Friday, October 3, 2014

Bar Tender Trivia -- Why are There 18 Holes in a Round of Golf?

Here is a wee bit of history every bartender should know and and share with their friends.

Why are There 18 Holes in a Round of Golf and not 10, 15, or 20?


Legend has it that during a discussion of the founding members of St Andrews Golf Course in Scotland back in 1858 when the game of golf was being established, a senior member pointed out that it takes exactly 18 drams (the Scottish equivalent of shots) to polish off a good bottle of Scotch Whisky.

All the founding members of St Andrews agreed; by limiting players of the game of golf to one shot of Scotch per hole a round of golf would be officially be over when the Scotch ran out or at the end of 18 holes.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Best Bar Joke I Have Heard In Years

Siamese Twins Walk into a Bar ...

Siamese twins walk into a bar in Canada and park themselves on a bar stool. One of them says to the bartender, "Don't mind us we're joined at the hip. I'm John, he's Jim. Two Molson beers, please."


The bartender, feels slightly awkward, so he tries to make polite conversation while pouring their beers. "You lads on vacation?" "Nope but next month we are off to England," says John. "We go to England every year. We stay there for 10 days and rent a car.  Every day we  drive for miles. Don't we, Jim?" Jim nods his head in agreement.

"Ah, England!" says the bartender. "Wonderful country... the rich history, the bold fresh beers, the culture." "Nah, we don't like any of that British crap," says John. "Hamburgers and Molson's beer, that's for us, eh Jim"? Again Jim nods his head to show his agreement.

"We can't stand the English - they're rude and so damn arrogant, we don't like their beers and we don't care about their culture."

"So why do you lads keep going to England year after year?" asks the bartender.

"It's the only chance Jim gets to drive.
"

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Public Safety Advisory


If you work in the bar or tavern industry this public advisory may be of significance.

Just received this information from a good friend and wanted to get it out ASAP to all of you in the bar and beverage industries. The US Homeland Security Agency has just issued an advisory notice you should be aware of If your work involves serving the public or dealing with a lot of foreign travelers this information could save your life.

According to homeland security the number one tactic terrorists and ‘disturbed US citizens’ are now using is to - conceal their weapons. Concealing or disguising their weapons from the public is necessary especially when they enter bars, taverns, pubs & grills, night clubs, casinos, country clubs etc. as well as larger outdoor public gathering places such as beer fests and summer concerts where alcoholic beverages are served.

Please look closely at the picture provided.








At first glance - to an untrained eye – this might look like a normal “Red Solo party cup”; however if you study this picture carefully you may be able to notice there is a fully loaded, automatic Glock 18-C pistol carefully hidden inside the cup.

Analyst and forecasters at Homeland Security believe terrorists and disturbed American citizens may soon be using this ‘Red Solo cup’ disguise to conceal their weapons.

During these troubling times is important we in the hospitality and food & beverage industries stay vigilant at all times.  I urge you to share this information with your colleagues, co-workers and neighbors. Remember if you, your co-workers or neighbors, are not able to spot a weapon disguised like this you might just be the recipient of a cup of hot lead.

Note:  If information like this is important I will continue to share it - just let me know.  If if is not important let me know as well.  

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Bartender Trivia - Parcheesi

As many of you know I am a big fan of trivia.  Customers who come in to your bar or tavern when you are on duty do not want to be burdened with problems.  They want to come in, relax and have fun.  So why not entertain them with great trivia.

Parcheesi is a board game that many of use played as children.  Few people however are aware that Parcheesi is a board game that originated in India.  Parcheesi was a game played by only the ruling class of India.  


The game (Parcheesi) was played outdoors in the palace garden(s) and the pieces - get this - which were human servants -  beautiful young women who served the ruler. 

The game pieces actually walked across color tiles placed in the lawn. The goal was to get all the pieces (the young ladies) home.  Home was the center of the garden were the lord of the house sat with his friends. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Bartender Trivia - Drive In Theaters

As many of you know I am a big fan of 'trivia'.  I think bar owners and bartenders who know good trivia - really good trivia entice their customers to come back.

Its a fact, Customers who enter your bar, tavern or pub when you are working do not want to be burdened with 'problems' - your problems, your business's problems or the communities problems - they have problems of their own. 

