Whats up everybody? I finally got this whole blog thing going. So bear with me as I'm getting used to this. So Ill start by giving a little background info about myself. I have been a bartender for over 3 years professionally. Before that i was the bartender at all the parties and I was in Retail management. Bartending is a passion that i have had for many years. I remember watching "Cheers" with my grandmother when I was younger, and telling her I want to do that one day! So lately I've taken the moniker " The Black Sam Malone". lol I've worked in a few different environments from a nightclub, a neighborhood sports bar, to now I work at a banquet hall. All of these different locales have given me an interesting perspective to the nightlife industry.
Now that you have a little background about me, I feel the need to let you all in on a few secrets to making your bar experience a great one. Whether you are at a busy club, sports bar, or a wedding reception there are a few rules that you should always apply.Your bartender should always remain even tempered and always place customer service at the top of his/her priorities but here are a few things you guys(patrons) can do to make the night go a little easier on us and help to keep the party going... SO without any further adieu here is part #1 of my rules at the bar.
1. Do not make eye contact with the bartender if you do not want a drink.Most bartenders are working a long bar. So if we have 10 customers on one end, and you are standing at the other end, if you make eye contact we will come down there to you. No one outside of the bartender can really understand how disheartening it is to leave customers just to go to the other end of the bar(usually running with 2 or 3 bottles in your hands) just for you to say you don't want anything.
2. You offer to buy a woman a drink and she refuses, she does not like you.(...which means: STOP TRYING) Fellas take it from me, most women come to the bar to hang out just like we do. It doesn't always mean an open invitation to bug her the whole evening. I once saw a guy go down the whole bar, with the same rap offering to buy all the ladies a drink. All refused!! He gave up and tried to get the female bartender that was working with me with the same game!!! Trust guys, everybody likes free, so if she refuses, just pick up your pride and WALK AWAY!!!!!
3. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to drink in a bar. Go to the liquor store. Self explanatory...Its been many nights I've worked a patron to death, answered all his questions, made the drink he had at his buddies house 2 weeks prior, and still only got a very small tip for a very large bill. Gratuity is a part of the game, so if your bartender takes care of you, take care of him/her.
4. Don't tell us you bartend too!Yet another self explanatory one here. If you do bartend, Great!! But for the most part, making drinks at your friends house does not constitute as bartending. We don't come to your job and tell you how to be a banker, construction worker, accountant, etc.. So please don't give us mixology tips.
5. Don't string-order your drinks. Please try and give me all your drinks at once. Don't tell me "2 sex on the Beaches" then i make those and you ask me for 2 more then after that a rum and coke. If its you and a few of your friends, have your order ready when you step up. I guarantee you will get the drinks faster and wont piss off the bartender either!
6. Do NOT lean as far as you can over the bar, in case I didn't see you. I see you. I see you, and you leaning or standing on a chair or waving and yelling won't get me to you any faster. If anything it will get you ignored and just irritate you and me!!
7. Don't start the order off with, "GIVE ME A STRONG DRINK!"Any respectable business has costs. And those costs stay down when the bartender measures the liquor and uses the right amount in each drink. A " Strong Drink" really doesn't exist. You want it stronger, order a double.
8. Don't COMPLAIN ABOUT PRICES!! See Rule #3. If you got Hornitos money don't order Don Julio. Well and Call liquor are not as expensive as premium. And domestic beer is cheaper than Imported. So check your wallet before you get there. Complaining about the price is not gonna change them!!
9. Our names are NOT "Hey" or "Yo", nor do we respond to whistles, psst, or banging your bottle, glass or hand on the bar! See Rule #6. This is a surefire way to get ignored, and then when i do get to you, I can guarantee the weakest drink EVER!!!!!
10. Last call is LAST CALL!Please don't hang around the bar continuously asking for one more drink. Or sipping your drink slower. There is alot that goes on in the bar after hours. And the longer you are there that's the longer we are in the bar. Inventory, clean-up, glassware, money, trash, all need to be taken care of. We cant start until the bar is clear. So please respect the Last call and exit. 9 times outta 10 you'll be right back at the bar the next evening.
So I hope this gives you a little insight on how to keep the night going smooth for you and the bartender. We are the party starters and want you all to have a good night!! But we want a good night as well. So remember these tips and be sure to TIP YOUR BARTENDERS!!!!
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