A Great Mountain

[angler]

But he bar tenders would have to split those tips. you would need double the tips to make it a good move for the bar tender.

I would think the priority would be better service, more sales, increase in tips. Sometimes what is better for the employee might not be in concert with the best interest of the business. Also I think they would only have to increase the tips by 50% not double, but math is not a strong suit of mine.

[djd66]

But he bar tenders would have to split those tips. you would need double the tips to make it a good move for the bar tender.

This is one time where I have to agree with Angler. (this one time - and one time only )They should double or triple the staff that they have in both CRP + Timbers. If Win is reading this,... please listen to my post LOUD + CLEAR - there is a ton of money being left on the table because it is impossible for me to get a beer (or brown water) during peak hours. It has come to the point where I do not go to either of these establishments on Saturday after skiing (when I want to drink) I end up going home and enjoying a beverage without have to do battle at the bar. I can not tell you how many times I have had this experience - no clue why they don't have more bartenders. Hell, I'd buy a Claybrook condo if there was a way to get a beer on some days. There is certainly space for more people to work back there. Food + Beverage is one area that they could easily double the revenue if they improved the experience.

[Benski]

I would think the priority would be better service, more sales, increase in tips. Sometimes what is better for the employee might not be in concert with the best interest of the business. Also I think they would only have to increase the tips by 50% not double, but math is not a strong suit of mine.

you would need the tips to double because the tips are being split in half.

[Benski]

This is one time where I have to agree with Angler. (this one time - and one time only )They should double or triple the staff that they have in both CRP + Timbers. If Win is reading this,... please listen to my post LOUD + CLEAR - there is a ton of money being left on the table because it is impossible for me to get a beer (or brown water) during peak hours. It has come to the point where I do not go to either of these establishments on Saturday after skiing (when I want to drink) I end up going home and enjoying a beverage without have to do battle at the bar. I can not tell you how many times I have had this experience - no clue why they don't have more bartenders. Hell, I'd buy a Claybrook condo if there was a way to get a beer on some days. There is certainly space for more people to work back there. Food + Beverage is one area that they could easily double the revenue if they improved the experience.

I don't know enough about the bar to argue about revenue and whether changes would be beneficial to the mountain and the guests but I was just pointing out that the bar tender benefits from receiving all the tips.

[Go Figure]

I have never heard of a sucessful bar or restaurant allowing employees to understaff to make more tips. This makes no sense at all but with many of the other issues around here I wouldn't be surprized. These bartenders are pulling in $4-500 on a busy Saturday while hundreds of skiers go home with thier green in their pockets. And not only is the crp too small, it is the horrid flat black paint covering the walls and ceiling makes it unbearable.
Speaking of money on the table there is more to come with the closing days nearing. When you have the skiing at the Valley House but serve no food or drink out of the VH lodge people do not spend $. What a horrible disconnect having to walk away from the long liftline down the hill to the GH or CRP to get a beer or some food and then walk back up to rejoin the party. The whole Sugarbush spring skiing scene is like a festival with a roped off beer garden in the farthest corner of the venue.
I like the idea of high tables in the crp to allow more folks to have a place to rest a beer. Another thing we noticed on our few visits is the non skiiing mom that snags a table and 8 chairs, sits there with a bottomless pot of tea updating her facebook while her a friends family wander in and out never really ordering much. If you want to "hang out" go upstairs. Also way too many children in the bar.

[Go Figure]

you would need the tips to double because the tips are being split in half.

The math is strong here ^^

Two bartenders spliting $1000 = $500 each, 3 = $333, do 50% more business and 3 split $1500 = $500 each.

