303129 Sun Apr 23 17:05:31 -0700 2006 25 29 Not About Food 0 1702394 We just returned from a cruise on a line that is supposed to be the nicest of the middle range cruises. I went to the bar to ask the bartender a question. It was late afternoon, and he was setting up the bar. I caught him pouring Gilbey's Vodka into a Grey Goose bottle in the well. I confronted him about it. He denied it at first. I asked his name and turned to leave. He followed me out into the hallway, apoligized for doing it, and said he would never do it again. He then asked me not to tell, as he would lose his job. I asked him if the cruise line asked him to do it, he said no, and please don't tell. I didn't say anything while on the cruise, but e-mailed, then called the cruise line after we returned home. I didn't tell his name, but told about the incident. They said it would take about two weeks to get back to me, because of the high volume of e-mails. Needless to say, I was very surprised, and my husband and I didn't buy many mixed drinks/martini's, but stayed with bottles of wine with dinner. I know this happens in some bars/restaurants, but I was surprised to see this on a cruise line that prides itself on being a "step above" the rest. What would you have done, or how should I have handled this? Sun Apr 23 17:05:31 -0700 2006 0 marycarol 1 1702398 You handled the situation in a very tactful manner. The only reason I can guess that the bartender poured Gilbey's in to a Grey Goose bottle without being instructed is that he drank or comped too much of the good stuff and needed to cover his tracks. Or he just could have been instructed by the bar manager. I'm not sure of the legality of it on a cruise ship, but where I am (California), it is illegal to even "marry" the contents of two of the same liquors, let alone 2 different brands. Sun Apr 23 17:21:38 -0700 2006 1702394 0 sic fan 2 1702400 like the last poster I am not sure what the legality is on a cruise. If you are mor than three miles off shore it is no longer governable by the local state. In Massachusetts where I live and am in the business it is against the law as it is fraud and there are tax issues involved. Sun Apr 23 18:02:03 -0700 2006 1702398 0 Winemark 2 1702527 The employee answered 'no' when asked if he'd been instructed to pour the cheap booze into the Grey Goose bottle and made a big fuss about losing his job, appealing to the customer's kindness. That is precisely how a beverage manager under pressure to maximize profits would train his employees to handle the situation. While the company surely doesn't have a policy of switching bottles, senior management is probably well aware that their managers use practices of this type to make their numbers. Wed Apr 26 14:33:23 -0700 2006 1702398 0 beebee 3 1702529 exactly! Wed Apr 26 15:00:03 -0700 2006 1702527 0 CH Addict 3 1702530 This still isn't making sense to me. If the beverage manager is the wise guy, two questions come to mind. First, wouldn't he have some place better than behind the bar to do this? And second, would he put himself in a position where the bartender "has the goods" on him? Wed Apr 26 15:01:28 -0700 2006 1702527 0 yayadave 4 1702540 Only one entity actually profits from selling cheap booze in high end bottles and that's the cruise line. But, as in most organizations, the senior management can not get involved in any unethical means of achieving higher profits. They can push and push for better numbers and leave the low level managers to 'find a way' to achieve the goals while maintaining deniability. Now, I don't know why the bartender chose to do this out in the open, but that does tell us that it's not the ship's biggest secret now doesn't it. If I remember the initial post correctly this happened at an hour when the bar was empty so it seems that the fellow just wasn't very cautious. His choice is odd regardless of circumstance. I would expect that if the bartender was directly told by the bev manager to make the swap that there is a reason he was chosen. Either he is the favorite and is expected to take on this kind of task to remain the favorite or the beverage manager is confident that no service employee is ever going to be in a position to bring this bit of trickery to the attention of a higher level manager who would be obligated to react. Wed Apr 26 17:09:57 -0700 2006 1702530 0 beebee 1 1702413 You handled it just perfectly. You didn't risk someone's job but you also didn't just shut up and take it. We don't know the circumstances behind the vodka swap but my best guess is he was instructed to do so by either the f&b or the bar manager-their bonuses ride on keeping liquor costs under control. I don't believe this is the cruise line's policy. Sun Apr 23 21:45:36 -0700 2006 1702394 0 CH Addict 1 1702432 Years ago toward closing time, I was eating in a deli and watched as employees poured tomato sauce from a giant can into Heinz ketchup bottles on the tables. Funny thing is, I had always thought their fries and ketchup didn't taste right. I ran into the liquor problem en el otro lado (across the border) at an upscale restaurant in Ensenada a few years ago. Back then, we had more dollars than sense and ordered Martel Cordon Blue. When the cognac arrived and we took a sip, it was obvious that we hadn't gotten the real stuff. The funny thing is, if we hadn't just had Cordon Blue elsewhere the day before, we probably would not have known. Anyway, we raised holy hell and finally got the drinks comped. But honestly, most people (of course that doesn't include us sapient 'hounds) probably