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Catering management is certainly not the easiest area of expertise. In the dynamic hospitality industry, there's always something new that you have to respond to. Where to start? ! Dave Mulder has years of experience as a bar manager and shares four management tips.

#1: Transfer responsibilities to your team

It is very tempting to do everything yourself and always be present on the floor, because then you can at least be sure that everything is going well. Don't do this. Give confidence to your staff and share tasks. This creates space to work on your company, not in your company. The staff also feels much more involved with the company.

Dave worked as a bar manager at a high-end volume bar, where the working pressure was high. He actually always wanted to cooperate. But in order to get a helicopter view and keep an overview, it was necessary to transfer responsibilities. This gave him a more controlling function.

How are you going to deal with this?

• Assign specific tasks to staff members, assistant managers or supervisors. Also discuss in advance who will take over these tasks when someone goes on holiday or is absent. 
• Think in terms of categories, such as "beer"; maintenance and hygiene of the draught beer, removal of the beer leaf, range of draught beer, beer per bottle, cold room, hygiene of the draught, training of the staff, beer prices, purchasing, sales, etc.
• Make a checklist to transfer work, in case the person in charge is not present. Such a template checklist always works better than things by heart - especially when it comes to tasks early in the morning or late in the evening. Staff can then tick this list, sign it and pass it on to the next shift.

#2: Work with rewards

One of the most important secrets behind corporate success: rewards. For example, reward your staff if they reach certain targets. Think of turnover related rewards. Is this year's turnover better than last year's? Then give a bonus at the end of the year. For example, the staff is involved in increasing the turnover.

Another powerful form of reward is training combined with performance. Think of a wine or spirit training that ends with a special of the week. The staff member who sells the most bottles or shots of this special that week or month will receive a price - for example a nice bottle of liquor or a box of wine. In this way, you actively let your staff upsell and create healthy competition.

#3: Make use of order lists

By ordering lists, you don't have to intervene in your busy times and you don't buy in too much. An order list shows the minimum and maximum quantity of each product in your stock. Why would you do this? If you order directly from the supplier's website, you may sometimes forget things. It is also not possible to enter a minimum and maximum stock in such an online list. That's why you're going to order with the loose wrist and that's what we want to prevent. And yes, it takes some time to make such a list. But in the end it makes the ordering process much more efficient and clear. Let's look at two examples: a soft drinks order list and a drinks order list.

Example 1: Soft drink order list

Put on top all the important information you need when ordering. So you have all the information you need to order, check an order and to follow up if something is not right when receiving the order:

• Order date 
• Delivery date  
• Supplier phone number 
• Supplier email address 
• Login data 
• Phone number account manager company 
• Own customer number
• Order Days

Example 2: Spirits order list

For an order list for spirits, these are more expensive products and you could take some preventive measures to ensure that there is not an accidental over-ordering. On the picture above you can see the second product that the Del Mague Papalome has a black marked block under 'How much to order'. This was done on purpose, because none of the staff will be able to order it by mistake. There are still 12 bottles in stock while the max is 2 bottles. This may be because there were bottles sponsored or because there was an offer. It is then up to the manager to update this list and remove all old forms, so that your staff works with the correct order list.

#4: Have regular interviews with the staff

Communication is key in the hospitality industry. Have regular meetings with the staff, both individually and with a team. We recommend three types of meetings: management meetings, individual meetings and annual brainstorming sessions.

• Management meeting: discuss monthly your turnover per category and your most and least sold items. Why are certain products not sold properly? What improvements or solutions are there for this? Such a meeting is ideal for gathering input for this purpose. The staff will learn to think "out of the box" and you will be amazed at the great ideas that come to the surface.

• Individual conversations: In addition to the appraisal interviews and performance reviews, arrange regular interviews with your staff. Conduct individual interviews with the staff each week. These conversations are personal and service-oriented. Keep this information private. We advise you to do these meetings on Monday or Tuesday, as those days are less busy.

• Annual brainstorming session: plan a brainstorming session with your management team at the beginning of the new year. The theme then is: improvements in the company and new products. In what ways can we work more efficiently? How can the walking route be improved? How can the speed of the service be improved? This way you don't lag behind and the regular guests will also comment that you are constantly improving.

"Stir Creativity", that's the mission of Bombay Sapphire and that was the theme of CANVAS. Last month Bombay filled every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night with creativity and art during the CANVAS pop-up bar. What exactly was the idea behind this blue oasis and what can we learn from it in terms of cocktails?

The idea behind the CANVAS pop-up bar

You say Bombay Sapphire gin, you say blue. That association was emphasized and played with during this event. The Machinegebouw in the Westergasfabriek provided the perfect stage for the second edition of CANVAS. The approach: a creative exhibition of visual art & the art of making cocktails. There was a free registration and the guests were invited to admire the art, taste cocktails and get inspired.

The inspiration

The large space became the stage for artists, with the theme: nature. The inspiration comes from the "Blue Plant" series by David Attenborough. The world-famous blue identity of Bombay Sapphira has been incorporated into a number of concepts. By incorporating the blue ocean theme in the works of art, visitors were reminded of the beauty of our globe.

Surf cocktail

Cocktails played an important role because creativity, self-expression and taste are central here - just like in art. The cocktails came from Julian Buyani, a talented bartender known from Vesper Bar in Amsterdam. With his creations, he immersed you in an underwater adventure. 

Our favorite was the "Surf", a crazy twist on the pina colada. The cocktail consisted of Bombay Sapphire gin, Chartreuse Jaune, Paranubes Aguardiente, Tico's Tepache, Cardamom bitters, coconut and blue spirulina. Tepache is a fermented drink made from the skin of pineapple, sweetened with some piloncillo (a raw form of cane sugar) or with brown sugar and usually seasoned with cinnamon and possibly other herbs. The tepache gives the whole a surprising twist on variant of the pina colada, which normally contains pineapple. Tico's Tepache is a company that specializes in making Tepache, they take the profession of fermentation to a professional level and available for a friendly price. Finally, the blue spirulina, this is a healthy algae. It gives a special flavor and color and is super healthy.

In short: a special event that we certainly look forward to again. The next event will take place in a year's time. Below you will find some pictures as an impression of the atmosphere. Were you there too and/or will you be there (again) next time?