Your eyes are half closing, body is slouched and time couldn’t be going more slowly. It’s only lunchtime and you feel like your day is dragging on. Even if you love your job, everyone has those days where they need a little pick-me-up to get through the day. With the cost of living continually rising, everyone is feeling the pressure – unless you’re rich of course.
Anyone in human resources recognizes the importance of the well being of a company and their employees. If employees aren’t overall happy and healthy, the company won’t be either. Thus why it is important to offer incentives to all your employees. Incentives will motivate them to want to work, and do a good job while they are at it. This explains why big corporations offer competitive salaries, benefits and other encouragements. Creating a competitive hiring environment means attracting the right individuals to do the job.
Other than great salaries and benefits, there are other things to do to keep the positive momentum flowing. While staff socials and holiday parties are common, some offices take it one step further and get more personal with their employees. Having an office happy hour is an example of this that will surely brighten anyone’s day.
According to Stats Canada, in 2014 the median after-tax income of Canadian economic families and persons not in an economic family was about $55,600. This is pretty low considering the average income you need to earn just to afford the average cost of a home. This past September 2016, Workopolis posted an article where they broke down the average income to afford living costs per major city across Canada. After adding these numbers together and getting a median, the average income across Canada required to afford housing costs alone is an approximately $82,666.
After seeing the numbers yourself, you can only imagine why it is so hard to be motivated to work. Canadians aren’t making enough to afford living costs, but they are still coming to work to try. The least you can do as a company is make the best of your employees’ workday. This is why your office needs a happy hour!
Now that you know why, let me help educate you on everything you need to know when hosting your very own.
1. Rent a Mobile Bar
All you really need is a space to do it, a bar and a bartender. It’s that easy, especially with companies like Bartendo who offer these services all under one roof. Renting a bar will allow you to hold your office happy hour in any room you desire. Since the mobile bar can be set-up anywhere, this creates much more options that will only make your life easier.
Decide if you want to buy beverages, or if you want to leave it up to the company. Either way, you will have the resources needed to host your happy hour. Make sure to offer both alcoholic, and non-alcoholic beverages. This ensures everyone gets to enjoy their time, even if they don’t drink. If you decide to leave the supply up to the company, this will only be less of a headache for you! The event staffing company will allow you to pick exactly what you want to serve. You can also explore packages that work best for you. Depending on you and your staff, you can decide if a cash or open bar option works best.
2. Hire a Bartender
Now that we have already established we need a bar, that means we will need a bartender too! While you can just take your staff to the bar, transportation, table space and time are all factors that will influence if your staff will actually show. Bringing the bar and bartender to your workplace, will only make it easier for you to plan and your staff to enjoy.
At Bartendo, our bartenders are selected very carefully to assure our clients get the best possible service. By hiring a bartender, you will have piece of mind knowing your employees are being served appropriately and professionally. Having a bartender also allows for flexibility. They can stay behind the bar, make their rounds or even set up a separate station for cocktails when you first walk in. Regardless, they will be the perfect and necessary addition to any successful office happy hour.
- Do it Frequently
Every year holiday parties, award ceremonies and other staff socials are hosted. But who wants to wait a whole year to have a little bit of fun? This is why you should be hosting a happy hour, and often! With the event staffing companies available, it really takes no time to plan, and it’s convenient for your staff. I would suggest holding your happy hour at least quarterly. This allows sufficient time between work deadlines, and gets your employees pumped.
Better yet, you can set up your office happy hours ahead of time! With Bartendo, we can work out a plan and schedule that will allow you to be prepared, and able to concentrate on other tasks in the meantime. When the dates are chosen, make a posting so your employees get more than enough notice to complete projects, and look forward to their happy hour!
The happier we are, the more productive we are. That is a human fact and many companies nowadays are missing this important piece of knowledge. The office happy hour is only one of many ways you can motivate your employees. We suggest this because with Bartendo, it is easy to do and affordable – especially compared to the cost of other work outings.
