Expensive bartenders Free beer and free drinks cost Gurten Festival 1 million francs
In 2023, bar staff at the Gurten Festival caused a loss of CHF 1 million in revenue by consuming and handing out free drinks themselves. In 2024, they were therefore subject to strict controls.
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- Free beer and free drinks reduced the revenue of the Gurten Festival 2023 by 1 million francs, profitability was poor.
- In 2024, the organizers therefore had the bar staff subject to stricter controls.
- As a result, the outflow of unpaid alcohol fell significantly and sanctions were only imposed on a few bartenders in 2024.
Bartenders who occasionally treat themselves to a drink are a side effect of the hospitality industry. Of course, not everyone does this. This apparently happened particularly extensively at the Gurtenfestival 2023. There, employees were also busy serving drinks to guests - to such an extent that it was noticeably expensive.
According to Blick, which cites internal documents, the drink-loving and generous bartenders are said to have cost the traditional festival on the outskirts of Bern one million francs.
Free shots alone are said to have resulted in a 310,000 Swiss franc shortfall in income. 650 bartenders were employed at the Gurten Festival 2023. This makes the enormous shortfall somewhat easier to explain. However, if everyone had drunk the same amount themselves or given it away, it would still have been more than 1,500 francs per person. According to Blick, individual employees got really drunk, which was particularly costly.
Bartenders under control 2024
It is also possible that individual employees at the taps felt entitled to a free drink or two because they were working for a rather modest daily rate. In 2024, this amounted to 140 francs and they received two passes for the festival.
The organizers introduced measures against free alcohol for the 2024 edition. An increased number of control teams checked whether bar staff were drunk. These inspectors also tried to get free drinks.
According to Blick, the OC informed the staff in advance that they would be checked when serving drinks and that misconduct would be punished - from being banned from the bar to being charged with theft. In addition, the entire bar staff would not receive a share of the tips if the loss was as high as in 2023.
The measures are having an effect, say those responsible. Although there have been isolated cases of drunk bartenders and free beers, these have resulted in very few reprimands. While the bosses of the Gurten Festival in 2023 complained that it was unprofitable due to "losses on all fronts", this shortcoming has been remedied in 2024. The future of the Bern Open Air is looking very bright.