Welcome to the Bars, Rookies.

 I've worked at a bar now for 5 or so years.  Figured some of the newly 21 year olds in college, as well as bar staff might want to read this.  I'll be covering the paying and tipping portion, the 'how much you get to drink at the bar' and the rule and how to interact with the staff.

 Tipping and Specials

"What's on special?"

These words are the bane of the bartenders existence.  They also seal the customers fate as to be looked down upon for the time being as being either cheap, ignorant, dumb, lazy, or all of the above.

In the customer's mind, they are possibly looking to spend less money, get some info on the place etc, but in the end it always boils down to this, you're trying to get your buzz on for cheap. They have the mindset that they're being economical, prudent, smart and forward.

In a bartender or a server's mind, you have set the ball rolling into a very different attitude.

"If you are already looking for a break on basic prices, you will probably not tip a generous amount on those prices"

While you crush $1-$3 drinks, and run up your tab to say 20 bucks, with 8 drinks, you tip say 4 dollars total, well, not only are the drinks and alcohol discounted, but the work was discounted too. You THINK you tipped 20%, but in reality you tipped also at a discounted rate.

Now, the bar staff does owe the customer that they are being honest with them.  They aren't Car Dealerships or Insurance salesman.  They just sell you booze.  Which sells itself honestly.  It's not hard to convince someone to try a new drink or offer another beer.  And they want their customers happy (happy people give more, tell more people to come by), so all they really need to do is convince the customers that both the staff and the surrounding customers are happy.  And they have alcohol to help them out.

Happy customers tip generally well, 1/2 off drinks or not.

The staff however will not be able to convince you that they're happy if another customer keeps ordering 10 dirty girl scouts at 2.50 a piece and being tipped 3 bucks on a $25 tab.  That tab should have been 50, which is customary to give a 8 to 12 dollar tip.  Those shots are tedious to make and are incredibly weak, meaning that you basically won't get nearly the buzz that I'm sure your 21 year old heart desires (yet admittedly, I love mint ice cream so I would also say delicious).  

The bar staff member will think he got screwed.

When you come up a second time to order another 10 lemon drops and drop another 2 dollars, the workers feel like they're getting hosed on the amount of work provided versus profits.  They are now apt to become more openly hostile towards that particular customer and more than likely, the very next customer that wants to ask "What's on special?"

I'm not saying that tipping solves everything.

Big tips are welcome and in general will get you some leniency when it comes to ordering, smiling and general patience.  Bartenders are there to work and make money.  THIS DOES NOT MEAN IF YOU GAVE A BIG TIP THEY OWE YOU A DRINK, A CONVERSATION OR ANYTHING ELSE.  If you're an asshole who just happens to be rich...I will gladly take your money and still think of you as an asshole.  If you are my friend and I'm busy, I'm not ignoring you or thinking little of you, but rather that I feel as though it's my obligation to serve everyone that needs something, and while I would love to sit and chat and hang out, I am still at work. 

Bar staffs appreciate money, but they appreciate respect even more.  Sometimes too little of a tip is taken as a sign of disrespect.  But a large tip with expectations later can be just as off putting.

Some other odds and ends..


Well Drinks-Referring to the worst/cheapest form of a drink.  If you ask for a well drink in this town, you're more than likely getting a Banker's Club edition of the drink.  For example.  A rum and coke with 'well' rum is a dollar cheaper than say with Bacardi. 

Long Islands-The best/worst drink ever invented.  It has rum, gin, vodka, triple sec, and sometimes Tequila.  This sound like a lot.  It can be, but when they are on special it isn't.  Basically you're drinking a quarter shot of each with sours and coke (maybe a splash of OJ).  That said, they're served in larger cups so you feel like you're drinking a lot more, but in reality, you are getting the same amount of total alcohol as any other standard drink.  Sometimes the alcohol content will very slightly but not to the point that it would be a twice as strong drink.  Iced Teas are great when first starting out because of their sweetness and low burn aspect, but in my view highly overrated.

Bar Tours-We get it.  Your in a group going bar to bar with matching whatever.  You are creative, you are funny, you're a team.  You are also NOTORIOUS for buying the cheapest thing possible and tipping optionally regardless of service.  You can make up for this by interacting politely with the staff and being reasonable, but this rarely happens.  If you're on a bar tour after this post, I'm not blaming you.  I'm blaming the 99% of bar tours before you.




How much can you drink?


Bars are not a frat party.  They aren't house parties.  They aren't office parties.  They are bars.  Act accordingly.

You can not be so wasted that you can barely string together sentences.  You can not haphazardly be neglectful of glassware.  You can't fight.  You cannot have sex in our bathrooms. 

You can swear like a sailor.  You can make off color jokes.  You can flirt with anyone and everyone, including staff. 

You CAN flash your boobs.

You CAN NOT flash your junk.

On the outer limits, will we be watching you for stumbles, slurred speech and glassed up eyes.  If you exhibit one or two of these attributes, the bar has the right to see how you're doing and possibly slow you down, if not cut you off completely.   It's in the best interest of both the customers and the bar to not have anyone in a completely obliterated state of mind.  If you want to continue getting messed up, feel free to further your self-extinction at the privacy of your home.



Interacting with the Staff

Don't be scared of the staff.  Don't be intimidated by the staffs.  Don't assume you know who they are.  By all means come and talk to them and find out.  The best part of a nightlife job is the stories and people you meet.  Whether it be talking about sports, the news, classes, relationships, movies, television, books, or anything else under the sun by all means if you feel like saying something, go ahead and say it, there is usually someone on the staff that shares you're interest. 

Flirting with and hitting on staff is going to happen.  If you choose to engage with people while they're working at a bar there is one indisputable fact you should know. 

The customer is typically going to be inebriated at some level

The staff is sober...(well, likely sober)

This imbalance is clearly to the staffs advantage.  It's a fair warning.

The rest is a pretty obvious thing about general respect.  Do not wave money, snap, pound the bar with an empty mug.  If it's busy, I'm sure the bartender is doing all they can to get to everyone with money out. Do not yell 'Hey' over and over.  A customer behaving like an ass does not help.

And Vice Versa

Bartenders and servers should not treat customers as anything other than guests.  Like guests in your own home.  Be polite and pleasant. 

You do not need to go out of your way to do things that are extraordinary, but you should not be a pessimistic asshole shit head either.  I understand the hours are weird, the nights can be long, and pay can vary wildly.  This does not excuse the staff to ignore or be rude to anyone based on how they're dressed or what they look like.