Not Every Food Establishment Should Offer Craft Cocktails

Not Every Food Establishment Should Offer Craft Cocktails

by | Aug 12, 2016 | IndiNews

The craft cocktail event horizon has long passed. The truth is that craft cocktails are no longer a new thing. We’ve reached a point where customers expect virtually every restaurant and bar to understand their obligation for offering the drinks, even if it isn’t their main selling point. And that’s a problem. Creating a craft cocktail list and keeping up with it night after night is far trickier than many people think.

Part of the issue lies in the fact that mixing a drink and doing it well is a complicated process. This especially rings true when the server is trying to throw together a dozen different concoctions in just a few minutes to keep bar goers happy. The number of bartenders who can juggle all that at once is blatantly insufficient for the demand.

The truth is that craft cocktails are no longer a new thing.

In addition, numerous establishments that have attempted to implement an ambitious cocktail menu in the past are ultimately forced to return to offering their regular drinks. It’s unrealistic to assume that every 20-something with a few months of hospitality experience can be taught how to make a proper craft cocktail.

More so than execution, however, what trips up restaurants and bars the most is the planning. Given the wide variety of craft cocktails that already exist, it stands to reason that there are literally billions of potential combinations for various ingredients. So it should come as no surprise that many of those cocktails taste quite terrible. Because of this, there are actually fewer combination possibilities that are worth exploring. To top it off, the majority of the great cocktails have already been created and named.

That doesn’t mean an establishment should not experiment and see what they can come up with. Just because most have been done, what’s to say the next great cocktail invention isn’t right around the corner? Restaurants and bars would have a far smaller drink lineup without that experimentation. At the same time, it also doesn’t mean that every business should be trying to create something patrons have never seen before.

The reality is that an increasing number of customers are demanding what used to be a novelty everywhere they go, and it doesn’t matter where they are.

Not all restaurants should attempt to reinvent the wheel when exploring its food options. The same holds true with bars and the drinks they offer.

Despite all of this, the reality is that an increasing number of customers are demanding what used to be a novelty everywhere they go, and it doesn’t matter where they are. Whiskey drinkers are no longer content to stick with a well-made Manhattan. Even diners at Asian restaurants are asking to see a craft cocktail menu, even if the establishment doesn’t have one.

That’s taking it a bit too far.

The unfair assumption that craft cocktails are served anywhere drinks are available damages everyone in the hospitality business. Restaurants and bars can’t please those customers who demand they comply with their unreasonable expectations. Patrons may not be able to guess whether or not a specialty cocktail will actually taste any good. And genuine craft cocktail bars are forced to watch their products become lost in the shuffle.

When someone wants to try something exotic, they will make it a point to find a bar that already has a creative drink on their menu.

Everyone loves to try a creative food or drink once in a while when they go out to eat. But most of us are reasonable enough not to expect every pizza place to have its own unique topping combination. Many people would balk if a restaurant tried something creative with fried chicken. So why should cocktails be any different?

Not all establishments should feel the need to give in to the pressure of coming up with something new – because truth be told, classic combinations are perfectly fine just as they are for the majority of the population most of the time. When someone wants to try something exotic, they will make it a point to find a bar that already has a creative drink on their menu. Let them have their moment, and they’ll return soon enough.

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20 Golden Rules for Bartenders

20 Golden Rules for Bartenders

by | Aug 10, 2016 | Career

It is hard to come up with a single, specific and detailed list of instructions for bartenders that teaches each how to be a good bartender. However, here are 21 golden rules for bartenders that can help advance your career. Find out what a good bartender does and does not do by following these tips:

  • Do all that you can to make your bar patrons and guests happy within the specified boundaries of your employer. This will increase the likelihood of happier customers and better tips.
  • Be mindful of the fact that this is not your bar, your party, nor your booze. Respect that someone else is paying for the supplies you use and do not waste anything.
  • Dress like a pro, because you are repeatedly seen by virtually every customer who walks into the party or restaurant. Present yourself as a well-groomed professional.
  • Understand the types of alcohol that you serve. Study up on the various brands and their qualities, because your customers will have questions about it from time to time.
  • Practice the small details associated with cocktail making. These are the details that can separate the amateurs from the professionals.
  • Keep your money neat. This demonstrates to your customers and employers that you are well-organized and on top of their cash.

Study up on the various brands and their qualities, because your customers will have questions about it from time to time.

