The Challenge: Swingers needed to roll out a seasonal Halloween cocktail menu across multiple locations in just two weeks, while ensuring every team member can confidently answer guest questions and sell drinks.
The Approach: A two-part assessment combining open-ended knowledge checks with live manager verification.
The Result: Team members who can confidently sell new seasonal drinks and handle real guest interactions, not just click through new menu item quizzes.
Why Swingers Chose Open-Ended Questions for This LTO
Most seasonal menu training follows a predictable pattern: course content, multiple-choice quiz, hope everyone retained something. For many rollouts, this works just fine. But Ambryn Alam, VP of People & Culture at Swingers Crazy Golf, knew their Halloween cocktail launch needed something different.
"I could put all of our cocktail menu content into ChatGPT and say, 'Make me some questions,'" Ambryn explained during a recent Opus Office Hours session. "But those questions aren't necessarily going to test whether a team truly understands what they need to be successful."
For this particular rollout, Swingers needed verification that went beyond multiple choice recognition. Team members needed the confidence to do more than just need to identify ingredients. They needed to be prepared to nail the sale: describe flavors, recommend drinks, and confidently answer any guest question about the seasonal menu.
This is why Ambryn chose open-ended questions for the knowledge check portion, despite the extra work it creates for managers.
The Two-Part Assessment Structure
Part 1: Written Quiz with Open-Ended Questions
The quiz asks team members to write full responses about the Halloween cocktails:
- Describe the flavor profile of the Beetlejuice
- What allergens should servers mention for the Smoked Lantern?
- Explain the ingredients in your favorite Halloween cocktail
"We want to see that they can actually answer the questions and that they've absorbed the content in the course," Ambryn noted. "It's not a quiz with multiple choice or true/false—it's open-ended because we want to see they can describe these drinks the way they'll need to with guests."
Part 2: Live Manager Skills Check
Managers then conduct in-person verification using a structured check-in that tests real-world application:
- Can they answer guest questions about the cocktails?
- Can they sell their favorite cocktail convincingly?
- Can they describe allergens accurately?
"There might be a check-in where we say, 'Have them sell you their favorite cocktail,'" Ambryn explained. "Because that's what they're going to have to do in real life. A guest is going to come up and say, 'I'm really interested in this Halloween menu—what's your favorite?' They should be able to answer that."
Why Manager Validation Is Important
Ambryn knows this approach asks more of managers than a standard auto-graded quiz. Managers have to actually read written responses and make judgment calls about whether their team members truly understand the material.
"The manager is grading their quiz to make sure they've accurately responded, but can also help them if there's something they may be missing," Ambryn said. "Then there's the actual skill section where we're asking: Can they answer questions? Can they sell this cocktail?"
This manual grading takes time. But for Swingers, it's worth it because managers get visibility into what team members actually know—and what they're struggling with—before the menu goes live.
The alternative is discovering knowledge gaps when a guest asks a question your bartender can't answer.
Why This Works Well for Seasonal LTOs
The combination addresses what actually matters for limited-time offer success:
✅ Technical accuracy: Open-ended written responses ensure team members genuinely understand recipes, ingredients, and allergens—not just which letter to click.
✅ Real-world confidence: The manager check-in verifies they can actually use that knowledge in guest-facing scenarios, with the language and enthusiasm that sells.
"We want to make sure they understand the actual technical answers, but then they actually have the skills in real-life scenarios to sell this cocktail." - Ambryn Alam, VP of People & Culture at Swingers
Why Swingers can operate at this level: This form of assessment works because they’ve already laid the groundwork. Team members enter these check-ins with strong fundamentals—thanks to a high bar set during onboarding.
The Result: Two-Week Timeline at 100% Completion
Swingers gave teams a full two weeks to complete both parts of the assessment before the Halloween menu launched—and achieved 100% completion across all locations.
Team members completed the training quickly once they started (averaging just 5 minutes total), but the two-week window gave them flexibility to:
- Study the cocktail course at their own pace
- Practice their responses to open-ended questions
- Schedule manager check-ins during normal shifts
- Ask questions and refine their knowledge before going live
"We try to give at least two weeks for the team to actually study the information and then have time to do those check-ins with their manager," Ambryn noted.
The advance planning with their marketing and operations teams makes this possible. "We plan pretty far out when there's cocktail changes—our ops team and our marketing team are working months in advance to determine what that's going to look like."
A 100% completion rate shows that with enough time and a well-structured assessment, teams can complete seasonal training without feeling rushed.
Built for Manager Success
Convincing managers to prioritize skills verification is challenging, especially during a busy seasonal rollout. Swingers addressed this by building the assessment structure directly into managers' workflow.
The quiz responses automatically populate in the manager's check-in view, giving them specific talking points for the live assessment. Managers aren't starting from scratch—they're responding to what team members already shared in writing.
See It in Action
Want to see exactly how Swingers structures their Halloween cocktail assessments? Scan the QR code below to experience the training firsthand.
Beyond Seasonal LTO Training
This assessment approach isn't just for limited-time offers. Swingers uses similar two-part verification throughout their training program, from initial onboarding through ongoing development.
Their "Coffee Chats" system applies this same verification model to broader skill development and culture alignment. See how Swingers uses ongoing assessments to build team member independence and strengthen culture.
💡 For the full conversation about building multi-level assessments that actually verify skills, read the complete Office Hours session.
Key Takeaways
Match assessment type to actual job requirements: Open-ended questions work when team members need to explain, describe, or sell—not just recognize information.
Accept the manager trade-off: Manual grading takes more time but gives visibility into real understanding before problems surface with guests.
Give adequate preparation time: Two weeks lets teams learn thoroughly instead of cramming before launch.
Structure manager involvement: Build check-in prompts from quiz responses to make verification easier, not an extra burden.
Test both knowledge and application: Written responses verify understanding; live check-ins verify real-world skills.
About Swingers Crazy Golf
Swingers is a premium entertainment and hospitality brand that combines competitive crazy golf with craft cocktails and food in a vibrant, playful atmosphere. With locations across the US and UK, Swingers creates memorable experiences where mini golf meets elevated hospitality—complete with seasonal cocktail menus, curated music, and a team trained to deliver both fun and exceptional service.