Your office needs a happy hour because creating an adventure in your workplace will only lead to healthier and more productive individuals. Your company will surely grow as you create a positive workplace and promote healthy energy between your coworkers. Contact us today if you have any questions about renting a mobile bar, hiring a bartender or any other event staffing services.
Dining is an activity humans have been doing for centuries. Whether it was the ancient natives getting together to portion their food to survive, the European politicians gathering around to discuss matters, or a couple going on a date, the concept has always remained the same. To dine was to sit down with others and enjoy a meal together – for personal or business use.
Although the act of dining has been around for centuries, the industry has evolved in terms of business, culinary art, cuisine and much more. Going back to the medieval era, eating together was a tradition and it was normal for it to be done in a ‘Grand Hall’ with a large gathering. As decades passed, mealtime slowly became more of a private gathering and a new industry began to take form. Bakers and butchers are only two examples of food craftsmanship to arise in the medieval time. This transition opened up a new avenue to dining. Cooking in bulk went through many systematic changes, plates eventually downsized and food experts were able to create more delicate and personalized meals.
When eating at home, you can cook what you want, when you want and how you want – but this involves cooking and cleaning by yourself. Although many people arguably enjoy having dinners at home, there is nothing more special than a night out where you can thoroughly relax by getting served, and digest peacefully as someone else cleans up. Where we once had two options, eat in or eat out, we now have a variety of restaurants and eateries to choose from.
As the economy changed and grew, so did the foodservice industry. As this industry continues to evolve, so do the consumer options! Now in the 21st century, we aren’t just choosing between dining room or bar service – we can choose to order in, go to a restaurant, a banquet hall or even hire a bartender, server, or cook for our personal dinner parties.
No matter where you decide to eat, there are two distinguishable ways to be served – fine or casually. Typically, dress codes for staff and guests, table settings, table cloths and napkins, and proper table setting etiquette, is the big factors that differentiate a fine dining experience over a casual one.
However, it’s the good service that truly sets them apart. Whether it is fast food, or an upscale restaurant, the way your guests are served is what determines what kind of experience they are receiving. Here are four things you can do to ensure you give your guests the fine dining difference.
1. Know Your Menu
I am strong believer that every server should know what’s on his or her menu. Memorizing the items will help you serve guests more efficiently. When you are memorizing, pay attention to the plates that have important components such as added cheese, veggie-only dishes, and gluten-free dishes. When a guest asks your opinion about a dish, they are usually basing it on their food limitations or preferences. Since everyone is different, knowing your food will enable you to give your guests options without needing to consult the chef. In doing so, you are not only saving time, but also impressing your guests with your fine knowledge.
To work in a fine dining environment, you must be attentive and absorb information easily. Being attentive involves fully listening, checking up on the table frequently, and most importantly, double-checking your orders. If you don’t need a note pad, by all means go ahead! Just make sure you can memorize your orders without flaw. This is a skill that takes practice and isn’t for everyone. Writing down your order will always be the safest option, but as you grow, don’t hesitate to test your limits – as long as it’s not at the guests’ expense!
2. Use your Manners
This seems like a given, but surprisingly, many servers let it slip under pressure. As a server or bartender, you must be polite and must smile at all times. Your guests don’t have much time to get to know you, so your best bet is to be as personable as possible. A simple smile already opens the door for comfort, and your politeness will seal the deal as you start their dining experience.
Throughout the meal, you want to be professional. Start with your stance. Hold your head high, straighten your spine and slightly push your shoulders back. Speak with confidence as you introduce yourself and offer drinks. Still keeping in mind to be personable, avoid small talk. If your guest initiates conversation with you, than feel free to answer questions. However, don’t go out of your way to start a conversation with them or to continue it. Most people want to have an intimate experience when out for dinner, and not have the server taking over their conversation. You also have other tables to focus on too; don’t spend too much time in one place!
