The pandemic forced many restaurants and hotels to adhere to changing rules and regulations creatively. Some allowed for drive-through drinks along with meals. Others started serving bottled ready-to-drink cocktails (think gin and tonics or margaritas,) while others started delivering alcohol with boxed meals.

 

Recently, reports indicate there may be supply and demand issues regarding alcohol. A few states, including Ohio, New Jersey and Vermont, are currently experiencing liquor shortages  related to the pandemic. In some states like Pennsylvania, customers will be limited to two bottles of specific alcoholic beverages per day in liquor stores.

 

North Carolina liquor stores are putting up more and more “Out of Stock” warnings as the alcohol shortage spreads.

 

What Is the Reason for Alcohol Shortages?

 

If you remember the great toilet paper shortage during the start of the pandemic, you might remember how some items were in short supply in our local stores. Apart from toilet paper, commodities like flour, hand sanitizer, furniture, lumber, and even homes were getting harder to find in stock.

Like these impacted goods throughout the pandemic, we are experiencing a shortage of liquor due to supply chain issues.

These supply chain issues include a shortage in truck drivers, warehouse workers, raw materials, and reduced manufacturing. Even finding staff for bars and restaurants can be challenging. If multiple kinks develop in the chain, it will eventually directly impact consumers and businesses. In addition, alcohol requires time to ferment and age, so it may take some time to see an increase in supply.

 

How This Affects Restaurants and Taverns

Many restaurants and bars are in the same boat as consumers. They simply cannot get the level of alcohol supply that they are used to receiving.

The current strain on the alcohol supply chain may take some time to be resolved, so businesses need

Some restaurants are stocking up on ready-to-drink canned cocktails or ordering alternatives to specific flavors and brands.

 

The pandemic has highlighted how the restaurant and hospitality industry has learned to adapt to changing tides, even now. New experimental cocktail menus will likely emerge that work with available and sourced alcohol. Other restaurants may choose to focus on handcrafted cocktails with local ingredients, which could kickstart a new economic trend of supporting local businesses and vendors.

It’s unclear how long this shortage will last as we head into the holidays, but you may want to enjoy your favorite drink now (while you still can!)

by Natasha Reta – Culinary Consultant

 

The restaurant industry has always faced challenges in the field of recruitment and hiring. But having a great team and adequate amounts of staff is essential to great hospitality.  Operators are currently faced with the usual hiring challenges of tracking down serious candidates, streamlining the onboarding process, and retaining the employee for the long term.

Currently faced with the usual hiring challenges or tracking down serious candidates, streamlining the onboarding process, and then retaining the employee for the long term, the issue is further compounded with the newest challenge of the current labor crunch.  Operators will need to make significant changes to the way they hire, focusing on maintaining the retention of quality. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Once you get that employee in the door, how do you keep them there?

 

 

Most frustrated restaurant staff have described leaving good-paying jobs due to a lack of training.  New employees want to feel comfortable in their workplace, yet a lack of systems and training allows for error, confusion, and frustration.  A thorough training program for both FOH and BOH, should be quickly developed and implemented to maintain staff retention. This training should incorporate specific job function training and product training, food safety training, salesmanship, and hospitality.

 

Company Culture: Yes, it’s Really Important

Okay, so you have the best systems and training, but is your company culture appealing? What do your brand and company say to your future internal guests, your employees?  How do you create an environment they want to return to? Lead by example. Your establishment should be treated with respect just as your guests.  The cleanliness and organization of your operations are a clear observation as to how your company cares.  New employees now say company culture is what keeps them returning.  They enjoy a happy work-life balance and feel respected.

 

 

If you haven’t yet, now is the time to assess these areas of your restaurant operations:

1. BOH/FOH operations and safety
2. Overall restaurant cleanliness
3. Job titles and accurate descriptions
4. Training systems
5. Growth opportunities
6. Company culture

This foodservice labor shortage is certainly challenging for operators to tackle. Critically important is making your team feel valued, well trained, and taken care of.  With some attention to these areas, your operation will manage to survive this current hiring crisis.  Don’t have a robust training and operations system in place?  Synergy Sync is a powerful, flexible, and affordable digital training platform for restaurants look to upgrade performance.  Reach out to us to learn more!

Though the ever-popular cocktail classics are still leading the charge in the craft cocktail scene, they are now sharing the stage with a new trend: creativity. It is not uncommon to find inventive large format cocktails, outrageous (and instagrammable) garnishes, rich house made syrups, tinctures and bitters, teas and smoke in the most unexpected places. Even big chains like Famous Dave’s are smoking their old-fashioned bourbon in house while Houlihan’s is carving their own block ice for some feature drinks. Putting out the same tired drinks year after year that look a lot like the drinks from across the street, turn drinks into a boring commodity, and commodities are subject to price comparison. The lowest price wins in this situation and everyone fights to sell the cheapest drink while the profits shrink. The less homogenous the product, the more resistant it will be to price comparison.  There is an untapped revenue stream from unique and creative cocktails that can separate you from the pack. Guests do not compare or question the price of something that is of quality and truly unique to your concept.

 

As you explore new revenue streams through craft cocktails, the biggest error is choosing style over substance. While creativity is key, it must work in conjunction with balance and efficiency. Astounding presentation in a cocktail that is overly sweet or acidic will bring guest back through the door about as fast as a perfectly balanced cocktail that takes 15 minutes to hit the table. Do you measure efficiency in bottle pickups, number of ingredients, components, all of these? What are your thresholds for each? How can you cut steps through batching, infusions, tinctures or flavored syrups and what are the proper applications of each?  What are the labor implications of each? A lot of planning goes in to the creation of a truly successful cocktail program, but returns can be disproportionately large as revenues and reputations surge upward. Alcohol, acid, sugar, ice, bitters, air and dilution must all work together in such a way that the sum is greater than the parts. Bartender training and server education must be on par with the desired quality of the drink, especially in large chains. Everyone coming in contact with these creations must know when to stir, when to shake, when to double strain and how to measure efficiency when developing recipes and identifying guest preferences at the table.

 

The trailblazers have been doing this long enough to have written many game changing, must-read books for the aspiring craft cocktail artisan. For technique, Jeffrey Morganthaler’s The Bar Book is the definitive source on how to. Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold dives deeper into why alcohol, acid, ice, etc., do what they do from a scientific perspective. Imbibe! by David Wondrich is a wonderful journey back in time highlighting the history of American bartending and cocktails that serves to familiarize us bar nuts with our roots. There are dozens of others worth seeking out and making available to your staff for some major inspiration and growth. Nothing derails a good training program like the lack of passion and inspiration from the staff. It is important to know what makes all this stuff special.

 

Whether it is craft beer, craft cocktails or responsibly sourced food, the verdict is in: tastes are changing and guests want quality and meaning behind their menu selections, and they are willing to pay for it. It is worth the effort to create a meaningful cocktail program and it will pay dividends when done right. The demand is there and our goals at Synergy is to guide those who are interested in crafting the supply.

 

By: Mike Walls, Certified Cicerone®, Operations & Beverage

 

We often go to bars for comradery, to relax and spend time with our friends while we imbibe together. In years past that may have meant ordering a bottle of champagne or a round of shots, but one of the hottest trends in cocktails right now has us imbibing together in a whole new way. It is no longer a strange sight to see a group of friends at a bar using six 16-inch metal straws to share a giant golden vase filled with a delicious, boozy, handcrafted concoction. Bars and their patrons across the country are embracing these giant shareable cocktails because they are profitable, recognizable, often outrageous and they bring us together.

 

When deciding how to serve these enormous beverages, bartenders have a whole universe of untapped vessels to choose from, including vases, punch bowls, fish tanks, spigot dispensers, repurposed coffee equipment, and hollowed out melons. The right presentation can be a showstopper where the whole restaurant turns their heads saying, “I wonder what they got?” as the server triumphantly delivers the showpiece across the dining room. These often whimsical and over-the-top presentations also encourage another big trend in the bar and restaurant world: taking pictures that are Instagram-worthy. What better way to spread the word about your offerings than having your own guests feel compelled to show off their experience by plastering social media with pictures of your creations? The spectacle alone drives sales and gives the bar the opportunity to flex some creative muscle that the whole world can see, free of charge.

 

Much like any drink, these supersized cocktails can capitalize on other trends in a big way like using fresh, herbs, smoke and tea infusions. The size does not limit the quality or creativity of the drink and it can fit right in with the rest of the menu offerings. Many restaurants are even creating scalable cocktail lists from which the guest can order a cocktail from the menu as a single or in a number of shareable sizes depending on the number of guests. These cocktails can be batched, made fresh, mixed tableside or served deconstructed allowing the guest to customize and experiment as they drink.

