her signifies to the agent Server 1 lacks menu knowledge.
The Buffalo Chicken pizza was served 19 minutes later and was definitely worth the wait - great stuff. The cheddar and mozzarella cheese was perfectly melted and abundantly spread over the chicken. The wing sauce had a great aroma and was spread along the bottom of the ingredients instead of a traditional red sauce. The chicken was tender and paired well with the rest of the ingredients. The crust was soft and had a great flavor and consistency. The side of ranch served on the side was a cool contrast to the zipp of the wing sauce.
The BBQ Pizza was present on the check instead of the Buffalo Pizza. The agent did not point out the mistake because the price for the two items is equivalent. However, the agent feels the incorrect item should have been comped off and the correct item should have been accounted for due to inventory purposes.
The associate ordered the create your own pizza with Italian sausage, pepperoni, ham and bacon. The meat was abundant and well seasoned. The cheese was perfectly melted and the marinara had a great flavor.
The associate requested a box when the agent's pizza was delivered and the agent asked for two boxes to be brought. They were not delivered until 10 minutes later which is a significant delay in the agent's opinion.
At the bar the agent ordered a Kilt Lifter draft. The glass the beer was served in was approximately 22 ounces. Even though the agent did not specify the size that was wanted the agent feels an upsize should be upsold as opposed to up served. Auto-upselling is a form of bartender theft in the Agent's opinion.
The beer was over flowing onto the bar top and the spill was not cleaned up by Bar 1 which is poor guest service. The beer was delicious and refreshing. The associate ordered a Michelob Ultra bottle. The beer was equally cold and refreshing as the beer served at the table. The agent is unsure if all items were properly charges for as an itemized receipt was not provided.
· MOD 1: Caucasian male approximately 6' with brown hair and slightly balding wearing a sweater and jeans.
The agent is unsure if the MOD was properly identified. This male was seen sitting at the curved bar top by the kitchen for the majority of the evaluation. He was seen going behind the DJ booth which signified to the agent he was possibly a supervisor. The agent feels that of he was the MOD he did a poor job of circulating through the facility. He remained stationed at the side bar top and was not observed talking to guests.
The agent feels after the food mistake by Server 1 should've resulted in a table visit by the manager.
Michael Zenner - CEO Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc.eyespyspotter.combartheft.com (blog)Hospitality Checkpointhospitalitycheckpoint.comliquorassessment.comPO BOX 995 Gilbert AZ 85299Office: 480-777-7056Toll Free: 800-880-0811© Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc. 2012
Bartender Summary: There were five bartenders on duty on this Friday evening evaluation – three at the Xxxxx bar adjacent to the restaurant and two at the Xxxxx bar that serves as a xxxx by day. There were three barbacks observed simultaneously – two at the Xxxxx bar and one at the Xxxxx bar. Xxxxx Bar:
Xxxxx Bar:
Xxxxx Bar: The agent and my associate approached the bar and were able to slide into a standing place at the bar. Since we were standing at the bar directly in front of the Xxxxx POS, we were in clear view of bartenders Xxxxx and Xxxxx. Although Xxxxx and Xxxxx were making conversation with nearby patrons, neither demonstrated urgency to look over to help us out and take our initial order. After we were there for approximately 3 minutes without acknowledgement, Xxxxx asked what she could get for us; the agent asked for a drink menu, which was not placed on the bar for easy access of patrons. She gave us a clipboard with the small sheets of paper with the drink menu and went back to talking to the patrons at the end of the bar and did not follow up with us. The entire experience so far was very unwelcoming. During this time, Xxxxx had moved from the end of the bar chatting with patrons to the Xxxxx POS, where he appeared to be trying to figure out something with another patron's tab. After approximately 4 minutes since we had received the menu and made decisions on drinks, Xxxxx looked up from the POS and asked what he could get for us. We placed our drink order with Xxxxx, which he took while standing at the POS – still mulling over a tab. After we placed our order, Xxxxx continued to stand at the POS and did not move to make our drinks. After another 2 minutes, Xxxxx then returned to us and asked what we would like. We again placed our drink order, which Xxxxx then moved to make. Xxxxx, who was still at the POS nearby, was very apologetic and thanked us two different times for being so patient. One of the patrons at the end of the Xxxxx Bar, where both Xxxxx and Xxxxx were spending their time when the agent and my associate were patiently awaiting initial service, appeared to be over served. The patron, a woman in her late 40s and possibly Latina, had bloodshot eyes, appeared to be unsteady on her feet, and was seen loudly singing and dancing at the end of the bar. She appeared to be personally known to the bartenders, which could have resulted in her over intoxication. This is a dram shop liquor liability issue that should be addressed by management immediately. Another one of the patrons at the end of the bar who were captivating the attention of both bartenders Xxxxx and Xxxxx on this very busy evening at the bar with countless patrons waiting for drinks, a White male in his mid to late 20s was seen specifically honing in on Xxxxx. As the very busy bar continued to get busier, Xxxxx exited from behind the bar and was seen standing on the lounge floor talking to this patron. Both behind and outside the bar, this patron took her focus away from the many other patrons who needed service. This lack of urgency was observed throughout the time at the bar. The bartenders seemed oblivious or impervious to the fact that patrons were stacked up three deep waiting for drinks. Besides Xxxxx chatting with this patron outside the bar, the bartenders, bar backs and managers casually chatted with one another behind the bar, in addition to casually chatting to patrons who appeared to be regulars. There appeared to be no individualized attention given to other patrons at the bar. Whereas the lack of urgency on the bartenders led to longer wait times for patrons needing drinks, the lack of urgency on the behalf of the bar backs led to a messy and unmaintained bar area and a shortage of clean glassware. During our time at the Xxxxx Bar, many empty glasses and bottles sat on the bar surface for the entire time that we were present – unbussed, uncleared, unclean. Besides the empty glasses and bottles that remained on the bar for the extend of our time there, the more pressing issue from the barbacks' lack of urgency was the lack of clean glassware. The lack of clean glassware led to a variety of problems and solutions, depending on the employee. To create a solution for the problem, one server (Caucasian female, 5'6'', light red hair) came behind the bar to clean burgundy glasses that were needed at her table; this was resourceful and necessary for her service, but it also led to unneeded informal chatting between this server and the bar backs and bartenders. To exacerbate the problem with a much larger, more concerning issue, Bartender Xxxxx took the lack of clean glasses into his own hands. Xxxxx was seen to take a dirty glass that was at the service well (placed there by the service staff from the cocktail lounge area), rinse it out with water from the gun, and make a new drink directly into this dirty glass. The agent cannot even begin to describe the hygiene and health issues with this troubling observation. Needless to say, my associate and I did not order anything else made in glassware for the rest of the evaluation. Other than the unfortunate incidence with the curt rinsing of a dirty and used glass, Xxxxx seemed to do an adequate job behind the bar. He primarily tended to the service well, making the drinks for the dinner and cocktail crowd being serviced by the waitresses around the establishment. In addition to making all of the drinks for the service well at the Xxxxx Bar, Xxxxx also helped out bar patrons who were patiently and impatiently waiting for drinks from Bartenders Xxxxx and Xxxxx. Xxxxx helped out the agent and my associate on one occasion. He was professional, friendly, and had integrity with the recording and charging of the two drinks ordered. Despite his apparent integrity for only making and delivering drinks that are bought and paid for, both at the service well with chit sheets and at the bar with patron tabs and cash payments, Bartender Xxxxx consistently pours a heavy drink. He was seen to pour on average an approximate five count (4 count = 1 1/2 oz) for all drinks at the service well. Some drinks were closer to a five and half or six count. Pouring additional alcohol more than what management prescribes for increased gratuities and/or social standing is a form of bartender theft. Agent further suggests that management pour test all the bartenders to ensure uniform accuracy. All of the bartenders at this Xxxxx Bar had some issues with integrity. Outside of Xxxxx's heavy pour count, Xxxxx was seen not charging the full or appropriate amounts for drinks, whereas Xxxxx was seen to top off one drink with more than the fair share of alcohol, again without charging or recording on any spill/comp sheet. Xxxxx made a drink in a champagne glass for a female patron that included brandy and a sugar cube. She served the drink and the patrons stated that there was no brandy in the drink. Xxxxx replied that there was indeed brandy (which there was a four count that the agent had observed her pour), but the patrons were insistent that they could not taste it. Without argument, Xxxxx grabbed the bottle of brandy and poured a three count into the glass that sat on the bar in front of the patron. Xxxxx did not charge for this extra shot, or record the liquor on any spill/comp sheet. Other than this occasion of not charging for the additional top off, she did not appear to have other integrity issues. Xxxxx, on the other hand, was observed engaging in some questionable behavior at the POS. At approximately 9:51 PM, Xxxxx was seen to ring out an attractive, young female patron who had just ordered a vodka and tonic. Her tab read just over $3.00, which the agent believes is not the accurate price for even well vodka at this establishment. The patron left $6.00 as a tip, which further interpolates to the agent that the bartender had charged less than the going price for her drink. There were two other occasions that the agent was unsure about Xxxxx's actions at the POS. On two occasions, both in which patrons paid cash, he did not appear to punch anything into the POS before he sought out change and returned it to the patron. It appeared, to both the agent and my associate, that Xxxxx put cash into the till without ringing in the drinks on these two occasions. Agent strongly suspects that this bartender his hiding stolen money in the POS Drawer. If this is the case, the money is being laundered via transfer of money through say the tip jar (watch for an abacus system of tracking the stolen money i.e. straws, toothpicks, pennies/nickels/dimes, storing info on cell phone). It also could be taken out at the end of the night if these bartenders are allowed to "Z" their own registers. In this case, Agent suggests management have them do blind bank drops to detect any overages and stolen money. In both scenarios, Agent suggests that management start performing mid-shift random POS drawer pulls to detect possible stolen money in the POS drawer. There is a possibility that this happened on more than these two occasions, but the setup of the POS behind the bar does not allow for ample visibility to monitor for theft and integrity. While the agent appreciate that each individual employee must swipe his or her card to access the POS, thus providing record of individual transactions specific to each bartender, the position of the POS flat to the bar surface does not allow any visibility beyond that of the individual bartender recording the drinks. Moving the machines to the back ledge would provide a more public view of what is rung in, thus holding bartenders more accountable. In addition to the problematic nature of the POS screens being difficult to view from any person other than the person who is ringing in the drink, the current system is also difficult to track for integrity due to the fact that bartenders apparently leave their tips in the till. There is no actual tip jar, and no tips were ever seen. While this deters bartenders from counting or displaying tips to the public, this confounds the lack of clarity of integrity when money enters the drawer without clear recording. Moreover, if they are comingling tips with $0 ring and cash deposits, management probably has a real theft issue on their hands. The issues with the integrity related to the tabs are further exacerbated when the bartenders do not consistently provide the itemized tab statement. Xxxxx was the only bartender during our visit to give us an itemized tab; the other bartenders either provided only the credit card slip to sign (i.e., Xxxxx, Xxxxx) or took the cash and provided change with no documentation (i.e, Xxxxx, Bartender B). The itemized tab should consistently be provided to patrons. Bartenders Xxxxx and Xxxxx appeared appropriately dressed, yet Xxxxx did not appear as pulled together. Although he originally appeared to fit in well with the other bartenders in their full black apparel, there was some sort of white shirt or boxers clearly showing under his uniform. To add to the unprofessional nature of his appearance, Xxxxx continued to attempt to use flair quite unsuccessfully. Xxxxx Bar: We visited the Xxxxx Bar in the second half of the evaluation, when the patronage at the establishment had picked up substantially. Whereas we had a good locale to observe the goings on at the Xxxxx Bar in the early portion of the visit, the Xxxxx Bar proved much more difficult. There were no seats at the bar, and