  • Sometimes, you will receive a small tip. This is the nature of the business. Don’t sweat it.
  • If you allow clientele to run your establishment, you will never regain control. Be in charge with a friendly, yet authoritative tone. Your customers will respect you for it.
  • Learn why and how to give out comps, because these can be real problem solvers when other things don’t work. Your customers will love you for them.
  • Anticipate what the customer wants before he or she asks. Refilling a glass, replacing a coaster or emptying a full ashtray are the types of small touches that the customer appreciates.
  • Control the bar environment. Is the music too loud? How is the temperature? Your customers’ comfort is proportional to how they will rate their experiences in your bar.
  • Branch out. It is important for a bartender to work continually to gain additional bartender skills because it helps keep customers interested.

If you allow clientele to run your establishment, you will never regain control.

  • Learn some jokes. Read the papers to learn some banter. People tip for your service. Be amiable, because these are valuable skills that will set you apart from other bartenders.
  • Keep your bar spotless. Face bottles forward. Keep the bar top clean, because this leaves a lasting impression that will impress the customers and show them your dedication to the job.
  • Use both hands as you work, because this will help you pick up speed as you mix drinks. Bartenders learn to become ambidextrous.
  • Mise en place is a French phrase describing how one arranges tools and ingredients. Do the same thing each time you set up because it will help you stay organized.
  • Always be seen washing your hands. Do not touch your face or hair. Be cool. Don’t be untidy, because these are the types of things that drive customers away.
  • Converse with customers. Greet them when they enter the bar area, and good-bye when they depart.  Find out how they are doing. This is exactly what customers expect from a bartender and will result in more loyalty from the customers and better tips.

Arranges tools and ingredients each time you set up because it will help you stay organized.

  • Refrain from offering advice, and resist the urge to dominate conversations, because you are here to serve your customers. Everything should be about your customers and not about yourself.
  • People expect a lot from their bartenders. Be careful about which aspects of yourself you choose to present at a given moment and select your conversational material carefully. No customer wants to know about that mole you just had removed from your ear lobe. Keep the conversation light, interesting and friendly.

Looking for bartender positions? Check out Sirvo for great opportunities! 

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3 Reasons To Have Your Restaurant’s Water Tested

3 Reasons To Have Your Restaurant’s Water Tested

by | Aug 8, 2016 | Management

As a business owner, your to-do list never ends. You wear a lot of hats, you keep balls in the air and your plate is always full. From managing your team to ensuring your patrons and guests are always having a positive experience, the quality of your establishment’s water is probably the last thing on your mind. Yet the toxins and harmful substances found in public water might surprise you. Courtesy of Restaurant Hospitality, here are three reasons why it makes sense to test the water in your facilities.

Your building might contain old lead pipes

Many of us have been conditioned to believe lead is a thing of the past. Over the years, lead has been removed from substances like paint, but unfortunately, we still have to worry about it showing up in our water due to old lead pipes that weren’t regulated until after the 1980s. Unless you’re a plumber, you’ll never know whether or not your pipes have lead in them, which is why testing your water for lead is crucial.

We still have to worry about lead showing up in our water due to old lead pipes that weren’t regulated until after the 1980s.

Lead is one of the most harmful chemicals found in water, especially for children who might be drinking it. The only way to eliminate lead from water is to filter it out. While some people believe that boiling water is the best way to get rid of lead in water, this is actually a myth. Boiling water actually causes lead particles to “loosen up,” making the water even more contaminated than before.

 Your local utility company can only test so much

Lead is a problem local utility companies can’t solve, either. While local utility companies test for contaminants at their facility, there’s not much they can do once the water is flowing through your pipes. Because every plumbing system is different, testing for lead is a difficult thing to regulate and measure from a community- or city-wide perspective.

Most water contamination occurs in private plumbing systems or service lines supplying your facility.

While local utilities work hard to ensure the water leaving their facility is safe, your facility’s’ plumbing system is like the Wild West. Most water contamination occurs in private plumbing systems or service lines supplying your facility, meaning that even if you have cleaner-than-average city water, your personal water could still be at risk.

Your customers care about the water quality

According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans are increasingly worried about polluted drinking water. The percentage of concerned citizens grew from 55 percent in 2015, to 61 percent in 2016. Give your customers peace of mind by ensuring the water they drink from your tap, water fountain or kitchen is clean. That extends to your soda and ice machines.

Testing your water to keep it free of contaminants like lead and arsenic is an important step that will increase trust and build a better relationship between you and your customers.

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How To Make Your Menu More Healthful

How To Make Your Menu More Healthful

People want to eat healthfully. That’s not a ‘craze’ or a fad; it’s a part of the human condition. Any restaurant that accommodates that wish will reap the rewards. Here are a couple easy ways to revamp your menu so that it provides consumers with what they want.

