I Shall Now Document Each and Every Shift I work as a Bartender

As opposed to magic fantasy money paying them?

this could be an interesting thread!

I don't think so, but Britain seem to have just given up on it. I remember reading once that in the 18th century in England, if you were a gentleman and went to visit someone, you would have to tip all his servants to make sure they did not lose your stuff.

tipping's just annoying and people think people wanna talk about it when i guess everyone's sick of talking about it so if you don't wanna talk about it

don't.

Maybe I'll document my every shift as a Health Service I.T. Professional.

I never worked with anyone who wouldn't have preferred a uniform 15-20% grat to the whims of the customers.

Earlier in the week, I had a $7 and change breakfast, gave my server a ten, and never got my change back. I was going to take a dollar of the change and leave the rest, but instead I left a note explaining what happened and that I would not be giving this business anymore patronage.

This totally fits in with the power dynamic explained in the article, of course. I almost always tip 20% or so if service is decent, but I DECIDE NOT YOU, PEON!!!!!! (despite the fact that my shitty wages probably come to less than most food or bar service type folks)

Er, I dont think so.

We have never tipped bar staff. Ever.

Wait staff get a tip if service is good. Simple as that. Unfortunately many restaurants throw in a "service charge" automatically, which deters a lot of people from tipping any more. Perfect example - tonight - 10 of us at a Mexican restaurant - bill was £251 - plus 10% "service charge" = £276. If it had just been £250 we'd have thrown in plenty for the (excellent) wait staff, but as it was we gave them £280. How much of that "service charge" goes to the staff is another matter.... but fuck it, I'm not tipping twice.

But if servers spent half the energy pushing for this that they do exhorting, lecturing, and bitching about tipping habits, they might actually get their way!

I mean, my sense of servers on this issue is that a lot of them are like working-class Republicans -- apart from the joy of taking home cash in pocket, there's always the hope that they could either land good-service windfalls or move up to the sorts of establishments where tipping can be really lucrative. (Cuz just like the gulf between CEOs and garbagemen, having the skills to work someplace nice will bring in way more money for work that's not necessarily that much more burdensome.)

around 6 o'clock. the restaurant is starting to get busy. in a table in a corner of the restaurant, an elderly man starts having a serious heart attack. emergency medical workers are called. the restaurant is scrambling, getting customers up (our tables are close together), pushing tables aside to make way for the stretcher. they are using that emergency electrical shock shit on his chest. children are crying, his wife is bawling, asks one of our managers to go with her to the hospital. another customer announces he's a doctor, rushes over and tries to help (don't think he did much but stand there).

meanwhile, i am mostly in a daze, not knowing how to react. i can't do anything to help the situation at all, but can i act normal? how can i say "did you save room for dessert?" when a man is so close to death a few yards from me.

meanwhile, restaurant is operating somewhat regularly, everybody still doing their jobs. after i finally catch myself and feel comfortable enough to work again, after a few minutes of absent mindedly not really doing anything, and doing a few things wrong (forgetting some drinks, etc...) i go to take a new tables order. during this whole ordeal, they sat down, ordered some drinks, then decided they didn't like their table, demanded to move, and ended up in my section.

they have maybe a 5 minute wait, 10 minute absolute max, before i take their order. when i do, they scowl and snidely make a remark about wondering how long it'd take me before i finally decided to help them.

to table 61 in my restaurant tonight: you are scum. if there is anybody whose food i'd like to spit in, which i've never done, it is yours.

I don't think I could ever be a server. I'd be fine 99% of the time, but with people like that, I'd devolve into Evil Eye mode.