patrons were squeezing and pushing their way up to the bar in order to get served drinks. Unlike the Xxxxx Bar, the Xxxxx Bar appeared to have a better balance between bar duties. Bartender A took primary responsibility for the service well, whereas Bartender B helped the patrons at the busy, standing room only bar. Although there was still a very busy crowd and an extensive wait for drinks, the clear divide seemed helpful for bar and service staff. Despite having all of the patrons waiting at the bar area, Bartender B had no urgency or enthusiasm. The agent and my associate slowly inched our way up through the hefty crowd to the bar. Without counting in the time that it took to move up to the actual bar itself, we continued to wait for more than 10 minutes for the bartender to offer us drinks. When my associate finally was able to get his attention, although we were standing directly at the small bar, he barely changed his affect when we posed questions about drinks available at this bar. When we tried to order a round similar to what we had just ordered at the Xxxxx Bar, Bartender B retorted that they didn't have draft beer, as if we should have known the distinctions in offerings between bars. As my associate turned to ask me what I wanted instead, Bartender B was gone. This was highly irritating, and if not on duty I would have left. It took another 4 minutes to get his attention again, and my associate placed our drink order. He sought out the drinks, moved to the POS to enter the drinks, and gave the appropriate amount of cash in return to the agent. At this point, the agent overhead a disgruntled couple who was waiting for a pen to sign their credit card tab; the pen never came from Bartender B. In addition to Bartender B behind the Xxxxx Bar, Bartender A poured a consistently heavy pour count at an approximate six count. There were times that he was observed pouring closer to a seven count of alcohol in drinks. This is far to much alcohol and is a dram shop issue. Nevertheless, besides the heavy pour count, he seemed to consistently accompany a drink order at the service well with a chit sheet that came through the POS system. Although Bartender A appeared to be doing a decent job of keeping up with the service requests for drinks in the well, there was one occasion when a server did not have the patience to wait for her drinks. On this occasion, one server (Caucasian female, 5'6'', shoulder length, straight blonde hair) came behind bar to get her own drink near service well; she appeared to pour two glasses of champagne from a bottle that was already open at the service well. Agent cannot substantiate if these were properly accounted for and therefore scores it as a theft/integrity occurrence. Unlike the two bar backs observed in the Xxxxx Bar who moved without urgency and rush, Bar back 3 appeared to be quite attentive and helpful. He moved around quickly behind the bar and appeared to serve the bartenders quite well. Across both of the bars, there were quite a few negative trends. The bars were overcrowded and the bartenders appeared to have no real urgency to quickly attend to the patrons in need of drinks. Bartenders appeared to be friendly and chatty to one another, yet appeared to be incredibly unhelpful and unfriendly to patrons. Many patrons, at both the Xxxxx and Xxxxx Bars, were heard to complain extensively about the wait times and poor service of the bartenders. Agent observed first hand one group of patrons actually left without getting initial service from the Xxxxx Bar. One patron was overheard saying, "I can't wait to Yelp! about this." Additionally, throughout the entire evaluation, there was no observation of any food sales or even offering of menus. The agent understands that bartenders need to focus on alcohol and drink sales in the bar and cocktail areas at this later time of evening on a Saturday night; however, if the establishment values this extra push for additional revenue, perhaps appetizer menus or something could be regularly placed around the bar, rather than have bartenders have another thing on their plate to serve on an already overloaded plate to serve. Liquor liability experts also suggest that food be pushed in high volume alcohol serving areas to help possibly slow down rates of intoxication. Most importantly, there was no carding across all bartenders of a very young crowd on this Saturday evening. Without door men or a security team ensuring that only patrons of age enter the establishment, bartenders must take the initiative to card patrons who might be underage. There were a large amount of patrons who did not only appear around 21, but appeared under 21. Carding was not observed at all. This is a major dram shop liquor liability issue that needs to be rectified, considering the younger crowd that grew as the night went on. Michael Zenner - CEO Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc.eyespyspotter.combartheft.com (blog)Hospitality Checkpointhospitalitycheckpoint.comliquorassessment.comPO BOX 995 Gilbert AZ 85299Office: 480-777-7056Toll Free: 800-880-0811© Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc. 2012
Bartender Summary – • Bar 1 - xxx xxxxx, mid xx, light colored hair with xxxxx xxxxxx xxx xxxxx.• Bar 2 - xxxx xxxx, early 30s, xxxxxxx xxxx xxxx, xxxxx logo T-shirt. Both bartenders were observed greeting patrons in a reasonable amount of time. While they appeared to be friendly and sociable, especially with their friends and regulars, neither introduced themselves by name at any time during the visit. Neither were overly friendly to anyone they did not already know. As newbie customers, we felt rather alienated. Agent would suggest management speak to these bartenders and remind them that every regular was at one time a newbie, they liked the place enough to come back because of this. When your particularly unfriendly to new guests, it short circuits this renewed clientele cycle, and revenue volumes will start to steadily decrease. Agent notes this at the beginning of the report as it was a central theme throughout the audit periodCoasters were used but not consistently and the ice scoop was not used at all by Bar 1. Agent was rather surprised that a bartender at this level of restaurant would make such a rookie move as to scoop ice in this manner. It's dangerous, it's unhygienic and is also an Health Code Violation. Bar 2 used the ice scoop occasionally but not consistently, also using the metal shaker.
Moreover, Bar 1, after scooping the ice with the metal shaker in one hand he would use his other hand to guide the ice into the glass. His hands touched the ice of every single drinking made which was rather disgusting to watch, especially after I viewed him touch his nose several times with his fingers. If there was too much ice in the glass he would scoop it out with his fingers. This is not only a health code violation, but just really not pleasant to see. It made us want to tab out and leave. After Bar 1 scooped the ice with the metal shaker he would spin it in his hand before setting it back on the bar top. Bar 1 and Bar 2 were observed offering food and drink menus to patrons as well as reviewing with them.
