Maintain total control of your liquor inventory by efficiently tracking “lost opportunity costs.” This usually happens when guests change their minds about their orders and such. A POS system could be administered to track such losses and ensures that wasted drinks do not go straight to the lips of some employees.

Exercise full bar inventory control and save double checking whether your bartenders use the appropriate measurements in mixing drinks and cocktails. Make available the proper ladle sizes for purees and syrups, as well as measuring scoops for ice. Your liquor inventory will also benefit greatly if your employees have adequate supply of glasses and other needs. This shows you care and reduces their frustration.

Encourage employees to pay up for anything extra they would like to consume. Meanwhile, carry out effective bar inventory by making sure that they know how to use “silent” ringing procedures. Bar workers must also know how to ring up guests’ orders accurately. This help bar inventory control by lessening wasted drinks.

Another way to shave liquor costs is the tracking of “wasted” bar inventory to keep tabs on the “lost opportunity costs.” A designated POS system is suggested for the appropriate recording of spilled or deleted transactions. The effective tracking of losses through the implementation of a POS system is effective liquor inventory control.

There are several ways to control liquor inventory including: (1) locking up unattended liquor; (2) preparing only the necessary bar inventory per shift; (3) labeling stations for designated liquor bottles; and (4) rotating reach-ins and coolers every night. It is also of the essence to ensure that your employees never munch on expensive items like cherries, lemons, lime, and bananas to promote bar inventory control. You could, however, encourage them to pay up if they feel like having some orange or lime juice.

Costs couldbe closely monitored and controlled from behind the bar. To implement liquor inventory control, secure all liquor areas in the bar, including mixers like cranberry juice, apple juice, and so on. Prepare only the needed bar inventory for every shift. Labeling bottles to denote where they should be placed also makes it easier to determine what is missing.

To remedy this challenge, you must install an effective beverage monitoring system such as Bevchek’s web-based dual system which monitors both beer and liquor, with a new wire liquor monitoring system launching this year.

The Bevchek system is a unique beverage management system designed specifically for the hospitality industry. It provides hospitality establishment owners with real-time product sales from their point-of-sale (POS) terminals relative to real-time pours that are captured through their advanced flow metering technology.

* Unprecedented beverage monitoring and management
* Internet-based, real-time data updated every minute
* Time stamping of all pours and sales transactions
* On-hand inventory management system
* Easy-to-read variance reports highlighting slippage by individual item
* Monitoring of multiple locations from a single computer
* Quick and easy integration with existing dispensing systems
* SMS/e-mail/PDA alerts when user parameters are breached
* A user-friendly Web interface that is simple to read and navigate
* Can be interfaced with most video surveillance systems

With even more features available, BEVCHEK’s goal is to save the client money.  The target is to reach savings of tens of thousands of dollars per location, per year.  With the industry’s average loss sitting between 20 percent and 25 percent, BEVCHEK looks to bring this loss down under 5 percent within the first six months.  This is achieved by shaving two ounces off every pour and by virtually eliminating theft and unnecessary spillage.

• Determine what you need to order yourself instead of relying on your bartender or other staff member. If you are not the one who places your orders, make sure that you have the same person order for liquor every week. This helps the said person build trust with your sales representative and increase his or her knowledge about your transactions.
• Know which are your strongest selling liquor products and stick to them. It helps to develop your bar or restaurant as a brand or a personality. Different bars and establishments attract different types of crowds. Know your market well and their liquor preferences. Get rid of liquor products that will not affect your sales if they are either included or excluded on your menu, even if they are offered to you on sale. This process makes your life as a bar owner or restaurant manager much simpler.
• Develop an efficient liquor inventory control system to monitor you liquor usage every week. Keep an eye out for various trends. Exercise control over your inventories by ordering enough supply to last your establishment for a week. You might be tempted to stock up in case of rainy days, perhaps, but this is not a good idea in the long run because oversupply complicates the process of monitoring your inventories.
• A “just in time” bar inventory control is highly recommended, especially for the busiest bars. This means placing an order to last you a week so that when a new order comes in, the supply from the last order is only being consumed to the last drop. In case you see the need to order more due to unforeseen circumstances like a sudden price break or to offset the price of a broken case, make sure it would account for a normal one-month cycle first.
• Take the season and local events into consideration. Most alcoholic drinkers drink for merrymaking and bonding with friends so naturally, a major feast or event in your locality will spike the demand for alcoholic drinks. This may prompt you to place larger orders.
• Always communicate with your sales representative to get information on pricing trends. These people will be more than willing to share news about upcoming price increases, discounts, and industrial trends that could affect your transactions. Most likely, you could also get a scoop on quantity and quality issues.
• Use product codes in placing your orders and ensure that perishable goods are being taken care of properly. It would be a good idea to make a day-to-day tracking of perishables. Hand-held inventory systems like Bevchek helps you in this task by generating pre-set pars. Orders could be saved and assigned PO numbers. They could also be modified to comply with discounts or larger orders.