Question 1

Who is Unfiltered?

Accepted Answer

Unfiltered Hospitality is a beverage consulting firm based in Miami. We build cocktail menus, bar systems, and staff training for restaurants, hotels, and hospitality groups. The partners are career operators and bar owners. We own and run The Sylvester in Miami, and the team came up through Beaker & Gray, Broken Shaker, Sweet Liberty, and Seven Reasons.

If we recommend something, we have run it behind our own bar first, on a busy night.

Question 2

What does Unfiltered do for restaurants and hotels?

Accepted Answer

We build the whole beverage program. Cocktail menus and wine lists written for your concept, recipe cards and costing, prep and batching, inventory and ordering, menu engineering, and training for bartenders, servers, and managers. After launch we can stay on with quarterly reviews and refreshers.

Some clients are opening a new bar. Some have a menu that got tired, or a pour cost that keeps creeping up. Same work, different starting point.

Question 3

Who does Unfiltered work with?

Accepted Answer

Independent restaurants and bars, hotels and resorts, private clubs and country clubs, multi-unit restaurant groups, cruise lines, airport lounges, and high-volume entertainment venues.

We are based in Miami and work across the U.S. and internationally. Whatever the size or service model, we build the program around your concept, your guest, and your numbers.

Question 4

How is Unfiltered different from other beverage consultants?

Accepted Answer

We still run a bar. The partners have opened and operated award-winning bars, and we own The Sylvester in Miami today, so the specs, checklists, and training we hand you have been tested on real shifts.

Every engagement comes with the costing sheets, prep and batching systems, order guides, and training to run the menu, and we put it in place on your floor with your team. Every program is built for your concept, service model, staffing, and budget.

Question 5

How can Unfiltered improve speed and consistency across multiple bars?

Accepted Answer

Same spec, same station, same training at every location. We write standard recipes and specs, set up station layouts so every bartender reaches for the same bottle in the same place, build batching and prep so the slow work happens before service, train and test every team to the same standard, and audit after launch to catch drift.

A guest should get the same drink at every bar, and your team should get it out just as fast.

Question 6

What systems do you build for bar operations?

Accepted Answer

Prep and batching (yields, SOPs, shelf life, production schedules). Inventory and ordering (pars, order guides, stockroom setup). Recipe documentation (recipe books, spec sheets, costing sheets). Service (station setup, service flow, opening and closing checklists). Cost control (pour cost tracking, product mix, cutting SKUs you do not need). Training (manuals, exams, video, on-site coaching).

This is what keeps the bar running the same way every shift, long after we hand it over.

Question 7

How do systems impact beverage cost control?

Accepted Answer

Without specs, pars, and accurate counts, pour cost is a guess. Standard specs mean every pour is the same. Prep yields and pars cut waste. Accurate inventory means your COGS number is real. Fewer SKUs and smarter purchasing lower what you pay. Menu engineering and pricing push the sales mix toward drinks that make money.

When all of that runs together, pour cost stops swinging month to month.

Question 8

How does Unfiltered create profitable cocktail menus?

Accepted Answer

Every drink gets costed before it goes on the menu. We price for margin, design builds that hold up at volume (batching, prep, standard builds), write around your concept and the bars you compete with, and lay out the menu so the eye lands on the high-margin drinks.

Then we hand over recipe cards, prep guides, and costing sheets, and train the team before launch. A good menu sells, and it is fast to make on a busy night.

Question 9

What makes a great beverage menu for multi-unit groups?

Accepted Answer

It has to work at every location, with every team, on every night, and still feel like your brand. That means standard recipes and prep, builds that are fast to make, vendor deals and cost control across the group, product mix tracking by location, and training that travels (manuals, video, tests, SOPs).

The test: every bartender on every shift can make it. Then it is ready for ten locations.

Question 10

How long does a menu development project take?

Accepted Answer

Most menu development projects take 6 to 8 weeks from kickoff to launch. That covers discovery, recipe development and tastings, costing and specs, prep and batching, revisions with your team, training, and launch support.

A seasonal refresh can take 3 to 4 weeks. Large multi-unit or hotel projects can run longer depending on scope. If you are up against an opening date, tell us. We can move faster.

Question 11

Do you design non-alcoholic programs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We build full non-alcoholic (NA) programs and menus that mix in zero-proof options: spirit-free cocktails, house-made sodas, coffee and tea drinks, wellness drinks, and low- and zero-ABV wine and beer.

NA drinks get the same work as the cocktails: balance, presentation, speed, and cost.

Question 12

How does Unfiltered train bar and floor staff?

Accepted Answer

Hands-on, behind your bar, with your menu. Bartenders get cocktail builds, batching, and station workflow. Floor staff get service and how to sell the menu. Everyone gets speed and accuracy drills plus written and practical exams. Your team keeps the recipe books, spec guides, prep sheets, SOPs, and video.

We keep coaching after launch so the standard holds.

Question 13

What is included in management and leadership training?

Accepted Answer

Training for the people who run the shift. We cover running shifts, prep, inventory, and standards. Coaching and developing the team. Cost (recipe costing, pour cost, SKU decisions, waste tracking). Menu knowledge and selling. And the hard conversations: conflict, motivation, and guest recovery.

The goal is managers who hold the standard on their own, every night.

Question 14

How do you measure training success?

Accepted Answer

We test and we track. Staff exam scores. Speed and accuracy before and after training. Pour cost, waste, and inventory accuracy. Sales (attachment rates, check average, product mix). What managers see on the floor. Reviews, remakes, and how the bar holds up at peak.

If training does not show up in those numbers, it did not work, so we follow up and retrain where it is slipping.

Question 15

Can Unfiltered provide on-site and virtual training?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both, depending on your team, location, and scope.

On-site is best for anything hands-on: cocktail training and execution tests, speed drills, station setup, leadership coaching, and new menu launches. Virtual works for multi-unit or spread-out teams: live video sessions, recorded modules, digital recipe books and SOPs, and follow-up coaching.

Most clients do both. On-site for the key people, then virtual coaching after.

Frequently asked questions.

Straight answers about how we work.

About Unfiltered

Bar Operations Systems

Beverage Menu Development

Bartender and Staff Training

Ready to build a bar program that performs.

Tell us about the venue.