3. Always Offer
My biggest pet peeve when I am out eating is if I am waiting without a drink for too long. Yes, things get busy, but if you have the proper system in your restaurant, you should never have to leave a table without drinks. The safest way to go about this is to always offer. If you are walking by the table while helping someone else, quickly ask if anyone needs drinks. Never wait for the drink to be finished. You can send the drink order in while you continue your other tasks.
Forecasting issues will allow you to avoid problems throughout the night. After greeting your guests, offer drinks. If they didn’t order water, go out of your way to offer it. Not only will they be grateful, but also won’t be as thirsty either! Having more than enough drinks on the table gives you some slack to work with when prioritizing your tables’ needs. When you have a second, go around the tables with a pitcher of water and offer to fill everyone’s water glass. If you’re busy, utilize your busser to help you execute this plan.
4. Never Rush
When you’re in a fine dining restaurant, you definitely notice the difference in the quality of the food and the service. When working at a chain restaurant, it’s about getting as many tables in and out in a night. However, people tend to choose fine dining atmospheres when they want to relax, and enjoy the night without a time limit. So make sure you give them that. Even if you have a million things running through your mind, don’t show it to your guests. Execute their serving experience in a composed and timely fashion.
You can exemplify your dedication to your guests not just through mannerisms, but through direct actions as well. Lets take serving a bottle of wine as an example. Bring the wine to your guests with a napkin hanging off your arm, holding the bottle from the bottom and ensuring the label is facing towards your table. Bring it over and present the wine to the person who ordered it to clarify this was the correct bottle. Once confirmed, delicately open your bottle but never put the wine on the table when you are doing this. Pour your guests a splash to taste, wait for their feedback and continue pouring the rest of the glasses. Your napkin can be used to wipe off any drips, and then place the wine in the middle of the table. When serving food, vocalize the dish you are about to put down to keep the dining experience an interactive one.
A reoccurring theme is the idea that a guest can take their time to receive full service, and enjoy their meal as much as possible. Always wait until appetizers
are done and cleared before serving the main course, unless requested otherwise. The last thing to remember when giving your guests the fine dining difference is to never bring the bill until they ask.
Mistake prevention is a key component to delivering great service. Of course, we all make mistakes, but if you follow these four steps, you are less prone to making mistakes, and if you do, customers will not be as upset because they can see all the hard work you have put in.
Bartendo offers the most professional bartenders and servers for hire in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. Hire a bartender for an event, or rent a server for your private or corporate needs. We will surely give your guests the fine dining experience they crave!
The critters are crawling, leaves are crunching under our feet and the air just keeps getting cooler. As we roll towards the end of October, goose bumps crawl up our skin and our cold breathe can be seen as the vapors escape from our mouths. With Thanksgiving in the past, we all now have one thing in mind – Halloween.
Pumpkins are getting carved, and ghosts are appearing in our neighbourhood trees. We seem to be driving past more graveyards, than lawns, and seeing more monsters than scarecrows. But who’s complaining? Not me! This is a holiday we can all enjoy. The kids go trick-or-treating, parents are escorting them safely, grandparents are handing out candy, and all the other adults and teens are busy planning to party!
Finding a costume isn’t necessarily the hardest thing about Halloween. The costume list may be getting bigger, but Halloween-themed party ideas are starting to get harder to come-up with, especially at an affordable rate. If you are hosting your own Halloween bash this year, than you know exactly what I am talking about. No one wants to cheap out when throwing a party, especially when it’s as exciting as Halloween. While your guests will make the party, you need to make sure to have just the right set-up that will entertain your guests all night long.
Luckily, you came to the right place! We have all the tips you need to know in order to throw an awesome Halloween Party.
1) Venue
The first thing you need to keep in mind is the venue. Are you holding it at your house? A hall? A restaurant? Whichever you decide, you need to keep in mind these three things: space, resources and music. Space is obviously number one because nobody wants an overcrowded party. Make sure you pick the right spot that will have sufficient space for all your guests. Ensure to have enough room for people to dance, sit, and mingle around tables.
