There are two types of bartenders. Bartenders who steal and Bartenders who do not steal.
As a bar owner, I consider anything I’m unaware of as theft. Bartender theft runs rampant across every sector of the hospitality industry. Every Casino, Resort, Restaurant, and Nightclub have two things in common. They all sell alcohol and their bartenders are stealing.
Top 10 Ways Bartenders Steal
1. Short Ringing
Short ringing occurs when bartenders pour call liquor, collect call payment then ring well and load their register or place the difference in their tip jar.
2. No Sale Ringing
No sale ringing occurs when bartenders serve a drink and collect cash payment then ring No Sale for $0 to open their cash drawer. Once open, the bartender loads their cash register.
3. Boot Legging
Bootlegging occurs when bartenders bring their own liquor bottles to work then pour, sell, and collect cash payment. After collecting payment, they load their register or place payment in the tip jar.
4. Giving Away Free Drinks
Giving away free drinks is the most common form of theft.
5. Short Pouring:
Short pouring occurs when Bartenders purposefully pour less liquor than a cocktail recipe requires. It's an attempt to offset inventory or cover up giving away free drinks.
6. Service Well Collusion
Service well collusion occurs when Bartenders and Servers work together to manipulate drink tickets. Bartenders who steal prepare cocktails for Server distribution. Servers who steal collect cash payments to be split with the Bartender.
7. Undercharging
Undercharging occurs when Bartenders pour premium liquor but charge well pricing in exchange for a large gratuity.
8. Short-Changing
Short changing occurs when Bartenders collect cash then purposefully short-change a customer then load their register or place the difference in the tip jar.
9. Altering Credit Card Receipts
Bartenders alter credit card receipts by adjusting tips, adding tips or forging a customer signature. Altering credit card receipts to manipulate a gratuity is the leading cause of credit card chargebacks.
10. Loading Registers
Bartenders who steal load their registers by collecting cash payment then open their cash register by No Sale to deposit cash payment inside the register. Loading and unloading registers is theft in plain sight. The most obvious loading technique is marking deposits with paperclips. For example, a Bartender loading $10 will place a paperclip inside the cash register to mark the load. Moving forward, every paperclip equals, inside the register, equals $10. At the end of their shift, the bartender totals the number of paperclips then multiplies by 10 to calculate the amount of money to unload.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - PRESTON RIDEOUT