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Sirvo Says: Where to Find the Best Burger In Colorado

Sirvo Says: Where to Find the Best Burger In Colorado

by | Aug 1, 2016 | IndiNews

Colorado loves hamburgers! This is no surprise due to our western background and the fact that the “Cheeseburger” was invented here in Denver by Louis Ballast at his Humpty Dumpty Drive-In once located on Speer and Federal back in 1935. With the Denver Burger Battle right around the corner, we figured we’d hop around town to see who we thought had the best burgers in town. While there were so many great options to choose from, this is the list of the top ten that tantalized our taste buds the most. 

 

1. Highland Tap and Burger

If you’re going to put the word “Burger” in the name of your restaurant, you better have a great hamburger and HT&B doesn’t disappoint. The most apparent and popular choice is the Shroom Luva: an all natural beef patty, sautéed mushroom blend, Emmenthaler cheese (a variety of Swiss) & white truffle aioli! Pair it with a Stone IPA and you will be full and overly content. This is a great neighborhood spot, with a great staff.

2. Cherry Cricket

The Cherry Cricket has probably made it on every top ten burger list since its inception in 1945. This place is a Denver classic and us natives cannot picture a future without it. With all of the options that have entered town, the Cherry Cricket continues to pack them in and that can be attributed to one thing mainly, their hamburger. It’s easy, start with your choice of meat (beef, bison, chicken, black bean & turkey) and start building. Ever had peanut butter on your burger before, do it here! Oh and the Stuffed Jalapeños for an appetizer aren’t too bad either! P.S. If you’re looking for a job, check out Cherry Cricket’s page on Sirvo to see if they’re hiring.

3. Park Burger

With five Park Burger locations across town, this three time reigning Denver Burger Battle champion isn’t hard to find! While The Royale and the El Chilango are fan favorites, we like The Scarpone: ⅓ beef patty, provolone, crispy pancetta giardiniera & a truffle garlic aioli. Chef Jean-Philippe Failyau has brought elements of his fine dining background and fused that together with a casual burger joint. Great beer selection, atmosphere and concept make this place a legit option.

4. Meadowlark Kitchen

Located in RiNo, which is wrapped in Five Points, resides a hip and delicious establishment run by co-owners Casey Karns and Chef Joshua Bitz. Meadowlark Kitchen is not a burger place, but it has one of the most amazing burgers you will ever have simply called The Meadowlark Burger. Are you ready? It’s a cheddar sauce, candied bacon, an onion ring, poached egg, jalapeño confit all on a house made brioche bun. It’s marvelous and big and worth every bite.

5. TAG Burger Bar

Chef Troy Guard is one of the most recognizable names in the city and has been a major influence on Denver’s food scene. When you’re this big of a name, it makes sense that TAG Burger Bar’s best burgers is called Godzilla. This 2014 Denver Burger Battle People’s Choice Award winner is unlike any burger you will ever have, teriyaki sauce, shiitake mushrooms, butter lettuce, crispy tempura & smoked kewpi. Do it, and see if they’re hiring on the Tag Restaurant Group page on Sirvo! 

6. Steuben’s Food Service

Ladies and gentlemen…Steuben’s famous Green Chili Cheeseburger: a six ounce beef patty, covered with roasted Anaheim chilies, American cheese on a toasted challah bun. This burger has made it on almost every top ten burger list created and has been recognized by some national media outfits as well. Chef Brandon Biederman and Owner Josh Wolkon have provided this city and state with some of the best comfort food in town for the last ten years. Is it an elevated cuisine? Not necessarily, it’s comfort food done right. With all the buzz around their new location in Arvada, don’t forget about the original Steuben’s located in the uptown neighborhood where it all started. And, if you’re in need of a gig, why not check out the Steuben’s page on Sirvo to see their open jobs!

7. Acorn

One of, if not, the best restaurants in town ran by one of the best chefs in town. Chef Steven Redzikowski is becoming a household name with all of the accolades his two restaurants (OAK on 14th in Boulder) have received. Acorn’s Oak Grilled Double Cheeseburger (only on lunch menu) does not disappoint, harissa aioli, Gruyere a side of tater tots and you might as well add either an egg, fried pickle, avocado, bacon or maybe add all of them! Acorn is the place you bring friends or family who is visiting from out of town or where you take that date you are trying to impress, just so you know. Plus, their staff is great so if you’re ready for something new professionally, see if Acorn is hiring on their Sirvo page.

8. The Royal

A family friendly joint in a family friendly neighborhood (Berkeley). The Royal is where to take the kids to get some burgers and floats on a Saturday afternoon. An excellent staff provides you a timely and entertaining experience that will make you want to return every week. We suggest The Royal Jelly: a beef patty with honey-sweetened Habanero jelly, cream cheese, Bib Lettuce, sliced tomato. The Royal is the sister restaurant to Jelly (one of Cap Hill’s best brunch spots) and has been a wonderful addition to the fast growing Tennyson Street food scene.

