http://www.restaurantdoctoruk.co.

uk

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 1

INTRODUCTION.

Welcome to the restaurantdoctoruk’s bar & cellar

management guide.

Managing a bar is an exciting and rewarding experience if it is

done right, although if you don’t it can lead to stock deficits,
drunken arguments and just a boat load of hassle. This guide
has been put together to give you a detailed understanding of
everything you should know when managing a bar. We will
cover everything from understanding ABV’s, Point Of Sale
merchandising, staff training and changing kegs.

Bar managers are generally underestimated professionals,

they are regarded as just ‘pint pullers’ but we all know
different, we understand that there are a hundred and one
things we need to do everyday, a dozen different laws to
adhere to, we work unsocial hours and not only that we have
to first spend weeks in a classroom getting our personal
license!

The information in this guide will serve you well; we hope that
by the end of it you will have all the information you need at
your fingertips to run an efficient and profitable bar.

For your convenience we have included a few items at the

back of this guide, these are:

• A set of test questions for your employees to

complete at the end of the session
• A certificate for you to issue for recognition of
participation.
• A Training Record sheet for you to keep as proof
of training

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 2

CONTENTS.

1. Introduction (Page 2)
2. Counting Your Stock (Pages 4 – 9)
3. Ordering Stock (Pages 10 – 12)
4. Working Out Your Stockholding (Page 13)
5. Rotating Your Stock (Page 14)
6. Taking Care Of Your Stock (Pages 15 & 16)
7. Cleaning The Cellar (Page 17)
8. Cleaning The Lines (Pages 18 – 20)
9. Changing Kegs (Page 21)
10. Changing The Gas (Page 22)
11. Changing The Post Mix (Page 23)
12. Troubleshooting (Page 24)
13. Displaying And Promoting Stock (Pages 25 & 26)
14. Serving Drinks (Pages 27 – 29)
15. Up Selling (Page 30)
16. Bar Hygiene And Cleaning (Page 31)
17. Your Bar Tariff (Page 32)
18. Understanding ABV’s And UNITS (Pages 33 & 34)
19. Weights & Measures (Page 35)
20. Your Responsibilities (Page 36)
21. Dealing With Awkward Customers (Page 37)
22. Dealing With Thieving Staff (Page 38)
23. Wastage (Page 39)
24. Training Your Staff (Page 40)
25. How To Pour The Perfect Pint (Page 41)
26. Conclusion (Page 42)
27. Test Questions (Pages 43 – 45)
28. Training Record (Page 46)
29. Certificate (Page 47)

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 3

COUNTING YOUR STOCK

Why should you spend ages counting bottle after bottle

of lager, alcopops and spirits?

Doing a weekly stock count has very significant benefits to

you as a manager. Most stock control software is confusing
and the majority of people just don’t have any, so counting it
yourself, and knowing what to do with your figures is very
important.

By counting your stock each week you can;

Determine if you have a surplus or deficit in stock

levels.

Discover if any of your staff are stealing from you.

Discover if you are wasting too much.

Stay on top of your stock ordering and rotation.

Counting the stock isn’t hard as you will probably know, but it
is time consuming, though I promise you it is worthwhile and
should be done thoroughly.

When you count stock you should have a consistent method

of measuring that you use each week, the following is a guide
to how we count our stock;

• Cases of Beers, lagers and alcopops contain 24 bottles

by standard so count your stock in dozens. If you have 4
full cases of Budweiser and 14 loose bottles, record
this in your count as 9 + 2, which means you have 9
dozen plus 2. Arrange the bottles in your fridges in rows
of 12 too so that you can count them quickly.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 4

 • When working out how much of a spirit is left in the
bottle measure it against a full bottle, and divide it into
eighths.
FULL = 8/8
FULL Level of
7/8 Contents
6/8
5/8
HALF = 4/8
3/8
2/8
1/8

(These squares are bottles really!)

We do this because it is a consistent measuring method, it doesn’t

matter if the bottle is 1.5L, 1.0L or 70cl because you can work out how
much is in the bottle from your measurement.

1.5L = 1500ml

Divide by 8 = 187.5ml (One Eighth)

So if you have 4/8 (½) you have 4 x 187.5ml

= 750ml

1.0L = 1000ml

Divide by 8 = 125ml

So if you have 4/8 you have 4 x 125ml

= 500ml

70cl = 700ml

Divide by 8 = 87.5ml

So if you have 4/8 you have 4 x 87.5ml

= 350ml or 35cl

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 5

If you wanted you could work out how much of each item you have, to
the measure.

It depends on the size of your optic measures which number we use; let
us say you prefer to work in 25ml measures.

• 1500ml Of Vodka will have 60 measures in it.

1500 / 25 = 60 measures

Or 7.5 measures in an eighth!

187.5 / 25ml = 7.5 measures.

• 1000ml has 40 measures in it.

1000 / 25 = 40

Or 5 measures in an eighth!

125 / 25 = 5

• 70cl has 28 measures in it.

700 / 25 = 28

Or 3.5 measures in an eighth!

87.5 / 25 = 3.5

All you need to do to show how many measures you have with 35ml
measures is replace the 25 in the above working out with 35.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 6

 Measuring Kegs.

This is a difficult one to accurately determine, but you can

work out roughly how much is in a keg if you measure it in
quarters. The difficult thing here is that you have to go on
touch alone, it is unfortunately guesswork, unless you have a
proper device to do it for you.

FULL FULL 4/4 Level of

Contents
3/4

HALF 2/4

1/4

(These are kegs!)

22 Gallons = 100 Litres = 176 Pints

A quarter of a 22-gallon keg has 44 pints in it.

