Message 1089 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

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> I regularly ran myself a tab 
> that I would pay out at the end of the night

I also have done that in several places - first because I was young (and 
dumb?) and unsure of a few of the protocols. But it got me good respect from 
both the customers and the boss when he found out (and initiated a proper 
giveaway policy).

Later, when I was in a place that prohibited giveaways, but I needed to do a 
few sample shots or stuff for the atmosphere.

The answer to this dilemma is pretty straightforward.

1. Management must set a good policy on how much and when to give freebies, eg
- Never as a first drink, never 2 in a row (maybe not two a night to the same 
person) etc. 

2. Tenders MUST keep complete records of what was given away, just as with any 
other tab. That tab is glanced at by the mgt, and written off. There are legal 
and tax reasons to do this also in some places. Plus stock control and theft 
detection.

End result: exactly the same as before, but less open to exploitation.

.dan.