2. Identify key points in the article and extract information from it to pass on to your partner.

3. Let your partner see whether key points identified by you are the same as those covered in the article. Let him agree or disagree with you. Unit 11 hotel bars

Pre-reading

1. order

   control

   cycle

   character

   opportunity

   director

   king

   policy

   business

   period

   tube

   relax

   percent

   favor

   liquor

   risk

   Read and translate the following international words:

sophisticated

automatic

system

calculate

department

operation

premium

alcohol

2. Read and translate the following groups of words derived from a common root:

1) social — socialize — socialism — sociable — society;

2) please — pleasure — pleasurable — pleased — unpleased — dis­pleased — displeasure;

3) depart — departure — department — departmental;

4) efficient — efficiency — inefficiency — inefficient;

5) invent — inventory — inventive — invention — inventor;

6) measure — measured — measurement — measureless;

7) character — characteristic — characterize — characterless — characterization;

8) manage — manager — managerial — managerial — management — manageable;

9) busy — business — businessman — businesswoman — business-person — businesslike.

Reading

3. Read the text and translate it. While reading try to find answers to these questions:

1. What criteria is bar efficiency measured by?

2. Why are bars an important revenue source for the food and bev­erage departments?

3. What pour cost do food and beverage directors usually expect?

Hotel bars

Hotel bars allow guests to relax while sipping on a cocktail after a hectic day. This opportunity to socialize for business or pleasure is advan­tageous for both guests and the hotel. Because the profit percentage on all beverages is higher than on food items, bars are an important revenue source for the food and beverage departments. The cycle of beverages from ordering, receiving, storing, issuing, bar stocking, serving, and guest billing is complex, but, unlike restaurant meals, a beverage can be held over if not sold. An example of a world-famous hotel bar is The King Cole Bar in the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. This bar has been a favored New York «watering hole» of the rich and famous for many years. The talking point of the bar is a painted mural of Old King Cole, the nursery rhyme character.

Bar efficiency is measured by the pour/cost percentage. Pour cost is obtained by dividing the cost of depleted inventory by sales over a period of time. The more frequently the pour cost is calculated, the greater the control over the bar.

Food and beverage directors expect a pour cost of between 16 and 24 percent. Generally, operations with lower pour costs have more sophisti­cated control systems and a higher-volume catering operation. An exam­ple of this would be an automatic system that dispenses the exact amount of beverage requested via a pouring gun, which is fed by a tube from a beverage store. These systems are expensive, but they save money for vol­ume operations by being less prone to pilferage, overpouring, or other tricks of the trade. Their greatest savings comes in the form of reduced labor costs; fewer bartenders are needed to make the same amount of drinks. However, the barperson may still hand pour premium brands for show.

Hotel bars are susceptible to the same problems as other bars. The director of food and beverage must set strict policy and procedure guide­lines and see to it that they are followed. In today's litigious society, the onus is on the operator to install and ensure responsible alcohol service. If a guest becomes intoxicated; and is involved in an accident, the server of the beverage, the barperson, and the manager may all be liable.

Another risk bars encounter is pilferage. Employees have been known to steal or tamper with liquor; they could, for example, dilute it with wa­ter or colored liquids, sell the additional liquor, and pocket the money. There are several other ways to defraud a bar. One of the better-known ways is to overcharge guests for beverages. Another is to underpour, which gives guests less for their money. Some bartenders overpour meas­ures in order to receive larger tips. The best way to prevent these occur­rences is to have a good control system, which should include shoppers — people who are paid to use the bar like regular guests, except they are closely watching the operation [1, 175—176].