can't tell the difference between the high end booze and the standard stuff. In fact, I believe that Smirnoff's vodka beat out the more expensive brands in a blind taste test. I suspect there could be more brand switching going on than anyone is aware of. ed Mon Apr 24 10:23:16 -0700 2006 1702394 0 e.d. 1 1702438 A few years ago, we sat down at the kinda speakeasy-type Russian spot in a Boston burb. My friend ordered scotch as always. They brought vodka. I said, "no, scotch whiskey". Great, we see barkeep pour from Dewars bottle. Drink arrives Bourbon. He gave up & drank the Bourbon. Mon Apr 24 13:38:33 -0700 2006 1702394 0 Taralli 1 1702467 The bartender was stealing from the cruise line. Alcohol is a controlled substance in every country and I'm pretty sure that after the crack the seal on the bottle, you can't add more to the bottle. In most cases, this is how the bartender would be stealing because bottles and amount in the bottles are used for inventory. On a cruise ship, since no cash is exchanged, I'm not sure what the bartender was doing. Maybe not stealing money but certainly stealing away from the cruise lines reputation. You most certainly did the right thing. Tue Apr 25 09:05:21 -0700 2006 1702394 0 BlueHerons 2 1702487 That may be true,but it may also be a policy for the cruise line. From my understanding, most ships are all you can eat, but you still buy your drinks. Even if it is free booze, the lines can save money by making it look like they are giving away the best stuff but are really only giving rail. Tue Apr 25 13:26:49 -0700 2006 1702467 0 Tugboat 3 1702488 I've been puzzeling over this. Obviously someone is stealing. That's a given. How illegal this is is not too clear. But it's still stealing. But I can't figure out how the bartender gains since no money crosses his hands except tips. On the other hand, if it were the s.o.p. of the cruise line, he wouldn't have been doing it at the bar, there would be a behind the scenes area for this practice. Maybe he's just making up what he's drinking on the job. Tue Apr 25 13:50:29 -0700 2006 1702487 0 yayadave 3 1702489 i've always been under the impression that cruiselines work on a swipe card basis. where while the food is all you can eat, and you pay for the drinks... all drinks are bought via a card and charged to you a la room service at the end of the trip. which means that everyone who is involved with you during the week gets tipped via envelope at the end of the trip. which often means that most people won't tip the bartender, especially if they're poolside and minus the coinage. we can't say what was happening, but I wouldn't be surprised if the bartender was keeping the good stuff for himself (and other workers) as a little bonus. Link: http://tongueandcheek.ca Tue Apr 25 14:10:51 -0700 2006 1702487 0 pinstripeprincess 4 1702496 Yes, all drinks are charged to your "sea card" to be settled at the end of cruise or on a credit card. All drinks and bottles of wine have an automatic tip of 15% added to each one. I will let you know what the cruise line says, whenever they get back to me. Everyone has brought up good points, some I had not considered. Thanks for your input. Tue Apr 25 17:18:23 -0700 2006 1702489 0 marycarol 1 1702497 The cruise line has no pride, only a bottom line & marketing tactics. It's a huge industry like any other, with some questionable practices. What flag were they flying? Were they proudly Liberian? Tue Apr 25 18:20:34 -0700 2006 1702394 0 julesrules 1 1702598 I agree with many of the others who have questioned the motive here. The bartender himself will not see any financial gain by doing this. It must be management driven. I would send a message to the manufacturer of Grey Goose and tell them what you saw. They would be furious about this. -Nick Thu Apr 27 14:26:27 -0700 2006 1702394 0 nja 2 1702606 "I would send a message to the manufacturer of Grey Goose and tell them what you saw. " I agree 100%. Thu Apr 27 16:00:10 -0700 2006 1702598 0 Alcachofa 3 1702623 I never thought of this! Excellent point. Will do, thank you for the great suggestion. I would not want to make a premium product and have a lesser on substitued either. marycarol Thu Apr 27 20:34:11 -0700 2006 1702606 0 marycarol 4 1702640 It's a great idea. When you get Grey Goose's reponse, please let us know. Fri Apr 28 10:37:23 -0700 2006 1702623 0 JBC 5 1702645 Oh Yeah!! Fri Apr 28 11:46:10 -0700 2006 1702640 0 yayadave 1 1702662 Which cruise line was this? Fri Apr 28 14:16:49 -0700 2006 1702394 0 TomSwift 2 1702693 I didn't want to say until I heard back from the line about this. I did hear back today, and it was a very basic reply. I told them I would post about it once I heard from them. So, I don't feel bad about telling, it was Celebrity Cruise Lines. But, I wonder if this happens more than we know? Sat Apr 29 00:30:27 -0700 2006 1702662 0 marycarol 3 1702694 count on it. the majority of people I know wouldn't know grey goose from smirnov and many would drink coors because it's safe. you caught them doctoring the drink. now you're a smarter consumer and won't be paying that extra six dollars per oz for a simple well drink. Sat Apr 29 01:40:47 -0700 2006 1702693 0 john 1 1702733 The cruise line e-mailed me a pretty generic message, saying they were looking into the matter, and take action if needed. They also hope we will return and sail again. Mon May 01 10:45:35 -0700 2006 1702394 0 marycarol 2 1702879 Have you heard anything back from Grey Goose yet? And if yes, what did they say? Fri May 05 13:27:55 -0700 2006 1702733 0 JBC