|
contents | news | |||||||||
| Atkins disconcerts bar managers and owners across the UK Less than half of the spirits purchased by some pubs and hotels are actually sold to paying customers - according to a new research report by , the leading UK design and engineering firm. The remainder are wasted or lost through overpouring, spillages, mistakes or abuse by bar staff. Atkins, which designed the world's only 7* hotel, the Burj Al Arab, in offshore Dubai, has carried out the research by reviewing data from management accounts and from a new system (developed by the Berg Company), which means that whenever a spirit is dispensed through the pump, the 'sale' is instantly logged in the back office computer. It can then be compared with what is rung into the till, whether manually or automatically. As a result, the system makes handling orders easier for busy bar staff and removes the risk of human error or abuse. The figures showed a high level of variation between pubs with control systems in place and those that did not. Typically, pubs are losing £800 a month from stock that is used, but not sold to paying customers. This is only for spirits, which make up some seven percent of total drinks sales in pubs. Atkins' study suggests that, once the figures are adjusted for pub size, the losses could represent more than £250m a year for the UK pub and hotel industry as a whole. Atkins plans, designs and enables the delivery of complex infrastructure and buildings for clients in the public and private sectors across the world. Key projects in the hotels and leisure sector include a £70m casino in Southend and the interior design of the Royal Caribbean International cruise liner. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Construction News :: home page |