176 / 4 = 44

So if you had ¾ of a keg you would have

132 pints

44 x 3 = 132

11 Gallons = 50 Litres = 88 Pints

A quarter of an 11-gallon keg has 22 pints in it.

88 / 4 = 22

So if you have ¾ of a keg you will have 66 pints.

22 x 3 = 66

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 7

 Measuring Wine.

A standard bottle of wine come in a 750ml bottle, and

depending upon the measure you use (125ml 0r 175ml) it
varies how many measures you get out of a bottle. Seeing as
though you don’t get many glasses of wine out of a bottle we
show how much we have left in thirds.

FULL FULL = 3/3 Level of

Contents

2/3

1/3

(These are bottles!)

Assuming you use 125ml measures you will get 6 glasses of

wine out of a 750ml bottle.

• Which means there are 2 glasses of wine in a third.

So if you had 2/3’s you would have 4 glasses of wine.

It really is straightforward when you have a simple set of

values to follow; working out your total stock holding is
simple once you have counted everything.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 8

 Let us now do a stock count. The table below shows what
stock we have counted in our bar and cellar (including items
on display).

Item Cellar Bar Total Total Stock

Count
Bottled Lager 1 24 + 8 6+5 31 + 1 373
Bottled Lager 2 12 + 2 2+8 14 + 10 178
Bottled Lager 3 5+6 5+6 11 132
Alcopop 1 8+2 10 + 3 18 + 5 221
Alcopop 2 3+9 1+1 4 + 10 58
Alcopop 3 7+5 2+7 10 120
5 full + 22.5
Whiskey 1 (1.5L) 4 3/8 5 + 3/8
measures
Whiskey 2 (70cl) 2 1 + 2/8 3 + 2/8 3 full + 7 measures
4 full + 45
Vodka 1 (1.5L) 3 1 + 6/8 4 + 6/8
measures
5 full + 7.5
Vodka 2 (70cl) 4 1 +1/8 5 + 1/8
measures
2 full + 52.5
Rum 1 (1.5L) 2 7/8 2 + 7/8
measures
Tequila 1 (70cl) 1 1 2 2 full
2 full + 22.5
Brandy 1 (1.5L) 2 3/8 2 + 3/8
measures
1 full + 14
Liqueur 1 (70cl) 1 4/8 1 + 4/8
measures
1 full + 21
Liqueur 2 (70cl) 1 6/8 1 + 6/8
measures
Draught Lager 1 (22 Gal) 2+¼ - 2+¼ 2 full + 44 pints
Draught Lager 2 (22 Gal) 3+½ - 3+½ 3 full + 88 pints
Draught Lager 3 (22 Gal) 2 - 2 2 full
Draught Bitter 1 (22 Gal) 1 - 1 1 full
Draught Bitter 2 (22 Gal) 1+½ - 1+½ 1 full + 88 pints
Guinness (11 Gal) 1+¼ - 1+¼ 1 full + 22 pints
Draught Sweet Cider (11 Gal) ¾ - ¾ 66 pints
Draught Dry Cider (11 Gal) ¼ - ¼ 22 pints
9 full plus 2
Bin Number 1 (dry white) 6 3 + 1/3 9 + 1/3
glasses
Bin Number 2 (medium white) 1 1/3 1 + 1/3 1 full + 2 glasses
Bin Number 3 (sweet white) 10 1 11 11 full
Bin Number 4 (merlot) 2 3 + 2/3 5 + 2/3 5 full + 4 glasses
Bin Number 5 (shiraz) 8 1 + 1/3 9 + 1/3 9 full + 2 glasses
Bin Number 6 (sparkling) 6 2 8 8 full

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 9

ORDERING STOCK.

Now that we know how much stock we have we can decide

how much we are going to order so much more easily.

The factors affecting how much we order are straightforward.

What you shouldn’t do is just order lots of a certain item just
because it is running low, this may be a good thing.

The things you need to consider when you are preparing your
order are:

How much of each item do you usually sell a week?

Do you have any large parties booked?

Does it take you a long time to sell certain items?

Are you running any promotions?

Do you usually run out of a certain item?

Do you want to discontinue a certain item?

Has a customer made a special request for a certain

item?

Once we know the answers to the above, we need to look at our

stock sheet to see what we already have.

You shouldn’t just guess what order you are going to place, you
really should be as specific as possible, the last thing you want is
for your stock to go out of date, let us look at our stock sheet to
work out our requirements.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 10

What do we sell?

How much we sell

Item Total Stock
a week
Bottled Lager 1 373 500
Bottled Lager 2 178 200
Bottled Lager 3 132 80
Alcopop 1 221 120
Alcopop 2 58 96
Alcopop 3 120 48
Whiskey 1 (1.5L) 5 full + 22.5 measures 3
Whiskey 2 (70cl) 3 full + 7 measures 2
Vodka 1 (1.5L) 4 full + 45 measures 4
Vodka 2 (70cl) 5 full + 7.5 measures 6
Rum 1 (1.5L) 2 full + 52.5 measures 1
Tequila 1 (70cl) 2 full 1
Brandy 1 (1.5L) 2 full + 22.5 measures 1
Liqueur 1 (70cl) 1 full + 14 measures 2
Liqueur 2 (70cl) 1 full + 21 measures 1
Draught Lager 1 (22 Gal) 2 full + 44 pints 3 full
Draught Lager 2 (22 Gal) 3 full + 88 pints 4 full
Draught Lager 3 (22 Gal) 2 full 1 full
Draught Bitter 1 (22 Gal) 1 full 4 full
Draught Bitter 2 (22 Gal) 1 full + 88 pints 1 full
Guinness (11 Gal) 1 full + 22 pints 2 full
Draught Sweet Cider 66 pints 1 full
(11 Gal)
Draught Dry Cider (11 22 pints 1 full
Gal)
Bin Number 1 (dry white) 9 full plus 2 glasses 18
Bin Number 2 (medium 1 full + 2 glasses 12
white)
Bin Number 3 (sweet 11 full 2
white)
Bin Number 4 (merlot) 5 full + 4 glasses 16
Bin Number 5 (shiraz) 9 full + 2 glasses 12
Bin Number 6 (sparkling) 8 full 2

We now know how much of each item we sell each week, this varies but
you will have a good idea of what you sell each week anyway.

