bar only vs table service

[jasimmon]

What are peoples opinion on bar only ordering or full table service (waitresses) in tasting rooms. We will have our beer and a very limited food menu of wood fired pizza, cheese trays and pretzels trays. Love the simplicity of counter only service (no seats at bar, just and order area, beer pickup area, and food pickup area). But with a total of 80+ seats inside and a large beer garden (several thousand sq ft) I fear the lines at a bar only operation could get out of hand. Thought?

[brewmaster 2011]

well i would have a line like a cafeteria. order the food then get the food then order your beer and pay for it all. that is how they server the food and beer in the beer gardens in munich and it never get crazy there. give it a shot and see how it goes.

[Ted Briggs]

Or there is a compromise- the bar next door has you order up front but then they deliver to your table. And to avoid the shouting for order dlivery "got a pizza for Bill..?" use table tent numbers like Taco Johns!

[BonedaleBeer]

Ted, thats pretty much what we do at CBW. About 50 seats inside, and about the same outside. People order at the bar or a dedicated Order Station. We give them the drinks right away, and a number to find them when the food is up.

Up-side is that we keep out costs lower by having fewer staff. Down-side is that when it gets crazy busy, people have to stand in a line to get anything, and will sometimes get annoyed.

When we know we are going to have a busy night, we will open a bar outside with a couple kegs on the jockey box and run a cash drawer. Definitely helps take pressure off the Bar inside.

[jasimmon]

So at 50 seats inside and 50 out, how many "ordering stations" do you have?

[BonedaleBeer]

We have 2 POS stations, one at each end of the bar. When we open the Outside bar, we use an iPad to remote access the server and can access open tabs and a cash drawer.