Tag: TAM of Nevada

Back to Basics– Five Strategies for Becoming a Better Bartender

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Bartending BasicsThere are a lot of things that go into a great bartender: a winning personality, an attention to detail, and a dedication to public safety, and the legal and moral issues of serving alcoholic beverages. Looking to improve on your own marketable bartending skills? Read on for some tips on putting your best foot forward.

  1. Get TAM® certified. Nothing is more important to your success as a hospitality professional than responsible service to ensure the safety of your patrons and to reduce the liability and risk for yourself and your business. Carry your TAM® card to show you received the best possible training, and sign up for one of our online or onsite classes today.
  2. Brush up on the latest cocktail and mocktail trends as well as any ‘back of the basics’ techniques you need practice with. A great bartender will draw in more customers, making more money for the bar, and themselves. You’ll need solid working knowledge of bartending skills, plus lots of practice, so it’s important to learn how to mix drinks correctly, and build up your bartending know-how of tips and techniques. Check out blog post “What’s On Your Summer Reading List? Best Books for Bartenders” for some reading suggestions that might help you to increase your knowledge and skill level.
  3. Keep your bar well stocked, your work area clean and neat, and have glassware, liquor and bar tools in the most functional place possible. By having a clean, efficient and streamlined work area, not only will it set the stage for your guests, it will make it easier for you to do your job well and turn out orders efficiently and effectively. At the start of your work day, make sure everything is in its place, and when you have down time between mixing drinks, make sure to keep things neat and tidy.
  4. Excellent customer service comes easier if you keep a cool head under pressure. Providing the best customer experience possible will be much easier if you are able to keep calm on those busy Saturday nights behind the bar. Don’t over-commit yourself, if you feel yourself getting stressed, take a few deep breaths. Examine what tasks you need to complete, prioritize them, and eliminate any tasks that aren’t necessary. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Your supervisor and coworkers are a part of your team and want to see you succeed, and your guests leave happy.
  5. Recognize your weaknesses and strive to improve. Nobody is perfect; maybe you’ve gotten constructive criticism from your manager in your last review, or maybe you’ve examined your own work performance and know areas you need to improve on. Whether it’s improving on multitasking, working under pressure, basic techniques, or something else, it can be done. Just remember that approaching your work with a glass half empty approach is never a good idea. Sometimes it can be difficult to see the good in a difficult situation, but do your best to think positively and work to make necessary changes.

You should now be well on your way to making positive improvements in your work performance. What other advice would you give to someone looking to improve on their bartending skills and techniques?

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Laying the Foundations for Success – Great Traits for Bar Managers

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Hospitality Managers have the difficult job of balancing the wants and needs of establishment owners, employees, and customers. A great manager can juggle customer satisfaction with a multitude of ever changing tasks each and every day, all while helping to support a busy staff, boosting sales and performance, and keeping an eye to the health and safety of patrons. Nightclub & Bar recently released an article titled, “How Bar Managers Can Succeed,” and we here at TAM® of Nevada wholeheartedly agree with the attributes they list as key for bar managers. You can read the full article here, and here are a couple more qualities that we’d add to the list:

  1. A passion for excellence. A great manager not only has a desire to lead, he or she takes pride in the service or product offered, and inspires the staff to put their best foot forward.
  2. Flexibility. In a busy and fast-paced world like Las Vegas’ hospitality industry, a manager who can roll with the punches is invaluable. Not everything will always go according to plan, and a manager who is adaptable and can be flexible is in the best position for success.

Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. What insider tips would you give someone looking to excel the in hospitality industry? What tips would you give someone looking to improve their management skills?

Resources

© 2011 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

 

It’s Tax Time – Are You Properly Reporting Your Tip Income?

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It’s that time of year again, you should have received your tax forms; and, this year you’ll have until April 17th to file with the IRS. As always, servers, bartenders, performers, and anyone else who receives tips on the job will have extra work to do in correctly reporting their income. Questions about how much of your income needs to be declared are easy to answer: All of it. We’ve all heard the myths and bad advice from others that servers can get away with reporting a fraction of the tip income they bring home, but this is simply not true. Keeping accurate records will make things much easier at tax time!