[southvillager]

I have never heard of a sucessful bar or restaurant allowing employees to understaff to make more tips. This makes no sense at all but with many of the other issues around here I wouldn't be surprized. These bartenders are pulling in $4-500 on a busy Saturday while hundreds of skiers go home with thier green in their pockets. And not only is the crp too small, it is the horrid flat black paint covering the walls and ceiling makes it unbearable.
Speaking of money on the table there is more to come with the closing days nearing. When you have the skiing at the Valley House but serve no food or drink out of the VH lodge people do not spend $. What a horrible disconnect having to walk away from the long liftline down the hill to the GH or CRP to get a beer or some food and then walk back up to rejoin the party. The whole Sugarbush spring skiing scene is like a festival with a roped off beer garden in the farthest corner of the venue.
I like the idea of high tables in the crp to allow more folks to have a place to rest a beer. Another thing we noticed on our few visits is the non skiiing mom that snags a table and 8 chairs, sits there with a bottomless pot of tea updating her facebook while her a friends family wander in and out never really ordering much. If you want to "hang out" go upstairs. Also way too many children in the bar.

The examples of leaving money on the table are endless. Last June a group of us were up for the Brew-grass beer tasting. It was sold out, so hundreds of people (mostly guys) were there on the patio and walkway between timbers and CRP. As the tasting wound down late in the afternoon, we thought we would hang out at the CRP, eat some dinner, and watch the Bruins in the playoff game. It was game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, a Saturday night. Bruins. Finals. Hundreds of guys. Perfect weather. A bar.

The told us to leave. They were having an employee party.

[angler]

)TThis is one time where I have to agree with Angler. (this one time - and one time only hey should double or triple the staff that they have in both CRP + Timbers. If Win is reading this,... please listen to my post LOUD + CLEAR - there is a ton of money being left on the table because it is impossible for me to get a beer (or brown water) during peak hours. It has come to the point where I do not go to either of these establishments on Saturday after skiing (when I want to drink) I end up going home and enjoying a beverage without have to do battle at the bar. I can not tell you how many times I have had this experience - no clue why they don't have more bartenders. Hell, I'd buy a Claybrook condo if there was a way to get a beer on some days. There is certainly space for more people to work back there. Food + Beverage is one area that they could easily double the revenue if they improved the experience.

Welcome to the dark side even for this brief moment in time. Can you imagine all the dollars that could be spent on new lifts and snow making if they listen to you? BTW if you do buy Claybrook can a catch a ride on that 7:30 express? I promise I will be on my best behavior!

[s_angel0]

CRP is PAINFUL. Tried to get a couple of drinks this past sat (wanted a mixed drink otherwise would have went up to the patio where there was no one in line for the switchback keg) and I stood there for almost 15 full minutes. So much of the b'tenders' time was spend servicing the wait staff. Then a b'tender's buddy would slide on up, give them a shout out and get served! it was truly infuriating....I stuck it out but didn't even consider a much wanted second drink. Sigh.

[Benski]

The math is strong here ^^

Two bartenders spliting $1000 = $500 each, 3 = $333, do 50% more business and 3 split $1500 = $500 each.

i thought there was only one bar tender.

[Hawk]

There are two. Shawn and Richard. They do have a third bar back person on most days helping with the waitresses and stocking. If you get a table and have a waitress it actually goes pretty good. But at the Bar it is a nightmare unless you get lucky and catch their eye. They work really hard but the sheer volume is overwhelming.

[MntMan4Bush]

There have been seasons over the course of the "new and improved CRP that they did in fact have a 3rd bartender. One (can't remember his name) was the guy who built the stone steps that go up the side of the pub to the upstairs deck. The other was a girl who is now mostly a waitress.

I wonder if the decision to have or not have a 3rd bartender has more to do with the layout of the room than anything else. It could be when they did have a 3rd bartender they didn't see enough increased revenues to sustain one.

Think about the bar space and the room you actually have to order a beer.

On the left you have that small cubby section. If you do not have a forward operating base established here there's no way you're getting in to order a drink. People are shoulder to shoulder in here and it is prime real estate because you're locked in and have bar space for people sitting and a few standing.

