Consulting and Happiness

I was speaking to a fellow consultant yesterday about the various aspects of our business. She reminded me that, as more restaurants are opening and our services will be needed more often, we will be putting a ton of energy into our accounts. For me, this is the main reason I became a restaurant consultant and started teaching virtual cocktail classes. It’s the ‘watching other people succeed’ part of it that makes my clock tick. Setting up a bar program where the bartenders, servers, guests, and owners all enjoy all aspects of it is what brings me joy and satisfaction.

At Sunshine Consulting, and in every bar program I’ve set up as a bar manager, I believe that a bar program rests on three pillars of success. As long as you consider each of these pillars when developing a cocktail, buying wine, and beer, or, when figuring out where to put an ice well or Point Of Service station, your bar program will be guaranteed in succeeding. “Hey, you can’t tease us with the three pillars comment and then not tell us what they are!” Okay, fine. The goal of my bar programs is: To provide memorable libations which are 1) Fun and consistent from the guests’ perspective, 2) Efficient and safe to execute from the staff’s perspective and, 3) Profitable from the management’s perspective.

When setting up a program, I’ve found that by keeping those three pillars in mind when making every decision, bar programs run so much smoother. For the first pillar, I can’t stress enough how important it is for a cocktail to come out the same every time. Yes, some guests will swear up and down that bartender X makes it better than bartender Y, but I’ve found this is usually because bartender X is exceptional at the ‘fun’ aspect of Pillar 1. When we go out, we go out to have fun! It’s not working, it is play. The restaurant is the adult playground. We meet people, we converse, we try things, we quench our thirst, we eat. Cocktails with rubber ducky garnishes, parakeet toothpicks, or even bamboo straws should be the norm instead of the exception.

As far as the second pillar is concerned, having cocktails on your menu that are too labor-intensive can alienate a staff. If your head bartender loves coming in early and making 3 infusions, he loads the menu with egg-white cocktails, and garnishes that take over 60 seconds to prepare, he is setting his staff up for failure when it gets busy. As well, blowtorches and flamed orange peels should be kept to a minimum. Yes, certain bars have cool cocktails with fire, however, if your employee is worried she’ll burn herself on a Friaday night, you are not putting employee safety high enough on your priority list.

The management and the owners need to make money. A cocktail whose production value triples when you add glassware and garnish will not keep your place in business. A 20% liquor cost is ideal and achievable with the correct training and sourcing of different products.

On the server-side of the game, Maite Kuhns of Maite Kuhns Consulting has wonderful ideas as well and I look forward to visiting restaurants she’s helped set up in the future.

Cheers,

Dr. Sunshine