Both bartenders were observed making drinks and then moving to the POS although no one guest at the bar had a receipt in front of them. Agent observed several people running tabs and neither bartender asked for any credentials from the patron or a credit card to hold the tab open.This is a very poor business practice which is enhanced when there are two bartenders. In the event that one and bartender forgets or delays (grouping orders) to ring up a drink and the other bartender prints out the tab for the patron, drinks could be missed being charged. Agent recommends that the bartenders place an updated receipt in front of each guest in a small rocks glass, and following a strict "make a drink - ring a drink policy." Agent also recommends securing tabs with a credit card.at 10:45 PM Agent observed Bar 1 greet 3 males at the bar each one giving them a fist bump, which signified to the bar spotter that they were well acquainted with each other. They spoke for a moment and then Bar 1 proceeded to make SIX double shot Grey Goose and Red Bull drinks. Each man then threw up a $10.00 bill and they all fist bumped again before the men departed. Bar 1 gathered up the $30.00 in cash, paused a moment to look around, and then deposited all the cash directly into the tip jar. Both bartenders made and served shots to many of the patrons at the bar and then move to the POS but it is difficult to tell whether or not they actually rang them up or ring them up accurately as no receipts were produced. Agent has been bar spotting for a long time and highly suspects an integrity bartender theft issue but was unable to fully substantiate the claim. Agent suggests follow up on this from further Eye Spy Agents. Bar 1 was observed mixing drinks with the standard four count pour method but always topped off each drink with another tail of a pour, so therefore delving additional alcohol for each drink. Delivering additional alcohol of more than what is prescribed by management for financial and/or social gain is considered bartender theft.Bar 2 was consistent with a four count pour.Both bartenders poured beers with the appropriate collar.Both bartenders were observed being attentive to the patrons at the bar and offering additional drinks at the appropriate times.The bar top and the back bar appeared to be clean and neat and well-organized. Agent thought that both bartenders were a little lax in the way they were dressed, especially Bar 1 who was wearing a baseball cap on backwards. Agent understands the look/feel of a casual bar/restaurant; however, this looked more like he was headed to a ball game or party as opposed to being at work. Agent recommends the bartenders appearance should be uniform in the type and color of shirts they wear.
Michael Zenner - CEO
Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc.eyespyspotter.combartheft.com (blog)Hospitality Checkpointhospitalitycheckpoint.comliquorassessment.comPO BOX 995 Gilbert AZ 85299Office: 480-777-7056Toll Free: 800-880-0811© Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc. 2012
Bartender Summary
· Bar 1: Named Xxxxx, xxxxxxxxxxx male, athletic build, approximately 6'0", with short black hair, wearing a black Xxxxx T-Shirt, and grey shorts. Later in the evening these pants were changed to white and blue striped xxxxxxxxxx.
· Bar 2: xxxxxxxxxxxxx female, thin build, approximately 5'6 with long, straight xxxxx hair, wearing a pink tank top, black shorts, and axxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx .
· Bar 3: xxxxxxxxxx female, thin build, approximately 5'3, with long xxxx hair, wearing a white, button up shirt, with three-quarter length sleeves, a pink crop-top underneath, and jean shorts.
· Bar 4: xxxxxxxxxx male, medium build, approximately 6'0, with dark hair and a xxxxxxxx, wearing an Xxxxx T-Shirt, and jeans.
· Bar 5: xxxxxxxxxx male, thin build, approximately 6'2, with xxxxxxx hair, xxxxxxxxxxx, wearing a black Xxxxx tank top, and xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
The agent and associate approached the bar and were immediately greeted by Bartender 1, Xxxxx, whose name was overheard rather than provided by introduction. Xxxxx was the only bartender on shift at that time. Xxxxx leaned onto the bar and asked the agent and associate what they wanted to drink while scooping up a handful of ice from the ice bin in front of him, shaking all but one piece of ice out of his hand, and placing the ice in his mouth. The agent and associate asked for a minute to think and Xxxxx rudely turned his back without any recognition or smile.
This is a 2-part AZ Health Code issue, as first Xxxxx placed his bare hands into the sanitized ice, and then touched his mouth with his hands and the product and then put his hands back into the ice bin without washing.
Xxxxx spoke to one of the customers sitting at the bar, eating a few more pieces of ice while talking to the patron, and then proceeded to stand in front of the register texting on his phone. The agent and associate waited three minutes while Xxxxx was texting, at no point did he stop and look around at his customers to see if service was needed, and finally turned around saying "sorry about that. Do you know what you want yet?" The agent and associate placed a drink order (see food and beverage summary for details).
Xxxxx placed beverage napkins in front of the agent and associate and quickly served the beverages. Xxxxx asked if the agent and associate would like to pay cash, a credit card was provided to start a tab, which Xxxxx swiped into the POS system after placing the drinks into the system, and placed the credit card into a box of cards.
Xxxxx never asked for proper identification. Agent's associate is well under the age of 30. This is a dram shop liquor liability issue that should be addressed by management.
At no point did Xxxxx attempt to strike up a conversation with the agent or associate and only asked if an additional drink was desired once throughout the entire evaluation.
He was noted to continuously grab fistfuls of ice from the ice bins, dropping all but one chip of ice back into the bin, and eating the single remaining chip while talking to customers. Xxxxx was also observed using his bare hands, instead of tongs, to place and squeeze fruit and garnish into drinks, as well as use a dirty mixing tin to scoop ice into clean glassware, if he was not scooping the glassware directly into the ice bin. Xxxxx was also noted to be frequently texting behind the bar throughout the evaluation.
