Mixing or "Marrying" Bottles of Wine in Restaurants

[DaveO]

My two cents on this place. If they can really focus on the bar and creating a wealth of regulars they will crush it. Reason being, there are really no other bars except DRP along that whole stretch from Braddock Road Metro down to the crossroads at Commonwealth and Mt. Vernon. ......... a. My bartender that I got a 'big pour' for my glass of wine because she just topped it off. What actually happened as I watched her was she married two opened bottles that had about 1/4 left in one and a littles less than that in the other and viola! One big happy glass of red wine. Uh....what if they were opened on different days? Please don't do stuff like that, its cheap and at the end of the day we are talking house pours that cost the place anywhere between $7-$10 a bottle. Oh well, no biggie, right?

B. As a manager please don't tell me that the person bartending is one of their best. Reason? So if he is your best, what do you tell people when you have the weak link on board? As well your best bartender forgot my second round. Again no biggie.

C. This is one that really should go to all restaurants that follow this policy. If you ask if someone would like to take the rest home with them, then please by all mighty goodness don't turn to the customer and hand them a box so that they can box it up, you do it. Customer service extends all the way from the greeting to the departure. Period.

I like the place and if all this happened while they were three deep at the bar and on a 2 hour wait for tables I might be able to excuse some of the issues, but it wasn't. It was actually rather quiet and that is where we all know service can tumble. Will I go back, of course. Just because mistakes happen doesn't mean that anything was intentional or done out of spite. They were mistakes that we as industry people make from time to time. I agree with Simul that once the weather takes a turn towards spring and summer they will crush it outside. But lets just hope that it doesn't become one of those establishments that is only seasonal. So work on the small service kinks now to have year long business through every season.

Marrying bottles of wine:  Oh man...

married two opened bottles that had about 1/4 left in one and a littles less than that in the other and viola! 

oi....So I did that back in the day.  Oi.  I'd look at those bottles and think to myself I don't want to waste.  Most of the time this happened in places with a lot of wine being served at the bar.  Before the shift I could open x bottles of popular "house wines" in preparation for HH.    Don't recall ever doing that with wine wherein I knew it was opened the day before.  ....but could have occurred.

One thing, was I was aware enough to do it "surreptitiously" on wine pours.  But that wasn't always the case.  It was almost force of habit.  In nice places (and everywhere) it is a no no....but more of a no no in nicer places.  I also saw others do it.  Honestly it was the type of thing that had to be drilled into me...but since I was able to bartend somewhat infrequently and "sort of" at my call...I'd forget all the time.

It is a no no.  No marrying!!!!  (at all) bad habit. Bad presentation.  Well said above.

As to B and C above...well this place really needs to work on lots of FOH training....is the impression I get.  Dang...if its the only game in town  (no nearby competitors)   they should really get their act together.