Time on: 3:45
Time off: 10:00
Hourly Wages Earned: $7.50 x 6 = $45
Tips Earned: As yet unknown, b/c the closer didn't leave me my tips from last night. I know I said I was going to try to be objective, but this is TERRIBLY annoying to me that I don't have my money from last night.
Drinks Served: Approx 120
Most complicated drink served: Ambassador Smash (kiwi, lime juice, mint, simple syrup, Woodford Reserve bourbon. Served in a bucket glass with a slice of kiwi on side. Resembles pea soup, but with kiwi seeds floating in it. Price: approx: $10)
Glasses of wine poured: Approx 50
Cocktails served: Approx 30
Beers poured: Approx 10
Non-alcoholic drinks poured/made: approx 25
Meals served at bar: 6
Breaks Taken: 1 for a smoke
Patrons of Note:
- Man and woman who want a nice piece of "cleanly grilled salmon," without any fats or sauces. Later ask for side of fries. Woman drinks a Patron Silver margarita on rocks with sale, man drinks Ciroc vodka on rocks with twist (x2). Later noticed, and verified by other staff members, that woman is not wearing any underwear.
- Woman seated in bar area with very large bosom, but wearing tank top which a) threatened structural failure during her entire 2.5 hour stay, and b) provided much distraction/amusement for entire service staff
- Drunk friend of coworker who had, during the course of his 4 hour visit, 5 double vodka and cranberries (about 4.5 ounces of vodka per drink) and 4 pints of Stella Artois
- Young, obviously terribly in love couple who had three high-end cocktails and tipped well in excess of 20%. Cocktails ordered: Ward Eight (Jack Daniels, pomegranite juice, sour mix (lemon juice and simple syrup) and two dashes of Angostura Bitters), Pisco Sour (Pisco brandy, sour mix, egg whites, three drops of Angostura Bitters) and an apple martini (Stoli Vanil, Apple Pucker).
- Late middle-aged couple who seemed to want to impress each other with their order, based entirely upon their overly-particular manner in ordering. Man had a sidecar, woman a glass of William Hill chardonnay
Server Hijinx - Mid-30s coworker yelling at Mid 20s coworker about not being open about his opinion about this job and/or customers; impish long-time employee trying to scam free shots of Jameson from me; dining room server ordering, over the course of his shift, about 20 lemonades and strawberry lemonades, which are all made by hand by the bartender(s).

That's about all I can remember for now. I'll try to keep up this level of particularity with all of the posts.

If the business paid their employees and did away with tipping the customer would still be paying the employees' wages. It's not like the restaurant would keep their prices the same in that event.

bizarre

Oh, bless your heart. The words "sour mix" always make me recoil because it's always from a Mr Boston bottle or something these days, even at a lot of places that do have Woodford Reserve bourbon. I would drink at your bar.

Regardless, I'm there for the foreseeable future, so this thread will have some life.

Holy shit, wouldn't that amount of alcohol be borderline lethal?

And that was without the beers.

I don't think dude was driving anywhere.

*Name that popcult reference for xtra points.

* I have no idea about the veracity of this measure, I just know that my dad refers to 1.5 litre bottles of spirits as 40 ouncers

while I'd probably survive that dose, I sure would wish I hadn't for a day or two

This much is entirely true.

there was much tipping

Maybe my math is going awry somewhere, unless this is special 40 proof vodka or something (I assume it's 80 proof).

Someone told me they closed it! I don't know, I haven't been in Pasadena in years.

Also - wouldn't it kind of chop the legs off this thread if I were to make shit up? SOOO much more interesting if its a reality-based thread.

I really want some fried chicken like NOW.

BLAM, do you have any kind of legal obligation to stop serving people if they are drunk? In bars in New Zealand they have big signs saying that it is illegal to serve people who are drunk.

Yes, because that was definitely my point, rather than that it blows my mind that someone can drink that much and be still alive (let alone walk and talk), and so I wanted to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding.

Well done! Pick up your Happy Honeybee sticker from the receptionist: you're in the fourth grade now, kid. Watch out for Marty McMuggs, I hear he gives bad head.

I don't know if they expect tips there, but they probably won't say no to them, because they are, you know, *careful*.

In re: duty to not serve already drunk patrons - yes, we are supposed to not serve them, as it may incur liability for us as individuals and for the restaurant. In the above case, said already drunk patron was a friend of several coworkers, was not driving, and was with at least one of the coworkers. These factors tend to make the "no servie the drunkie" rule more lax.

Accent - I pride myself on the creation of libations for my patrons. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Yes, because posting frequently should definitely be the main criterion for how a person's posts should be received! Look how well it works for [insert unpopular, frequent poster here].

aka: fucking hell, I wasn't trying to derail the thread or impugn B.L.A.M.'s integrity AT ALL, I was just asking "How is that guy not dead?" And to make sure that I actually understood the amounts of alcohol being discussed. There's some serious vaginal sand going on in this thread, did someone's coke dealer die or something?

Dan Perry: mmm, four hours is significant, but from what I understand a lot of liver/metabolic processes only kick in about 8 hours after you stop drinking. I don't know -- again, if I had that much alcohol, I'd be toast, and I'm not at all a lightweight.

xpost That much alcohol would still do me in, I think, even over four hours on a full stomach. At the very least I'd be violently ill. But I believe you, seriously!