Customers who enter your bar come in to relax and have a good time.  In other words they want to have fun and escape from their reality.  So why not entertain them when they are in your bar? Entertain them with some really great trivia. Trivia they can enjoy and trivia they can relate to.




See if they know this one ... The first driven-in theater in the United States was opened in Camden, NJ.  It was built by Richard Hollingshead. 

To create his drive-in Mr. Hollingshead strung a sheet between two trees and mounted a project on the hood of his car. 

Here is the kicker.  Why did he create a drive in theater?  Well he said his mother was the inspiration for his idea. 

His mother was a very large woman who always felt uncomfortable sitting in the small seats found in movie theaters of the day.  By showing his movie outside his mother could sit in the front seat of his car and enjoy the movie.  

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Potential Health Advisory For Bar Owners and Bartenders

Recent studies conducted by the CDC - Center for Dease Control indicate that: 

Drinking Vodka over ice, can cause kidney failure.

Drinking Rum over ice, can cause liver failure.

Drinking Whiskey over ice, can create heart problems.

Drinking Gin over ice, can lead to brain problems.

Though the studies are not complete all evidence gathered so far is strongly suggesting that ice may not be good for your health.

As a courtesy and public service it might be wise to nform all your friends and bar customers of this potential health risk.

Friday, May 16, 2014

The Bacardi Bat


Bacardi is the only rum that uses a free-tailed bat as its logo. There are two main reasons for this. The first is the bat's relation to sugar cane. Sugar cane is used in the production of Bacardi rum (as well as others) for sugar cane congeners. Mexican free-tailed bats are very great pollinators of the sugar cane plant and very efficient insect eaters. Like how the ladybug is valuable to the gardener, the Mexican free-tailed bat is valuable to the rum business because it eats the insects that destroy sugar cane. 

The second has to do with Bacardi's history. Bacardi was started by Facundo Bacardí Massó, a wine merchant from Catalonia, a region in northwestern Spain. He set out to try and "refine" the rum beverage to make it something valued at higher class taverns. When he began getting his formula off the ground, he and his brother Jose decided to move into a more commercial business. They set up shop in a Santiago de Cuba distillery that they purchased in 1862. In the rafters of the building lived fruit bats, which helped to inspire the Bacardi bat logo. 


 

Is It Important to Know Kung Fu When Drinking Beer?

So this guy is standing in line at a concession waiting for the hot dog he ordered when a small Asian looking guy gets in line next to him and starts drinking a beer.

The guy look at he Asian guy and asked, "Do you know any of that martial arts stuff, like Kung-Fu, Karate or Ju-Jitsu ?"

The guy with the beer turns an says "No, but why would you ask me that? Is it because I am Chinese?"

"No", said the guy, "It's because you're drinking my beer, asshole."

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Why Bartenders and Servers Receive Tips

Today, it’s a common practice for bar and restaurant owners to pay their bartenders and wait servers a stipend hourly wage as the bulk of their earnings is expected to come from the tips. Since tips are such an integral part of the income bartenders and servers make I find it amazing how few bartenders and servers understand the basis and reasons for tipping. 



Sad to say, there are many bartenders and servers who think tips are expected; worst yet some even think a certain amount is actually required. This article is written to help you understand the historical background of tips. Hopefully this will be fun article you enjoy. 

To begin, scholars and historians alike agree the concept of providing some form or monetary compensation for a service or product dates back to the Roman Empire. Countless historical records show Roman citizens frequently provided street merchants and venders with a small sum of money prior to placing their orders. This was done to ensure their orders would be taken down correctly and their products and services delivered promptly. Only after a service or product was rendered in an exceptional manner would a buyer provide a gratuitum - Latin for special compensation. Today we call this additional form of payment a gratuity. 

Interestingly, the word TIP is not even a word; it is an acronym which stands for To Insure Promptness. TIPS likewise is an acronym and it stands for To Insure Prompt Service. You may be aware that many bars and restaurants require large parties - generally 12 or more - to pay a 15% - 20% gratuity which is automatically added on to their bar or food bills. So in a nutshell, tips were originally provided ‘prior to a service’, whereas gratuities have always been provided ‘after a service’.  

For years, Americans routinely provided hosts, hostesses, bartenders and servers with an upfront payment {a TIP if you will} prior to ordering a drink or meal to ensure they would be served quickly with exceptional service. If the meals or drinks were exceptional and served promptly American patrons then left a gratuity on the bar or the dining table. 