 

Prices of $50 to $300 are not uncommon with punch bowls that serve a large group may be made with ingredients like fresh juices, cognac and a whole bottle of champagne. This is a serious increase in check averages similar to selling a high-end bottle of wine, most likely at a better cost; with only a bit more prep. It may sound crazy to charge so much for a cocktail, but the price is generally calculated by multiplying the number of servings by the price of a single drink (and usually comes in a few dollars less). Guests understand the math and don’t mind spending more money sharing in this better-than-bottle service experience with a group of friends.

Some kitchen gadgets only serve one purpose—an avocado slicer, can opener, a coffee maker. Well, actually, the French press can do more than make great coffee. Instead of indulging some mimosas this Sunday during your brunch, you can try a hot toddy, à la your new multi-purpose French press.

 

At Moneygun in Chicago, mixologists are serving up signature hot toddies using French presses. If you’re unfamiliar, a hot toddy (hot Whiskey in Ireland) is a warm cocktail, typically made of liquor, hot water, honey, and spices. Utilizing the French press like a tea pot makes it easy to create your own unique hot toddy and can elevate your breakfast or brunch experience.

 

Get the Moneygun Hot Toddy recipe here.

By George Barton, Sr. Beverage Consultant.

“No hassle, no training, no investment”

Capturing every drink transaction, every shift, every day has always been a challenge for leadership, from a small independent restaurant to large brands representing hundreds of locations.  The human factor is at play and while not labeling world class bartenders at the culprit, you should clearly understand the tools that will support a key objective   —  that EVERY transaction at the bar is accounted for through video auditing by way of small cameras which are linked to your point of sale to insure compliance.  Simply put, if you sell 100 drinks (beer, wine and cocktails) on a shift, it’s captured, reconciled and time stamped that all 100 drinks are collected or rang up, based upon your operations procedure when to capture the drink revenue.  What else could be more effective in today’s busy hospitality environment. If we believe and know that every drink during a shift is not accounted for, why not take the necessary steps to invest in a tool to accomplish this which supports revenue growth. High reward (lost revenue captured, improved margins) with low risk.

 

A few key deliverables to consider on taking on a new initiative like this:

• Why do it: No need to invest capital to increase profits nor to accept ignored SOP’s any longer.  Actually there is no training nor maintenance required.
• Benefits: No charge for cameras or maintenance. Every beverage and food serving from behind the bar are time stamped, while ring ups, serving etiquette  and preparation are all captured.  Captured beverage and food presentations that miss your collection standards are highlighted for your observation.
• Problem – Solution: Failure to meet standards is a reality in hospitality due to the fast moving environment which conjures up many opportunities for operations execution to be ignored or forgotten. Why not initiate procedures that reviews this breach in standard operating procedures.  Empower management and allow enforcement or excellence in execution and collection of every transition. Product today is simply too expensive to allow not to be accounted for.
• The How: Small cameras mounted to view all service areas and are connected to the interned. Analysts audit images to track what is served vs what is accounted for. Reports (very easy to navigate) show discrepancies from what was delivered from what was accounted for according to your SOP’

 

While this new age of mixology or the voice of the bartender is more prevalent than ever and rightly so, we also know from history and actual loss of revenue and margins that numerous factors play havoc on ensuring that EVERY beverage and food transaction from behind the bar is accounted for.

 

If you would like to learn and hear more, give Synergy a call.

By George Barton, Sr. Beverage Consultant.

 

Let me comment on a few current trends in adult beverage and how to best leverage your teams.  Taking the necessary steps can increase incremental beverage sales and as well separate you from that “sea of sameness” in the adult beverage category.

What we know:

Males are 2x more likely to go out more often than females. So how do I attract more female traffic in my restaurant?

• CHANGE THE CHANNEL. Create a LADIES’ shed, not to compete but to recognize.
• Women should  not only feel welcome but secure in your bar environment so think about how your staffing your restaurant.
• Market inside your “four walls” with colorful and the appropriate amount of POP (point of purchase) with the intent to market to your female audience. Think about “Ladies Night Out” with a wine feature like “Little Black Dress”.

Spending– Adults

 

Adults are planning on spending about the same as last year with Millennials spending more. Think and react on how you can improve your beverage position here.

