Plotkin pushes profits

Cheers, April, 2005

Increasing beverage profits as well as sales is a top concern for many restaurant operators. Robert Plotkin, a beverage consultant, author of 15 books on beverage management and regular Cheers columnist on restaurant operations, offered a number of ideas from his bag of tricks.

Attendees learned new techniques in his workshop, where he urged operators to fill their back bars "with exciting, profit-laden spirits and remove dead stock." Among the ways to boost profits, Plotkin urged attendees to make certain drink consistency is maintained through recipe establishment with all bartenders.

Closely tracking employee productivity and labor costs, and reducing shrinkage through rigorous and regularly monitored systems are also important steps to retaining profits. Finally, Plotkin said the market for adult non-alcoholic beverages, both pre-packaged and house made, is growing rapidly, and operators need to offer "a diverse and dynamic" selection of alcohol-free beverages. "They're loaded with profit and incur no long-term liability."

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