A Bar Owner's Guide to Perfect Staff Training: The Tell-Show-Do-Review Method

Are your bartenders consistently making drinks the exact same way, or is quality varying depending on who's behind the bar?

Inconsistent service and product quality can damage your bar's reputation and bottom line. Without a proper training system, even your best staff members might struggle to maintain standards.

On today's episode:

• Master a proven four-step training method that ensures consistency
• Learn how to build muscle memory in your staff for flawless execution
• Discover how to implement an ongoing training program that sticks

Listen now to transform your staff into a well-trained, consistent team that delivers excellence every single time.

Learn More:
Email Chris
Schedule a Strategy Session
Bar Business Nation Facebook Group
The Bar Business Podcast Website
Chris' Book 'How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business'

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Transcript

Chris Schneider (00:01.528)
Today on the bar business podcast, discover a proven training method that revolutionizes bar staff development. Learn why most bar training programs fail and how to avoid common pitfalls and master the art of creating muscle memory in your staff for perfect execution.

Chris Schneider (00:20.888)
Today we're diving into my favorite training method, something I've talked about before that I've written about extensively, but something that I think needs to be repeated from time to time. Because this method allows you to have a systematic approach that ensures your staff delivers consistency over time. And I think here we really have to focus on why a systematic approach to your training.

And I'm not talking about how you set up your entire training system. I'm talking about literally today how you train on one thing, whether that's how to make a burger or how to make an espresso martini. How do we train the specifics? And the thing that everyone forgets, or I shouldn't say everyone forgets, but the thing that often gets overlooked.

is if not everyone in your bar is trained to do something the exact same way every time, you're not providing good service to your customers.

inconsistent product quality, inconsistent service standards, inconsistent recipes on how you make a product. All give guests a situation where every time they come in, things are a bit different.

And as I've talked about before, in the hospitality industry, in bars, we want to see about 80 % return guests and 20 % new guests any given day, at any given time. So that 80 % return guests, how do we get them? Well, we have to get a guest to come in three times to become a regular. If they come in once, they're just trying it out. If they come in twice, okay, it was something cool. But once we hit that three times,

Chris Schneider (02:12.526)
Once they've dined with us three times, they are more likely, much more likely to come back in in the future. So we need to have a consistent product that generates that repeat business. Otherwise, we'll never have 80 % of our business being repeat or regular customers. And if you don't have that, unless you're in just a completely tourist spot where there's a thousand new people every day to sell to, if you don't have 80 % regulars,

you're not going to be very successful. So training is how we get the consistency required to actually establish regulars in our business.

And it's important here. This is not about how experienced your staff is. Even experienced staff members can provide inconsistent products and services to your guests if they are not all trained to do things the exact same way every time.

And for the record, anything that you have on your menu, any of your cocktails, whether that's specialty cocktails that you have on a cocktail list or it's just run-of-the-mill cocktails, something like a Long Island, you probably would never put a Long Island on your cocktail list. Personally, I think it's a waste of space because if somebody wants a Long Island, they're going to order it. But does all your staff know how to make a Long Island identically every time?

So here's the method we're going to talk through today. And like I said, I've talked about through this method before because I think it's essential to establish the consistency you need to have repeat guests to actually make money in this business. And that system is tell, show, do, review. So there's four steps. And if you go through these four steps and you actually take the time and effort to train your staff through them, chances are you will have a consistent product.

Chris Schneider (04:17.474)
Now something I do want to mention as a caveat on that before we launch into the four steps. If you don't follow up on your training, people forget things. So just because everybody knew exactly how you make a Long Island in your bar. Two years ago, well, a you probably have new staff since then. B people fall out of how you want to do things and back into old habits sometimes.

So even if you follow this process, even if you get everyone trained to have a wonderfully consistent product, you have to follow up on it.

But like I said, this system will give you the framework and put in place what your team needs from a training perspective to be able to deliver a consistent product. So like I said, it's tell, show, do, review. So we're going to walk through each of these phases pretty quickly here so that you can know them and implement them in your bar. So the first phase we're talking about is tell. And this is essentially I, as the trainer, I'm going to tell you as the trainee,

What the heck is going on? So the first thing I want to do is explain the complete process step by step. And when I say complete process, never assume. Knowledge, so if we're making a cocktail and there's a step that says, OK, measure out an ounce and a quarter in the jigger.

Chris Schneider (05:51.138)
then how do you use a jigger? It's not enough to say pour an ounce and a quarter. If you free pour, explain how you should do your free pour. How do you want your team to count to be consistent on their counts? If you're using jiggers, explain how to use a jigger.

Now, should bartenders know that? Yes. Is it a good reminder at the same time? Yes. Do you maybe have some folks on your team that you hired because they have great customer service skills and lack some bar and restaurant skills? Absolutely. So explain the complete process step by step in detail. Because I see a lot of people that try to do this and then they don't have the detail and they still have an inconsistent product because they haven't defined things like how to use a jigger.

how to count an ounce and a quarter into a shot glass if you're free pour.

Make sure in this process you are covering every single ingredient and measurements, everything that goes into that drink or food item. So for instance, the straw, if the drink has a straw, should be included in this training and process. If we're talking about

French fries and you say, the French fries get served in a basket.

Chris Schneider (07:14.518)
Is there a liner in the basket? What kind of wax paper goes there? Is it the white one or the red and white check one? All of that needs to be included. So every ingredient, every measurement, every single component needs to be in there in detail.

Chris Schneider (07:35.8)
The other thing you should do, especially with your younger team members.

Let's face it, Gen Z millennials are not just going to do something because you said so.

First of all, saying do this because I said so, I think is just kind of a jackass move in general. And it does not help build up your team.

But if you actually want these folks to do things, they need to understand why. So for each and every step, tell them why you're doing it that way. So be as detailed as possible. Go through every single step, but for every step, say why. This is why we do it this way. This is why we do lime wedges and not lime half wheels.

Chris Schneider (08:33.398)
And in doing that, as you go through, you should have set clear expectations for what the final product is and actually go through them. If it's a mojito, should it be one leaf of mint or two leaf of mint or three leaves of mint that are on the top of the glass as your garnish? Set very clear expectations for this is what the final product is. And throughout this whole process of the tel phase,

I would highly encourage that you explain to your team why consistency is important. Explain to them what I just went over at the beginning of this episode. 80 % regulars, otherwise you're not going to do well in business. Consistency is how you build regulars. It takes three visits for someone to become a regular or to have the opportunity to become a regular. And so those three visits need to be consistent. Otherwise...

You as the bar owner make less money and that doesn't really matter your team, but they make less tips. So explain to them how the consistency is not only important to generate that return guest, but how that consistency should directly affect their money that they are taking home. Make it important to them so that they see consistency as important.

as important as you do at it.

Chris Schneider (10:09.528)
So once we go through the tell phase, and again, we're not showing them anything, we're just describing this in words in the tell phase, then we go to the show phase. Well, show, we're going to demonstrate the entire process, start to finish. All the measurements, all the garnishing, exactly how we put a cocktail or a food item together. As part of that, you know, when we're explaining to things to them step by step,

I said, well, explain how to use a jigger. Highlight those critical techniques while you're showing them. If it's a cocktail that is stirred, show the proper way to use a bar spoon to stir a cocktail. Make sure your team sees and understands how to physically do those techniques.

The other thing you want to exemplify and highlight in the show phase is timing and movements.

Now behind the bar, obviously your timing can be a little bit different. You may grab different bottles in a different order and it's not going to affect things as much. But if we think about in the kitchen. If I'm making a burger, at what point that I'm making the burger, should I put the bread on the flat top to toast? Do I do that at the beginning? Is that the first step? Do I do that when I flip the burger over? It's going to depend a little bit on how much you want your

bun toasted, what your timing is, your grill temperature, all of that.

Chris Schneider (11:48.12)
But show the proper timing, especially in the kitchen, so they know not only the steps and the order, but what am I looking for to package this food together properly so that everything's hot and great to serve to the guests? You should also be doing that behind the bar, like I said, but obviously behind the bar, I'm not as worried about food getting cold. Now, what I could be worried about is that that rocks.

drink should probably be made last so that it has minimal dilution when it gets served to the guest. Or maybe cocktails. I don't want them to dilute. I'm going to make this cocktail last. Let your folks know how to properly time and order what they're dealing with. The other thing we want to display in the show phase is correct guest interaction. So however you want your staff to interact with your guests, you need to show them that.

Give them the example. If you want them to, while they're shaking a cocktail, smile and look around the bar, then demonstrate that to them. Whatever you want them to do in the show phase, you should show them exactly what you want it to look like. And not just talk about it. We already talked about it in the tell phase. You need to show the perfect example. And as part of that, you need to model the expected level of professionalism.