Resources are your next factor to keep in mind. Do you have enough plates, cups, serving trays, and garbage bins? These are all things to figure out prior to the night of your party. You would rather stock too much than be short come the big night. Another thing to keep in mind is having the necessary resources to execute your party plans. Are your guests helping themselves? Are you serving the drinks? If not, who is? You want to be able to enjoy the night too, especially after all the hard work. Hiring a bartender or server from an event staffing company can be considered or you can ask a friend to make the drinks so that you can relax and enjoy the party! Along with this, you can rent a customized halloween themed mobile bar that can make your party stand out from the others and make it one that is talked about for weeks. There are many ways a mobile bar can benefit your event!
Music is the last thing to keep in mind. Do you have loud enough speakers? Do you have enough music? Where are you playing your music? Hiring a DJ is definitely the safest option and most venues already have a sound system in place. If you are hosting it at your house however, this may be a bit more challenging. Luckily, you can rent speakers just as easily as you can rent a bartender. Prepare some playlists on your iPod, this way you can easily select what type of music to play without the hassle.
2) Decorations
This is the part that is going to make the biggest impression on your guests. Decorations are never shortcoming, so the key here is to have the perfect balance of scare. When deciding which decorations to get, stick to a theme. If you choose orange and black tablecloths, keep the theme running with your plates and condiments. Don’t try to mix too many Halloween colours in one setting.
Be as creative as you want when picking your décor, the more creative you are, the better it will be. Thankfully, there are not many limitations when deciding exactly which decorations to get. Cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and spiders are all generic options that you can spread uniquely across the room. If you’re doing it in your house, drape your chairs with sheets to easily make that room look spookier. Buying some bloody tablecloths is also a fast way to spook up your surroundings.
As soon as you lay the coffins, prop the skeletons, and spread the spiders, you will get a better idea of what you’re missing. I find the most important part about your decorations is the little things. Make sure your tables have enough going on to please the eye. Black and white straws, black candles and furry insects are a few small details you can add that will really make a difference.
Throw some eyeballs in the punch, make some broomstick cocktail stirrers and create your own Halloween-themed cups. These DIY ideas will not only be fun, but they will stand out too! Let’s take mummy candles as an example. Using any glass candle, wrap the outside with gauze and just glue a pair of eyes on it. Just like that we have a cute mummy decoration.
3) Food and Drinks
Last, but not least, we have the food and drinks that will be offered at the party. The easiest way to feed your guests is keeping it simple. Order a pizza, or get in contact with a catering company that can help you out. This relieves stress off your back, but ensures your guests are well fed. If you can, skip the dinner! Get your guests to eat before they come, and that way you can focus on only offering snacks.
Serve simple items, like popcorn or chips. You can easily throw some M&M’s in there to add a tasty surprise. Pumpkin seeds are another great snack you can serve. Make some edible blood, and drip it on your pumpkin seeds for a bloody treat. Candied apples can also be customizable to represent red poison apples. Keep little signs beside all your concoctions to distinguish to your guests what kind of spooky pleasure they are consuming.
In terms of drinks, you can keep it simple by making the traditional Bloody Mary, or be creative and choose from this list of Halloween recipes:
Witch Tear Punch
15 – 20 servings
Ingredients:
- 25 Oz (one 750-milliliter bottle) Midori melon liqueur
- 1 gallon orange juice
- 12 Oz Sky vodka
- 32 Oz club soda
Directions
Mix all your ingredients together in a large bowl, and add a creepy garnish!
Black Magic Martini
Ingredients
- Maraschino Cherries/li>
- Cola
- 2 Oz Vanilla Vodka
Directions
Pour your alcohol first, add your cola and skew your cherry on a black and white straw, or any other spooky skewer you can come up with!
