Bogus beer?

Bars around the nation caught short changing patrons with ‘faulsies’
by Steve Dunkelberger
Jun 19, 2008

It is not often that the worlds of international finance and beer consumption collide, but such is the case with an undercover effort by the Wall Street Journal, which uncovered a growing trend in tavern operations.

At issue is a dilemma bar owners face as the price of beer increases faster than their patrons ability to pay. Beer prices from tavern distributors have largely gone up between 20 and 40 percent during the last two years. The costs of transporting the beer caused by the higher gas prices is the blame as well as the recent tripling of most raw ingredients that make up hops, namely wheat and hops.

Many bar owners are shifting to some less than honest ways of dealing with those price increases. They are shifting to what are known in the business as “faulsies,” these are 14-ounce beer glasses that have thicker than normal bases so they feel like they contain more beer than they really do. That means patrons think they are drinking a full 16-ounce pint of beer when they are getting only 14. That might not seem like a lot, but those few ounces over the course of the weeks and months add up to real savings for the shifty bartender willing to scam patrons.

The faulsie glasses are often called pounders when bartenders want to avoid any reference to beer pints. Others simply use the pounder glasses and called them pints. To skimp even more on beer pouring, some bartenders have been found to create extra thick heads on the beer. That means the 14 ounce glass might have a one or two finger head on it. That translates to another ounce and a half less beer per glass. A “pint” of beer might contain only 12 or 13 ounces of beer with patrons being none the wiser except for a mystery about why they aren’t getting as drunk as they used to after consuming the same number of pints.

Two of the world’s largest makers of beer glasses, Libbey and Cardinal International, have reported sharp increases during the last few years. Beer lovers are taking note by “outing” bars they find using the short-changing glasses by posting their frustration and naming names on beer sites such as BeerAdvocate.com, the bible of the beer consuming culture.
Some bars make no apologies for the shift. The Hooters chain reportedly serves draft beer in 14-ounce glasses at franchised locations in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, and 16-ounce glasses in other states, including Washington. Officials say the move was meant to control costs rather than raise prices since the smaller glasses translate to about another 20 glasses per keg. That means another $100 or so in profit from each keg.

John O’Gara, owner of Tacoma’s Parkway Tavern smiled when asked about the use of faulsies in the bar business.

“It’s been going on for years,” he said, noting that his bar opted to raise prices a quarter instead of shifting to smaller glasses. O’Gara had heard a recent radio report about the rise of the practice of using smaller glasses and found it funny that bars would go to so much trouble and expense to short-pour their patrons. “We could never get away with something like that. Our customers are too smart and know their beer.”

The Parkway had been using “imperial pint” glasses that were 20-ounces to compensate for the thick beer heads many of its crafted beers require. Those glasses are easy to spot since they have a bulb-out close to the lip of the glass. The bar switched, however, to the smaller glasses because they were made of thicker glass and therefore less likely to break and easier to stack.

[Hooters, 6812 Tacoma Mall Blvd., Tacoma, 253.476.9464]
[Parkway Tavern, 313 N. I St., Tacoma, 253.383.8748]

User comments

submitted 06:08 on Jun 20, 2008 by Bob

The Parkway raised their price a quarter and shrunk their glasses? How are they any better than Hooters. Do they still use "thick beer heads many of its crafted beers require."?

submitted 07:07 on Jun 21, 2008 by H

Oh please, Bob. The comparison is ludicrous. On the one side you have a franchise willfully short-changing customers in multiple states by not even using a full pint glass; on the other you have a local establishment that is using a full pint glass. To say nothing of the quantity vs. quality of the beers typically served. If there's a concern about an inadequate pour, that's between you and your bartender. Speak up and get over yourself.

submitted 11:29 on Jun 23, 2008 by H

I would much rather drink at the Parkway than Hooters, but that was not the point of the article. The article was about glasses and prices. Hooters decided to shrink their glass instead of raise their price. The Parkway decided to raise their price AND shrink their glass. This does not go to the quality of each establishment, but they do share common draft brands.

submitted 11:31 on Jun 23, 2008 by Bob

Over myself

submitted 11:10 on Jun 24, 2008 by John O'Gara

Hi, John O'Gara here the humble manager (not owner) of the Parkway. Steve left out a couple of important details regarding the Parkway's glass usage. We stopped using Imperial pints about 8 years ago but we had always offered them as an alternative to a regular 16 oz. glass. Some people just preferred them, and didn't mind paying a little more. As Steve correctly notes we eliminated them because they were fragile and difficult to handle, it had nothing to do with price-gouging. We did raise our prices recently to reflect the increased prices charged by our suppliers, but we like to think that we sell one of the cheapest (16 oz) pints in T-town.

submitted 01:17 on Jun 24, 2008 by Bob

Much clearer and thank you. It would have been more helpful if Steve would have used references of bars using 14oz glasses as opposed to a establishment that does not at least in this market. At $3.75 your Mac & Jacks is a dollar less than Hooters!

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