Pizza Today - July 2018 - 32

Spirits Program Manager and
head mixologist Shawn Findley
shares what Tutta Bella is looking for in a bartender.
"Besides charisma and charm,
bartenders need to be passionate
and knowledgeable about spirits,"
Findley says. "Details such as
aging, geographic influences,
mixing and proper serving all
play a role. Customers, especially
today, are very particular about
the way their liquor is served to
them, whether it be an ice cold
beer, a perfect Manhattan or
a neat 23-year-old Pappy Van
Winkle."
S HAW N
Knowledge and character
are key with such an extensive
craft beverage list. "Experience
is important, but more important is a
positive attitude and commitment to
constant improvement and learning,"
Findley says.
With a number of bar positions,
finding the right candidates makes all
the difference at Tutta Bella. "It is more
about how the candidate behaves than
how they answer a question," Findley says. "A successful candidate must
demonstrate the basic skills, as well as
the ability to multi-task and be nimble
and agile enough to customize a drink
on the spot. Of course, it is also important to have a deep knowledge of spirits,
especially Italian amaros, apertifs and
digestives because of the emphasis Tutta
Bella places on providing an authentic
experience."
DES MOINES, IOWA-BASED FONG'S PIZZA
IS AN ASIAN-INFLUENCED PIZZERIA WITH A
FUNKY TIKI BAR THAT HAS RECENTLY ADDED
TWO LOCATIONS IN ANKENY AND CEDAR
RAPIDS, IOWA. Its cool factor requires a

unique personality behind its bars. Managing Partner Gwen Page shares what
Fong's is looking for.
"I believe personality and work ethic
are crucial; then experience, knowledge
and willingness to learn come next," she
says. "We have a unique bar program,
some drinks with nearly 10 pours, so
patience is a plus, too."
When Page evaluates bartender candidates, she says: "Experience is

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F I ND L EY, T U T TA B E L L A SPI R I T S PRO G R AM M AN AG E R

important, and definitely helps; but,
I don't weigh it too heavily because if
I have someone who works hard and
wants to learn, I welcome the opportunity to train them. Experience plays
a role when you find someone who is
used to working in a fast paced and high
volume establishment. Having their
experience and ability to keep their cool
in stressful situations is a major plus."
The most telling questions Page asks
bar candidates revolve around who
the applicant is. "A snapshot into their
personality and background gives you
a preview of how they'll interact with
your guests," she says. "I also like asking
what they enjoy and dislike about working in the industry, along with asking
them about their favorite style of beer or
cocktail."
Having a beloved tiki drink program
has its benefits for Fong's. "We've been
fortunate to always have good word of
mouth for new bar candidates; or having
strong servers who want to expand their
skill set," Page says. "We always try to
promote from within our company first."
OLD SCRATCH PIZZA IN DAYTON, OHIO, IS
A NEIGHBORHOOD PIZZERIA WITH CREATIVE
PIZZA AND STARTERS MENUS. Though

Old Scratch offers cocktails, its beer
list is the king of its beverage program.
Co-owner Eric Soller outlines what Old
Scratch needs from his bar staff.
"In our model, which is counter-service plus a full-service bar, the bartender

is the highest-touch employee we
have," Soller says. "Like all of our
staff, we hire for 'nice'. You can
train almost everything else, but
you can't train 'nice'. Attentiveness,
graciousness and having a natural
hospitality mindset are the most
important skills or attributes."
Soller is looking for more than
a candidate with bar experience.
"Although we have a limited craft
cocktail menu, our bar has a heavy
beer focus. So, beer knowledge
is key, although we have trained
several people that are interested
to learn about beer," he says.
Candidates are met with
personality and behavior-focused
questions in Old Scratch interviews. "Some of our favorite interview questions for all crew members are:
'Tell me about something you accomplished in your life that was hard, where
you had to overcome obstacles', which
seems to open up deep stories about
people's lives, and often gives you good
insights into their attitude and perseverance," Soller says. "Another question we
always ask is to give us some examples
of situations where they felt they delivered exceptional hospitality. Regardless
of what they say, it will give you an idea
of what they think good hospitality is."
Soller looks for talented candidates
everywhere. "We have a unique model,
where in addition to bartenders we also
have 'bar cashiers'," he says. "They operate the walk-up beer counter register
and pour beer. A few of these employees,
who are often recruited through other
employees, or from the local colleges,
have progressed to bartenders. In this
regard, it is nice to have an introductory
position to bartending. We have had
limited success with job postings. Most
of our employees are referred or found
by other employees. One of our current
managers, who started out as a bartender, was recruited while she was driving
Uber giving a ride to our lead bartender.
You never know where you will find a
great employee." n
DENISE GREER is

Today.

associate editor at Pizza

http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - July 2018

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