Bar Integrity Last Night

So last night was interesting. Sat at the bar right by the POS system. The bartender was very sociable, engaged with customers for almost 30 minutes talking about various topics. Nothing out of the ordinary.......until, Miss Bartender opened up the cash money drawer right around midnight, took her tip bucket started to count money from both the drawer and the tip bucket. As she was counting money, I noticed her look over her shoulder twice, as it appeared to make sure the coast was clear. Then, she started to shove money down her pockets!

Closed the drawer. Put the tip bucket next to the drawer.

Then she left the bar for 10 minutes while she encountered which seemed like a dear friend who walked into the restaurant (It was a restaurant with a bar inside). The she totally disappeared for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, there were empty drink glasses on the bar, people left. And there's still 2 hours left of business to do...........

I almost crapped my pants, seriously. Totally remarkable. Totally unbelievable.

If you have any good tips on what to find during a bar shop, please share! Obviously what I saw was more than just suspicious, it was probably criminal too!

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Years ago, I had that happen...the bartender took cash and put it in her pocket. Had her name, reported it in report, but didn't hear anything back. I returned and she wasn't working, don't know outcome. I heard if owner wants to take her to court, we could be called for a witness.....never happened thank goodness.

Edited to say, all bars now have camera's. I'm shocked it hasn't happened more to me, I live in a town with two colleges, but mature bartenders (so far). My friend is a bartender at the Hyatt, and I hear many stories, but not about stealing.

Live consciously....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2016 06:29PM by Irene_L.A..

I did a bar integrity shop at a local college bar downtown. The bartenders were giving drinks to their friends and doing shots with patrons, including the bar manager! No one was checking IDs of patrons who appeared to be in their late teens or early 20s, either. One young female bartender was so drunk she could hardly walk, and then she left the bar to go sing karoake on stage (it was awful). I didn't see anything getting marked down or rung into the register. The bar owners couldn't figure out why they were losing money. The staff was drinking and giving away all the liquor. I went back a few months later (not on a shop) and some of the same bartenders were still working there. Go figure.

Yeah, that's what I am afraid of. Being dragged into the who legal process and having to go through all the drama. I've actually had to testify in court as an expert witness once.... (Something unrelated to Mystery Shopping)... and that sucked. The guy was chained up and shackled and everything really good.... scary dude..

Anyways... uh, as for Miss Bartender... When she completely disappeared for 5-10 minutes.... who knows that she was doing. I don't even want to know!

I have had that happen on many occasions with valet parking attendants. But, I got video, so no doubts about it.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2016 06:08PM by walesmaven.

On many occasions I have reported what I see with no explanation or accusation. Tip jars do get cashed in for larger denominations legitimately and depending on the policy of the establishment may be shared or the property of the bartender or server. So I would not use the word 'stuffed', though I probably would mention several glances over the shoulder and counting the drawer at the same time as the tip jar. Leaving the bar and greeting a friend and being away from the bar and out of sight for X minutes while empty glasses accumulated would be an observation. Very likely the bar has video cameras they can consult and do any accusations or disciplinary action themselves without me.

Most bar integrity shops I have performed ask if the bartender cashed in their tips from the register and was a manager present at this time. Most of the time the bartenders have NOT done this without the manager present, so in the particular places I was shopping it would appear that this was one of their policies. Like Flash said, it may be legitimate at some establishments for them to do this on their own (the bartender might even be the bar manager at some places).

I do bar integrity shops every month and sadly, dishonesty sometimes happens, but discovering it is what they pay us for.

Flash is totally on point, as usual. There are things that are kind of fishy here, but no hardcore violations. I've done plenty of bar integrity and had similar things happen--just report exactly what you saw, without conjecture. The establishment will take a closer look with their cameras and audit the drawer, and determine what happened.

"The future ain't what it used to be." --Yogi Berra

@Irene_L.A. wrote:

I heard if owner wants to take her to court, we could be called for a witness.....never happened thank goodness.

Fortunately I have never had to go to court, and I have done hundreds of bar/nightclub audits. I assume that the companies have been satisfied to just terminate the employee, cut their losses, and move on rather than spend time and money in court prosecuting a bartender who probably has enough money (from outrageous tips and possibly stealing) to retain a very good attorney representation who can drag the case out.

MysteriousLurker, cick the "You have private messages" link at the top of this page.

You should enter your report with complete objectivity and accuracy. Do not assume anything. State only the facts and actions you observed and let the client take it from there. Be prepared to elaborate on anything the report's editor or the client may want clarification on.

Joan Gingras
Senior Project Director~BarStoolie Mystery Shopping

Barstoolie@insideevaluators.com

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Bar Integrity Last Night

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