Bartender 2 arrived behind the bar at approximately 9:54 pm. She greeted various customers, showing off the teddy bear tied to her back and explaining to various customers that they were having a pajama party. Bartender 2 was not observed texting behind the bar, nor having any integrity issues, but was stationed on the opposite side of the bar from where the agent and associate were sitting.
Bartender 3 arrived at approximately 10:07 pm, smiling to customers as she entered behind the bar. Based on overheard conversations it became apparent that Bartender 3 was a customer or mutual friend of many patrons and was training to bartend at the establishment as a new hire. Throughout the evaluation she was also polite and friendly with customers, but was minimally observed as she was being trained by Bartender 2 and stayed with her on the opposite side of the bar.
Bartender 4 arrived at approximately 10:10 pm, immediately checking in and chatting with the first three bartenders as well as the bar-back.
At 10:20pm he was noted to make a phone call behind the bar, which lasted approximately two minutes. After the call he scanned the bar and began serving and associating with patrons.
Bartender 5 arrived shortly after Bartender 4, at approximately 10:17 pm. Bartender 5 also checked in and chatted with the other staff members briefly, then waved and greeted many of the patrons who, at this point, were filling the bar.
When the agent and associate were ready to close the tab it took approximately ten minutes to catch the attention of one of the bartenders, all of whom were extremely busy by this time serving the high volume of customers.
Bartender 4 noticed the agent and associate's need of service and yelled over the music "how can I help you". The agent gestured a desire to close their tab. Bartender yelled again over the music inquiring about the last name on the tab, which the agent provided. The tab was provided in a clean check presenter, signed, and returned.
Due to having multiple drinks spilled on the agent and associate, the remainder of the evaluation was completed away from the bar-top and in the crowd.
Multiple left issues were observed during this evaluation:
At 10:27 pm Xxxxx was observed ducking his head into the corner of the bar and quickly drinking a mixed shot through a straw. He stood, scrunching his face in response to the strength of the liquor in the drink, emptied the remaining ice and straw into the trash, and continued to work.
12. For a licensee, when engaged in waiting on or serving customers, to consume spirituous liquor or for a licensee or on-duty employee to be on or about the licensed premises while in an intoxicated or disorderly condition.
The alcohol also was not registered into the POS or any comp/spill sheet; therefore, Agent scores this as an integrity/theft issue. Consuming alcohol while on duty is also a dram shop liquor liability issue. Should an unfortunate incident happen, or an act of violence occur that results in litigation, Xxxxx's impairment can cause disastrous results for the owners.
At 10:30 pm Xxxxx was observed serving three shots of rumplemintz poured into rocks glasses without a jigger and as 1.5 ounce shots and then served the shots to three gentlemen by the service well without charging for the shots or placing them on a comp tab in the POS system.
At 10:37 Xxxxx was observed making 15 mixed drink shots, initially mixed in two separate mixing tins and distributed into 15 rocks glasses, then stacked the glasses in three piles and handed them over the bar to a gentlemen with guests sitting at one of the booths. Xxxxx did not charge for the shots, nor put the shots into the POS system, but did take money from the gentlemen and agent observed him to put it directly into the tip cup.
At 10:39 Bartender 5 was observed making 6 shots, initially mixed in a mixing tin and poured evenly into rocks glasses, and handing them to a one girl over the bar without charging her or putting the drinks into the POS system at all. This patron proceeded to carry the shots to the patio to serve to her friends.
This is also an ADLLC Violation.
At 10:46 Xxxxx was observed pouring 2 Don Julio shots without a jigger, as 1.5 ounce shots, and serving them to a patron who was previously served free drinks from the bar-back (see bar-back summary for details). These drinks were not charged for nor entered into the POS system.
There was an additional integrity issue observed regarding the reputation of the bar rather than the staff:
In the beginning of the evaluation there were two female patrons sitting at the corner of the bar next to the agent and associate. Each were initially dressed in regular clothes, however, as the bartenders changed in order to wear pajama party attire, one of the two patrons changed in the bathroom into a see-through, lace, tight, short dress, and extremely tall heels. This change was previously known and strongly encouraged by all of the staff, clearing pointing out that it had been planned and discussed with the staff prior to the shift. This patron sat at the bar in this outfit as well as a sports hat continuing to drink and dance to the music by waving her hands around her and aggressively nodding her head and body to the music.
Later in the evening, when the servers came out with liquor bottles to free-pour into the patrons' mouths, this patron was helped onto the bar by the bar-back and began aggressively dancing on the bar. As she bounced up and down on the bar, continuing to wave her hands and arms around, her skirt continuously rode up her legs and above her rear end, exposing her rear as well as her purple thong. Her see-through dress also obviously exposed her breasts and nipples to the crowd which is against the law.
This patron stayed on the bar, dancing, leaning down and dancing in front of and accepting tips from customers, and sexually and provocatively grinding up against a staff member dressed in a bear costume who was also on the bar.
R19-1-214. Sex Acts Prohibited, Real or Simulated
No licensee shall permit, on the licensed premises, any person to perform acts of or acts which constitute or simulate:
1. Sexual intercourse, masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, oral copulation, flagellation, or any sexual acts which are prohibited by law;
2. The touching, caressing, or fondling of the breast, buttocks, anus, or genitals;
3. The displaying of any portion of the areola of the female breast, or any portion of his or her pubic hair, anus, vulva, or genitals; or
To those patrons appearing concerned that the girl was going to knock over their drinks, and would move their drinks for her, she would lean over and yell "don't worry. I am a professional!"
Although some customers were initially entertained by this, most customers quickly shifted from smiling and laughing to shaking their heads at the spectacle on the bar. On more than one occasion the patron danced in front of a group of girls, or guys, sitting at the bar, who proceeded to leave their seats and spots and move to a different section of the establishment to get away from the girl.
This was a behavior that appeared to be seen as distasteful and inappropriate by more than one patron as well as the agent and associate. The agent feels that it is also important to note that a patron dancing on the bar, especially in that attire and platform heels, is an extreme safety as well as health and liability risk.