Now you also have a booking for an 18th birthday party on Friday for 40
people, a 40th on Saturday for 30 people and a family gathering on
Sunday lunch for 50 people. What will you need?

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 11

If you sell a lot of certain item on a regular basis then it is ok to order a
bit more of each to cover the parties, and to make sure you don’t run out
for your other customers.

What do we order?

Item Total Stock How much will we

order
Bottled Lager 1 373 8 cases (192 bottles)
Bottled Lager 2 178 2 cases (48 bottles)
Bottled Lager 3 132 0
Alcopop 1 221 0
Alcopop 2 58 2 cases
Alcopop 3 120 0
Whiskey 1 (1.5L) 5 full + 22.5 measures 0
Whiskey 2 (70cl) 3 full + 7 measures 0
Vodka 1 (1.5L) 4 full + 45 measures 1
Vodka 2 (70cl) 5 full + 7.5 measures 0
Rum 1 (1.5L) 2 full + 52.5 measures 0
Tequila 1 (70cl) 2 full 0
Brandy 1 (1.5L) 2 full + 22.5 measures 0
Liqueur 1 (70cl) 1 full + 14 measures 2
Liqueur 2 (70cl) 1 full + 21 measures 1
Draught Lager 1 (22 Gal) 2 full + 44 pints 2
Draught Lager 2 (22 Gal) 3 full + 88 pints 2
Draught Lager 3 (22 Gal) 2 full 0
Draught Bitter 1 (22 Gal) 1 full 4
Draught Bitter 2 (22 Gal) 1 full + 88 pints 0
Guinness (11 Gal) 1 full + 22 pints 2
Draught Sweet Cider 66 pints 1
(11 Gal)
Draught Dry Cider (11 22 pints 1
Gal)
Bin Number 1 (dry white) 9 full plus 2 glasses 12
Bin Number 2 (medium 1 full + 2 glasses 14
white)
Bin Number 3 (sweet 11 full 0
white)
Bin Number 4 (merlot) 5 full + 4 glasses 14
Bin Number 5 (shiraz) 9 full + 2 glasses 6
Bin Number 6 (sparkling) 8 full 0

You may be tempted to buy more of some of the above items,

but if you have enough in stock to last a week and cover the
extra demand from the partied then you will be fine. You will

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 12

keep your stockholding down to a minimum too, which is
good practice.

WORKING OUT YOUR STOCKHOLDING.

It is handy to know what your stockholding is for a number of

reasons, the main ones are;

How long it takes you to sell your stock.

If you have items that don’t sell very well.

To a certain extent to tell if staff are stealing from
you.

To see how much you are wasting.

Before we go into working out your stockholding we want to

point out how you can use your stock levels to determine if
you are wasting too much or if you have a thief in your
employ.
If you haven’t sold as much of an item as your stock level
suggests then it has either been wasted or someone has
nicked it.

If your stock level for an item suddenly drops when you

conduct a count then you have too much wastage or
somebody has nicked it.
(we will go into wastage and dealing with thieves later on in
the manual).

Back to calculating your stockholding.

Your stockholding can be worked out using the mathematical

ratio

Stockholding = (End Stocks / Total Cost Of Goods Sold) x N

This means the total count you just did divided by how much it
cost you to sell, multiplied by the number of days you are
calculating, either month or year.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 13

In order for you to do this ratio you would need to have your
profit and loss account handy, as this has the cost of goods
sold information on it. (To find out more about profit and loss
visit www.restaurantdoctoruk.co.uk).

ROTATING YOUR STOCK.

It is very important to keep your stock rotated.

All stock rotation means is making the older items available

for sale before the newer ones. This is because you don’t
want your old stock to go out of date and have to be thrown
away; you’d just be throwing money away if you did that.

It is simple to keep your stock rotated in a bar or cellar

because the items have a use by date on them and you have
separate areas where you keep older stock and newer stock.

If you can get into the habit of placing the older stock closer
to the entrance of your cellar or store and the newer stock
further away then you will manage your stock rotation easily.

What you do have to remember is that when you are bottling

up you must put all the older bottles to the front of the fridge
and the newer ones behind them so the older ones get sold
first.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 14

TAKING CARE OF YOUR STOCK.

Taking good care of your stock is important for two reasons:

1. It keeps your stock at its best quality so your customers

enjoy it as it is meant to be.

2. It saves you from throwing away stock that has spoiled.

In this section we are going to look at how we store and

handle our stock, especially the conditions in our cellar or
wine store.

Your Cellar.

Your cellar should be kept clean and cool; the optimum cellar
temperature is between 10°°C and 14°°C this is to keep your
draught products at their best.

If you also have section in your cellar for cases of bottles

these will be kept cool too, which is always good as they will
require less cooling time in your display fridges to reach their
optimum temperature.

Upon delivery of kegs you should always bear stock rotation

in mind first, then once you have your kegs in place, leave
them for at least 24 hours before you use them. We do this to
let the contents of the keg settle down and also so that the
contents have time to reach their optimum temperature, your
kegs will never be ready for serving upon delivery.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 15

Your Wine Store.

White wine is best stored somewhere cool and dark, where

the temperature range is stable. If you rotate your wine
regularly then store the bottles upright, if not store them in a
rack with the labels facing up so you don’t disturb the
contents.