Blood Orange Cosmo
Ingredients
- 1 Oz orange vodka
- 1 Oz triple sec
- 1/2 Oz blood orange juice
- Fresh lime juice
- Cranberry juice
- A slice of blood orange for garnish
Directions
Mix your vodka and triple sec in a glass first. Next add your blood orange juice, a dash of lime and a splash of cranberry juice. Garnish with a slice of blood orange and don’t hesitate to drop some edible blood on your orange slice!
Wherever you decide to host your Halloween party, feel free to contact us to help make your night a success! Hire a bartender to greet your guests, make and serve your drinks, and keep the party moving.
The weekend has finally come, and you’re pondering on what to do. Maybe it’s even the middle of the week and you just feel like doing something different. Some people prefer to put on a movie; others may visit some friends or be out hitting up the bar. Regardless of how you spend your free time, we all feel the need to do something that will change things up in our hectic lives. We have provided the ultimate guide to the best events to attend before the end of 2016.
Whether you live in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, you’ll find information about the tastiest upcoming events near you. You don’t have to live directly in the city to spice things up. All the locations provided are driving and subway accessible, or have plenty of close proximity hotel options. You can stay overnight or make it just a day trip. The duration of these events are flexible and fairly long, so everyone gets a chance to experience it.
If you appreciate food and wine like we do, than these events will surely be next on your bucket list.
Toronto:
Toronto Food & Wine Expo
Event: Toronto Gourmet Food & Wine Expo
Where: Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building, Toronto
When: November 17-20, 2016
Link: http://www.foodandwineexpo.ca/sitepages/
About:
Toronto brings the tastiest experts together for the 22nd annual Gourmet Food & Wine Expo. This 19+ event is a cocktail party of industry experts. This expo will offer international gourmet cuisine, exotic delicacies, cutting-edge wines and cocktails, craft beers, and many more vendors. Vendors will be providing food, drinks and items for you to try for yourself. There will also be interactive tasting sessions, cooking demonstrations by celebrity guests, and live entertainment.
Whether you work in the industry or just love to indulge, this is the perfect place to pass your time. You have the opportunity to network and learn from media and industry professionals, explore your palette and widen your food and drink passions. This renowned event will let you experience the very best in bartending, serving, cooking and tasting.
The Toronto Chocolate Festival
Event: The Toronto Chocolate Festival
Where: Toronto
When: October 15 – November 6, 2016
Link: http://www.torontochocolateshow.com/
About:
If you’re a chocolate lover, than you surely don’t want to miss this. Take a walk through Toronto and explore the finest chocolates being sold in Canada. Local vendors will be offering delicious samples and great deals to fill your belly and stock your cupboards with the very best of Toronto’s chocolate. Use the “Chocolicious Discovery Passport Coupons” to view the available deals of all participating chocolatiers, pastry shops and restaurants in the GTA.
This city-wide event is celebrating its 11th anniversary this year. Choose from a variety of chocolate related events that are entertaining, educational and fun! Chocolate Afternoon Tea will be held every weekend over the duration of this festival at the Omni King Edward Hotel, located at 37 King Street East. Please call ahead to book a reservation.
The Toronto Luxury Chocolate Show will take place on November 6 from 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM at Roy Thompson Hall. Attend this one-day event to meet other enthusiast, explore vendor options or just participate in the activities. Some events include chocolate eating contests, free chocolate making classes and demonstrations, and even wine and chocolate pairing!
The ChocElite and ChocOlympics are also events included in the show, but may be schedule outside of event hours. Toronto’s finest chefs team up with celebrities to serve a full course dinner infused with chocolate for ChocElite. At the ChocOlympics, you will be entertained by the best chocolate warfare with competitors such as firefighters, police and paramedics.
