Portion Control Leaks Faster Than Pricing Fixes

A 0.25oz overpour on every drink is nearly a full bottle of lost revenue every shift.

Updated May 6, 2026

Free-pouring feels fast, but the math behind small overpours gets ugly quickly. Think about it as missed revenue, not missed cost. That framing makes it stick.

A Bartender Overpouring by 0.25oz

100 drinks/shift × 0.25oz = 25oz of liquor poured away
That's nearly an entire 750ml bottle (25.4oz) every shift
On a $20 bottle priced at a 20% pour cost, that bottle represents $100 in retail revenue
$80–$100/shift × 5 shifts/week × 52 weeks ≈ $20,000–$26,000/year in missed sales

No price tweak recovers that. Spec pours with a jigger, spot-check bottle-to-sales variance weekly, and retrain anyone who defaults to free-pouring.

Takeaway

Pricing optimizes revenue. Portion control protects it.