1. Pour Spouts = a Potential Savings of $45 of Revenue per
Bottle (at Less than $3.25 per Spout)
Are you using controlled pour spouts to prevent
over-pours? If not, you could be losing
$45 worth of sales per bottle of liquor.
Spill-Stop reports that: The average cost of a drink with 1
ounce of liquor is $7.50.
If your bartenders consistently over-pour by 20%, that means
you’re losing 6 drinks for every 1 liter bottle.
Six drinks = $45.00 in lost sales.
With high quality commercial pour spouts and a bit of
training, you and your staff can get better drink consistency and improved
beverage cost control.
Try: the Posi-Pour
Measured Pourer from Spill-Stop. $38.34
per dozen. Also available in other
sizes.
2. Citrus Wedgers: Less Labor, More Safety
Citrus wedgers are relatively inexpensive, and make the
process of fruit prep less time consuming and safer for you and your
staff. They also make the slice size
more consistent.
It’s a small investment that will lead to you paying less
for side work.
Try: The 6- wedge
from Update International or this 8-wedge from Vollrath. This citrus wedger by BarMaid is also great
for a bar because of its smaller footprint and low price point (less than
$35.00).
3. Waterproof Scale: Measure Dusty Ingredients, Measure in
the Walk-in, Save Time Cleaning
We love a water- and dust-proof scale option
because it gives you a chance to accurately measure wet and dry ingredients
(from fish to flour) without worrying about damaging your equipment. You and your staff will also spend less time
cleaning it.
You can even put a waterproof scale on a cart and take it
right into a walk-in, helping you portion ingredients in easy location with the
proper temperature.
Try: Globe’s 10lb
Waterproof Portion Control Scale.
4. Mandolin Slicers
If you need to slice and julienne often but not in too much
bulk, a simple mandolin slicer offers a mid-point between slicing by hand and
automation via an expensive machine.
It’s faster so you can cut labor expenses, but it also
provides an even cut for more consistent results.
Try: We’ve got a few mandolin slicers available at different
price points, from about $35 to the $200 range.
Take a look and let us know if you need help selecting one based on your
projected usage. You could also try this
handheld slicer from Zyliss if your usage will be very light.
5. Strip Doors/Strip Curtains
If you utilize walk-in
refrigerators, installing a strip-door or strip-curtain can greatly cut HVAC
costs while still allowing you and your staff to pass freely in and out.
You’ll save money on utilities without hampering your
staff’s productivity, which is a win for everyone. You’ll also help keep the contents of the
refrigerator at proper temperature to prevent spoilage.
Try: Our selection of
SAVE-T Strip Door Curtains, available in a number of different sizes. Or call us and describe your walk-in use, and
we can recommend the right products.
Bonus:
We didn’t include this above because there is no option
under $200. But if your establishment
uses a lot of potatoes, manual peeling can be a drag on labor costs. Try this
instead: peel 15-20 pounds of potatoes in 1-3 minutes with an Automatic Potato
Peeler from Hobart. At more than $3k, this machine is an investment. But it
will quickly pay for itself in reduced labor costs.