The temperature range for storing wine is between 14°°C and

16°°C, but for cooling and serving the temperature range we
use is between 4°°C and 6°°C.

Red wine is also best stored somewhere cool and dry. You
may have heard that you should serve red wine at room
temperature, that’s fine if you are dining in a cool room. The
best temperature to serve red wine is between 15°°C to 18°°C
this ensures the wine is cool but not cold, and not warm.

Your Fridges.

Whether it is lager, beer or alcopops you are storing we

recommend that you keep your display fridges at a constant
temperature of between 4°°C and 6°°C, this ensures that the
bottle is chilled to the touch and the contents are enjoyed as
they are intended by the manufacturer.

Now that you have spent time looking after your stock so that
it is served as the manufacturers intended it to be served, and
your customers enjoy what you offer themQ

DON’T RUIN IT BY SERVING IT TO THEM IN DIRTY OR HOT

GLASSES!!!

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 16

This just completely undoes all the work of the people who
took time and effort to produce the product, and the care you
took in storing it, and it will guarantee your customers will not
enjoy what you serve them.

CLEANING THE CELLAR.

It is important that you keep your cellar clean and tidy at all
times. Do not forget that even though the products in there
are sealed, they are still going to be consumed by your
customers so hygiene and safety should be a priority.

You don’t need to go as far as having your cellar walls

covered in stainless steel and your floor covered in lino!! (Not
yet anyway!!!) All you need to do is keep things organised and
in their right places, keep your cleaning products in a
separate cupboard and wash as you go.

Cellars are prone to dirt, when you get your deliveries, the
cellar door/ hatch is open onto the street, the kegs are usually
dirty and the big one, when you change a keg you release
some of the contents so you get the beer/lager etc on your
walls and floors.

What we recommend is that when you are low on full kegs

and can easily move the empty ones around deck scrub the
floor in your cellar to remove any spilled products, wipe your
walls also.

What we do is when we clean the lines we use the cleaning

fluid we have pulled through and empty the buckets onto the
cellar floor, then deck scrub it and rinse it thoroughly with
water. You should always consider the health & safety
implications when using cleaning fluid. (See your
manufacturer’s instructions).

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 17

CLEANING THE LINES.

This is vital if you want to serve quality tasting draught

products.

If you don’t clean your lines the yeast and bacteria will build
up in your lines and the product will fob, which means it goes
cloudy and smells like rotten eggs!! You wouldn’t want to
drink a pint of lager when it smells like eggs; your customers
are most likely to go elsewhere if this is the case.

Whatever system you use to clean your lines it is best for

hygiene and draught quality to clean your lines once a week.

Always follow the cleaning fluid manufacturer’s instructions

for how much you should you as they vary a bit.

We will detail line cleaning in steps.

Step 1. Fill your water tank with cold water.

Step 2. Turn off the gas to the keg.

Step 3. Disconnect the coupler from the keg and attach it to

the join on your water supply. This is the same
shape as the join on the barrel you just removed it
from. (Either wall mounted or on a separate
cylinder).

Step 3. Inspect the pressure cylinder on you wall for the

keg; you’ll either have a push button or a lever,
which releases the plastic ball to allow the flow of
liquid. Make sure this is open and the water can flow

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 18

 into the line. Draw the water through until the
cylinder is full and there is no trace of the draught
product.

Step 4. Go up to the bar and pull the draught product

through (into a bucket!) until water starts dispensing
out of the tap.

Step 5. Pull between 3 and 6 pints of water through the line

to rinse away the draught product. (Re-filling your
tank if required).

Step 6. Go back to the cellar and measure out your line

cleaning fluid. Fill your water tank and add the fluid
to it.

Step 7. This is the same as step 3, except you are drawing

the cleaning fluid through. Some fluids are coloured
so it is easy to tell, others aren’t so you have to go
on touch. The ‘feel’ of line cleaning fluid is slimy
when you rub it with your fingers.

Step 8. Go back to the bar and pull the water through until
you can see or feel the line cleaning fluid being
dispensed.

Step 9. Leave the cleaning fluid in the line for around 10 to

20 minutes to remove the build up of yeast and
bacteria. Don’t leave the fluid in any longer, as it is
acidic and will damage your lines.

Step 10. Flush your water tank of any remaining cleaning

fluid, and re-fill it with cold water.

Step 11. Again follow step 3, draw the water through.

Step 12. Go back to the bar and pull the line cleaning fluid
away until water is dispensed. Remember if you
can’t see the fluid you can feel it. Pull as much water

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 19

 through as you need to in order to rinse the cleaning
fluid away. It is recommended you pull a further 3 to
6 pints of water through after rinsing the fluid.

Step 13. Go back to the cellar and remove the coupler from
the water supply join and re-connect it to the keg.

Step 14. Turn the gas back on.

Step 15. Repeat step 3, until you see the draught product
flowing into the cylinder.

Step 16. Go to the bar and pull the water through until the
draught product is dispensed. Don’t pull much
through, as this will increase your wastage.

Step 17. Taste it! Make sure the product tastes crisp and
fresh.

Step 18. Have a brew! Sit down for 10 minutes and relax!

REMEMBER TO CLEAN YOUR LINES ONCE A WEEK.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 20

CHANGING KEGS.

This is something you will have to do a lot of (hopefully!)

NEVER POSITION YOUR HEAD DIRECTLY OVER THE

COUPLER TO A KEG WHEN REMOVING IT, THE CONTENTS
ARE PRESSURISED AND THE POTENTIAL DANGER IS VERY
HIGH!

Changing a keg is done by following the these set of steps:

Step 1. Turn off the gas supply to the keg.