• Continue to execute flawlessly but take a good look at your strategy and how you market happy hour and late night activities. Focus on those key day parts or when you have the strongest crowds in your bar. “Fish where the fish are.”
• Staff for success, simply not to accommodate. I rarely if ever visit a restaurant and find the bar overstaffed with bartenders.  Just doesn’t happen today. Splitting a $1 tip between 3 bartenders vs 2 bartenders takes very little time to make up that difference. Your staff will understand if you provide your strategy and why it’s important to build sales, not simply maintain and accommodate.
• Provide beverage menus that are simplistic, yet call out top features that will move trial on new beverages. Innovation is critical and paramount in today’s age of mixology but ensure your target guest really wants a vintage cocktail.  It makes sense to create a bit of noise with new NEWS as well.

 

Drinks Per Occasion–Let’s focus on 2nd Drink… We know from data provided by Mike Ginley at Next Level Marketing that consumers would order one additional alcoholic beverage during an occasion if key tactics were utilized and executed. Take a look at how they rank from most to least important, yet all fundamentally critical.

 

• Ask me when I’m ready: So, teach your servers and bartenders how and when to ask their customer when their ready for their second beverage. Don’t wait until ice is being chewed or their wine glass is bone dry, nor when they are only 1/2 way thru their first beverage.  Timing is critical and finding that sweet spot is key. Don’t assume that your guest will only desire one drink.  “ Can I bring you another Blackberry Mojito” to go with those awesome Quesadillas .
• Offer Better Quality: Teaching team members to up-sale should be part of training and on-going development.  “Can I have a gin and tonic” could have a response like  “Would be my pleasure and how about Hendricks”.  Turning a glass of house red wine into a premium or premium plus feature requires little more than asking your guest, yet provide few speaking points about the recommended wine if necessary. Cocktails made with better quality ingredients can be called out on your menu, providing new innovation. You should receive credit for this due to current trends in quality and healthier ingredients.
• Faster Drink Service: OK, let’s staff to win, not to accommodate.  Teach and execute to a time limit or goal with respect to order and delivery to your guest. Ensure servers handle one table and order at a time.  Staff with drink runners if required on busy shifts.  Excellent drink service and delivery will add multiple drinks to the shift. Of course it goes without saying that all team members involved must adhere to alcohol awareness and your goal to support all legislation to keep our highways safe.
• After Dinner / Desert: Excellent opportunity to offer guests after dinner cognacs or sweet aperitifs that will balance out and blend well with your guests dinner. I would always offer a Sambuca when guests ordered a coffee or expresso and hit the mark about 1/3 of the time. Again, alcohol awareness and ensuring your team members understand the signs of when to back off.  This in no way means your guests should order and settle for one adult cocktail.
• Light and Low Calorie: Light beer, while wine, prosecco and sparkling wine as well as cocktails designed specifically with the intent to offer a lighter fare are popular and trendy with all age groups.

 

Address tactics that will deliver a punch with focus on these current beverage trends. Pay attention to 2nd drink opportunity, execution and the female voice. Mixology and the voice of your bartenders is here to stay so why not use this talent wisely. Approach alcohol service professionally yet with the goal to enhance and WOW the guest experience.

By George Barton, Sr. Beverage Consultant.

There is a lot more to controlling food cost in the bar area that one would assume. Are you placing the same focus on food products that are consumed in the bar as those that are consumed in the dining room? Let me explain why you should.

Controlling food cost must be an all-out team effort. All managers as well as team members play a key role to ensure your guests receive only the best produced products that are prepared the right way. Here are 5 key deliverables and procedures to ensure bar food cost controls are top of mind while enhancing quality at the same time.

1. Order It Well

• You must place accountability on who is responsible for costs and who orders your inventory
• Pars should be set to align with sales mix (adjust with sales fluctuation)
• Fresh cut produce is critical so ensure high level of comfort with vendor
• When possible, teach this process to new managers and key team members

2. Receive It Well

• Request to receive product early AM or off times and not during lunch or dinner rush
• Review against P.O. (purchase order) to ensure you’re not out of stock
• Make changes on “out of stock” and adjustment prices on the spot. Do not wait.
• Management orders product so management should receive and have staff store product quickly (use scales when appropriate)

3. Make it Well (To the recipe)

• Whether slicing oranges and limes or making the soup of the day, recipes must be followed (don’t assume)
• When prepping, follow production levels set by management. Levels should be monitored continuously
• Ensure team members are working in a safe and clean environment (no bare hands contact)
• Education on use of equipment, especially sharp knives, will save you $$
  Build shelf life and sensitivity guide for all products and code containers
  Juices / Ice Cream / Puree’s / Syrups / Sour Mix / All Fresh Produce