ILE is a blog, we just refuse to admit it.

As I muttered elsewhere, the blood alochol level of someone admitted during my emergency room visit last month was .610% -- they were rather surprised he was still alive, to be honest.

And it would take a whole lot more than some percieved skepticism (unfounded or otherwise) to derail this thread.

This thread is bound for glory...THIS THREAD!!!!

It's not as relevant anymore, but I still want to post this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/Powthewow/cleverruse.jpg

Maybe you can change your name to Big Loud Ape of the Mountain?

Mister Monkey has found a great cocktails website where you tell it what ingredients you have and it suggests things. A Betsy Ross turned out to be nicer than you would expect from brandy and port mixed together.

Precisely! So come and visit, you.

Mister Monkey says it's good because if you type in "kahlua" it will search for any recipe with coffee liqueur.

Alright - day two!

Hours Worked: 11:00am to 6:00pm
Hourly Wages: 7 x 7.50 = 52.50
Tips = $100
Number of Drinks Served = Approx. 80
Number of cocktails served = 20
Number of glasses of wine poured = Approx. 35
Number of Beers served = 10
Number of Non-alcoholic drinks served = 15
Most complex drink served: Manhattan
Meals served at the bar = 11
Breaks taken: 1, for lunch (Blackened Chicken Penne)
Patrons of Note:
- Older couple from England came into the bar around 11:30, with the gentleman ordering his drink (Stella) on the move on the way to the bar itself. She had the house Chardonnay. He proceeded to have two more Stellas, and confided in me, as she went to the bathroom, that they were to have lunch with an old school friend of hers and that he was going to get crocked. I think he had two more beers with lunch and then had two doubles (4.5 ounces each) of Jack Daniels after lunch. Good tipper, too.
- Three friends rolled in and said that they wanted to stump me with a few cocktails. One ordered the Manhattan, one ordered a Sazerac (Rye, Angostura bitters, Peychaud's bitters, simple syrup, stirred with ice and then strained into a rocks glass that has been lined with Pernod. Served up with large lemon peel on rim of rocks glass.) and the other simply ordered a Guinness. They really just seemed to want to drink.
- An middle-aged gentleman, a regular, who always comes in around 4:30 and orders two glasses of the happy hour red and some beef-related product from the happy hour menu.

Co-worker Hijinx - nothing to report.

A slow day, but excellent tips.

So BLAM, do you like it when your customers talk to you? Are you funny? Do you give people free drinks? I am a sucker for bar people who act like they give a shit that I came in there to drink (I am easily flattered).

I try to act like they're hanging out at my house as a guest, and things usually progress from there.

I broke a toilet with my head. FACT.

Go on...

-- luna (lunace...), January 23rd, 2007 10:20 AM. (luna.c) (link)

Freshman year at college. Started out at a Russian language party (side note: when I walked into Russian on Monday, my prof said, "Mr. Peterson, before you sit down or say a word, yes, I am in fact aware that vodka means 'little water'." OOPSIE), ended up at Womyn's House, where I finished my bottle (on top of jello shots), went to the basement toilet got sick for the second time in my life, got angry at vomiting, head-butted the toilet and smashed the tank into the wall, shattering it and flooding the basement.

That earned me a couple nick-names. I still have a piece of the toilet.

That was the second and last time I drank a bottle of vodka (1 month later). Much less entertaining story. Ends up with with me waking up in hospital (went to hospital from womyn's house - yes, the same house -- not allowed to drink there again SHOCKER). Funny part = waking up w/cordless heart monitor attached, popping out batteries and watching myself go flat-line, heartbeat, flat-line, heartbeat, flat-line...

Whoo, that's enough of my dysfunction for one thread. Sorry, B.L.A.M., back to your bartending and related discussion.

Hours Worked: 11 - 6
Houry Wages earned: $7.50 x 7 = $52.50
Tips Earned: $53
Drinks Poured: Approx. 45
Beers Poured: 4
Glasses of Wine Poured: Approx. 25
Cocktails Poured: Approx. 15
Non-Alcoholic Drinks Poured: Approx. 11
Most Complex Drink Poured: San Francisco Lemon Drop - Absolut Citron, Cointreau, sour mix, serve in chilled, sugar-rimmed martini glass
Drinks Created: 1 - The Berry Blast - Finlandia Berry Vodka, Pineapple Juice, Splash of Grenadine, Splash of Soda, Splash of Rose's Lime. Served 6 during shift.
Breaks Taken: 1, for lunch (An ABLT on grilled sour dough - Avocado, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato with fries. Really good)
Patrons of Note -
- Two Postal Service Employees who had just gotten off of work who were basically making out in the booth around 2:30. He had two gin and tonics, she had aforementioned Lemon Drop. Bad tippers.
- Extremely particular daughter of regular (female minister) who ordered a good deal of food, lemonade, and a dessert. Good tipper.

