Restaurants & Whiskey

[ramblinman]

Few weeks ago went to a sports bar to kill time watching some soccer game before a buddies nuptials, ordered a George Dickel Rye neat since I saw they had an opened bottle and I hadn't tried yet. Didn't know what neat was, didn't know what to charge me for it cause supposably no one had ever ordered before (despite a third of the bottle being gone, I guess the staff had some fun with it), 10 minutes later the manager is asking me "whats it worth to you?"

The whole we've got a great selection just ask seems to translate to Makers, Jack, some Canadian swill and 80 flavors of vodka from cotton candy to stripper undies.

Edited August 6, 2013 by ramblinman

[MJB]

I much prefer the food and atmosphere at Bones but the Bourbon selection is terrible.

[Phil T]

I have found, for the most part, only the nicer bars/restaurants know what "neat" is. Any place else, for the most part, know "straight up" or "up". Which makes no sense to me, because they are surely not the same thing as "neat"

Edited August 6, 2013 by Phil T

[kcgumbohead]

Bypass Bones (poor attempt at inside joke going on here). The GBS steak house of choice (with the 4R) is located at 70 W. Paces Ferry.

Sheese, youse guys, rough waters sometimes for a newbie I am certain its funny, just too new to get it but thanks for the "correction". carry on lads.

[AnotherCigarGuy]

I made my first attempt at getting something at a Tampa cigar bar last week. They had "1789", which I hadn't tried.

Asked how much and was told $12. Had two, neat. $24. Looked it up on the internet and the bottle is $24, retail.

Quite disappointed at THAT markup. Is that ordinary? Thinking that my two sucked up, what, 1/10 of the bottle?

[squire]

That's the price you pay for the pleasure of their company.

[AnotherCigarGuy]

Jeez! I woulda been ok with, say, $8 a pour, thus making back their money, at RETAIL, with 3 pours.

[Restaurant man]

I much prefer the food and atmosphere at Bones but the Bourbon selection is terrible.

6 names now. You just made the list pal

[Restaurant man]

Jeez! I woulda been ok with, say, $8 a pour, thus making back their money, at RETAIL, with 3 pours.

Overall liquor cost in bars and restaurants has to be 20% or so to make money. Sad but true

[AnotherCigarGuy]

Overall liquor cost in bars and restaurants has to be 20% or so to make money. Sad but true

Give or take, how many pours out of a 750ml bottle? Sorry, I'm this anal.......

If it retails at $24, what did they pay for it?

[squire]

Surely they don't pay retail plus taxes.

[AnotherCigarGuy]

Surely they don't pay retail plus taxes.

Surely. At least, I hope! That's why I wondered what the cost would be to them so I could do the math

and see if it falls within that 20% the RMan said. That plus the average number of pours

per bottle, of course.

[justataste]

Well, the little 50 ml sample bottles we buy for tasting purposes are a healthy pour. So, there would be 15 of those in a 750 ml bottle.

[AnotherCigarGuy]

Well, the little 50 ml sample bottles we buy for tasting purposes are a healthy pour. So, there would be 15 of those in a 750 ml bottle.

So, 15 pours x $12 =$180

20% cost would be $36. And RETAIL is $24, so their cost would be less then that.

IF their cost is $18 on that $24 retail bottle and IF they are getting 15 pours, they

are making 90% on it, not 80% as suggested. Cost of 10%, not 20%.

[AnotherCigarGuy]

Sorry for hi-jack. Thanks though!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming......

[hn4bourbon]

i understand the markup and the need to markup. Hence, I usually only pay for drinks (neat) that I couldn't find/get or really really dying for one of those at the restaurant. I just can't make sense of paying for a couple of pours when I can have 15 at home for the same price. Now cocktails and wine are a different story altogether.

I once knew a restaurant manager who was in charge of starting up new restaurants in different cities for his boss (restaurant owner). He once told me (not sure how true this is) that with the restaurants that are allowed to sell alcoholic beverages, they are able to recoup the initial investments in just 2-3 years whereas it's about 7-9 years to recoup the initial investments on the ones that are not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages. I'm sure there are plenty of individuals on here that has a better understanding of all of that but thought I would share it anyways.

