Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Newsletter
(March 23, 2013 - March 29, 2014)
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for the
As I See It... 

   

  

We lost our restaurant on Main Street last November and that sparked up my creativity to increase our food menu and generate more money coming in our facility.  

 

Up until then all we had to offer our customers was pizzas, Auto Fry appetizers and microwave sandwiches.

 

We did not have the space or the money to put in a full kitchen, so I researched all of the equipment  we could use in the space we had available without having a vent or Ansul system.

 

I found a couple pieces of equipment we could use in our facility and increase our food options for our customers.  

 

In January, we purchased an Instant Burger Machine and a Sandwich Grill and started developing our new menu:

 

Click Here for Information

 

Click Here for More Information

 

We now offer a salads, pizzas, appetizers and a variety of sandwiches & burgers on our new menu and the response from our customers have been positive.  

 

Because of the increase in business, we now have to schedule a cook over the lunch & supper hours because one person cannot do both and keep up.  

 

Training was a big part of the new menu with my staff because I wanted all of them to make each item on the menu the same as well as the way it is presented to the customer. With the new menu came food safety training too.  

 

Up until this point we have always carried pre-cooked food. However, the burger machine requires raw hamburger to be used so training each bartender on the proper way to handle raw meat and not contaminate other food items was very crucial.

 

Of course I worked closely with our county health inspector to make sure they were ok with the menu changes and the equipment we added.

 

Health inspectors vary from county to county so it is a good idea to check with them before you decide to change your menu or add cooking equipment to your kitchen areas.

 

I am happy to report since our new menu launched we have seen a 30% increase in our food sales to date compared to last year!

 

Karissa Kurth

Buffalo Lake 

Urban Outfitters Sells Flasks Concealed as Tampons for Sneaking Alcohol Past Bouncers at Clubs & Concerts
 

Source: Daily Mail

By Margot Peppers

14 March 2014

 

A new product lets girls sneak alcohol into venues and events with the clever use of flasks hidden in tampon wrappers.

 

Sold by Urban Outfitters, Tampon Booze Tubes are tiny plastic test tubes that come in yellow and green wrappers, making them look exactly like name brand tampons.

 

According to the website, the tubes, which cost $14 for a pack of five, are ideal for smuggling 'because, honestly? Nobody's gonna question tampons.'

 

According to the Amazon.com reviews, these effectively serve their purpose - although at 7.25 inches, they're slightly longer than the 'real deal', a detail that likely wouldn't be noticed by most bouncers and security guards.

 

One shopper wrote: 'This is a great idea and I fell in love with the whole concept. What man or (woman) searching your bag will even think twice about what he sees!!! Excellent!'

 

Another said: 'Bought these for a concert. Had them in my backpack and when my bag was searched the guy didn't even look twice.'

 

And another customer warned that 'you need to make sure there is some room at the top and press the air out for them to seal properly. But they worked fantastically.'

 

Tampon Booze Tubes are merely the latest in products that make alcohol smuggling easier.

 

'What man or (woman) searching your bag will even think twice about what he sees!'

 

A similar idea is the Wine Rack Flask Bra, which can contain an entire bottle of wine while boosting the wearer's breasts by a size or two.

 

The bra comes with a drinking tube connected to the cups, letting you sip on your chosen drink discretely.

 

And the more male-friendly BeerBelly, which costs $49.95, stores alcohol in a pouch hidden under your T-shirt.

 

Click Here for More Information 

Mom Jailed for Breastfeeding While Drinking, Waitress Fired Over It

By ABC News

A mother, who was thrown in jail and charged with endangering the welfare of a child after breastfeeding her baby while drinking, said she didn't know she was possibly breaking the law.

 

"I did drink. I did breastfeed," Tasha Adams told ABC News' "20/20" in her first on-camera interview. "I didn't know it was illegal. If I knew it was illegal, I wouldn't have done it."

 

Last week, Chuck Clawson, the deputy city attorney for Conway, Ark., dropped Adams' child endangerment charge because there wasn't enough evidence to prove she had one too many drinks to care for her child.

 

Tune in for the full story on ABC News' "20/20" on Friday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET

 

The 28-year-old is a stay-at-home mother to her three children: 6-year-old Cal, 2-year-old Hyd, and 8-month-old Ana. Adams and her family live in Toad Suck, Ark., a small town where alcohol is banned. But unlike Toad Suck, Conway, Ark., is not a dry town.

 

After the funeral of a family friend, Adams and her parents stopped for dinner at Gusano's Restaurant in Conway. Adams also brought her baby, Ana, because the 6-month-old was still nursing at the time.

"We had a pizza, and then we had a big old thing of spinach dip," Adams said. "Then, I had a beer with that, and then I had another one later on after."

 

Over the course of an hour and a half, Adams said she had two beers and nothing more. But when Jackie Conners, an off-duty waitress, showed up early for an after-hours staff meeting, she said she saw something very different that disturbed her.

 

"They looked like they were having a good time, just drinking," Conners told "20/20." "Things started getting louder and louder, and then the baby started getting fussy."

 

According to Conners, Adams began to breastfeed Ana, but she wasn't drinking beer.

 

"There were several drinks in front of her, about ... two or three drinks in front of her already, when I got there," Conners said. "I watched the bartender make them, looked like Long Islands. But regardless if it was that or not, then it was strong liquor that was in those glasses."

 

Conners reported Adams to management but was told the manager had already decided not to cut the drinking and breastfeeding mother off. Gusano's Restaurant management would not respond to repeated requests for comment from "20/20."

 

After consulting with her own mom what to do about the situation, Conners, who has a daughter of her own, called the police.

 

"And they said, 'Ma'am, we've got a report that you were drinking alcohol while breastfeeding,'" Adams recalled. "I said, 'OK, I didn't know that was illegal.'"

 

Adams was right. Arkansas law doesn't say anything about drinking and breastfeeding. But after Adams admitted that she had two drinks, the officers made a judgment call: they told Adams to call a sober family member to drive her baby home and then arrested her for endangering the welfare of a child.

 

"I can't believe this, you know," Adams said. "I'm so ... I'm more worried about my kid, because I even asked them. I said, 'Can I bring her with me?'"

 

Adams said she is very cautious about breastfeeding, and that baby Ana never had formula before because Adams believes it is less healthy than breast milk. She insisted that she wasn't drunk when she was breastfeeding at the restaurant.

 

"If I'm drunk, I feel, you know, that I'm not able to take care of my kids," Adams said. "I wish they would've given me a Breathalyzer so it could be proven."

 

Conway, Ark., police told "20/20" that they only give a Breathalyzer test to suspected drunken drivers. Although police arrested Adams for endangering her baby, ABC News contributor Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a practicing ob-gyn, told "20/20" that surprisingly little research has been done on drinking while nursing.

 

It is unclear how much alcohol gets into the mother's milk while drinking, and the science is imprecise. Still, there are options for nursing mothers who want to have a drink now and then, said Ashton.

 

"You have the option of pumping in advance, pumping and storing milk or saying at the last minute, 'You know what, I want to have a fun night tonight. I'm going to drink probably more than one drink, and so for the next six hours, I'm going to give my baby formula.'"

 

Conners, who said she was just trying to do the right thing, was fired the week after she called the police on Adams.

 

"If I was ever in that situation again, I would still do the same thing, because that baby can't speak up for itself," Conners said. "No one else was doing anything. Even if I knew my job was on the line and it was right around the holidays, I would still do it again."

 

"Whether it was right or wrong in my eyes is different, you know, but if she really thought my baby was in danger, you know, maybe she done the right thing," Adams said.

 

"I'll say it till the day I die," said Adams.

 

"I was sober enough to breastfeed my kid."
Oh No!!!!!!!!!!!
Future Dates to Remember

2014 MMBA Annual Conference

 

May 17 - 20

Arrowwood Resort

 

Ask A Director

Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163

Cathy Pletta
Kasson
507-634-7618
  
Vicki Segerstrom
Milaca
320-983-6255
  
Candice Woods
Hutchinson 
320-587-2762
  
Nancy Drumsta
Delano
763-972-0578

Lara Smetana
Pine City
320-629-2020

Michael Friesen
Hawley
218-483-4747

Lisa Kamrowski
Nevis 
218-652-3135

Steve Grausam
Edina
952-903-5732

Toni Buchite
50 Lakes
218-763-2035

Brenda Visnovec
Lakeville 
952-985-4901
 
Bridgitte Konrad
North Branch
651-674-8113
  
Shelly Dillon
Callaway
218-375-4691
  
Karissa Kurth
Buffalo Lake
320-833-2321
 
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA
763-572-0222
1-866-938-3925

 
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Sunday Sales: Convenience at What Cost?
The MMBA website now contains comprehensive information on Sunday Sales. 

It is a reference for members, legislators, media, city councils and the general public.

Click Here for the Website

 

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What Really Happens at Total Wine & More

The nation chain Total Wine & More has a history  of bait and switching customers.   

 

They recently opened a store in Roseville.   

 

Here is an example of their operation:   

 

An Edina resident resident recently shared a customer service experience when he recently visited Total Wine & More.

 

this resident stopped in to Total Wine after seeing their advertised prices.

   

He had a shopping cart and had three 1.75 bottle of vodka he specifically came in for because of the pricing.   

 

He had wandered away from his cart looking at some wine and saw and employee taking the bottles out of his cart.   

 

He thought the employee was thinking the cart had just been left there.   

 

He motioned to the employee it was his cart and apologized for leaving it in the aisle.

 

The employee told him he knew it was his cart, but told him he didn't want those three bottles of vodka as he could give him three better bottles at a less expensive price.

 

The customer was angered, left the cart and left the store not making a purchase. 

   

He told Mike said he would never go there again. 

 

He was offended by the employee.
Top 10 Bartender Qualities
Bartender

From: Misscharming.com 


1. Personality.

 

2. Good grooming.

 

3. Great memory.

 

4. Knowledge of liquor, beer, wines, cocktails, and your local area.

 

5. Good money handling skills with average math skills.


6. Responsible and dependable team player.

 

7. Fast and efficient.

 

8. Something unique.


9. Physical strength

.  

10. A people person with good eye contact and a firm handshake.

 

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