Montreal:
Montreal Taco Week
Event: Montreal Taco Week
Where: Montreal
When: October 15–22, 2016
Link: http://tacoweek.ca/index_en.html
About:
Montreal offers the freshest options with their annual Taco Week. Taco lovers all around the city come together to share, taste and make their week all about tacos. This event is unique because there is no live entertainment, admission tickets or specific grounds this festival takes place.
Mexican restaurants, bars and bistros participate in the event by following Taco Week’s guidelines. Each restaurant is to design a Taco plate and charge no more than $10.00 for it. Montreal celebrates Mexican cuisine and culture by inviting both restaurant owners and consumers to unite in cheap Taco tasting all week long. Visit their website and download their passport to view participating locations and enter their Taco adventure contests. Between beet tortillas, Mexican beer battered cod, and cheesy quesadillas; you will surely never find a shortage in affordable and mouth-watering Mexican dishes.
Montreal Vegan Festival
Event: Montreal Vegan Festival
Where: Bonsecours Market, Old Montreal
When: November 5 & November 6, 2016
Link: http://festivalveganedemontreal.com/2016en/
About:
You don’t have to be a vegan to indulge in the many offerings to taste at this upcoming festival. For the 3rd year in a row, Montreal hosts this event in order to bring all foodies together. This is an opportunity to discover the healthy way of going vegan and to experiment by tasting and exploring the health, ethical, and environmental aspects of veganism.
This is a free event where people can have access to the expositions, culinary demos and conferences. More than 50 exhibitors will be present showcasing their businesses and products. Photographic presentations, heart-touching stories and educational speeches are only a few of the appearances taking place at this festival. Visit their website to get more information on participating exhibitors and to view the presentation schedule.
Vancouver:
Whisky/Beer/Spirits Hopscotch Festival
Event: Whisky/Beer/Spirits Hopscotch Festival
Where: Vancouver
When: November 21–27, 2016
Link: http://www.hopscotchfestival.com/vancouver/events
About:
Don’t miss the biggest combined Whiskey and Beer festival across all of Canada.
The 21st Annual Hopscotch Festival will be offering Whisky, Premium Beer and Spirits, along with gourmet food all week long. Be prepared to taste some of the best alcoholic liquids around. Not only will you get to sip a variety of flavours, but you have the chance to learn about them too!
The Hopscotch Festival will be offering Master Classes where you get to discover products developed by brand and industry experts in an informative tasting session.
Whisky and beer pairing dinners, brewery tours, and BBQ parties are also a few other events that will happen during this celebration. Visit their website to check out the event schedule and buy your tickets before they sell out!
The main event, Grand Tasting Hall, will be taking place at the Pacific National Exhibition Forum. This main event will run Friday November 25 from 6:00 – 10:00 PM, and Saturday November 26 from 1:30 – 4:30 PM and 6:00 – 10:00 PM. Offering a plethora of alcohol, food and musical entertainment, your ticket will include entrance and your first five tasting tokens. Tasting tokens cost just over a dollar and is the only form of currency during this big event. Check out their website to view the 400 plus exhibitors and products that you could be sampling!
UBC Apple Festival
Event: UBC Apple Festival
Where: UBC Botanical Garden, Vancouver
When: October 15 & 16, 2016
Link: http://botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/events/event/apple-festival-2016/
About:
For the 25th year in a row, this is one of Vancouver’s most anticipated festivals. As BC’s favourite fruit, people will get the chance to learn and taste the varieties of apples available. This event will be free for children 12 years and younger, and only $5 for everyone else! Selling 36,000 pounds of apples and over 50 varieties of apple trees, it’s no wonder they have the best apple display in Canada.
A physical display of nearly 200 apple varieties that are still grown in BC will be showcased at this event. There will be demonstrations of grafting and cider-pressing, educational speeches and Master Gardeners will be available for those seeking to discuss some expert advice. The children’s area will be full of painting, games and stories and the Botanical Garden will also be available for attendees to experience.
With the food, crafts, live entertainment and scarecrow contest, you don’t want to miss it. This family-oriented event will be running from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM on both days, and will surely keep you drooling.
