In Oklahoma, I once had a bar tender that was smashed and he was a complete hole. No place for that. But, I don't care if they're sipping while working.

If you don't drink it, you don't know it. A bartender can't be trashed and offer any substantive information or commentary about the beer, so it falls on the owner to provide oversight to ensure a knowledgable staff without the liability of a drunk barkeep.

I plead.. innoshent!

Having bartended in a state that allows drinking on the job and another that declares it illegal, I prefer the latter. In my experience it's too easy to have staff that take advantage of their situation by taking shots, drinking beers and slowly but surely the service and overall awareness of their surroundings deteriorates. Of course there are responsible bartenders but overall, I think it's better to stay sober behind the bar. As for the overall knowledge of the product they are pouring, I'd like to think everyone is trained and knowledgeable about what it is they are selling. Just because you don't see the bartender drinking while they are working doesn't mean they don't drink or are not educated about that beer/drink/wine. So not really sure how the topic strayed off in that direction.

It may be to their advantage, that they don't have a full liquor license, beer and wine only, and they don't sell much wine! That glass behind the bar is a group glass. I don't know if it's formally considered to be "training" per se, but that glass gets discussed a lot. In the same vein, proper glassware is SOP, and I have never seen anyone pour a beer without first inspecting the glass for cleanliness. It may not look like a tight ship to the uninitiated, but if you know what you're looking at, the attention to detail is remarkable, top to bottom. It works, and apparently works well, It's just that the sum of my experience and instincts tells me it shouldn't, which prompted the topic.

quote: Originally posted by Phishpond417 As for the overall knowledge of the product they are pouring, I'd like to think everyone is trained and knowledgeable about what it is they are selling. Just because you don't see the bartender drinking while they are working doesn't mean they don't drink or are not educated about that beer/drink/wine. So not really sure how the topic strayed off in that direction.

In the case in point, the proprietor, Johnny Chu, is 30-ish. His Hunan-born father, the chef, has 55 years experience in Chinese kitchens (since age 9) and speaks maybe two dozen words of english. The left side of the menu is the usual Americanized Chinese food, right side is the authentic stuff, and off the menu is a weekly special and whatever Chef Rich Chu feels like cooking. Chef tried retirement, once, and got very bored, so he talked #1 son, Johnny (an artist by trade) into buying a restaurant, just so he'd have a kitchen to play in! In front, Brandon, the bar manager, is the only full-timer. There are 4 or 5 part-time bartenders in their early- to mid- twenties, all bona-fide beer geeks, but with varied experience. (I may not be the most knowledgeable guy in town, but I do know BS when I hear it... they really are authentic beer geeks!) I can't keep track of the wait staff, who are mostly within a year or two of high school. Even they know the menu and have enough beer knowledge to identify styles and bring an intelligent question to the bartender. With all these part-timers, there's obviously no way to have sufficient off-the-floor/clock training. It happens on the fly, and it seems to be working, somehow, flying in the face of everything I thought I knew about running a business!

quote: Originally posted by Phishpond417 As for the overall knowledge of the product they are pouring, I'd like to think everyone is trained and knowledgeable about what it is they are selling.

I'd like to think that too, but it's just not the case. I've had a ton of bartenders/servers in pubs/breweries/taphouses that have no friggin clue. Maybe not a majority, but there are plenty. Would that be aleviated if they were able to sample on the job? Well, now, that's the million dollar question...

There are a lot of great beer bars in America where the staff are prohibited from drinking and the staff is quite knowledgable. I would think this is a training issue. I hire 6 new people, as part of their training, I have them taste beers, learn the properties of different styles, glassware etc....but it's done in a meeting room, or a party room like some have. Everytime I get new beers in, I call people into work an hour early and we sample the new beers. Training them without customers to me would be more effective than having them drink while dealing with customers. When I'm at that fine surf and turf restaurant, I don't want to see the staff eating and waiting on my husband and I in between bites. I expect the waiter's food recommendations come from trying the food in a training session, and not because he ate 10 minutes ago and the garlic butter shrimp breath he has can be smelled 6 tables over.

quote: Originally posted by MissSipless There are a lot of great beer bars in America where the staff are prohibited from drinking and the staff is quite knowledgable. I would think this is a training issue. I hire 6 new people, as part of their training, I have them taste beers, learn the properties of different styles, glassware etc....but it's done in a meeting room, or a party room like some have. Everytime I get new beers in, I call people into work an hour early and we sample the new beers. Training them without customers to me would be more effective than having them drink while dealing with customers. When I'm at that fine surf and turf restaurant, I don't want to see the staff eating and waiting on my husband and I in between bites. I expect the waiter's food recommendations come from trying the food in a training session, and not because he ate 10 minutes ago and the garlic butter shrimp breath he has can be smelled 6 tables over.

Well said. I agree with all of the above. Again, Chris, you're missing the point. The beertender/server does not to sample on the job in order to know what they talking about. Just because you don't see them drinking along side you, doesn't mean they don't know their stuff.

When I worked Over There the old fellows were drinking all day long, and me pwnself stayed dry till clockout I couldn't work and drink. Here in Weed its a bit differant...the head brewer will get hosed and want to have a few with his crew. The owner is noramally in his cups in the evenings. Still breweries are Dangerous places. Heat, boiling water, casutics trip hazards abound. I am having a pint while cleaning kegs as I write. Bottomline, stay sober, do your "home work" off the clock and have a safe work day...as I go the the zwikel and draww another pint....