Service Tips

Beverage Underground Pro2Know

KATHY DONNELLY
SHOELESS JOE’S SPORTS CAFE
HOLIDAY INN CROWN PLAZA
BELL TOWER SHOPS

You could never tell by her energy and youthful disposition that Kathy Donnelly has 23 years hospitality and bar experience, but she has. Kathy also has been the smiling face at Shoeless Joe’s for over 15 years and we celebrate her as this months ‘Beverage Underground Pro2Know’. Kathy works both days and evenings and the staff at Shoeless Joe’s are Pros that welcome visitors and cater to the locals and helps make Shoeless Joe’s a great stop before or after dinner or a movie at the Bell Tower.

Hospitality Industry Council Candidate Deb Jordan Visits Beverage Underground Radio

The time has come for the Hospitality Industry to be better represented in local government and next year Lee County voters will have the chance to select someone who knows how important our Industry is to the local economy.

Debbie Jordan,who has served as the president of the Lee/Charlotte chapter of Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, and currently serves on the state board of the FLRA

OFFERING BARBANCOURT RHUM FEATURES MEANS SUPPORT FOR HAITIAN ECONOMY

One of Haiti’s abundant resources is the quality sugarcane that grows in the fields of the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac, and indirectly that sugarcane creates 20,000 jobs in the region. Since 1862, the rhums distilled by the company Societe du Rhum Barbancourt have been a source of great pride and revenue to many families. While the “damage to the distillery was very light,” Jim Nikola senior VP of Crillon Importers, says almost every one of the 250 distillery employees lost their homes in the quake. “They’ve lost everything, and they are doing all they can to support each other”, added Nikola. Everyone knows the sale of Haitian Rhums will help bring awareness and revenue back to the island

Cool Weather Days and Cold Nights Prompt Spirited ‘Hot Toddy’ Options and Wide Back Bar Sales Opportunities

Popularity of Flavored Coffees, Exotic Teas and Vegetable Vodkas Create Endless Hot Elixir Options and Ideas

It’s cold everywhere…and bar sales of coffee, tea and even soup rise naturally as warmth equals comfort. On the homefronts, brandy and rum get poured into nogs and grogs and ciders get spiked with smokey scotches and hearty whiskeys this time of year. The medicinal benefits of the mix of alcohol and hot beverages

New Locally Owned Restaurants Help Southwest Florida Economy ‘Move Forward’ with Great Cuisine Options

Hospitality Business pops in Bonita and Naples and lights up the New Year!

At least 7 restaurants have opened or are getting ready to re-open from Bonita Beach Road to Naples, and while the gloomy outlook of the local newspapers remind us how bad it is, hospitality employees are working, earning and spending to make dining out in Southwest Florida better.
In Naples just north of the Coastland Mall, Master Chef Richard Amador is

‘Skinny Mixes’ Makes Lighter Cocktails A Perfect Resolution

‘Skinny Mixes’ reduce cocktails to just 100 calories each!

The best ideas come from a night out with friends enjoying cocktails, and when Jordan Englehardt and friends were sipping cosmos and margarita’s they decided it was time to make them guiltless. So some 18 months later, ‘Skinny Mixes’ are splashing on to the scene, offering a way to save almost 300 calories a cocktail.

Beverage Underground Hook-Up: Planet Fitness Has Best Price…Best Deal for Hospitality Industry Pros

Hospitality Pros need a gym where they can work out at a place that is priced right all year long. Planet Fitness is the official gym of the Beverage Underground and it’s owner/partner is one of us. Ryan Rodina worked as a bartender and later owned clubs on Florida’s East Coast. It’s the time of year that we are bombarded with money back offers for diets and gadgets, pills and promises to live better,

Goose meets Shark? Consumers Continue to Alter Beverage Buying Habits as Super Premiums Lose Luster

Are recent statistics that competition and sales of Vodka in the $10-20 price point an indicator that perhaps the Goose is ready to ‘jump the shark’?

From Vodka to Varietal Wines, sales are shifting as consumers and retailers are finding quality alternatives to higher profile and higher priced luxury brands. Both new and even some old brands of Vodka are benefiting while those that were associated with the old economy may be taking a bigger hit than expected. One of the hottest brands,is Constellation’s Brands Svedka which is

Tips for Better Service…Service for Better Tips

Johnny ‘Rock’ Creus is a BarMechanic that knows that proper bar service begins with hospitality. Follow Johnny as he travels the BeverageUnderground improving the responsible and educated sales and service of beverage alcohol.

With the slowest off-season I have witnessed…

BarMechanic Johnny Rock Shares ‘The Art of the Handshake’

THE ART OF THE HANDSHAKE

If there is one fact about the bar and hospitality industry that is unwavering is that it is predicated upon building relationships with people. People and repeat clientele are the driving force that puts money in our pockets and our doors perpetually open. No amount of inventory control, product placement, advertising, etc. will have as much impact to your bottom line as your staff and how they interact with your guest.