These events are not only directed to food and drink enthusiasts alike, but are also calling on all Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto bartenders or servers. You may even bump into our event staffing team there. Have a chance to explore your horizons and expand your knowledge of the food and hospitality industry. Network, explore and learn all for the benefit of your belly!
Nothing is worse than going out to a party just to be disappointed by the service. Regardless if the event was already going well or not, this bad impression is enough to ruin anyone’s night. This is why customer service should be number one in any company mission statement.
According to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, “A dissatisfied customer will tell 9-15 people about it. And approximately 13% of your dissatisfied customers will tell more than 20 people about their problem.”
That’s a lot of unhappy clients. Whether you work in the bar or food service industry, both positions require a high attention to detail. To avoid bad company reviews, start with your staff. This seems the most apparent, but surprisingly it’s not always that obvious. Most companies are so inclined to deal with the actual issue at hand, rather than fixing the underlying problem to the issue. In most cases, the underlying problem is how your staff directly deal with customers, not necessarily how satisfying your products are.
In order to avoid delivering poor customer service, you must pick your staff wisely. Here are some guidelines to follow next time you hire a bartender.
1. Focus On Personality
This is the time you get to know the person who may potentially be representing your company. If their personality doesn’t suit what you stand for, than this is an automatic sign that it’s not going to work. Also try to look for someone who is friendly, positive and professional. Friendliness does not come easy for everyone, so gravitate towards the candidates that seem the most natural at it.
This goes hand-in-hand with professionalism. You want someone who not only looks professional, but also acts it- especially in tense situations. A firm handshake, solid stare and good mannerisms often indicate that this person is ready for business. You also want an employee that knows how to stay positive. A great way to get your candidates to display these skills is to ask scenario-related questions. The more specific your questions, the more specific the response will be. This will allow you to get a pretty good idea of the personality you are dealing with.
2. Look for Patience
Patience is a virtue – one that every bartender and server should have. This should be a crucial quality to look for when conducting your interviews. Analyze how they engage with you, others, and their new surroundings. For example, see how often they look at the clock. This will allow you to see how polite and attentive they are to the task at hand. If your candidate is already looking at the clock halfway through the interview, imagine how often they will be looking at it when they’re on shift.
Being patient often means having good listening skills. In the serving world, you serve your guests exactly how they want. This is why being attentive and responsive is a mandatory quality in servers and bartenders. It is important to execute exactly what your guests asked for, and in a timely fashion. A great way to test this is to ask simple questions that your candidates should have picked up at the beginning of the interview. For example, try asking questions like ‘do you remember my name’ or ‘have you looked at our website?’ If they say yes, don’t be afraid to test their knowledge.
3. Hire For Ambition
Hiring the most attractive face will only take you so far. You want to find bartenders that are always willing to learn, go the extra mile and able to keep their cool under pressure. Confidence is great, but everyone has room to grow, so picking an eager candidate over an experienced one can often result in long-term success. The same goes for picking someone that seems they would go the extra mile. You want your team to consist of someone who is willing to do whatever it takes, even if it is outside his or her job description.
It is important to note that employees must understand their greatest responsibility – catering to all their customer needs. If this seems to be a grey area for your candidate, then choose someone who is more passionate about the happiness of his or her guests. Scenario-based questions are another great way to pull these attributes to surface. Especially when considering who would work best under pressure. You want to find someone that can keep smiling and handle a complaint as smoothly as possible. Even if the error is on your end, guests will always appreciate composed service.
Everyone has opinions, and as a company, you should be willing to listen. In the event staffing industry, feedback is one of the greatest avenues in finding solutions to improving your services. Not only will customers feel listened to, but they are more likely to come back knowing that even though they had an issue, you were attentive and welcoming to their suggestions. Bartenders and servers will be the first in line for complaints, that’s why you must make sure they are well equipped with the knowledge to handle these situations.