The left outside corner is next and a decent place to grab a beer as there are no tables behind you. Moving around you have that nice structural steel post there blocking the bar and the space around and behind it creating a choke point for all traffic with the tables behind it. Excellent design feature. We're redoing some stuff at our golf club next year and I'm wondering if that architect is available. I'd love to see if he can maybe get a few more those up beams up for us in key places, maybe make the ordering station for the bar in a crawl through space that flows through a river of crocodiles and perhaps have the water cooler on the ceiling, but with a handicap accessible ramp to get to it of course. Gotta stay with code.

The right outside corner of the bar is almost OK but you still have the tables behind you and the only path to get to the other side of the room/bar which has some tables but not much actual volume capacity.
Which if you're new to the bar you don't realize until you shove your way over there only to turn around before settling on the right hand corner of the bar to order.

That leaves the right side of the bar which isn't very big, but does have ample space behind it, except that is where the entrance is so most people step in and stop and look around for a bit creating a clog. Then they see the bar, realize that this is really the only place to get a drink and queue up. So the majority of people are trying to get a drink from this side.

Add in the fact that any bar space is valuable because it's the only place to get a drink and groups form up blocking off more access. It's not really our.....ummmm...their fault. There's really no other place to go. Those giant table fill up pretty quickly, at least by the time I get in. I guess they're big enough surface area wise I could setup my own table and chairs on top in the middle of them and do a tiered thing, but I'm lazy so what can I tell you.

Anyways my guess is that even adding another bartender would not help out much. It's more the design of the bar itself that is prohibitive. Maybe though it would help for when anyone steps up and orders a round of 12 Naked Flaming Mud Scientists with a twist of lime stopping them from pulling beers, but for the most part it's probably not moving much volume.

I again stand by the statement that the rental room, which is upstairs, high ceilings and full of light, would make a great place for a bar. Might need to be expanded a bit more, but you could push out up towards GH chair a bit and have some big windows looking at the actual mountain. Or maybe keep the CRP, toss a few pool tables in the side room and put a pub in the rental room and build a new rental building all together. If we're going to be stuck in the basement though can we at least get some darker colors on the walls? Maybe put some shades on those windows and pump in some depressing music like a loop of The Cure and The Smiths. I'm thinking possibly have a poetry reading night for hipsters? I don't know. I just don't feel self loathing enough when I'm in there. There's got to be something more they could do.

[Fourwide]

"Hell, I'd buy a Claybrook condo if there was a way to get a beer on some days."

Now, I don't mind the Claybrookers cutting the lift lines, but no cutting the beer line!

[Fourwide]

"I like the idea of high tables in the crp to allow more folks to have a place to rest a beer. Another thing we noticed on our few visits is the non skiiing mom that snags a table and 8 chairs, sits there with a bottomless pot of tea updating her facebook while her a friends family wander in and out never really ordering much. If you want to "hang out" go upstairs. Also way too many children in the bar."

Right, replace the big tables with smaller, taller tables and the moms and kids will stay upstairs.

[MntMan4Bush]

Right, replace the big tables with smaller, taller tables and the moms and kids will stay upstairs.

That would almost be an option if the caf stayed open upstairs for drinks (or anything). It shuts down.

I remember as a kid getting a handful of quarters and being pushed off to a arcade/game room for a bit. Kept kids out of the bar and was a built in check in system for when you ran out of quarters and needed more, but I guess times are different now. A handful of quarters would probably buy 2 minutes of time and I'm not sure anyone plays video games any more.

Bring on the high tops. I'll just throw my kid in a higher chair. Moms (and dads) enjoy drinks as well. It's not an all night club. It's an apres ski bar. Pre-spring hours when I looked around and there were only 30 other people in the bar (10-15 in my group) at 6 and later I'd wager that based on longevity alone I more than made up for the money offset that my 3 foot tall space taker displaced. Dollar for dollar my money is just as green as anyone else's. Maybe greener. But that's because I wash it with Tide. And we all know that Tide is the color saver.