4. Don’t Let It Die on the Bar Top

• Line check bar food consumables is as important as line check in your kitchen
• Management should have proper timetable to support tasting and line checks
• Rotation of products is critical. First in, first out and include this in line check
• Ensure staff does not eat bar garnishes (blue cheese stuffed olives are not free)
• Use par system (Place fresh product out for the shift only, then restock)

5. Sell It Well (First Time Every Time)

• Cover your products cost in the price you charge the customer
• Guests “eat with their eyes” so make your garnishes look impressive
• Ensure finished product is delivered to guest the way you invented it

So in review, food cost makes up the largest portion of your gross profit. With strong team accountability, follow up and the practice of bar food cost controls, you can insure that costs are in line and positively impacting margins in your business.

The enticing, elemental aroma of steaks cooking on a wood fire. Plump, juicy chickens revolving on a rotisserie. Delicious pizza, baking to perfect crispness in a stone hearth oven. All of it in full view of the customer.

This is the allure of artisan cooking platforms. Cooking over an open flame has exerted a powerful draw on humankind since the discovery of fire—or, rather, the controlled use of fire—during the early Stone Ages. It was a turning point in cultural evolution then, and it is an important feature of on-trend and dynamic restaurant concepts today.

The word artisan may have lost some of its meaning in this marketing-oriented era, but the craft of artisan cooking is still very much alive, and in fact it’s been staging a robust resurgence.

Buzzworthy chefs have been embracing traditional styles of food preparation (hello, house-made pickles and house-cured salumi!) and ancient methods of cooking, including cooking over wood and other solid fuels.

 

According to Tim Green, Synergy’s resident pizza specialist and artisan cooking guru, cooking with solid fuel is the oldest method of cooking, and perhaps the simplest. For the purposes of this discussion, “solid fuel” means any material that has mass and matter that is flammable and nontoxic, including wood, charcoal and to a lesser extent coal. The equipment itself encompasses stone-hearth ovens, grills, and rotisseries, as well as more specialized platforms such as tandoor ovens, duck ovens, and specific styles of grilling such as robata and yakitori.

 

“People have an innate love of this type of cooking,” says Green, who joined Synergy earlier this year after serving as corporate chef for the famed Wood Stone Corp. for 15 years. “Who hasn’t craved the taste of a marshmallow or a hot dog cooked over the open flame of a campfire, or a juicy hamburger fresh of the charcoal grill?”

 

In a restaurant setting, solid-fuel cooking confers many benefits and poses some challenges as well. From the operator’s point of view, there is simplicity. “One of the biggest challenges we face today in the industry is the cost of skilled labor, training, and employee turnover,” explains Green. “Cooking with solid fuel eliminates the need for complex sauces, marinades, sauté skills and lots of specialized equipment. By eliminating these processes, we decrease food inventory, prep time, cooking equipment, and real-estate for that equipment, training, and food waste.”

 

The benefit for the customers is flavor—and a compelling backstory. Cooking with solid fuel and an open flame achieves great food flavors and textures. When done in the context of an open kitchen, it speaks to transparency, freshness and a statement of skill and quality. “Cooking with solid fuel/open flame/stone hearth methods is tremendously theatrical,” says Green. “Guests love to see fire, and are even more excited when their food is cooked with that fire. Seeing an open kitchen with solid fuel and smelling the unique aromas of wood or charcoal tells us that our food will be fresh, whole, and full of flavor. The customer also perceives that cooking with a live fire means that the cook must be paying great attention to the food. We like that.”

 

But there are also challenges that come with the commitment to cooking with these artisan platforms. Green points out that many regions of North America no longer allow cooking with solid fuel, particularly urban areas, because of concerns about pollution. Where allowed, there is a need for powerful ventilation systems, fire suppression and the room and manpower to receive and store fuel, whether wood, charcoal or coal, as well as a system to dispose of ashes.

 

And there are certainly issues for the kitchen team. “Cooks need to become Fire Managers as well as cooks, a process that takes training and experience—even for those former campers among the crew who are familiar with fire,” says Green. “It’s not like setting a timer on a combi oven and walking away to do something else—solid fuel cooking needs to be watched closely.” There are even issues of appearance and demeanor when moving cooks out to the stage of an open kitchen, which is something not everyone is comfortable with.

 

But for those operators who take the plunge, there is magic in store. Says Green: “What is every chef looking for today? Simple, bold, flavors from the food we are cooking.” And that goes double for our guests.

 

For more information about artisan cooking platforms and solid fuel cooking, check our blog for updates.