Very often in this industry, in the back, in the back of house, in the office, a lot of us can be pretty crude.

And so if while you're showing your team how to make a drink, you start talking about this fucking thing and that fucking thing. Well, do you want them to say this fucking thing and that fucking thing to your guests? If you do great, say it. If you don't, you should not be using those words while you're showing them how to do it properly.

Chris Schneider (13:53.294)
So the show phase needs to be the exact model, the professional model that displays the guest interaction properly, that has the timing and movements they need to accomplish shown properly in the correct order, where you highlight critical techniques and demonstrate the process end to end. Now once you've shown them how to do it, that takes us to the do phase. And essentially the do phase is just your staff repeating back to you

the exact process, interactions, professionalism, and everything you showed them during the show phase. So they watch you do it, now they're going to do it themselves.

frequently where people go wrong in the do phase is that they aren't letting their team go through enough repetitions. So what I mean by that, I and some might say I can be a bit of a dick when it comes to training. But if I showed you exactly what I expect, you're going to sit there and repeat it over and over and over again until it's exactly what I showed you.

Chris Schneider (15:07.138)
Now, part of the reason behind that is, yes, we want absolutely a consistent product.

But the other thing is, the more repetition you have on something, the more muscle memory you build. And when things are muscle memory, A, we don't have to think about it actively in our brain. We just do it. And B, we are, because it's all kind of subconscious, we're not consciously considering it, it's going to be identical every time. So we want to build muscle memory through repetition during the do phase.

The other thing you want to do is provide consistent real-time feedback. So you don't want all of your bartenders to make this cocktail all at the same time. Pick one first and critique that one until they get it absolutely right in front of everyone. And when I say critique, obviously do not attack your team while you're training them. But constructive criticism is what training is all about.

So provide that real feedback. Let everyone else watch one person do it in the do phase and then break into groups of two. They all do it with each other. You can walk around and provide real time feedback to each group that makes up your team. The other thing you want to do, especially during the do phase, but of course throughout, is allow for questions, especially when they're practicing things and doing it.

People are going to have questions, questions they did not think of when you explained it to them and showed it to them. Because as their muscles are moving, as they're trying to replicate what you did, they actually are understanding the process more. So make sure you're allowing time for questions. And then you want to monitor as they're doing, right? Our goal is to get to consistency. But even once you hit consistency, even once everyone has every step down,

Chris Schneider (17:07.128)
Building that muscle memory through repetition is still important. So you may have a few more rounds of making a cocktail or food item or whatever you're training on. You want to monitor for consistency and execution. And so you want to make sure that you're putting out a consistent product. And finally, that takes us to the review phase. Now, the review phase is where essentially you're going to rehash everything you've talked about.

from the top. And you don't have to go into as much detail, but you want to go through the entire process again, step by step. You want to cover all the ingredients and measurements again. You want to discuss the importance of consistency again. You want to highlight the critical techniques again. Essentially, you want to just review it. And why do you review it? Because that's going to help solidify it in people's minds.

You tell them that gets them thinking. You show them now they have an example that they've seen that they can emulate. Then they do it. So they are doing the thing. And they're building that muscle memory. They're understanding it more. They're asking questions they didn't think of when you were explaining it while they're doing it. And now you're going to review it all again. It's again solidifying that, drilling it into their head.

Chris Schneider (18:30.104)
And that's it. Show, tell, do, review. Now, I will add at the end there, yes, you review it. But essentially what you've done is established a clear standard that has been trained to your team. So as you move forward, a week down the road, two weeks down the road, a month down the road, three months down the road, two years down the road.

you need to continue to monitor your team's performance against the standard. And when people aren't following the standard, continue to provide constructive feedback.

and document individuals' progress in areas for improvement so that you can train them on what they didn't get or didn't retain in the future.

Chris Schneider (19:24.408)
So we tell, show, do, review. That's the process. But at the end, we have to follow up.

Chris Schneider (19:36.184)
So to wrap it all up for you, the TelShow DoReview method provides a structured approach to training that ensures consistency, builds confidence, and maintains high standards for your bar with everyone on your team. When you implement a system like this, you create a more professional and efficient operation that is entirely focused on consistent guest experience that in turn

gets guests to come back in over and over creating the regulars that at the end of the day, pay your bills.