function bar control

Function Bar Control

The banquet department that is responsible for function catering may extend alcohol beverage service to the guests depending on the requirements of the guest. The following three situations will occur.

Cash bar

Temporary bar having adequate supply of drinks, mixes, glassware, and ice is set up to serve the guests. The banquet head waiter or the authorized person must collect the drinks required for the function against the requisition from the cellar and return them as soon the function is over. Strict control of stock and cash is essential during the function catering.
The drinks cannot be poured using automated dispensing system and they are always poured by; free hand pouring method. The portion size of the drink and the number of servings per bottle is normally predetermined by the management. Since it is free pouring, some amount of spillage allowance will be given. For example, in 1 litre bottle, 33 oz is taken leaving approximately 10 ml allowance per bottle.
The cash bar must be operated efficiently as there are chances of over pouring, spillage, and cash theft. To prevent this and to ensure efficiency, the following procedures should be followed.
There should be a separate counter set up away from the bar counter for issuing coupons against the cash for the drinks the guest wants to buy. The guest pays at the 'coupon counter*, collects the coupon, and receives the drinks against the coupon from the 'bar counter'. This eases the pressure on the bartender from handling the cash and allows him/her to concentrate on the pour and tight control. At the end of the event, the number of drinks consumed should match with the token sold and collected.
Function liquor control form

function liquor control sheet

The revenue should be equivalent to the sales value of the drinks consumed. Any cancellation should be authorized by the manager and the reason for cancellation should be recorded. All empty, full, and part bottles should be returned to the cellar and the cash to the accounts department. In some places, the cash counter will be handled by the staff from the control department.

Payment by the host

Sometimes, the host of the function pays for the drinks consumed by his/her guests. In that case, the host is charged for the bottles at the price decided beforehand and, therefore, the need for setting up cash counter does not arise. The consumption of bottles is calculated by subtracting the closing stock from the opening stock. At the beginning of the event, the host or his/her representative will check  the opening balance and again at the end of the function he/she will check the closing balance to know the consumption.

Host’s own bottles

Host  sometimes brings his/her own bottles of liquor to be served to his/her guest at the function, in that case, the corkage charges will be levied for serving the drinks. How much to collect as corkage will be decided beforehand by the management. Supplies, such as mixes, ice, etc. will be offered by the hotel and the snacks will be charged extra. Controlling the bottles is very important in this situation as the bar staff may lay hands on the host's bottles. A dishonest bar staff or banquet staff may replace the host's full bottle with hotel's empty bottle. The banquet manager must ensure that there are not any hotel's empty bottles in the premises before the start of the event and he/she should request the host to mark the label of his/her bottles to identify them to avoid any kind of dispute after the event.
Implementation of electronic pouring device, the recording of sales proceeding automatically when drink is poured, and adhering to the procedures established will certainly ensure greater control.
Calculation of bottle consumption and sales value

calculation of bottle consumption and sales value