9. West End Tavern

Since 1987, the West End Tavern has been serving some of the best BBQ in Boulder. We suggest starting with the Skillet Cornbread with a whipped honey butter and then for our main course we get the Double Double: a bacon double cheeseburger, smoky mayo, lettuce, tomato & onion. Wash it down with a Ron Burgundy: bulletin bourbon, Leopold Bros Tart Cherry Liqueur, bitters and a house-soaked bourbon cherry. The keywords here were honey, butter, cheeseburger, bourbon. You stay classy Denver and see if West End Tavern is hiring on Sirvo.

10. Larkburger

“One of these things ain’t like the other”, no it is not. Denver is one of the originators of the fast casual scene (ever heard of place called Chipotle?) and it would be a disservice to not include that type of concept on this list. Well that and the food at Larkburger is really good. What do we like best? The Tuna Burger: four ounce sushi grade Ahi tuna steak with wasabi ginger sauce, cilantro, marinated Tamari-miso served in a warm brioche bun. Best thing about this type of place, it doesn’t take forever to get your food and it has a sleek design that compete with most. It’s simply a great, local gourmet burger.

Clearly there are more than ten burger options to choose from in this great city of ours, but these are the one’s we like a lot. Now it’s time for you to check them out, we promise you won’t be let down!

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5 Colorado Beers We’re Crazy About Drinking This Summer

5 Colorado Beers We’re Crazy About Drinking This Summer

by | Jul 25, 2016 | IndiNews

Looking for something to pair with the excruciating heat of summer? How about a frothy, cold, delicious craft beer? Whether you’re planning a car-camping excursion into the mountains, or an afternoon of day drinking at Wash Park, here are five best beers to enjoy for every occasion, courtesy of Thrillist. 

 

New WaveScreen Shot 2016-07-21 at 3.19.34 PM

Ratio Beerworks
River North
This RiNo brewery has slowly become a widespread Denver favorite, thanks to its consistently solid beers and killer taproom vibes. Back again for another summer release is New Wave, Ratio’s tart, low-ABV Berliner Weisse, and this year, it’s being released in bottles. Brewed with 300lbs of real strawberries per batch, the bright-pink, effervescent beer is “brewed with patio sessions in mind,” according to the brewery. Grab a bomber while you still can.

 

Heavy MelonScreen Shot 2016-07-21 at 3.25.46 PM

New Belgium Brewing Company
Fort Collins
Between its rotating Lips of Faith releases, the Fat Tire 25th Anniversary mixer, and the annual Tour de Fat celebration, our friends over at New Belgium are staying busy this summer. Yet somehow, the brewery still managed to debut a new seasonal beer in Heavy Melon… and it’s a solid summer ale at that. Brewed with melon and lime peel, this crisp, refreshing beer is perfect for patio and summer nights.

 

PriscillaScreen Shot 2016-07-21 at 3.29.29 PM

Oskar Blues Brewing Company
Longmont
Frequenters of the Tasty Weasel Tap Room, Oskar Blues’ tasting room in Longmont, will most likely be familiar with Priscilla. While it’s been on draft for a decade, this summer is the first time it’s being distributed in cans. Pouring a straw yellow with a bright nose, the light, effervescent witbier is a little fruity, a little citrusy, and a little tart. Be careful with this one. Thanks to its wildly drinkable characteristics, one beer can easily turn into three.

 

Alternating CurrantScreen Shot 2016-07-21 at 3.31.22 PM

Little Machine Beer
Jefferson Park
Little Machine has been slinging suds blocks from Mile High Stadium since opening last October. And while Alternating Currant has been on tap since day one, it’s making its official summer debut in 2016. Approachable and refreshing, this sessionable wild ale offers a distinct, fruity currant flavor paired with the perfect amount of bretty, funky goodness. Perfect for puckering on the brewery’s brand-new patio. 

 

Black Project Wild SaisonScreen Shot 2016-07-21 at 3.37.10 PM

Former Future Brewing Company 
Platt Park
The passion project of James Howat, the owner and brewmaster of Former Future Brewing Company, Black Project has racked up awards for their mixed-fermentation beers. Their latest, a draft-only wild yeast saison being released on July 1, features isolated, 100% coolship-caught yeast from Dreamland — the brewery’s golden sour ale. With notes of cloves, pepper, esters, and a hint of bubblegum, this dry finishing, bright saison is a perfect summer sipper. But be warned: The limited, small-batch deal will move quick.

Check out the rest of the best beer selections on Thrillist!

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