Step 2. Disconnect the coupler from the empty keg.

Step 3. Remove the plastic seal on the new keg, and connect
the coupler to the join. There are a couple of different
couplers, some you push down and turn, and others
you have to push a handle and twist. Whichever one
you are dealing with always ensure the coupler is
tightly in place.

Step 4. Turn the gas back on.

Step 5. Inspect the pressure cylinder on you wall for the keg;
you’ll either have a push button or a lever, which
releases the plastic ball to allow the flow of liquid.
Make sure this is open and the draught product can
flow into the line.

Step 5. If you need to draw the draught product into the

cylinder until it is full, this ensures the flow of the
product through the lines.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 21

Step 6. Go to the bar and pull the draught product through. If
everything is working and connected properly then it
will be ready to serve.

(For dispensing problems see our troubleshooting section)

CHANGING THE GAS.

ALWAYS TAKE CARE WHEN DEALING WITH PRESSURISED

GAS CYLINDERS.

Changing a gas cylinder is a simple and straightforward

exercise, the following steps will show you how to do this
safely and correctly:

Step 1. Even though the gas pressure gauge registers empty,

you should close the tap on the bottle. Turn the knob
tightly on the top of the bottle towards the ‘close’
position.

Step 2. Using your spanner unscrew nut on the pipe

connected to the bottle until it is removed.

Step 3. Place the empty bottle safely and securely, ready for
pick up by your supplier.

Step 4. Carefully position your new gas bottle and secure it in

place.

Step 5. Pull out the plastic stopper from the connection on

the bottle and insert the connection from the pipe.
You must make sure this is level as it is vital to have a
secure connection to prevent leaks.

Step 6. Using your trusty spanner, tighten the nut on the pipe
until it is secure.

Step 7. Unscrew the knob on the top of the gas bottle towards
the ‘open’ direction. You will hear a hissing sound,
don’t panic this is just the gas flowing into the pipe.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 22

 You will also notice the pressure gauge rise to
indicate full.

Step 8. Go to the bar and dispense your drinks.

CHANGING THE POST MIX (Or bag in box).

Changing the post mix is a simple exercise.

The steps below will guide you through how to change a box
of post mix:

Step 1. Unscrew the connecting pipe to the box.

Step 2. Remove the plastic stopper from the connection of

the new box of post mix.

Step 3. Attach the connecting pipe to the connection of the

new box and screw it in tightly, you will hear a
‘ticking’ noise as the system draws the post mix
syrup into your line.

Step 4. Go back to the bar and dispense your drinks.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 23

TROUBLESHOOTING.

From time to time you will experience problems trying to

dispense drinks from your bar, some of them are simple and
straightforward, others aren’t and require technical assistance
from the manufacturers of your cellar equipment.

I’ve changed the barrel but all that is coming through is foam.

This is most likely due to the pressure of trying to pull through

something that isn’t there when the keg is empty. If you continue pulling
through the foam then you will eventually get a nice flow of the product.

My product is dispensing very slowly.

This is most likely due to your gas pressure. Go in the cellar and have a
look at the pressure gauge, hopefully the problem is that the gas just
needs changing.

Alternatively check the pressure cylinder on the keg, if it is empty and

the plastic ball has blocked the flow of the product you simply release it
and draw some through until it is full.

Check the contents of the keg, sometimes when the keg is almost empty
there isn’t enough pressure to dispense correctly, you may need to
change the keg.

Also avoid looking stupid and check if the gas is on!!!

My soft drinks taste like fizzy water.

This is because the bag in box is empty, all you have to do is change it.

My soft drinks are flat.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 24

This is because you gas has run out, or it is not connected properly. Go
into the cellar to check all connections and gas pressure.

DISPLAYING AND PROMOTING YOUR STOCK.

If you want to sell your products you should display them

correctly so that your customers can see them.

Give your customers the opportunity to try what you have to

offer, how do you expect your customers to order a bottle of a
new beer you are trying to sell if there are none in the fridge?
Or order a spirit if its not on your shelf or optic!

Below we will list what you should do when displaying your

stock to increase sales:

Have at least one of everything in view, if it can be seen it

can be sold.

Arrange your stock in sections of type, for example have

your lagers in one section of your fridge, beers in another,
mixers in another and alcopops in another. This makes it
easier for your customers to find what they want.

Always have the labels facing the front of the fridge and on
the shelves and the optics, the labels show the customer
what they are ordering and also it looks tidy, your fridges,
shelves and optics are your showroom.

Arrange your branded spirits in the following order. Left to

right vodka, gin, white rum, schnapps, light coloured
whisky, dark coloured whisky then dark rum. Finish your
line of spirits with your house selections.

Use your shelves and space on the back bar top to promote the
products you want to sell more of. This is known as your ‘Point Of Sale’.
The idea here is you are putting the idea of your customer wanting this
product right under their nose and they will be ‘prompted’ to buy it.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 25

Your displays don’t have to be amazing to get the customer’s attention,
by placing a few neatly arranged bottles, a few posters, some beer mats
and a glass or two in the places where customers look you will focus
their attention on what you want them to buy.

The best ideas for displays and their location are:

Arrange your bottles in a straight line on your shelves,

displaying the different varieties available. Do this in order
of flavour or colour, e.g. red, blue, white, orange, red, blue
white, orange etc. This not only looks ‘pretty’ but also it
grabs the attention of your customers while they are waiting
to order.

Display posters and offer information in areas of the bar

where your customers are most likely to see them, such as
behind the bar, in the entrance, in the toilets and scattered
around the walls or in the windows.

A good location for displaying products is by the till; this is

because the customer’s eyes are drawn to the till when they
are stood at the bar.