[dohidied]

I once knew a restaurant manager who was in charge of starting up new restaurants in different cities for his boss (restaurant owner). He once told me (not sure how true this is) that with the restaurants that are allowed to sell alcoholic beverages, they are able to recoup the initial investments in just 2-3 years whereas it's about 7-9 years to recoup the initial investments on the ones that are not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages. I'm sure there are plenty of individuals on here that has a better understanding of all of that but thought I would share it anyways.

[squire]

I figure they charge as much as they can get.

[kcgumbohead]

All the more reason for lists with pricing, then we can look at the selection and decide what we might go for. I see pricing that's all over the map and some of it is just head scratching. Some pours are well more than I might expect then a couple items down there is something that is at or around very reasonable to cheap, down the street the numbers flip and the whole list is in a totally different price to performance order. In most places I usually find something that I enjoy but providing a list makes the process infinitely easier. I also like to structure a progression which I can only plan when I know what is on hand and what it might set me back.

That doesn't solve the puzzle of "neat" or whatever crack dream the guy serving bourbon in martini glasses was having, perhaps travelling with a Glecarin for occasions like that is the ticket.

[WhiskyRI]

Most places have snifters just in case someone orders a cognac. If they are baffled by my request of port glass or a small white wine glass, I just ask for it in a snifter. Which has the added bonus of they usually overpour because they aren't used to free pouring a shot into a snifter glass. One place I go to with work colleagues pours a solid 3+oz of Oban 14 or Lagavulin 16 (their bourbons aren't interesting) for about $10 if I ask for it in a snifter. At that price and quantity one drink is all I need before catching the train home.

[grantsi]

Was out with an old friend last night. After dinner we went to a small bar in Chicago that this morning proved to be a mistake. We started with pappy 15 for $18 a pour, then Hirsch 21 for too much and finally AE Rye for $14 a pour. I gave them my card, added a 20% tip and came home happy to have shared drinks with an old friend. This morning I see they double charged the AE ($56 for 2 instead of $28) and had a mandatory 18% tip added. So basically, through no fault other than my own, I double tipped and double paid. Damn.

[Restaurant man]

Was out with an old friend last night. After dinner we went to a small bar in Chicago that this morning proved to be a mistake. We started with pappy 15 for $18 a pour, then Hirsch 21 for too much and finally AE Rye for $14 a pour. I gave them my card, added a 20% tip and came home happy to have shared drinks with an old friend. This morning I see they double charged the AE ($56 for 2 instead of $28) and had a mandatory 18% tip added. So basically, through no fault other than my own, I double tipped and double paid. Damn.

Call em and explain. If they don't correct it, don't go back and hit em on yelp. They will learn their lesson.

[Restaurant man]

So, 15 pours x $12 =$180

20% cost would be $36. And RETAIL is $24, so their cost would be less then that.

IF their cost is $18 on that $24 retail bottle and IF they are getting 15 pours, they

are making 90% on it, not 80% as suggested. Cost of 10%, not 20%.

You may be 100% correct. There are 16 one and a half oz pours (standard for mixed drink) and 12 two ounce pours in a 750 ml. What a restaurant pays depends in the item. I pay more for most of my liquor products than the stores charge. Not on all but most. Four roses single is 37.99 at my local store. My restaurants price $39.60.

[MJB]

I'm shocked they are pouring Pappy 15 for $18 dollars. Seems like a bargain to me considering what people have offered me for a bottle...

[Kalessin]

Why would a bar carry a significant number of whiskies and yet provide no way for you know what they are (it was too dark to see what was behind the bar).

This must be how they keep costs down while still being able to say they have 30 whiskies behind the bar. No need to replace the good stuff if it never gets ordered!

I wonder how they'd react if a patron pulled out a flashlight so they could see the whiskey brands behind the bar... :cool: