NPP Bar Blog

Manager Communication: Busy Memorial Day all around, with higher ticket sales than Sunday. Surprising given the weather, but we had steady drink rushes throughout from open to close. Major credit to the bar team who, with help from the Bar MODs when very busy, mostly ran with 1 up and 1 down all day with minimal issues with speed of service. Drink rushes went out timely and without delay and the patio and Trees bar area kept good crowds throughout the day as well.  Great work from everyone today.  BAR Staff Observations: Eliel and Jenna did great working through service and then stocking during the overlap with Gabrielle and Ashley. Our PM team was really stellar today too, handling nice crowds to the bar and calling for support where sporadically needed.  FOH Staff Observations: A big help today was also the efficiency of drink running. Especially during the afternoon and night, there was always a runner or server on standby to get drinks out. FOH MODs were also great, e...

Manager Communication: Not too busy tonight, which was OK because we only had 3 bartenders in the building between both bars.  Customer Comments: Had a couple bring in their 12 year old daughter with some friends to see the 7:30 Bob's Burgers while they watched Top Gun. It was 5 12 year olds without adults in the theater. I let them stay, as the lady seemed pretty flustered and there were no seats to buy in Bob's Burgers anyway, but I let them know if there were any disruptions from the girls that they would be asked to leave, and also that there in the future anyone one under 13 would need parental supervision before 7 pm, and would not be admitted at all after 7pm.  BAR Staff Observations: Good crew tonight, again we were short one bartender, so Tevon was solo all night in the lobby. He had his hands full, but we got through it OK.  FOH Staff Observations: Drink running in general has been much better lately.  That being said there were a couple issues tonight ...

Manager Communication: Lighter day today business wise, with opening rounds about 2/3 what they were yesterday and less Trees business due to less events. Easy drink rushes. We did pick up nicely for the two middle rounds, and Eliel got a nice pop on the patio so I hopped back to support but otherwise easy and well handled. Ryan did a great job upstairs. JM FOH Staff Observations: Lots of new trainees roaming around, great to see the training servers (specifically James Denzer) giving them a very in depth run down of drink service and the service bar. JM Prep List: Made Firewalk with the rest of the in house Milagro, Danger Zone, Fusion and Bar No Doors JM Pay Outs: $4.50 for kitchen for bananas JM

Manager Communication: Steady brunch today with good sales for TMNT and the daytime shows of Top Gun to help things along. We also had a good energy at Trees bolstered by our first DJ Brunch. The vibe for the DJ event was perfect, major credit to Eliel and our first guest DJ for keeping things chill but with good energy and bringing in a small but great crowd for week one.  No issues with service today, drink rushes were good but never overwhelming with Top Gun in two theaters splitting the crowds. Trees stayed half to full through the middle of the day leading up to dinner service. JM BAR Staff Observations: Good opens by Ryan and Chelsea today. Ryan held down lobby really well with some well staggered shows which allowed focus on the busier Trees. Chelsea handled TMNT solo with no issue and once the party was winding down and the theater rushes tapered off, she also did a huge batch for us for the weekend. Tevon was also great today, doing multiple stocks and keeping the Trees cr...

Manager Communication:  Good night tonight. Service went well.  I know I am a broken record on this, but it seems pretty imperative that we get the FOH porter training taken care of soon. Bathroom checks are not happening except upon request everytime, and when they do they are not actually cleaning, just checking paper towel and toilet paper. There is always torn toilet paper on the ground around all the bathrooms. Customer facing areas need to be swept during service. Communicating these things to porters on shift remains extremely difficult.  Hiring/Training: Andrea had her first training shift in the lobby tonight with Chelasea and Gabrielle. She seemed to pick up quickly.  Prep List: Jenn has us solidly prepped going in to the weekend. 

Manager Communication : Really busy night tonight in the bar. It was pretty non-stop all day. We were down a bartender today so we were definitely feeling it, but everyone was hustling and service went really well.  BAR Staff Observations : Great job all around tonight.  Special Events? I wasn't around for the DJ event, but by all accounts it went very well. Not a crazy turnout for the first on, but something we can grow on.  The wrap party event on the Mezz was very smooth. No issues and a good little crowd.  Prep List : Looking good for tomorrow. 

Manager Communication: Pretty slow start, nice dinner round. great Trees crowd with the party at Mezz, natural flow and a big group that was here for a couple of hours. Lobby bar had some extra business with the patio and the late round theater 3 events.  Customer Comments:  Helped some guests with ticketing.  Helped projection remove and return a seat to theater 7 for a wheelchair guest.  Answered a call of a rude texter in theater 7. Gerard took care of it.  BAR Staff Observations: Jo opened Lobby, Chelsea Trees. Then Gabrielle and Tevon closed both bars. Jo's last day. I was sad to say goodbye. Chelsea set Tevon up for success before leaving.  Gabrielle handled the late lobby business.  Great team all around.  Special Events? 50th Birthday at Trees had a good crowd and the shorts in theater 3 was well attended and attracted some lobby business.  Prep List: Jo batched Cinema Paradiso, and two lane blacktop. Chelsea batched a mansion keg tha...

Manager Communication : Easygoing Wednesday evening, with dinner round having several theaters decently-sold for a weeknight.  Trees also had a decent crowd from about six until about nine, with a fair amount of guests for the special screening in Th4.   BAR Staff Observations : Really smooth service tonight, with both bars being well-stocked and restocked throughout the evening.  Chelsea held down Lobby Bar solo without issue, and both Gabrielle and Natasha handled Trees well, with Gabrielle being able to get out of her after all second round films had seated. Staff Meeting Agenda notes : Could we potentially add some new titles to our Plex playlists?  I have had a few bartenders request more options for the Trees televisions. 86ed / counts on items : We are 86'd Tecate, Michelada, and Lapsang Salt. Prep List : I made Arbol Tequila, Earl Gray Tea Pink Peppercorn and Simple Syrups, and Cool Runnings and Don't Call Me Shirley mixes.  We are in a good shape w...

Manager Communication : Fantastic second round, with both Th1 and Th2 having special screenings, a school fundraiser and Style Wars, respectively.  Fairly easygoing outside of that round, with Everything Everywhere holding strong, nearly selling out its second round Th4 screening. BAR Staff Observations : Eliel and Ashley did a great job opening, with Ashley juicing some oranges for the Style Wars cocktail.  Eliel batched a bunch, and was able to get out of here after Tevon got in a third round restock. Ashley stuck around until after Style Wars let out, and she and Dylan did a great job navigating a busy Trees crowd and service bar as both special screenings sat in the second round. Special Events?  The private screening in Th1 went well, with a lot of sodas heading into the theater.  Style Wars in Th2 brought a crowd to Trees both before and after the screening.  The special cocktail did not sell out, so we have plenty for Mystery Cocktail options this weekend...

Manager Communication : Fairly laid-back Monday evening, with second round having some pops with Everything Everywhere, Men, and the special screening of The Jews and the Blues.  Patio had some folks hang out while the sun was still out, and Trees had a great crowd as the second round began and after the Q&A let out. BAR Staff Observations : Eliel and Ryan were great at balancing service bar and guests this evening, with Trees getting pretty crowded both before and after The Jews and the Blues screening.  Jenna held down Lobby and Patio all evening, with no issue. Eliel restocked Trees and watched Lobby Bar so Jenna could restock, before he got out of here around 9:30.  By 10:30, the crowd at Trees had definitely thinned out, setting both Ryan and Jenna up for closing. FOH Staff Observations : Really great drink support for Th1's second round seating, with servers and runners on other floors offering help. Staff Meeting Agenda notes : Can we order some more grey rolli...

Manager Communication:  Pretty slow morning. Okay afternoon. EL Decent business build up for the dinner round, and then a slower late round as well. Outside of theater pushes and slight crowds at Trees surrounding them, not much bar business today. We did get a nice crowd after dinner round movies through the close. JM Customer Comments:  Helped some guests switch tickets from theater 4. Not too many. EL BAR Staff Observations:  Jenna and Natasha opened lobby and Trees. Chelsea and Ashley came as Lobby and Trees mids. Everyone executed at the top of their abilities. Great crew. EL Great job by Ashley and Jo upstairs and Chelsea and Tevon downstairs tonight. Chelsea was mostly batching and stocking throughout her shift, with there always being support for her to do so and a slow lobby. Jo and Ashley did a great job at Trees. JM Prep List:  Chelsea made Mr. Fusion, Firewalk, Lemonade, Cinema Paradiso, Espresso martini, Old fashioned and strawberry mansion. EL Pay Outs:...

Manager Communication: Smooth night tonight behind the bar. Jenn had us set up nicely for service all evening.  BAR Staff Observations: Great crew tonight. The late round wasn't very busy, so I was able to get Tevon and Jenna out on the early side. Dylan was on a weird double today. He worked brunch at NWB and then closed the lobby over here. He was a good sport and held it down all night. We paid for his car from Williamsburg.  Prep List: We kicked strawberry mansion old fashioned and espresso martini kegs at the end of the night. We will need to back up one more of each in the next couple days. 

Manager Communication : Fairly quiet first round, with ticket sales picking up for the later two rounds.  The fog and rain kept Patio pretty sedate this evening, but Trees had a fairly steady crowd of guests waiting to see a movie from six until tennish.  Not too much of a late night crowd, as most guests skipped the bar after their movies let out.   BAR Staff Observations : Jo and Ryan did a great job opening both bars, helped along by Jesse doing a lot of batching and prepping before open.  Eliel and Gabrielle both came in to close, and service ran pretty smoothly all night. Jo and Ryan both stayed until each bar was through most of the initial service pushes from theaters for the last round. Even on a more mellow than usual Friday, Trees definitely felt the missing bartender, as we ran service with only an opener and closer on each floor.  However, service, both guest-facing and theaters, was not negatively impacted, it was felt more in toggling between ...

Manager Communication: Good night. I came in just as the party began. We had a nice pop from 4/6 and Lobby bar was busy during the dinner rounds.  Customer Comments: I helped a guest settle their tab with apple pay on filmbot BAR Staff Observations: Ashley and Chelsea opened Trees and Lobby and Tevon and Gabrielle closed them down. Chelsea batched and was cut after dinner round slowed down.  Ashley worked the party with Tevon, and then batched a bit, stocked and did a great job with our trail Andrea. Hiring/Training: Andrea trailed today and did a great job. She really liked the set up and environment, and was there for the buy out, which was great exposure to busy service bar and guest facing. She is going to email availability for training this week. JM Special Events?   The bar portion of the event was smooth sailing. Easily covered by two bartenders with the servers on hand passed. The crowd trickled in and didn’t drink much until right before they went in. JM 86...

Manager Communication : Slower Wednesday evening, punctuated by the Found Footage screening,which brought a great group to Trees once the screening was over.  Patio was pretty full all evening thanks to the lovely weather. BAR Staff Observations : Chelsea and Ryan opened up both bars today, with a pretty slow first round.  Chelsea was able to get out of her shortly after Natasha arrived, and Ryan got out after the Found Footage screening in Th1 got through its initial service push.  Both Natasha and Ian held down both bars all night without issue, with Natasha being very attentive to the Patio crowd this evening. Prep List : Ian made Cinema Paradiso.  The walk in is really well stocked and looks great going into the weekend. Ordering/Receiving/Shipping : Amazon (Rhubarb Bitters), Interboro, and Union (Narragansett and Non-Alcoholic bevs).

Manager Communication : Great Patio crowd today, with a slightly more mellow than previous weeks' Trivia crowd this evening at Trees.  First round was pretty quiet, but second and third round kept all floors and theaters busy until close. BAR Staff Observations : Ian and Dylan rocked Trivia, with Jesse taking on floor service during.  Ian got a lot of cleaning and stocking sidework done during the first round, so Trees was well-prepped for Trivia guests.  Once Trivia wrapped up, Ian did a big restock and got out of here, with Dylan set for a very smooth close.   Jesse opened up Lobby Bar, which Ashley took care to heftily stock when closing last night to help him out today.  Ryan came in to close Lobby at 5, and handled the evening solo, with a pretty steady Patio crowd throughout the evening. 86ed / counts on items : We are almost out of Four Roses. Prep List : I strained the Strawberry-Infused Gin, and made Hibiscus Syrup and a Strawberry Mansion keg (cha...

Manager Communication : A fair amount of staff were out sick today, so that was definitely felt in some moments, but service was executed on all floors without any noted delay.  Everyone really hustled today, and offered assistance when they could.  Videodrome in Th1 sold really well, and brought a nice crowd to Trees, both before and after the screening. BAR Staff Observations : Really great work from Ashley and Jenna, who both had to work long shifts today.  Unfortunately, Eliel was very sick today and could not make it in, so both Ashley and Jenna worked each bar from open to close.   Jenna has gotten so much more confident making off-menu drinks for guests and navigating a bar crowd, so I really only had to hop behind the bar and work service for the initial push of the Videodrome screening.  Rerouted first floor early so Ashley could close up and then head upstairs to Trees to help Jenna pre-close before heading out.   Sick Leave/ Call outs :...

Manager Communication: Slower start to the day today, with a brunch that never really grew from initial sales. Got busier as the AM service went on, but honestly not by much and it was a very laid back service compared with the rest of the past two weekends. Got lots of prep and consolidation and stocking done behind the bars to set up for PM and dust off the busy weekend. JM Similar vibes in the evening, with a decent dinner round.  It definitely tapered off by the time the last round screenings began, with Trees having a few pops of guests during the evening that naturally dwindled by eleven.  JH Customer Comments: We had a rude guest in Th3, also in the MOD blog. He was demanding that the temperature be turned up, peppered in some nasty language when complaining to both Natasha and Kaya. He ended up not saying anything else for the rest of the film, but Gerard and I chose to let it go unless he made another comment to not create a scene in the middle of the theater. JM Mana...

Manager Communication:  Pretty mellow, steady brunch.  Sales steadily rose during the day, and Trees and Lobby were both bopping by the time the third round began seating.  JH Pretty Busy Evening. Nice pops at Trees but not a consistent presence.  EL Customer Comments:  We had a lot of guest comments on the condition of the bathrooms at Lobby and Trees.  I spoke to a porter as did Jeanette.  Seems like the porters were stretched thin.  Jenn told me it was the same during the afternoon.  EL I answered a call in theater 2 of a guest with outside food. I politely asked them to put it away and they did. BAR Staff Observations:   Chelsea and Natasha did a great job opening, with both of them stocking up for brunch and the rest of the day.  Ian and Jenna were great as mids, with Ian being able to get a fair amount of batching done early on in the day.  JH FOH Staff Observations:   James, Kaya, and Nathaniel were great ...

Manager Communication : Really smooth night tonight. Much less busy than last Friday, everyone was in good spirits.  Customer Comments: We had some young kids with families in for the later shows of Doctor Strange. We made some exceptions after talking to parents, no one was disruptive.  FOH Staff Observations: Tray running from the bar was much better today. Jeremy helped run during the dinner round, then Jason had to go home early so we lost runner support. But there was plenty of support from servers after that.  Hiring/Training: Had a couple promising interviews today. They are coming in to trail in the next few days.  Prep List: We look good going in to the weekend. The Bar with no Doors sales dropped off dramatically from last week, so I don't think we have to go crazy batching it again. 

Manager Communication: pretty good evening. Nice crowd for Blade. Not such a big Trees crowd but not terrible.  Customer Comments:  helped Jeanette process someone’s Apple Pay after the last Th3 movie. We reopened filmbot for that.  A couple went outside to smoke during a movie and stayed outside a long time. Maya thought it was a walk out but Dwight saw them around the corner and kept an eye on them. They eventually returned and everything was fine. BAR Staff Observations:  Chelsea did the long haul at Lobby, Ian opened Trees and Gabrielle closed. Everyone was great.  Sick Leave/ Call outs: Tevon was out sick Special Events?  Blade was great.  Prep List: Jesse made everything before I arrived. Ian made a double Cinema and I made a strawberry mansion keg which needs bitters and charging.

Manager Communication : Decently busy Wednesday, with first floor theaters having a couple of near sold out showings in the second and third rounds, with Everything Everywhere and This Much I Know to Be True.  Patio had a few people throughout the afternoon, while the sun was still out, and has gotten steadily busier on these brighter, warmer days.    BAR Staff Observations : Ryan stuck around through the start of the third round, and restocked Trees with product and glassware before heading out.  Chelsea was able to batch some stuff while Ryan watched Lobby, and she held down the first floor, navigating some busy service pushes, for the rest of the night.  Natasha held down Trees solo no problem, with the crowd at Trees dwindling after the last movies had begun.  86ed / counts on items : 86'd Dona Spice Soda. Prep List : Chelsea made Old Fashioned and Two Lane Blactop kegs, as well as Fire Walk With Me.  I made Demerara Syrup.  Jesse added R...

Manager Communication :  Great dinner round tonight, with  Dr Strange and Everything Everywhere holding strong. Film Feast brought a crowd to Trees both before and after the screening, with the event itself being a major hit.  BAR Staff Observations :  Eliel and Ashley were a big help preparing juices and garnishes for the Film Feast this evening, so the team down at Lobby was well prepared once the event began.  Trees had a few little pops of service throughout the night, and had a great end of night crowd once the Film Feast let out. Ashley stuck around until just after eleven, and Ryan was well on his way to closing the bar after the midnight last call.  Unfortunately, Dylan was feeling very poorly once he arrived for his Lobby shift. We had communicated earlier in the day, and he said he definitely felt well enough to come in, but his condition suddenly worsened during his commute. He went home shortly after he arrived, and told Nick he would touch base...

Manager Communication : Pretty busy for a Monday, with each round having some theaters with high sales, led by Dr. Strange and Everything Everywhere.  There was a decent crowd at Trees from about 8-10, that was buoyed by Volo players. Volo had their final game of the season and said they will be in touch about potentially doing this again in their upcoming season at Prospect Park, once they have sorted out park permits.  The Volo bag is in the Bar Storage Closet. BAR Staff Observations : Eliel and Ashley opened both bars with no issue, with Eliel able to get out of here shortly after everyone had eaten family meal and he had batched a few items.  Gabrielle held down Lobby and Patio for the rest of the evening. Ashley and Jenna were a great duo at Trees, with Ashley sticking around through the final Dr. Strange service push and then batching and restocking before leaving.   Staff Meeting Agenda notes : At the server meeting on Thursday, I think a quick review of ...

Manager Communication : Nice busy but not overwhelming first round and then the day ramped up.  Pretty busy afternoon. EL Theaters and both bars stayed busy throughout the evening, with Trees having a great crowd up until about 10:30.  The service pushes were consistent at Trees, led by the Dr. Strange seatings, but bartenders have definitely adapted to the flow of service this past weeekend and hit well-timed restocks during the expected service lulls.  Lobby was similarly kept busy into the final round. JH BAR Staff Observations : Chelsea and Natasha had great opens.  Ian was a great mid, starting at Trees, moving to Lobby, and batching, and Ryan and Natasha handled Trees. EL Another really great night behind the bar, with bartenders really stepping up and helping where needed.   Natasha and Chelsea stayed on until all closers were in, everyone had family meal, and the initial third round service pushes were over.  Ian and Tevon handled Lobby Bar all...

Manager Communication : Busy, busy, busy day.  From the moment we opened, theaters were sold out, or close to it, all day.  Everyone really hustled and navigated what was a very busy brunch service, and communication with regards to needs, guest issues, and ticket times was pretty efficient throughout the building.  JH Wow. What a night. Business only continued to increase throughout the day and night, with nearly every theater and showtime sold out from the midday through the late round. We got consistent Trees business from 5 pm onwards through 11:30 pm. Drink rushes for Dr. Strange were heavy and constant, with people drinking throughout the movie. This caused a nearly 4 hour straight push to service bar, with the Dr. Strange screenings being an hour apart and the length of the movie constantly having another in the pipeline for us. Deftly and well handled by all on today, with Lobby bar also dealing with sold out shows. Flow down there has been notably great the ...

Manager Communication: Crazy night tonight. Tickets started flying out at trees at 5:30 and did not really stop until 10:30. We were able to keep up with it though. The upstairs bar also filled up from 8:30-10:30.  Customer Comments: There was a woman who went down to the lobby calling EMS. She had swallowed a piece of popcorn and it was stuck in her throat. She could breath and talk OK. She was already on the phone with EMS when I came down to the lobby. They arrived shortly after, and she was in the ambulance for a few minutes. Then they left and she stayed out front for a little bit, but didnt come back in the theater. We did not administer first aid, but we did give her some water and bread. I filled out an incident report.  BAR Staff Observations : Great crew tonight. Had to keep Jo and Chelsea clost to 10 hours. Eliel was a huge help batching stocking and toggling between floors. Jo was really strong in the upstairs theater rush.  FOH Staff Observations: Drink ru...

Manager Communication:  Busier than usual first round, but still tame drinks wise for that opening Thursday crowd. Got a nice crowd at Trees before each showtime. A few folks for Cinco at Trees, but not a serious push at all. - JM Evening was very busy everywhere at once with the private event in 3, and Doctor Strange selling out everywhere. Trees was consistently busy until the 10pm Strange sat.  Customer Comments:  I was called to Lobby bar when there was a patio guest who ordered food and drinks and didn't have any other way to pay other than digital. She compelled me to accept venmo for the $70 check plus a $15 tip and I went with it after exhausting other options and wanting to run up. It probably wasn't the best thing to do but I signed the check with tip in front of the guest and they understood that we need physical payment next time.  The guest was a patio regular last season and I did remember them and wanted to minimize discomfort.  There were guest d...

Manager Communication : Pretty steady evening,  led by a Spoons, Toons, & Booze crowd that was eager to order drinks throughout the program.   BAR Staff Observations : Chelsea and Gabrielle opened the bars with no problem, and were well in to service when I arrived.  Once Natasha and Ian got in, Chelsea headed to the back and did a bunch of batching, while Gabrielle and Ian prepped for ST&B.   Chelsea was able to get out of here after she finished batching and Natasha sailed into an easy close at Lobby Bar.  Gabrielle stayed up at Trees through the majority of ST&B because of how steady and consistent service tickets were, and was able to head out after getting the bar restocked.  Ian offered one last round to the guests leaving ST&B, and then closed up Trees without issue. Special Events? As mentioned above, ST&B was a lively event, with guests ordering the specials and other drinks throughout service.  All remaining ST...

Manager Communication : Steady weeknight service this evening, with the first and second floors having some pretty well-sold screenings in the second round.  Great night at Trees with Trivia bringing in yet another wall-to-wall crowd.   BAR Staff Observations : Really fantastic work at both bars this evening.  Jenna and Jo set both bars up for success with great opens and restocks before the second round and the beginning of Trivia.  Ryan held down Lobby Bar all night with no issues once Jo went upstairs to assist with Trivia.   With Jenna on the floor, and Tevon and Jo behind the bar, Trees went through service without a hitch.  As mentioned above, Trivia was very busy this evening and everybody, Ryan included, absolutely crushed it tonight.  Jo has really gotten better about retaining precision while being speedy, and Jenna's experience navigating service was an asset on the floor tonight.  Great communication between the team, and bar...

Manager Communication : Very busy Monday all three rounds, with a great bar crowd at Trees from about six onward.  First round was led with high-selling kids movies, and the second round Everything Everywheres kept Trees service bar busy all the way through the Drag Me to Hell screening. Volo split between hanging at Trees and Patio, with more Volo players than usual stopping by this week.  The specials were moved back to the walk in (current count is El Segundo: 7 and Turbo Water: 25). BAR Staff Observations : Ashley did a great job holding down Lobby Bar all night, and Eliel and Ryan navigated a very busy Trees and service bar all evening.  There was a small hiccup in service when a new wave of Volo players arrived at Trees during the initial service push for the 7:10 Th2, due to stocking issues.  But, it was rectified quickly, and both bars ran smoothly otherwise all night. Busy service all day today, and Ashley was very helpful in assisting Ryan in his closing re...

Manager Communication:  Steady brunch service, leading into a busy dinner round. Plenty of children’s birthday groups coming out to see The Bad Guys in the early rounds. JH The evening began big, I walked right into the thick of it. Trees was consistently busy till about 8:30, then thinned out. Pretty good night. EL Customer Comments: Maria who was working Fantastic Beasts in th7, told me there was a drunk guest while I was covering lobby bar. I radioed it in and Jeanette came down and spoke with the guest who was returning from the bathroom and was very happy to leave and thanked us. It was pretty early in the movie. The people next to him seemed pleased and unbothered.  The guest did not order anything and seemed to have consumed alcohol before arrival. EL Helped a couple of guest check out early into Dumbledore and gave them a credit. They said they were just very tired and immediately fell asleep and said they'd come back this week. EL BAR Staff Observations:  Chelsea...