Bar, nightclub and restaurant operators, managers, bartenders and other staff members have a lot to keep tabs on. From every day operations tasks to new product releases to spirit, beer, wine, cocktail and food trends, keeping on top of bar and nightlife news each week can be a project in and of itself.
That’s where we come in. To make things that much easier for you we’ve put together a detailed rundown of what happened this week that you should know. You need to know what international products are finally being distributed throughout America, what innovations are being made in glassware and bar and kitchen products, what and when music streaming services are featuring a new album, and so much more. In life, knowledge is power. In this business, knowledge is dollars.
This is how you respond to a negative online review.
Online reviews are one of the costs of doing business. Getting a great review accompanied by 4 or 5 stars is a wonderful feeling. Reading a terrible review tests patience and an operator’s ability to not do further damage by replying with a furious knee-jerk reaction. The Sand Dollar in Las Vegas, a live music and cocktail venue and staple of the Vegas bar scene since 1976, received quite a vicious online review recently. You can view the Instagram post The Sand Dollar posted addressing the review, but be warned that it’s not at all censored.
As the story goes, a customer came into the bar and expected free drinks since they work on The Strip. You may have already guessed that the bar didn’t deliver on that expectation. According to The Sand Dollar, the customer was abusive to staff from the moment he approached the bar, was given a bottle of water, and told to leave. This led to something we’ve seen all too often: a homophobic or otherwise offensive rant on Facebook…which resulted in the poster’s termination by their employer. Does anything good ever come of drunk-posting to social media? And will people ever learn that the answer to that question is no?
The bar’s response is perfect. First, they pointed out that it’s a person’s prerogative to post a negative review of their bar – they’re adults and they can handle it. However, The Sand Dollar takes issue with anyone using homophobic epithets in an attempt to insult their staff or customers because, as they stated on Instagram, why would “accusing us of being a gay bar…be an insult”? Second, there will be a fundraiser for The Center hosted by The Sand Dollar to support the LGBTQ community. The Center is “a community-based organization [that] supports and promotes activities directed at furthering the well-being, positive image, and human rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, its allies, and low to moderate income residents in Southern Nevada.”
And this how you remain a 200-year-plus icon.
Just two years ago, Hennessy celebrated an amazing milestone: their 250th anniversary. The adventure that the house began two-and-a-half centuries ago tied together two families, the Hennessys and the Filliouxs. This past Monday, the families reached another incredible milestone. On July 3, 2017, it was announced that 7th generation Master Blender Yann Fillioux had officially handed the reins over to his nephew, Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, introducing to the world Hennessy’s 8th Master Blender. Yann has been preparing Renaud for this role for over 15 years, and the 8th Master Distiller is expected to balance Hennessy’s rich tradition and legacy with modern technology without eschewing the quality Hennessy is known for the world over. 250 years, 5 continents, and now the 8th Master Distiller. We welcome Renaud to Maison Hennessy!
A new luxury liquid comes to market.
Attribution/Copyrights: Kimo Sabe Mezcal
Kimo Sabe, the producer that introduced the innovative use of sonic waves to the mezcal production process, has announced the launch of the brand’s luxury line: Colección de las Maravillas. The first expression of Kimo Sabe’s luxury line will be Cinco de Noviembre, a mezcal that took roughly four years to bring to market. The brand searched for a year to find 6 rare agave varieties that could be harvested sustainably and responsibly. The liquid is a result of blending single and double distillations with a third marrying distillation. Cinco de Noviembre is then treated to Kimo Sabe’s aforementioned proprietary sound wave technology. Finally, the luxury mezcal is rested in glass for more than two years. Those attending this year’s Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans will have two opportunities to taste Cinco de Noviembre:
- Taste of Gold: July 20, 10:30AM to 12:30PM inside the Riverview Room at Hotel Monteleone
- Cream of the Crop: July 22, 3:00PM to 5:00PM inside the Royal A & B Rooms at Hotel Monteleone
We’ll see you there!
Want to win a dream vacation just by playing songs?
All summer long TouchTunes users have the chance to participate in the Ultimate Jukebox Bar Crawl. The contest couldn’t be easier to enter:
- Download the TouchTunes app.
- Create a TouchTunes account.
- Check in to a TouchTunes location.
- Select and play a song.
- That’s it.
People can enter every day from now through September 5, 2017. Daily prizes that can be won include a Starbucks gift card, a snow cone maker, a Bluetooth speaker, a signed Imagine Dragons prize pack, and much more. The grand prize is a $5,000 travel voucher, meaning the big winner can plan their ultimate dream vacation. Good luck!