Michael Zenner - CEO Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc.eyespyspotter.combartheft.com (blog)Hospitality Checkpointhospitalitycheckpoint.comliquorassessment.comPO BOX 995 Gilbert AZ 85299Office: 480-777-7056Toll Free: 800-880-0811© Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc. 2012
My associate and took seats at the bar and were immediately greeted by a Caucasian Blonde female with tattoos on her xxx. She did not introduce herself but we later ascertained her name was Xxxxx. Xxxxx had a BIG smile in her greet of us and asked what we wanted to drink. Agent associate asked if there were any specials and she named a Kettle Orange Vodka as the special. Agent asked a few questions about items and Xxxxx showed good product knowledge. We placed an order and she went to go prepare it. She prepared our drinks quite differently. My associates drink got a 1 1/4 oz count pour where my drink was nearly a 6 count and almost double the alcohol. Agent did not order a double and was quite puzzled by the alcohol volume disparity. We started a tab with Xxxxx and she took the appropriate measures.
Xxxxx is very friendly and seems to fit into this bar like a glove. She's friendly with regulars as well as new guests as she strikes conversation and is very pleasant. She has good bartender presence for the most part and has good bartending prioritization skills. The one hygiene issue of note was that she frequently scratches the scalp of her head and does not wash her hands afterwards.
However, she does have some bartending issues issue that need to be addressed. First, her pour counts are all over the place. They range anywhere from 1 1/4 oz to over 3 oz at times and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme/reason to it. The patterns that were picked up by the Agent were a 1 1/4 oz pours for the Kettle Orange that was on special. I even saw one under-poured with a single ounce shot. Agent saw this many times through the night. Women in general usually received a higher pour volume, as did those who apparently were tipping larger. With the later of these, this Agent scores this as a bartender theft occurrence as delivering additional alcohol over what is prescribed by management (1 1/4 oz pour) to increase gratuity and/or social status is a form of bartender theft.
Second, her ringing procedures are lackadaisical. This can be attributed to laziness and/or masking of integrity issues and bartender theft. Countless times throughout the evening there were drinks delivered with no movement made to the register to record them (see observations below).
Another rather important issue was some of the guests in the bar looked to be of questionable age and Xxxxx was serving them. It's of the agent's opinion that she probably felt that intoxicated Xxxxx had already carded them giving her a false sense of security. Bottom line is though she served these guest alcohol. Agent will add that I cannot substantiate the age of these guests; however, it was of my opinion they were of questionable age.
Xxxxx fell behind many times on clearing glassware and wiping the bar top down. Agent put her arm in a puddle of liquid and was not pleased about it, then exacerbated when I had to go to the unclean restroom to wash up. My associate commented that if security Xxxxx wasn't such a life of the party so to speak, he could have helped her maintain the bar better, as for the most part she did all the work.
Because Xxxxx was busy seemingly running the entire bar, the facility didn't seem to be running at it's best efficiency level. If Xxxxx had a security member who didn't disappear and helped her frequently, the bar would have run much smoother and a bi-product of this would have been more sales revenue.
Xxxxx was at about a 90% clip in using cocktail cards with guests. Drinks were ordered and served in a timely manner except for some occasions when she got busy.
Xxxxx scoops ice with glassware. This is just wrong and a very bad habit that should be broken right away. It's very unsanitary and a cause for health concerns, and possible injury due to broken glass.
Specific observations: As aforementioned, Xxxxx had a propensity to not ruing drinks. This makes it very cumbersome to substantiate bartender theft occurrences accurately. This agent suggests that management make some immediate policy changes and create a make a drink - ring a drink policy and enforce it. This will force accountability. At 9:39 she prepared a drink with a 5 count of alcohol and did not move to record the drink. At 9:43 she prepared 3 shots of whiskey and did not move to record the drinks. Age observed her move to POS 2 min later and this could have been the ring in. At 9:47 she delivered 1 yellow and 3 brown beers to a female patron and did not move to record. This woman looked of questionable age. At 10:00 it appeared she delay rang these beers. At 9:48 Agent observed the bartender has a personal drink behind the bar. Agent cannot ascertain the contents. 9:45 Agent's drink is dry and she is not asked for a refill until 8 minutes later. At 9:55 Agent observed Xxxxx counting money from a wood box next to cig display. Agent would stress to management that NO money should be handled outside of the POS drawer and legitimate transactions. This makes a rather ripe situation for bartender theft when this is allowable. At 9:58 3 shots (Jameson?) were delivered to customers and no movement to record the drinks. One consumed my Security Xxxxx. At approximately 10:01 Security Xxxxx took money out of tip jar and then gave it to a customer, who then appeared to give it to Xxxxx and then she put it back into tip jar. It was a very bizarre occurrence to observe and highly suspicious in nature. Age could not verify exactly the nature of what happened but suspects maybe the money hand changing round robin was a lame effort to satisfy a security camera. That is just an hypothesis. Regardless, the alcohol went unaccounted for. At 10:06 Xxxxx under pours a guest a Kettle orange with less than an ounce of alcohol. At 10:10 3 shots were delivered and no movement to record the drinks. Xxxxx also drank a shot with the guests but it appeared to be in a different sort of glass than the others. At 10:15 agent observed Xxxxx make a drink with a 4 count of alcohol into a short glass, then the customer exclaimed that she wanted it tall and Xxxxx poured the drink into a pint and then added another ounce of alcohol. She was not observed accounting for the drink at that time. Xxxxx asked and prepared a drink for my associate, but for some odd reason did not ask me for one. Agent started to suspect that she may be impaired of some sorts, as I also observed her making other simple mistakes such as delivering drinks to the wrong guest after making them. this happened a few times. Several minutes later she asked me if I wanted another drink and went to prepare it, She made my drink with a 4 count 1 1/2 oz pour and did not report to the POS to record it on my tab.