Use any promotional tools your suppliers send you, they

have been designed for the very purpose of selling their
products. Have them displayed in prominent positions
behind and around your bar.

Practice with different ideas and types of displays, the more

you do the better you will become and the braver you
designs will be.

JUST REMEMBER THAT IF THEY CAN’T SEE WHAT YOU ARE

OFFERING THEN YOUR CUSTOMERS WON’T KNOW ITS THERE AND
STICK TO WHAT THEY KNOW AND TRUST.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 26

SERVING DRINKS.

It’s not just about putting the spirit in a glass and topping it
up with a mixer, serving drinks correctly is an important part
of the customers’ enjoyment.

There are a few things you need to consider when serving a

drink, these are:

The type of glass it is to be served in.

The mixer to accompany the drink.

The measure of the spirit.

If any extras are required with the drink to enhance
it.

The temperature of the drink.

1. Types of glass and what is served in which type.

Type Of Glass What To Serve In Them

Draught Beer, Lager, Cider, Stout.
Pint Glass
Post mix
Draught Beer, Lager, Cider, Stout.
Half Pint Glass
Post mix

Highball Spirits & Mixers / Bottled Products

8oz Glass Spirits & Mixers

6oz Glass Spirits & Liqueurs

Wine Glass (125ml) Wine

Wine Glass (175ml) Wine

Cocktails

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 27

 Cocktail Glass

Sherry Glass Sherry & Port

Brandy Glass Brandy

2. The Mixer To Accompany The Drink.

Type Of Drink Which Mixer?

Cola, Lemonade, Dry Ginger,
Whisky
Tonic, Water, Soda
Cola, Lemonade, Tonic water,
Vodka Energy Drinks, Tomato Juice,
Orange Juice
Gin Tonic Water, Lemonade.

White & Dark Rum Cola, Lemonade.

Brandy Cola, Lemonade.

Liqueurs None Usually

Tequila None Usually

White Wine Lemonade, Soda, Tonic Water.

Obviously different people have different tastes; they might

want to have cola in their white wine-Let them that’s your
job!!!

3. The Measure You Serve.

Type Of Drink How much?

25ml or 35ml to be safe just serve
Spirits
singles or doubles.

Wine 125ml or 175ml

Liqueurs 50ml

Soft Drinks ½ or full pints.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 28

 4. Extras To Be Offered With Drinks.

Type Of Drink With What?

Whisky Ice, Lemon

Vodka Ice, Lemon

Gin Ice, Lemon Or Lime

White & Dark Rum Ice, Lemon

If served on its own nothing, if with

Brandy
a mixer Ice & Lemon

Liqueurs Ice

Tequila Lemon, Salt

On its own nothing, but if with a

White Wine
mixer Ice

5. The Temperature Of The Drink.

There are a few things to mention here:

The glass must be cool.

The mixer must be chilled.

The draught beer must be chilled as required by the

manufacturer.

The wine should be served at the correct temperature.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 29


The spirits should be no warmer than room temperature.

UPSELLING.

The term up selling is used to define how you increase the

sales the customer makes. You offer more than what is asked
for.

The idea of up selling is to increase your sales.

There are simple ways to up sell your products at the point of

sale in a bar or restaurant, a few examples of these are:

When To Up Sell What To Upsell How To Upsell

When the customer asks An extra measure Simply ask if the customer
for a spirit (A double) requires ‘a large one!’

When the customer asks A larger measure Simply ask if the customer
for a glass of wine (175ml instead of 125ml) would like ‘a large one’

Ask if they would like the

When the customer orders
The whole bottle bottle, it may work out
wine
cheaper for the customer

When a customer is
A bottle of wine See above
ordering food

When the customer is Ask if the customer would

Side orders
ordering food like a side order

There are many ways to increase your sales by up selling,

have a look at the products you offer and see if you can work
them into the order you are taking, remember to talk to the

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 30

customer to find out what they want, make recommendations
for them.

BAR HYGIENE & CLEANING.

Keeping your bar clean is just as important as keeping a

kitchen clean, it is where you prepare and serve drinks and it
portrays how clean and organised your whole operation is.

For reasons relating to health & safety, food hygiene and also
customer care you must make sure that your bar is always
clean and tidy.

The things you should do to keep your bar clean and tidy are:

Wipe bar tops when they become dirty or sticky. This

is not very welcoming for customers.

Keep your shelves and fridges clean & tidy.

Empty and clean your glass wash machine at least
once a day.

When you take glasses out of the machine put them
at the back of the shelf so they have chance to cool
down and dry properly before you use them.

At the end of the day empty and wash your drip trays.

At the end of the day remove the sparklers and leave
them to soak in some soda water overnight.

At least once a week take all the glasses off the
shelves and clean the shelves.

Throw away any unused ice, lime slices or lemon
slices.

At the end of the shift sweep and mop the floor using
a cleaning agent and HOT water.

Collect empty glasses to remove clutter from your bar
and keep it inviting for customers.

Polish and mirrors or glass shelves regularly.

Polish away dust from bottles on optics or displays.

Check your toilets regularly.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 31


At least once a week remove the optic measures and
soak them in hot water, then in a cleaning solution.
Make sure you thoroughly rinse them in cold water
before you attach the bottle to it ready for dispensing.

YOUR BAR TARIFF.

There are a few things that you need to know about your bar
tariff. They are generally covered by legislation and you can
get into trouble if you do not comply with them.

1. Your bar tariff should be displayed where your

customers can see and read it.

2. You should list the items you sell in their particular type
i.e. whiskies, rum, gins, vodkas, brandies, mixers, wines,
soft drinks etc.

3. The price, including VAT, should be clearly marked next

to the item.

4. The relevant ABV should be included next to the item.

5. The measure you are serving of the item should be

listed.

