I was allowed to read my first secret shopper report, and I have some serious
issues with some of what was written. I know the company that does these
reports for us and my immediate reaction was to email them, although I am not
sure how much good that will do or if it is really appropriate. I work in a
large hotel bar, with 2 other bartenders usually. I take my job seriously, am
honest, have a great deal of integrity and follow the rules.
The most bothersome issue was that it was reported that I was the sole
bartender who consistenly underpoured using a 2-3 count vs the 4 count the
other tenders use. We all must use a jigger at all times.
The standard pour for liquor is 1.25oz in our bar. The policy that all
bartenders have to follow no matter how in the weeds the bar was, is to pour
into a jigger first then pour the jigger into the glass. Free-pouring is never
allowed on anything and cause for a 'write up'. I have never once deviated
from this method, and always made damn sure to pour the exact measure for each
drink with the jigger at management request. We have bevinco breathing down
our necks weekly, and management is unhappy even when a type of liquor is a
tad over on a weekly report (understandable). I was simply livid when I read
that according to the spotters I was underpouring, it's simply not possible
with measuring into a jigger and I know this to be untrue.
It was mentioned that my drinks tasted poorly to the spotters (I was the only
one that served to them) and had too much mix and not enough alcohol. I can't
control this, there is a standard size pour of the liquor using the jigger and
a standard sized glass.
Next issue: up-selling. I remember vaguely who the secret shoppers were (was
informed after the fact), and what one of their orders was. They asked if we
carried a particular type of flavored vodka (we only carry one brand of this
vodka in this particular flavor), and I told them yes we do, and they ordered
that vodka type TALL. They claimed I made no effort to upsell them. How can I
upsell on a flavored vodka when we only carry one brand of it? The report
simply stated they asked if we had X brand, bartender said yes and made no
effort to upsell them. Then they claimed that the drink tasted very weak (tall
vodka lemonade? shrug). This seems absurd to me, and the way it was stated in
the report made me look like total crap to management.
The score for the bar as a whole was pretty good overall, there were perfect
ranks for honesty, cleanliness, organization and a few other aspects I forget.
I guess my big problem with the report was I used a '2-3 count' when the other
tenders used a 4 count. No mention of any of the bartenders using a jigger in
the report (as we all do ) just that my pours were 'weak'. I don't get this,
I've used a jigger per management policy and am not blind and can tell when
the jigger is full. Especially as the new bartender I made damn sure I did
this every single time so I followed the rules. Why was I singled out and
accused of pouring half to 3/4 of what the other tenders pour when we all use
a jigger? Is this just some sort of 'filler' for their report? They said they
saw this on several occasions, yet I've poured tons of drinks while
managers/servers/customers and other bartenders watched while in front of me
and have NEVER once heard 'you are pouring too little into the jigger'.
I'd like to hear any advice or similar stories if anyone has them.