At 10:26 Xxxxx appeared "distracted" delivering drink to wrong person the corrected herself. She did not report to the POS to record the drink. At 10:29 Xxxxx almost gave change to wrong patron. At 10:33 my associate ordered a drink and she prepared it with a 6 count of alcohol. This time she DID report immediately to the POS. At 10:36 My associate reported that it appeared Xxxxx was drinking a beer. At 10:43 A male patron at the bar Gave Xxxxx another shot of alcohol. At 10:44 Xxxxx made a cocktail and did not report to the POS. At 10:50 Xxxxx is observed going to the POS and group ringing sales all at once. It appeared as if she was looking around at guest sand drawing from a mental inventory in order to try and correctly ascertain all the alcohol drinks she had delivered for tabs. At 10:56 Xxxxx prepared 2 cocktails for a man and a woman at the bar. One was poured with a 5 count and the other was poured with a 6 count. This really exemplified the inconsistent pours of this bartender. At 10:58 Bartender was observed coming out from bar and collecting glassware. Doorman Xxxxx nowhere to be seen. She was also later observed wiping the tables. At 11:11 Xxxxx was observed delivering 2 drinks and a beer and not observed reporting to the POS to record. At 11:12 Xxxxx made 2 bombers of some sort and not observed reporting to the POs to record. At 11:17 she was observed making a cocktail for one guest and not ringing it in and then moving to another guest an deserving him a Corona and not ringing it in either. At 11:23 is observed going to the POS and group ringing sales all at once. It appeared as if she was looking around at guest sand drawing from a mental inventory in order to try and correctly ascertain all the alcohol drinks she had delivered for tabs. At 11:26 Agent was a bit distracted by something that happened near the pool table. When I turned around the POS screen had "No Sale" and Xxxxx was counting money in the wood drawer. Agent cannot substantiate what happened. At around 11:35 Xxxxx gave two shots to customers who looked as if they had already tabbed out. One of the customers tried to pay and appeared she shook it off in a "don't worry about it" fashion. The shots were not seen accounted for. 11:40 Security Xxxxx doing another shot of alcohol. Tab procedures were carried out in a timely manner. No itemized receipt was given.
Upon arrival, security Xxxxx was at the front entrance and asked us for ID's. I pulled my wallet from my purse and showed it to him and he mumbled something inaudible and I said "what?" and he leaned in to ask me again and that is when I was ht with a wall alcohol smelling bad breath. I showed him my ID again and took a step back and took note that he had a goofy look on his face and glassy eyes. His level of alcohol impairment was absurd. As we passed, he yelled something at my associate and gave him a fist bump. My associate then said to me, "Is that Door Guy totally wasted or what?"
The professionalism of this guy was way out of line. He also appeared to do next to nothing to help out with Xxxxx. His numerous disappearances left the door unattended and people just walking in without properly showing ID. many of the disappearances were associated with a young Caucasian female with red hair.
At one point he stumbled through the bar in an attempt to hug some guy spilling drinks and bumping into other guests.
This employee is a liquor liability dram shop lawsuit waiting to happen.
He did not greet us farewell upon our departure.
Beverage Summary
My associate ordered one of the Kettle Orange drinks and it was awful and it was sent back. He then ordered Knob Creek and Coke and the drinks were inconsistent with taste because each one was made with different volumes of alcohol.
Agent had Malibu and Diet drinks and it was the same issue with inconsistent tastes because of fluctuating liquor volumes.
The two shots listed at the end of the bar section were for me and my associate. We tabbed out and purposely tipped Xxxxx rather large and as an integrity test pre-text, said "let's order a shot before we go" She delivered the shots and said they were free.
BARTENDER THEFT:Bartender Summary We entered the bar and took seats and were greeted almost immediately n by a male bartender who said, "Good evening sir, how are you?" He did not introduce himself. He asked us what he could get started for us and we replied we didn't know yet and he offered to show us a beer list.
He returned shortly there after asking for an order and the agent ordered a draft beer and he went to pour it. It was delivered shortly after with coasters. He then suggested food sales by saying "Would you like to look at a food menu?" We said we would and he delivered them to us with a tab in front of us. Shortly after he left the bar and a blonde haired woman came behind the bar. Agent assumes this first young man was a server filling in for the bartender when she was on break as he was seen waiting tables after that.
The woman never introduced herself nor did she give us a friendly welcome. Tab says Xxxxxx so that is what she will be refereed to as. We had menus in front of us but she never asked if we wanted to in order food. We then asked some questions about the menu which she answered but rather enthusiastically. She never mentioned the special until we asked if there was one. When she did say the special we had to also ask how it was prepared. When she did take our order we also had to ask what sides were available? It wasn't a very pleasant ordering experience to say the least. If not on duty I most likely would have set the menu down and not ordered food. We specifically didn't order an appetizer to see if she would up-sell to start with one. She didn't and began to take the menus away when we asked her for an appetizer suggestion between two and she made a recommendation but didn't state why. A short time later the appetizer was delivered. She just put the plate down silently and walked away. We both found this to be rather rude. She then returned with side plates and still said nothing. My associate said "thank you" and she still said nothing as she turned and walked away. While we were eating the appetizer she did not perform a check back to ask if we liked it. In fact at one point she stood directly in front of us and still didn't ask how the food tasted. She eventually cleared the appetizer plates and still never asked if we liked it or not. Shortly after our entrees arrived and delivered in the same silent stoic fashion with no description or explanation. Again she never asked us how the meals were even though again she was talking to the guests' right next to us. She eventually cleared our plates and never asked us how the food tasted. She also did not offer dessert. Xxxxxx finger grabs soiled glassware by the lip which is highly unsanitary. She was seen doing this several times and never washed her hands afterwards. Agent made some specific time stamp observations as follows: Agent made note of a great deal of glassware piling up at the well. Xxxxxx also scoops ice with glassware. This is a health issue. Bartender's hand touches the side of the glass and then the side of the glass comes in direct contact with the sanitized ice. The ice is now contaminated and illness can be spread to whoever is made a drink henceforth. A designated ice scoop should be used to scoop ice to prevent contamination. It is also, plain and simple, very careless and lazy bartending as the glass can shatter, chip or break in the sanitized ice. This can pose a real threat if any drinks are served to guests with broken glass shards and may even invoke a lawsuit. Moreover, "burning" an ice well mid shift is cumbersome and because this is necessary after a broken glass, the establishment would lose money because of decreased sales. At 8:41 Xxxxxx took out a bank bag and made change for an older female server. It looked to be innocent but Agent will report any cash handling that is not through the POS.
