If you had no wastage in your pub or bar this would be making more profit for your establishment which is your ultimate goal; but with bar wastage being defined as any pint, bottle or measure of a product that could not be sold due to poor quality, human error or fault and therefore no sale taking place and money passing hands it means many establishments have wet stock wastage and this results in lost revenue and profit.

While it is very hard, and in some cases, impossible to remove all wet stock wastage from a bar or pub, there are ways in which you can drastically reduce your wet stock wastage and we have put some ideas together for you that could really help your business.

1.       First In – First Out

Make sure that stock deliveries are put away correctly; new products need to be put at the back and older products at the front. You need to make sure that your stock with the shortest remaining shelf life is at the front so you have less risk of stock going out of date before it is used.

2.       Clean Those Lines

While you may think that you won’t lose beer if you don’t clean the lines, you will actually lose more beer by not cleaning the lines and you will then be down on your stocktake as the yeast, mould, beer stone and bacteria created from the live components that make up beer will become your worst enemy as they will reduce the flavour and quality of your beers resulting in more waste and even lost sales.

3.       Fresh Glasses

As glasses are used over and over again they will gain a build-up of oil from lipsticks, protein from mils, grease from snacks or a film from detergents. This build up stops the beer keeping its head as Co2 is lost as there is no smooth surface for it to cling onto the glass. Keep an eye on your glasses, renovate regularly and replace when necessary.

4.       Staff Training

Staff training shouldn’t be a one off thing when they first start; it needs to be continuous development so staff can learn about the perfect serve using the correct measure and glass along with how to pour. You should also regularly teach staff how to use the tills, the cellar duties so they know how to change and tap barrels as well as how to record stock wastage and stock rotation behind the scenes and front of house.