Perhaps you have seen an old movie where a group of people arrived at a trendy night spot or popular restaurant. Upon arriving it looks like they will never get in because the place is so crowded; however someone soon reaches in their pocket, pulls out what appeared to be a $5, $10 or $20 and hands it to the host or maître ‘de who miraculously finds a dining table or seat at the bar. It was that ‘TIP’ that made this service happen.

The use of tips changed however in America during the 1940’s for three basic reasons. First, the depression of the 1930’s left many American’s with limited money; second, GI’s returning home from WWII observed many countries overseas did not require an upfront ‘Tip’ to get good service; and gratuities were only necessary if the service or product was good. Finally, the ‘industrialized’ concept was emerging. Business owners across America were beginning to realize the importance of attracting and retaining ‘regular customer’s’. Consequently providing prompt service, and a good quality product, when a person walked through the door was fast becoming the standard business practice throughout the country. 

When a customer leaves money on a bar counter or table after a service has been provided, bartenders and servers mistakenly refer to this as a tip - it is not. Technically the money left for a bartender or server is a ‘gratuity’ – a way of saying “Thank You” for a great product or a great service. The only reason a customer leaves a gratuity today is to show their gratitude for what you have done … not because you did your job. So remember the better you do your job and the better your product the more gratuities you will receive at the end of the night. 

Eba G sincerely hopes you enjoyed this historical account of ‘tipping’ and learned from it. If you would like to receive a complimentary bartender and server guide on “Seven Ways to Increase Your tips” send Eba an email at
or visit www.barprofits.blogspot.com and request “Eba G’s Seven Ways to Significantly Increase Your Tips”

 





Thursday, February 20, 2014

Great Story To Share in Your Bar or Tavern

A group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, went on field trip to see a brand new racetrack in their community. The idea was the children could learn about thoroughbred horses and actually get to see some of the horses in their stalls. The children were accompanied by two female teachers.

     



After walking around the race track for a couple hours it was time to take the children to the bathroom. Since there were only two teachers it was decided that the girls would go with one teacher and the boys would go with the other. The teacher assigned to the boys waited outside the men's room. All of a sudden one of the boys came out and told her that none of them could reach the urinals - they were all to high.

Feeling awkward but having no choice, the teacher had to go inside to help each one of the boys. First she undid their pants, then she hoisted them up up one by one. It was obvious she was going to have to hold their "you know what" to direct the flow away from their clothes. As she lifted the fourth boy the teacher could not help but notice that this boy was unusually well endowed for his age.

Trying not to show her embarrassment she said, "You must be in the 5th grade."  “No, ma'am”, he replied, “I'm riding “Silver Arrow” in the seventh race today, but I really do appreciate your help”

Friday, January 24, 2014

The Bacon Tree - A must read for all bartenders

Two bartenders are driving on a seldom used back road through an isolated stretch of the county. They are on their way to a large country estate that is hosting a big party they agreed to bartend at. As luck would have it their car breaks down. The two bartenders are somewhat familiar with the area and know a gas station is just a few miles up the road so they get out and begin to walk towards it. 

After walking a few minutes one of the bartenders says to the other: "Hey do you smell that.” “Smell what the other replies”. “Bacon! Do you smell bacon” “Yeah it sure smell like bacon??” Confused they keep on walking and there in the distance they see a small leafy tree covered in bacon. There are strips of raw bacon on it, fried bacon on it, back bacon on it, double smoked bacon on it, and every imaginable kind of cured pork bacon one can think of.




"Look” one says – “it really is a bacon tree”. “No way” says the other one – “it must be a mirage.” “Have you ever heard of a mirage that smells like bacon?” With that, one of them starts to run towards the tree. As he gets within 5 yards of the tree a couple of guys guns suddenly appear and start shooting. The bartender is hit repeatedly and drops to the ground.
 
Mortally wounded, bleeding profusely and in great pain he yells out to his bartender buddy "go back, it’s not a bacon tree!"  Confused and scared and laying on the ground to protect himself the other bartender yells back "Well if it’s not a bacon tree what is it?" Using his last few breaths the wounded bartender yells out -

"Its 

Its 

Its 

Its

Its 

Its 

Its 

Its 

Its

Its 

Its 

It’s ... a Ham bush."