Layout of your bar tariff.

Below is an example of how the information for your whiskies

should be displayed on you bar tariff:

Item ABV Measured Price

in multiples of £
Whisky 1 37.5% 25ml* 2.50
Whisky 2 40% 25ml* 2.50
Whisky 3 37.5% 25ml* 2.00
Whisky 4 37.5% 25ml* 3.00
*Or 35ml depending upon which you use.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 32

 This same information should be included for each item you
sell.

UNDERSTANDING ABV’S AND UNITS.

These are concerned with how much alcohol is in the drink

you are serving.

ABV means percent ‘Alcohol By Volume’ and it shows how

strong a drink is. A Unit is a measurement of alcohol intake.
10milliltres is a UNIT, so a drink that contains 10ml of alcohol
provides you with one unit.

ABV’s.

Are shown on the label of every bottle of spirit, bottle of beer,

lager, alcopop, keg and bottle of wine. It is a requirement of
law to show the ABV.

What it shows is that any given quantity of the drink contains

‘x’ amount of pure alcohol.

E.g. a whisky with an ABV of 40%, if you serve a 25ml shot then 40%, or
10ml, is pure alcohol.

E.g. A wine with an ABV of 11%, if you serve a 125ml glass of this wine
then 11%, or 13.75ml, is pure alcohol.

What are the ABV’s for the items you stock?

Each type of drink differs in its ABV but generally certain types of drinks
fall into a range of ABV, these are generally:

• Spirits (e.g. whisky, vodka, rum) = ABV between 37.5% and 40%

• Lager = ABV between 3% and 5%

• Bitter = ABV between 3% and 5%

• Wine = ABV between 5% and 14%

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 33

These are just guides and do not reflect every make of alcoholic drink.

UNITS.

Were introduced to provide us with a guide to how much

alcohol we are consuming, they are a measuring value and
have proved useful in our health monitoring and helping the
police to combat drink driving.

Like we mentioned before a drink that contains 10ml of

alcohol provides you with one unit.

How do you work out the number of units for a drink?

We use a formula.

UNITS = AMOUNT OF LIQUID (In ml) x %ABV x 0.001

E.g. 25ml of a whisky with an ABV of 40%

UNITS = (25 x 40) x 0.001

= 1 Unit

E.g. 175ml of a wine with an ABV of 11%

UNITS = (175 x 11) x 0.001

= 1.9 (or 2) Units

E.g. A pint of lager with an ABV of 4%

UNITS = (568ml x 4) x 0.001

= 2.27 Units

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 34

You won’t ever have to work out the Units for your customers
but it is useful to know roughly what size and types of drinks
contain how many units.

You could include it in your bar tariff to show that you are
responsible.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

This is the law regarding the measures you serve to your

customers.

The Weights and Measures Act 1988 states that:

• Draught beers, lagers and ciders should be sold in 1/3

pint, ½ pint, multiples of ½ pint measures. Although
most people (if any) don’t serve 1/3 of a pint.

• Glasses must be government stamped.

• The head on a draught beer, lager or cider served in a

‘brim measure’ glass should not be more than 5%.

• Whisky, gin, rum and vodka must be served in measures

of 25ml or 35ml and multiples of, and the quantity you
serve these drinks in must be displayed in a notice on
the premises.

• You cannot mix the sizes of the above.

• Wine must be served in measures of 125ml or 175ml and

multiples of and the quantity you serve these drinks in
must be displayed in a notice on the premises.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 35

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES.

There are a number of things you need to do when selling

intoxicating beverages by law, the penalty for not doing what
you are supposed to can be severe so you must be aware of
what you have to do.

You should have undergone an approved training course to

gain your personal license so that you can legally sell alcohol
anyway so this will just be a reminder for you.

When selling intoxicating beverages you must:

NOT knowingly allow anyone to drink and

drive.

NOT knowingly serve anyone who is

under 18 years old.

NOT knowingly serve anyone who

appears to be drunk.

Unless you have the relevant permission

you must not let children into your bar.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 36

DEALING WITH AWKWARD CUSTOMERS.

This is the very unglamorous part of bar management, but

there is a very simple set of rules to follow to help you deal
with awkward customers.

First we need to decide what an awkward customer is and

how they behave.

Alcohol can make people act differently so a normally quiet,

well-mannered person can become irate and argumentative
after a few shandies!!

We would describe an awkward customer as someone who is

disturbing the peace in your bar by being loud, argumentative
or disruptive.

The way to deal with these people is:

1. Stay Calm! If you get angry and aggressive you will

make matters a lot worse.

2. Be polite, if you are polite then you will not generally

cause the situation to escalate.

3. Ask the customer to stop what they are doing as it is

disturbing your other customers, but be nice and say
please.

4. If that doesn’t work try being a bit more assertive.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 37

 5. If that doesn’t work lay down the law, tell the customer
you have been fair and given them 2 other chances, but
if the persist in what they are doing they will have to
leave.

6. If that doesn’t work or they become aggressive towards

you call the police and let them deal with the removal of
the customer.

DEALING WITH THIEVING STAFF.

The tricky part of dealing with staff is that you need 100% proof to
accuse them of stealing, if not then you must tread VERY carefully.

How can people steal from the bar?

• They can under ring items.

• They can steal stock.
• They can involve a friend and under charge them or give them
more change than they require.
• They could just take money straight from the till.
• They can give free drinks away.

Combating these problems can be straightforward, in most cases you

just need to be vigilant and professional, and sometimes patient.

Dealing with theft of stock.

If members of staff are stealing stock then ask to perform a search of

their coat or bags, this clause should be in their contract of employment.
Make sure you ask though, just doing the search will put you in a lot of
trouble. If the person refuses, let them go about their business but make
sure next time you insist they put their personal items in your office
safe.

Dealing with under ringing and stealing out of the till.

Halfway through a shift perform an ‘x’ reading and check the receipt roll
for any small charges or if the money doesn’t add up. E.g. if a certain
member of staff rings in a lot of small totals such as 25p or £1. Then
examine your CCTV to see what they served at the time they made the
transaction, you can guarantee that 4 pints of lager doesn’t cost the
customer £1, and watch their hands, do they put their hands straight in
their pockets after the transaction, or do they use their ‘tip jar’ to stash
their ill-gotten gains?

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 38

The action you should take here is confrontational. Tell the member of
staff what evidence you have and ask them to own up. 99% of the time
they will know their number is up and confess.

Dealing with free drinks and giving too much change.

The most effective way to combat this problem is to ask one of your
friends (who are unknown to the staff) to sit at the bar and watch what
goes on. They will be able to spot any wrongdoings and report it back to
you, and then you can confront the member of staff involved.

Wastage.

You can’t eliminate wastage from your stock unfortunately, as

you always have a certain degree of stock wasted with
draught products, but this wastage is generally accepted by
stock-takers so don’t worry.

What you can do to minimise your wastage is to:

Train your staff on how to serve drinks properly.

Keep the music low enough so your staff can hear

the order clearly to avoid confusion.

Store your stock correctly.

Provide your staff with a wastage record so they are

encouraged to write down any stock wasted, which
should in turn encourage them to be more vigilant
when they are serving drinks.

Train your staff on how to change the kegs and gas

properly.

Serve drinks at the right temperature and in a clean,

cool glass.

Rotate your stock properly so it doesn’t go out of

date.

Don’t order more than what you need.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 39


Maintain a vigilant attitude to stealing.

If you train your staff, look after your stock and maintain
control of your bar then wastage should be kept to a minimum
naturally.

TRAINING YOUR STAFF.

It is vital for the success and efficiency of you bar to have well
trained staff; there are so many unnecessary complications
involved with untrained or poorly trained staff.

We have included a set of questions in this guide, which you

can use to train your staff on all the topics covered in this
guide, along with a simple certificate you can issue as proof
of training.

The main areas you need to make sure your staff are trained
in are:

Bar cleanliness.

Serving drinks correctly. (mixers & extras)

Dealing with awkward customers.

Restrictions on serving people.

Weights & measures.

Cellar cleanliness.

Stock rotation.

Changing kegs, gas& post mix.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 40

 SO HOW DO YOU POUR THE PERFECT PINT?

With lager you need to show some care as the product is very gassy and frothing will
occur if you simply open the tap and allow the lager to flow in the glass.
For best results follow these steps.
Step 1. Position the glass at an angle so that the tap touches the side of the glass,
Step 2. Allow the lager to flow until roughly ½ way up the glass and,
Step 3. Gradually straighten the glass until it is upright and full.
If you do not have a decent head lower the glass while the lager is flowing just before it
reaches full.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 41

 Bitter is not as gassy as lager so it is easier to pour.

Step 1. Position the glass at an angle so that the tap touches the side of the glass,
Step 2. Allow the bitter to flow until roughly ¼ way up the glass to from the head and,
Step 3. Straighten the glass and let it fill.

CONCLUSION.

This guide has provided you with all the information you need to
successfully manage your bar and cellar, you can now feel
confident that you have the information you need at your
fingertips, which will assist you with the day to day operation of
your business.

This guide can be used as a training manual for your employees,

all the information you need is included, if you would like to add
more questions relating to individual bits of information relating
to your business or indeed the law, then please do so.

For more useful guides and manuals please visit:

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 42

TEST YOUR BAR & CELLAR KNOWLEDGE.

Answer the following questions using the information you have been
told here today.

01. What steps should you take to keep your stock

rotated?

02. What temperature should your cellar be?

03. How often should you clean the lines?

04. What safety precaution should you take when

changing a barrel?

05. How can you tell if your post mix needs changing?

06. What should you check when your draught is coming

out as foam?

07. What should you do when your draught is just trickling

out?

08. How should you keep your wine stored?

09. What temperature should your display fridges be?

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 43

 10. How often should you clean your cellar?

11. How can you up sell your products?

12. Why is it important to up sell?

13. Where are the best places in your bar to put displays?

14. What should a display be?

15. How do you change a gas bottle?

16. What measure do you serve your spirits in?

17. What measure do you sell wine in?

18. How do you pour a pint of bitter?

19. How do you pour a pint of lager?

20. List the points in the Weights and Measures Act 1988.

21. What are your main responsibilities when serving

people?

22. What mixers can you serve with vodka?

23. What mixers can you serve with whisky?

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 44

 24. What mixers can you serve with gin?

25. What else should you ask the customer what they
would like in their drink?

26. What glass should you serve a whisky and lemonade

in?

27. What cleaning should you do at the end of your shift?

28. What cleaning should you do at least once a week?

29. What does ABV stand for?

30. What is a UNIT?

31. What should be on your bar tariff?

32. Give an outline of how you clean the lines.

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 45

 INDIVIDUAL TRAINING RECORD.

Name: Date:

Job Title: Trainer:

Area Signature Trainer’s Signature

Bar Hygiene & Cleanliness

Cleaning The Lines

Changing Kegs

Changing Gas

Changing Post Mix

Caring For Your Stock

Stock Rotation

Serving Drinks

Up Selling

Weights & Measures

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 46

Your Responsibilities

Wastage

You must sign to say you have received this bar & cellar training.

Keep the original copy for employee personnel records.

This is to certify that

Has successfully completed

our in house training course

On;

Signed by:

2009 Daniel J Franks. All rights reserved. 47