At 8:57 she poured 2 drafts to Hispanic couple on right side of the bar. She made no movement to record the beers on POS or any tab. She was observed ringing something in minutes later; however, she still did not replace this couples tab. At 9:08 agent made note of some women that were seated at the bar were highly intoxicated. At this point they were now drinking coffee. Agent cannot ascertain if they stopped drinking or were cut off. Later in the evaluation someone came to pick them up. At 9:11 Xxxxxx was observed delivering a draft to a male seated at a table. Earlier when the man arrived he had handed her a credit card to start a tab then found a table. She was not observed ringing in this draft nor updating any tab.At 9:36 she was observed speaking to a man at the left side of the bar. She grabbed his beer and poured it down the drain and then poured the two people each a glass of wine. She was not observed adding this to any comp tab, the POS or updating any tab.
Several minutes later she was then observed to ring into the POS and replace their tab.
Agent's drink is completely empty and even though she is standing in from of me, she doesn't ask if I want another. After I finished the next round, my glass sat empty once again and Xxxxxx paid no mind to it. At one point I even raised my glass and slightly shook it showing it was empty, but she just continued to drink her glass of milk behind the bar. At 9:39 Xxxxxx opened some sort of champagne type beer. It sprayed somewhat and she got a towel to catch the spray. A man at a table had apparently ordered it and was waiting when this occurred. She then opened another one of the bottles and gave it to the customer who ordered it.She then poured a glass full glass from the sprayed bottle and gave it to the couple seated at the right side of the bar (first couple pictured at right of bar. They looked surprised to receive it. Nothing was observed to be rung on a comp or spill sheet. Agent suggests that mistake drinks be thrown away as opposed to being given away. It seems like a nice gesture from the bartender; however, it is actually counter productive. The house has already lost in liquor costs because of the wasted liquor. This is now exacerbated by the fact that now the customer has a free mistake drink sales are reduced because they aren't purchasing a drink. Agent would suggest that mistake drinks, if they cannot be re-used, be discarded and not given away, and immediately placed on a spill sheet. The bartender was observed on several occasions to "triple bounce" liquor bottles in order to obtain additional alcohol. this completely circumvents the restrictions that are set inn place with the spouts rendering them useless. First, this is too much alcohol to serve people in one drink and is a dram shop liability (see food and beverage section). Second, delivering additional alcohol more than what is prescribed by management in order to raise social standing and/or gratuities is a form of bartender theft. Drinks A half and half was ordered from the young gentleman and poured very nicely. It was crisp and refreshing.
Crown and Coke was ordered and it was poured without a pour spout and over poured at that; tasted too strong. Changed the cocktail to Jack and coke and the bartender triple poured alcohol into the drink.
This is just far too much alcohol for one drink. take in mind the picture to the left is a bourbon based drink which the liquor is brown in color and obviously coke is brown as well, so management can interpolate from the color of this drink just how much alcohol is in the drink. Giving drinks away for free is obviously stealing. The inaccurate pour counts are also a form of stealing but may be a sign that the bartenders are out of practice when it comes to free pouring accurately. Another reason they may be over-pouring is because they feel they are offering a better product, especially for their regulars. In actuality, over-pouring cocktails isn't doing anyone any favors. Let's say this is a patron's first time at the establishment. They visit other bars were pour counts are militantly observed to maintain liquor costs. They know they can go to that bar, drink 3 drinks in 2 hours and still get home safely. Then they come to your bar. The drink 3 "lights out" drinks in 2 hours, the liver processes the alcohol approximately 2oz. per hour. Thus the majority of the liquor hits them before leaving or while in the car driving home. Suddenly the patron is in a world of hurt, possibly behind the wheel, and completely blindsided by outrageous pour counts. In addition, when pour counts are high, establishments sell fewer drinks. Why would you order 4 drinks at, say, $30, when you can get the same effect on 2 drinks and save the money? Keeping pour counts steady and monitored is safe, cost effective, and important to the bottom line. This bar needs to get its liquor pours in line as its losing money. Do away with the pour spouts as they give a false sense of security that correct alcohol is being poured, or have them free pour and test them for accuracy weekly. Pour Check™ $ 19.95 The Pour Check™ is an accurate, inexpensive tool that will help perfect the skill of free pouring. The Pour Check™ separates into 2 high quality pieces of plastic, the funnel and the measuring tube. It measures in both US Ounces and Milliliters. The Pour Check™ is an all-in-one tool that saves time while measuring the initial pour. Your purchase includes a set of 6 Pour Check Units. Click to watch the 3 Minute Training Demonstration. http://www.barproducts.com/media/pourcheck.php
Lastly, upon departure there were three males in back of building smoking and talking/shouting rather loudly using vulgarities. Walking further into the lot, agent observed four young males at a car smoking marijuana. Michael Zenner - CEO Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc.eyespyspotter.combartheft.com (blog)Hospitality Checkpointhospitalitycheckpoint.comliquorassessment.comPO BOX 995 Gilbert AZ 85299Office: 480-777-7056Toll Free: 800-880-0811© Eye Spy Spotter Services Inc. 2012
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in anyway.
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