Liquor Inventory Experts

The dictionary meaning of a dispenser is as follows: “a device that automatically dispenses a single item or a measured quantity” In the hospitality industry, we are sometimes faced with a decision; do we want our liquor to be poured by way of a dispensing unit? Do we want our bartenders to be “automatic” and potentially take away any flair our personable bar staff has to offer our patrons?

Liquor dispensers are designed to specifically pour a pre configured amount in a glass, no more, no less. There can be certain advantages:

1. Consistency of drinks
2. Controls over quantity poured
3. Less bartender training required

Liquor dispensers typically are available in two forms: guns & spigots.

Guns normally entail tubing to be run from the bar to an area where the liquor is poured into small vats. From there, as a product is selected at the bar, the liquor from the liquor room runs along the line into the patrons drinks. Many times, operators will limit the guns to rail product like vodka, gin, rum…or what we call high moving products.

Spigots or what can be best described as “time release valves” are systems in which a ring is placed around a nozzle on the bottle. When a portion of liquor is requested, the bottle is put through the activator ring, the lever is pressed and an electrical courant opens the valve to dispense a portion of liquid.

Although we may perceive these systems as the ultimate controls, there are a few things to consider: 

1. If you have several pouring stations, they can become cost prohibitive
2. They can be impersonal: clients still like to see a bartender pour a drink straight into a glass without all the “mechanics” involved
3. Sweet liquors have a tendency to crystallize and cause back ups in the lines and spigots thus requiring regular maintenance.
4. Lack of inventory: as much as these systems can dispense exact amounts, they still require a separate system to conduct regular liquor inventories

In the end, as an operator, the decision lies in both the financial areas but also the image and feel you want your establishment to portray, both certainly will have an impact on your business and this is certainly a decision that takes time and research before adapting.  

Walking the Show

Are you or members of your management team thinking of attending a tradeshow soon?

If yes, here are a few things you may want to consider:

1. What are the specific needs of the company? Is it hardware, software…?
2. Before attending, visit the host tradeshow’s website and look for products you may be need or looking for information on.
3. Locate companies that supply products you may be on the market for and make note of their booth number and website
4. It is a good idea to visit the website of the company(s) who has products you may be looking to purchase to better understand how they work and how they compare to the competition.
5. When you visit a booth, it is always best to ask questions and wait and see how the people in the booth respond. Are they knowledgeable and wanting to understand your needs or are they just there to collect names? Remember, what you see and meet at the show may be reflective of the service you will get in the future
6. If you find the product you are looking for and are ready to make a purchase, a tradeshow is a good place to negotiate a “good deal”

 With the upcoming Florida Restaurant show, it might be a good idea to visit their website; you can even sign up and get a free pass! So, if you are looking for a glass washer, a wine cellar or liquor inventory control software, doing your homework before the show certainly has its benefits.

Please visit us at this years Florida Resaurant and Lodging show on Spetember 12,13,14 2010 we will be in Booth #2144.

Hope we see you there!!

Inventory count

An inventory count can be best described as a  physical inventory of what is currently in stock in the storage areas, comparing that count to what the liquor, beer and wine inventory count software thinks is in stock, and making any necessary adjustments to get the liquor, beer and wine inventory count software to match the storage area counts.

Taking an inventory count on a regular basis will not only help us have a tighter control over our liquor, beer and wine inventory but also flag us of any discrepancies. Some inventory count software will also make you aware of any product that may have gone missing like a bottle of wine or liquor. Inventory counts will also help you better asses if you are potentially carry to much inventory that can expose you to shrinkage and tie up valuable cash flow.

Inventory counts can also be indicators of low stock levels that could lead to customer dissatisfaction and lost sales. It is important that inventory counts are performed on a regular basis. Precise inventory counts can you give you the valuable information you may need to make some decisions in your business that you may otherwise not have taken.

A perfect example can be volume rebate purchases; if you are inventory count show you are carrying too much of a certain product already, it may be prudent not pursuing a special deal, on the other end of the spectrum, an update inventory count may actually encourage a large volume purchase due to the product popularity and the need to replenish low stock level.

An alcohol inventory system can cover many facets of your business and secure the profitability of each. Are you a high volume liquor bar?

Than your liquor inventory should be a priority and your focus should be on accuracy, speed and strong data that will create accountability. Maybe you sell more beer, both bottled and draft. If so, there are alcohol inventory systems that not only make counting bottled beer simple, but also help you track draft beer consumption.

If you can start counting how much draft beer is lost to spillage, foaming, waste...you will be in a better position to take the corrective actions needed to raise the profit margin bars. Wine is another component your alcohol inventory system must be able to manage. In today's hospitality industry, wine can be served by the bottle, but also by the glass and in certain concepts, wine tasting are offered as a means to increase interest and sales.

The system you choose to implement must be able to give you the information you need to take decision that have an effect on purchasing, human resources and ultimately sales. A good alcohol inventory system puts everything into perspective and gives you the tools to better manage your business today but also long into the future.

To confirm we are making progress in our profit making goals, we need targets and ways to measure the success or failures our business may be encountering. It is for this reason, we create budgets which will allow us to better monitor and take the corrective actions needed to reach our goals.

What is a budget? It a financial plan for a specific period, month, quarter, year...where we try to compare the sales we hope to make versus the costs associated to these sales.

The budget we create will at first be just a plan that details the sales we expect to make, costs and the desired profits. But as we enter the budget period, the budget takes on a new personality; it becomes one of our control tools that help us compare the actual results versus the desired results. The liquor, beer and wine inventory software we choose to collect the data is a crucial tool to assure the accuracy of the data we utilize to compare and reconcile our budget results.

We must realize our budgets will go through certain phases and the set of figures we input can change as our business environment evolves. In the first phase, we project the financial future in detail and make sales realistic forecasts, but changes do occur and we may be obliged to review our budgets as we enter our specific period.

In the last phase of the budget, we compare the data and we are then in a position to analyze areas that require more attention or maybe modify the budget initially created as our goals are either unattainable or the "bar" has been placed too low.