Choosing thick-skinned individuals will allow your company to thrive because they are more likely to take comments constructively as opposed to offensively. The more mature your employees, the more mature your services will be. In that being said, you want to make sure your staff is acting appropriately in all situations. If they aren’t busy serving drinks, you want someone who will take initiative and keep busy, rather than just standing around. If a guest decides to gossip with your staff, you want to trust your employees not to participate negatively in such encounters.
At Bartendo, we strive to hire the best suitable individuals for any occasion. Whether you hire a bartender, server, or take advantage of one of our mobile bar packages, you will surely be satisfied with our customer service experience. Contact us to inquire more about our bar services for your next event staffing needs.
You’ve been waiting for this day since you could remember. You’ve finally found the one. You’ve spent hours picking out the venue, finalizing the guest list, picking the perfect decor.
You’ve worked hard to plan all of the big details, but sometimes it’s the finer details that make your wedding a night to remember for everyone. Here’s how you can add that personal touch and make your day that much more special.
- Custom Wedding Mobile Bar
The practice of having a mobile bar is a relatively new concept in the wedding industry. However, the benefits associated with such bars are invaluable as they add to the experience and deliver elegance and class to the ambience of the event. The bars provide and innovative touch to the occasion and enhance the social experience for all guests. These bars are also perfect for weddings as they can be personalized with custom wedding logos, the couples name’s, a portrait or even hash-tags that inspire a social media buzz.
- Professional Staff
Weddings are a once in a lifetime experience for the couple. It’s a time for the bride and groom to enjoy and celebrate with their friends and family. This can become difficult to manage when you are worried about the event running smoothly. To truly enjoy your night, you can’t be worrying about people serving themselves, or running low on food and alcohol. Having reliable bartenders and servers at your wedding to take care of serving food and drinks will not only leave a good impression on your guests, it will allow you to enjoy your own wedding!
- Signature Drinks
Signature cocktails are a MUST. These drinks will help set the tone for your party. You want your guests to taste something special that they will remember. Our team of highly skilled professional event staff can create drinks that best showcase the unique personalities of the bride and the groom. You’ll leave them wanting more!
To ensure all of these amazing additions are available at your wedding, give Bartendo a call, or visit our website at bartendo.ca to find out more information about our event staffing and our elegant mobile bars.
Bartendo is pleased to be the official bar service for Harry Rosen’s #BOSSWEEK16. BOSS week took place April 2nd-9th at all Harry Rosen stores Canada wide where customers got to see the best selection BOSS has to offer. We teamed up with Harry Rosen to provide customers with the finest shopping experience by welcoming them to the store with the #LIKEABOSS signature cocktail.
We had six teams out across every store in the Greater Toronto Area. This includes 5 stores in Toronto (Yorkdale Mall, Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens, Bloor Street, First Canadian Place) and 1 store in Mississauga (Square One Shopping Centre).
Bartendo was in charge of providing staffing and a mobile bar service at each store. Our professional and extremely friendly team members were responsible for setting up an elegant mobile bar, providing all of the tools and ingredients required for the signature cocktail and serving customers.
Here is a testimonial from Rom Diaz, the Event Specialist at Harry Rosen Inc.
“I have to say all stores had extremely good feedback of the events. The cocktails were an excellent addition to the day and the service and quality of the cocktails were right on par with all of our expectations”
#LIKEABOSS Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients:
1 oz Ungava Gin
1/2 oz Rosso Vermouth
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
Orange Bitters
Simple syrup
Maple syrup
Slice of lemon
Slice of orange
Cherry
Ice
Preparation:
1. Add slice of orange in a rocks glass without the peel and fill with ice
2. Soak orange peel in cherry juice to use as garnish (optional)
3. Add gin, vermouth and fernet
4. Add 3 dashes of orange bitters and a splash of simple syrup and maple syrup
5. Add cherry soaked orange peel
6. Top with a cherry