Employers should be aware that, according to the IRS, “employees who receive tips of $20 or more in a calendar month while working for you, are required to report to you the total amount of tips they receive. They must give you written reports by the tenth of the following month.” (IRS.gov). Check out the article, “Don’t Forget Uncle Sam When You’re Counting Your Tips,” for more information on how to keep track of your tips throughout the year, and how to report them at tax time.

Also, if you want to familiarize yourself with the basics of tip reporting, here’s an excellent article by The International Guild of Hospitality & Restaurant Managers titled, “8 Tips for Employers and Employees on Reporting Tips.” For more information on reporting to the IRS and filling out “Form 4070A – Employee’s Daily Record of Tips,” refer to IRS Publication 1244: Employee’s Daily Record of Tips and Report to Employer. When in doubt, always check with a tax professional to make sure you’re in compliance.

Have you starting working on your taxes yet?

Resources

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Boost Your Bar Sales and Increase Your Guest Count with Social Media Presence and Deals

Published on by TAM of Nevada5 Comments

Today’s consumers are increasingly web and social media savvy; people turn to the web first for information on new hot spots to try. Consumers value what their friends have to say and frequently turn to social media for recommendations on what’s new and exciting. To be absent in these markets is really missing the boat. Social media marketing is easy to use, free, and invaluable for restaurants and bars. In this tough economy with increasing competition, leveraging social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to reach new guests, communicate with your patrons, and encourage feedback is the way to go.

If you haven’t already, try using social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Four Square to reach your guests using a variety of techniques. You simply can’t get a better review than a follower “liking” your post for all their friends to see or re-tweeting your special to all of their followers.

  1. Encourage patrons to connect with you to view special deals and promotions – websites like Facebook and Four Square allow you to offer special deals to guests who ‘check-in’ when they visit your restaurant or bar. Not only will you increase the likelihood of getting new bodies in the door by offering a special deal, you benefit from the social aspect of those customer’s social media contacts seeing their friends ‘check-in’ at your establishment, and hopefully, raving about what a great time they had. Word of mouth goes high-tech!
  2. Show off all you have to offer and what you’re proud of at your establishment with a YouTube video. Join countless other bars and restaurants that are taking advantage of social media to promote their happenings and special features with videos. Why not create a video of one of your bartenders giving a tutorial on how to create one of your signature drinks? It allows you to showcase your restaurant, your staff, and also show off some of what makes your establishment unique. Want to promote an upcoming special event? Show video viewers what they can expect, and get it up on the web for customers to see.
  3. Interact socially with Facebook, Twitter and more. Social media allows you to have a conversation with your customers. Thank your patrons for tweeting about how much they loved their visit, answer questions and offer recommendations for the night’s specials or available reservation times on Facebook, even get in touch and ‘make it right’ if someone shares about a less than stellar experience at your establishment. Keeping the conversation fresh, fun and exciting shows your customers that you care and want to offer them an excellent customer service experience.
  4. Encourage feedback and connections by letting your customers know that they can find you in social media channels. You have to start somewhere, and making sure it is easy for your patrons to find you is the first step. Make sure to provide links to any of your social media channels on your website and print marketing, and you can even provide web addresses or a reminder to “Find Us on Facebook” on your menus or business cards.

Customers keep track of recommendations and places they like, and when the weekend rolls around and there is a decision to be made about where to go, it could be your business, simply because you tweeted about a special or a friend ‘liked’ your page! You can also find TAM® of Nevada on Facebook and Twitter. Join us socially and stay up-to-date on industry news and events, facts and figures about alcohol awareness and education, TAM® course and schedule information, how-to videos, cocktail recipes, industry job listings, and more.

Be cautious when using social media. There are no specific regulations regarding social media but remember that social media is advertising and available to everyone, including law enforcement. Do not put anything on social media that you cannot put in a print ad. Do not post activities that occur in your establishment on social medial that can be a violation of the statute or the rules.

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada