NPP Bar Blog

Manager Communication:  Chilly and quiet start to the day. Picked up a bit around dinner but mostly for the Newfest events.  We were shorted one case of St. Germaine on our Empire delivery and it didn't click until we were batching that we needed it for both Dylar and Mystery Train.  Nick, do you want me to notify you right away when this happens in the future? I take full responsibility for this L. EA Rest of the night was BUSSYY! EL Customer Comments: BAR Staff Observations:  Slow start for the bar as it was a quiet day, Chelsea and Darius were able to prep garnish and and juice for the bars. The mood was a little negative today with Chelsea, Darius, and Gabrielle who all expressed their discontent with not being warned ahead of time that there was an event today. Darius mellowed out after a while, but Chelsea remained visibly and audibly displeased towards the beginning of the event and eventually got over it as well.  Some of the main points of discontent i...

Manager Communication: Chilly day today at NPP with an easy open and a busier dinner round and small soiree at Trees. Otherwise streamlined day at the bars. EA BAR Staff Observations:  Routine open with Eliel in Lobby and Ian at Trees. They were cruising by the time I got in to close. Things kicked into gear when Lee and Tevon came in to close. Despite a broken glass in the service well today in the middle of a sold out TH1 rush, Ian and Tevon were quick to recover with the help of Eliel and we finished it strong with no delay in drink tickets.  Lee held down the lobby today with a decent dinner crowd and did it on his own.  After the dinner round, Tevon, Eliel, and Ian took care of the event's after party and I was able to get the openers out pretty much around 1030 after Tevon got a chance to restock and take a small break. EA FOH Staff Observations:  Almost the servers were great today and ran full trays during the busiest rushes. I did notice Brendan John meander...

Manager Communication:  Chilly afternoon today for open, with quite a mixed bag of walk ins and people all ready with their tickets. Was able to email Jess wage forms from when we updated them for non tipped meetings.  I set up Ashley, Chelsea, Ian, and Tevon up with review forms in the NPP Bar Review folder and also uploaded them to Google spaces so we can start adding feedback.  We had a bottle of Bananae De Bresil delivered today by Skurnik with more to be delivered tomorrow. EA We're out of the appropriately sized coffee filters. People complained of grounds in their coffee. I pulled the smaller ones and put them in the liquor room with a sign.  Evening service went pretty well.  Good to be back EL Customer Comments:  A guest in theater 7 didn't get their reeces in a timely manner so I goodwilled it. A guest in th 1 419 came out after the movie and said they never got their caramel popcorn. I tried voiding the payment and removing it but mobilbytes said...

Manager Communication : Capping off the holiday weekend with a very busy morning, across all three floors. JH Dinner round was just as busy with all theaters including TH1/2 sold out for the majority of the night leading up to a somewhat slower (but still pretty busy) late round. EA Customer Comments : Had a guest in the first round Th3 Strange World screening who was a first time guest with her child, and she had nothing but the highest of praises for the dine in set up and the servers in Th3. JH BAR Staff Observations : Ashley and Tevon were able to set up both bars without issue this morning, with Ashley noting that Trees was closed 'expertly' last night by Ian and Matthew.  They both handled the first round rushes without issue, before Miguel and Sean arrived for their mid shifts.  I had Tevon swing up to Trees around 4:00, as Lobby was pretty mellow, and Trees was navigating tight turnaround times on sold out service pushes. With regards to Sean, we definitely had some is...

BAR Staff Observations : Really great work across both bars today.  Chelsea and Lee opened and got through the first round without me (see Sick Leave/Call outs ), and both bars were well prepared to head into the busier rounds once I arrived.  Tevon was able to float between floors to cover for breaks and restocks, and each bar kept up with service needs all night. Lee was able to get out of here after Gabrielle was through the early dinner round service pushes, with Matthew going down to help her out between 7:00 and 8:30.  Chelsea stuck around at Trees to cover for family meal and the beginnings of sold out theater rushes, and then was able to head to the back and get a bunch of batching done before heading out.  Ian, Matthew, and Tevon were great at navigating a very busy service pass and intermittent crowds at Trees for the remainder of the evening.  Trees was pretty quiet after 10:00. FOH Staff Observations : Th2 had a few hiccups at Trees this evening duri...

BAR Staff Observations : Chelsea and Matthew opened the bars this morning without issue.  As it was Matthew's first brunch open, I reminded him to refer back to the opening checklist and Chelsea did a brief walkthrough of Trees with him right before doors.  Service was great today, and Matthew handled solo service rushes really well.   Once Gabrielle came in for her mid shift, both bars restocked and then Chelsea took a break.  Second round definitely brought more business in than the first, and both bars kept up with tickets and service. JH FOH Staff Observations : Drink support in the second round at Trees was phenomenal, as it was a very busy sustained service push across the second and third floors.  Standouts were Darielle, Isobel, Michael, and Preston. JH Sick Leave/ Call outs : Natasha tested positive for COVID, so is unable to work her brunch shifts this weekend.  She has been added to the Sick Calendar and the shifts are covered. JH 86ed / cou...

Manager Communication : Mellow day. It was a better turn out than previously expected and we had the perfect amount of bar staff on to get the work done. Not much more to add here since it was a straightforward day. EA BAR Staff Observations : Chelsea, Darius, and Tevon nailed the service today. It wasn't too busy and they took the shift in stride. Chelsea did all things lobby today and was still able to get out early after we routed the bottom floor to Trees. Darius and Tevon tackled Trees and switched off doing tickets and front facing. Solid service.  86ed / counts on items : Prep List : Strain Horchata tomorrow. JH Jenn I found a rogue bottle of Akashi at Trees while closing with Tevon. It's still sealed so the Mystery Train can leave its station at the scheduled time when you have a moment tomorrow. EA

Manager Communication: Busy day! By the looks of it you wouldn't have thought it, but the dinner and late rounds were pumping. Glass Onion sold out for dinner round and coupling it with a pretty much sold Black Panther before and after it made for a few hours of just pure hustle. EA Customer Comments: BAR Staff Observations: Darius and Chelsea were well into their service by the time I arrived, but all signs point to a simple open. Ashley and Gabrielle came in to close Trees and Lobby with both of them seamlessly slipping into service. Darius and Ashley led the sold out dinner rounds at trees and were cranking out tickets with support from Chelsea.  Chelsea was able to get some batching done before getting her out of here. All the bar staff were in great spirits today and communicated very well amongst each other and management as well. EA 86ed / counts on items:  Low on Holy Mountain. (No rice milk)  Prep List: I'm going to see if I can source rice milk to make us Horch...

Manager Communication: Mellow first round, but dinner round was carried by some well-sold shows across all three floors.  Trees also had a pretty healthy crowd throughout the evening, too. JH BAR Staff Observations : Easy open to the day. Ian worked in Trees and was able to do a bunch of cleaning activities and then batch once Tevon got in to close. Miguel ran the lobby and was pretty good about handling it himself. He was able to move between lobby and Trees to supplement support. EA Once we got through the dinner rush at both bars, and closers had a chance to restock and take a break, I was able to get Miguel and Ian out.  Lee and Tevon both closed without issue. JH Ordering/Receiving/Shipping:  Reached out again regarding the missing amazon order of rice milk. (114-4962523-7041035) The seller responded and gave us a refund for the difference of units that were not delivered. EA Maintenance : The well at the Trees service pass is still draining incredibly slowly.  ...

Manager Communication: Soft start today, but the dinner round brought a good amount of guests in and kept them in trees thereafter. Cold weather is here and the bar is happy to serve them.  Are we allowing photos of IDs to suffice as proper identification. I had to turn away a guest from ordering an alcoholic beverage from the lobby because they only had a photo on their phone. It was just my instinct that took over and I politely told them that we needed a physical copy of their ID.  Can someone clarify this policy as I've always only known it this way via various state ABC.   It might be also we can reenforce with the staff as well as a courtesy reminder.  EA BAR Staff Observations : Darius and Sean were both really good openers today.  Since Darius is an absolute rockstar, was finished setting up Lobby with a little over ten minutes until we opened doors, I sent him upstairs to check in on Sean and see if he needed any last minute assistance getting Tree...

Manager Communication : Pretty good busy afternoon which kept ramping up. EL Dinner rounds were busy on all floors, with the big theaters selling well throughout the evening. JH BAR Staff Observations :  Tevon opened lobby and Natasha opened Trees. They did a great job. Matthew was a great mid at Trees and Ashley took to the batch upon arrival. Tevon juiced at Lobby to keep us fresh!  They all did a great job EL Once closers arrived, I was able to cut both openers, keeping Matthew toggling betwen both bars during the dinner rounds, based on service needs.  It was a very busy dinner service, with theaters on all floors selling well, and all bartenders were great about keeping up with service needs.   Once we got through dinner, Matthew covered Lobby for Jenna to get a pre-close restock in, and then he was good to go.  Ashley stayed through the last theater seatings, and got out of here shortly after Matthew.  Both Jenna and Lee closed each bar without i...

Manager Communication :  Pretty busy afternoon after the first round which still was pretty good. EL Second half of the day was sold out and cranking all day on all floors. The weather was cold, but the lobby never felt overly chilly. Great to see the hustle and everyone coming together to support each other. EA BAR Staff Observations:  Great opens from Andrea at Trees and Natasha at Lobby. Great mids with Matthew, Tevon and Chelsea. Chelsea batched a bunch! EL All the mids held it down with Tevon leading the charge at Trees. He was great at communicating to Matthew that was his service support/Front facing. Dinner was as smooth as can be despite being sold out. It felt very synergistic. Chelsea and Gabrielle ran the lobby bar and took care of the pretty sold out 1st floor themselves. Lee and Sean were great to day at Trees with the bar guests and were even able to call back some service tickets to alleviate the ribbons that were pouring. Great Saturday overall.  We migh...

Staff Meeting Agenda notes : A lot of open and partially full boxes in the Liquor Room today during inventory.  Let's make sure we are checking in with new hires and letting them know where they should be grabbing and stocking wine from. Also, Lobby keeps getting set up with Malbec, even though it is off the menu.  If we could reiterate that note in next week's bar email, it should help get everyone on the same page.  Ian's second prep shift went very well, with almost all syrups, infusions, and syrups prepared for the entire weekend.  As we are focusing on keeping fresh lemon/lime juice stocked behind both bars for guest cocktails, Ian helpfully suggested that we use cleaned Miller High Life bottles for both juices behind Lobby Bar and lime juice up at Trees.  As they're much smaller than the other bottles we use as cheaters, this will also help keep bartenders more mindful of keeping them stocked with fresh juice. JH Pay Outs : $3.49 (Ingredients for Bar R...

Manager Communication: Pretty good day overall. Not busy first round, second round was good but the last round felt the busiest with the private event in 2.  BAR Staff Observations:  Ian opened Trees and Sean opened lobby. Ashley was first close and Tevon final close at Trees and Andrea closed lobby. Ian did a bunch of batching while Ashley and Tevon worked the bar smoothly. Sean stuck around through the start of the last round at Lobby, which was very busy with tickets and the th2 private crowd checking in. Ian stayed until the initial pop was over from the Gallager party, while Ashley did some batching. At some point someone informed us that Health Dept was at Krupa, and The bartenders went through the check list, replenished sinks and sani buckets and were completely ready, but they didn't come.  Special Events? The Gallagher event was cool, Not one watermelon anywhere. The Trees afterparty had a good pop but fizzled out and was overcome by skateboarders for the Privat...

Manager Communication: Quiet start to the day with the chill continuing to plow through the building.  Pretty good evening. Busy Trees Lounge. EL Pool coming soon sign is on the tarp. I left a copy in the back if someone can laminate it. I don't know how. I'd love to learn. EL Customer Comments: BAR Staff Observations: Ashley and Matthew did a great job opening the theater today. Ashley took on some cleaning projects at trees while Matthew ran the lobby and kept busy squeezing lime juice for the bars and doing general cleaning before swinging up to Trees to help out. Really impressed with him as this was his first live shift and worked more than half of it independently. With his positive attitude, I feel like he's gonna fit right in. EA   Matthew did not have a bartender classification on Mobilebytes and clocked in under Server. Can someone please correct this. EL  Pretty busy so Ashley and Matthew worked Trees while Chelsea patched. Gabrielle held down lobby smoot...

Manager Communication : Slow start to the day. Openers came in and were ready by the pre-show (Eliel in Lobby and Sean at Trees). Dinner picked up with busy Black Panther shows plus Trivia. EA BAR Staff Observation s: Eliel opened lobby as per usual and was in great spirits. Sean came in to open Trees after a close last night and took a bit. It was his first solo close (last night) and open today. His first closing was a bit rough, but since he opened I was able to chat with him and pointed out areas of improvement. The bar top, back bar, and Mezz was messy and I stressed the importance of detail cleanliness right away.  He seems to be working on coming out of his shell, but Jenn and I noticed that he doesn't ask for help at all. It's not a red flag as we deduced he's trying to get everything down without help, but we'll work with him to ask for help when he's overwhelmed.  After Jenn suggested to go over the closing checklist that's in the bar binder with him a...

Manager Communication: Quiet day for the most part outside of the dinner round for Black Panther. Theater 4's Triangle of Sadness saw good numbers as well for dinner  BAR Staff Observations: :Jenna and Lee opened today and while Jenna was open on time, I was told that Lee still had chairs up at open. Following up with him, he admitted that he lost track of time and was apologetic since he thought that a porter would be around to bring them down. I let him know that in any case, if the chairs are still up and the porter cannot get to them, that he has to take responsibility and have trees open by doors open. Gil informed me that he just didn't seem set up.  Other than that slow start, service went on and Jenna and Lee ran the bars smoothly until the closers (Natasha and Sean) got in. Lee and Sean had constant communication with each other to help during the rushes and Natasha took point in the lobby. This freed up Jenna to help me catch up on batching to restock from the weeken...

Manager Communication: Great busy morning. We worked that first rush and kept up with everything all day. -EL The afternoon stayed just as busy with Wakanda Forever continuing to sell pretty high.  BAR Staff Observations :  Tevon and Natasha had great strong opens and Ashley arrived right on time and Ashley and Natasha worked that 1/2/4 rush super strong, after Ashley and I batched, Tevon held down Lobby, juiced and cut fruit for Trees. Darius was a great lobby mid helping lobby during load ins and doing a truck load of stocking for Trees.  They all did a phenomenal job. -EL I cannot express how well the bar staff performed this weekend. They all rolled with the punches and had an aura around them that I can not explain. Everyone was super communicative with both each other and management in order to perform at peak level and you couldn't even tell they were stressed at times.  Darius and Ashley were great as the mids today supplementing service wherever needed, whi...

Manager Communication: Busy day as expected, but ran smooth with the bar team.  There was a spillage of about 3qt of Chai Espresso Martini, that equaled to roughly one bottle (34oz) of absolute 1L. I did an open ring for the cost of the bottle + 6oz of Mr. Black Coffee. ($41.87). It just needs to be adjusted on the back end. Ticket C4 The spill was an accident as the threads on the cap and bottle were worn out and burst open while Gabrielle was shaking to mix product. The 4qt and lid have both been discarded. EA Additionally, it was a pretty full house all afternoon and for the late round too. As expected, it felt nonstop. EA There was what turned out to be a non issue at Trees regarding the drawer. We need a little more communication regarding payouts and cash handling. None of the closers at the bar knew why were over $100, until Wyatt came around. Can we at the very least leave a note in the register? EA Customer Comments: BAR Staff Observations : Chelsea and Natasha showed up ...

Manager Communication:  The unplanned Black Panther party from the th1 show, came in and took Trees by storm. It was a very busy night on all sides.  One of the ice buckets fell and cracked. Can we order a new one? EL BAR Staff Observations : Ian came in for his prep shift today, which was a little truncated, due to the earlier than usual door opening time.  Overall, it was really helpful to shore up Trees cocktail backups, as well as batching those items that we fly through during a busy service.  One thing to focus on going forward, which myself and Ian already discussed, is that these prep shifts should definitely be used to juice lemons and limes for service. Chelsea and Ian did a great job stocking and prepping both bars for service, and Sean slid right into service when he arrived just as the second Black Panther screenings was seating.  Sean definitely needs to study our garnish/glassware guide more, but seemed relatively comfortable behind the bar during...

Manager Communication:  Great Night. Busy Night.  A bottle of Titos got hit with another bottle on the shoulder which broke a hole into it. We rang in the spillage and burned the well.  Customer Comments:  A guest paid for a chicken sandwich and said they wanted the chicken tacos. We rushed an order of Tacos to them.  BAR Staff Observations : Really phenomenal work across the board this evening behind both bars. Ashley and Chelsea did great opens, and were in constant communication about which items and garnishes needed to prepped for service.  Ian was able to complete the last bit of prep once he arrived shortly after doors opened.  Once Andrea arrived to close Lobby, Chelsea swung upstairs to help Trees navigate the special event before Tevon came in. By the time Tevon arrived, Trees was packed and service tickets were steadily coming in. All four bartenders up at Trees were absolutely phenomenal, with constant communication really setting the tone s...

Manager Communication: Back to the chilly days. It was a pretty slow day overall with nothing selling too much. We were able to prep and finalize drinks for Wakanda Forever.  Staff meeting today. Everyone joined either in person or virtually except for Matthew and Miguel.  Nice crowd at Trees all evening.  BAR Staff Observations: Chelsea and Darius had an easy open for the Lobby and Trees. After the closers came in, I was able to take both Chelsea and Darius to the back to deep batch for the coming weekend. Matthew and Gabrielle came in to close the lobby and took care the lowboys to remove excess wine as mentioned in the staff meeting. Ashley took care of Trees. EA Hiring/Training: Matthew Day 3 Edgar went through checklist with Matthew before he left Special Events? Karaoke didn’t go due to technical difficulties but people came and stayed. Some staff and some were people Susan invited. I’ll draft an email with a detailed postmortem. 86ed / counts on items: The Mist....

Manager Communication : Second and third round picked up a lot of sales throughout the day on the first floor, with Trees having a relatively mild opening and closing round. JH BAR Staff Observations : Eliel and Lee had great opens, and I was able to get both of them out of here once Lee helped stock wines and Eliel got a whole bunch of batching done.  Sean did great down at Lobby, and we walked through the closing checklist before her took off. Tevon had a similarly mellow evening up at Trees, and was able to wrap up pretty quickly after last call at midnight. JH 86ed / counts on items : (5) Test DIPA.  86'd Athletic. JH Prep List : A large batch of Horchata should be made once oat milk arrives tomorrow, to set us up for the coming weekend. JH Pay Outs : $100.00 (Employee Loan)  $4.36 (Rose) JH Ordering/Receiving/Shipping : Baldor tomorrow. US Foods arrived a little before midnight, with the orders that had been placed earlier today. JH Maintenance : Ice machine appears ...

Manager Communication: Pretty slow start but the dinner round had some good movement for a Monday. Nice Trees Crowd before Banshees and Body Snatchers.  Customer Comments: Incident with an intoxicated customer at Trees. Jenna cut him off and Paul and I dealt with him after Carly called me to the bar. A detailed account of the incident is in the main blog.  BAR Staff Observations: Lee did a good job at Lobby, Jenna Opened Trees and Miguel closed. Everyone did a great job. Jenna stayed for the banshees load in during the dinner round, covered Lee for a break after, and clocked out.  86ed / counts on items: Athletic IPA,  Lost & Found?: Two cards left at Trees. One was from before today and the other was left with an open tab, which I added gratuity to, closed and gave both cards to Nathaniel.  Maintenance: When I came in today the Ice machine at Trees was empty and looked like it didn't make any ice overnight. I called and texted Dio for a consultation. I'm wa...

Manager Communication: Easy Sunday Morning, followed by a muggy cloudy afternoon. Pretty sleepy brunch with a solid dinner. Not too hectic with a good segue into Gerard's party. EA BAR Staff Observations : openers were great, Natasha left shortly after Miguel arrived for his Lobby mid shift. EL Tevon stuck around until both Trees closers got here. Afterwards I was able to swing Miguel upstairs to work Trees while Ashley took Darius to the back to batch. He's obviously looking to get more involved with batching and ingredient creation and this was a good refresher opportunity.  Miguel stuck around to work a good portion of the party while Jenna closed lobby and Darius took care of trees. EA Special Events? Gerard's going away party. EA 86ed / counts on items:  86 Gerard, Casamigos Repo,   Prep List :     Pay Outs: Lost & Found? : returned a wallet to Colin Murray. Shaun Fauntleroy came in looking for a lost black wallet last night at Aftersun but ...

Manager Communication: Another beautiful "fall" day. Looked like a slower start to the day, but progressively got busier during the dinner and late rounds. EA Lee has agreed to do an open/close shift on Monday. Freeing up Darius to cover at Williamsburg. EA Checked off and went over day 2 of bar training packet for Matthew Soler.  BAR Staff Observations: Natasha and Matthew opened up lobby for brunch today and Matthew complete his day 2 training for the bar. So far all the trainers have had mostly positive things to say, but also were very honest about their constructive criticisms that Matthew seemed very receptive to. We revisited bar specific bar pos training and went over the differences on labeling checks. EA Tevon was cut for the day and Chelsea helped hold Lobby and trees through the rushes.  Sean had a shaky start to the day with a few errors, but was quickly able to get into the groove. It's just about adjusting to the lay of the land and the service flow. It...

Manager Communication: Another gorgeous day outside. Came in to a sleepy first round, but the dinner round picked up well into the late round. Strong presence in trees for the majority of the day.  I was able to get that Gorilla Glue in and started to mend the base of the water dispenser. I put a another pass of glue on it tonight and left it in bar prep to dry for the morning. EA  BAR Staff Observations: Ian and Chelsea did a great job starting us off tonight. After the closers were in I was able to get them in the back between round to restock and do a bit of prep. Once the last major rushes were done, they were good to go. Gabrielle, Lee, and Ashley closed out the night with ease.  FOH Staff Observations: FOH was super helpful today regarding glassware. Whether it was bringing it down in a timely manner to trees or just running them through the wash automatically they were on it. Servers from 4/6 were great in supporting tray running into 1/2 while waiting for their dr...

Manager Communication: Another beautiful day in the neighborhood with the same vibes as yesterday.  I had Matthew Soler fill in the new wage form and sign the bartender description. Both were put in his file.   Busy Evening at Trees lounge, Before during and after Spoons. Great vibes all around. EL Customer Comments: BAR Staff Observations: Chelsea was out sick again, so I opened the Lobby again. I was able to have Tevon come in earlier at 3pm to take over until Andrea came in to close lobby. Ashley and Matthew opened Trees.  Matthew is on training day 1 with Ashley. He seemed to be very receptive and observant to what Ashley was teaching. A little shaky with a jigger, but the knowledge is there. Eliel will have more information later on tonight. EA There was a lot of hustling. Tevon swung to Trees and Ashley batched with Matthew. Andrea held down Lobby. After batching Ashley and Matthew stayed through the Spoons pop and the unexpected after Banshee + Aftersun pop. ...

Manager Communication: Gorgeous fall weather!  Nice evening. Good Pop at trees for Staying Alive. EL BAR Staff Observations: Darius came in to open trees and had no problem running the show while I was downstairs. Chelsea was out sick and while I wasn't able to find coverage, I was able to set up and run the lobby until Gabrielle graciously came in earlier at 4pm to relieve me. EA Ashley batched after family meal and Darius stayed through the Staying Alive rush, but was able to get out shortly after the theater sat. Gabrielle did a great job holding down Lobby and it's few pops. EL Hiring/Training:  Sean Rishi Day 4 Ashley went through Trees cocktails and everything on the day 4 checklist with Sean.  Sean is ready to go live. EL Sick Leave/ Call outs: Chelsea Davis out sick. Her hours were added to the sick calendar. EA Prep List:  Spoons things. EA Ordering/Receiving/Shipping: Mango Puree needs to get rescheduled to be returned. EA

Manager Communication: Pretty Foggy day that turned into a muggy evening. Theater sales were low, but trivia kept the bar busy. EA BAR Staff Observations: Eliel and Ian opened the bar today with ease and worked through until the closers came in. Afterwards we shifted to Eliel and Tevon behind the bar and Ian on the floor for trivia. Solid turn out, but less busy than the week before. The openers were able to get out in a timely manner and Tevon was solid at closing trees. Lee closed the lobby and was out relatively early. EA FOH Staff Observations: All the runners were rockstars today for trees. They are definitely hustling and getting the food out for Trivia with great time. EA Special Events? Tuesday night Trivia. All tables were full, but still felt less busy than last weeks madhouse. EA 86ed / counts on items: 86 on Mist cocktail for Decision To Leave. Will make more before open depending on delivery of ingredient. EA Prep List: Mist, Lemonade. Firewalk? (For myself: please prep fo...