Coworker Hijinx - We're actually losing a manager. He has been promoted to general manager at one of the other area locations. He's a big bourbon fan, and a real good guy. He'll be missed.

Tuesdays are typically slow as hell. Not much to report.

how is this convincing people that service industry is not easy? i want more complaints!

I could complain, but then that would leave the validity of the thread up for debate. You guys argue about it. I'll just keep posting the daily log.

Also, you're much better at it than I was, methinks.

But then you wouldn't be at the bar serving drinks.

Hey, the magic trick thing is a great idea. My brother is learning close up magic from his room mate at the moment. He has progressed as far as "pick a card, any card, no, don't pick that one. Here, pick this one." It's hilarious when you're slightly drunk.

I want to learn some coin-based slight of hand stuff. I already know a few, but I need some time to practice them.

Time on: 3:45
Time off: 10:00
Hourly Wages Earned: $7.50 x 6 = $45
Tips Earned: As yet unknown, b/c the closer didn't leave me my tips from last night. I know I said I was going to try to be objective, but this is TERRIBLY annoying to me that I don't have my money from last night.
Drinks Served: Approx 120
Most complicated drink served: Ambassador Smash (kiwi, lime juice, mint, simple syrup, Woodford Reserve bourbon. Served in a bucket glass with a slice of kiwi on side. Resembles pea soup, but with kiwi seeds floating in it. Price: approx: $10)
Glasses of wine poured: Approx 50
Cocktails served: Approx 30
Beers poured: Approx 10
Non-alcoholic drinks poured/made: approx 25
Meals served at bar: 6
Breaks Taken: 1 for a smoke
Patrons of Note:
- Man and woman who want a nice piece of "cleanly grilled salmon," without any fats or sauces. Later ask for side of fries. Woman drinks a Patron Silver margarita on rocks with sale, man drinks Ciroc vodka on rocks with twist (x2). Later noticed, and verified by other staff members, that woman is not wearing any underwear.
- Woman seated in bar area with very large bosom, but wearing tank top which a) threatened structural failure during her entire 2.5 hour stay, and b) provided much distraction/amusement for entire service staff
- Drunk friend of coworker who had, during the course of his 4 hour visit, 5 double vodka and cranberries (about 4.5 ounces of vodka per drink) and 4 pints of Stella Artois
- Young, obviously terribly in love couple who had three high-end cocktails and tipped well in excess of 20%. Cocktails ordered: Ward Eight (Jack Daniels, pomegranite juice, sour mix (lemon juice and simple syrup) and two dashes of Angostura Bitters), Pisco Sour (Pisco brandy, sour mix, egg whites, three drops of Angostura Bitters) and an apple martini (Stoli Vanil, Apple Pucker).
- Late middle-aged couple who seemed to want to impress each other with their order, based entirely upon their overly-particular manner in ordering. Man had a sidecar, woman a glass of William Hill chardonnay
Server Hijinx - Mid-30s coworker yelling at Mid 20s coworker about not being open about his opinion about this job and/or customers; impish long-time employee trying to scam free shots of Jameson from me; dining room server ordering, over the course of his shift, about 20 lemonades and strawberry lemonades, which are all made by hand by the bartender(s).

is this supposed to make me want to tip more to bartenders or less? sounded like a jolly fun day! bosom watching and knickers verifying and everything.

William Hill chardonnay

I'd prefer the Betfair Sancerre myself.

BLAM, do you mind pulling back the curtain and letting us know if you enjoy your current vocation?

Its kind of fun sometimes, and it kind of sucks sometimes. Typical, I guess.

I will keep on keepin' on.

I have a bomb.

Still larfin'!

i was explaining this to a middle aged couple who ordered some house wine, and they said something i didn't quite understand. i have pretty bad hearing and it gets loud in there. i thought it was something like "we'll probably only have the 1 glass each" (meaning the glasses i'm pouring for them, and there's no need to leave the bottle). instead of asking them to repeat whatever it was, i responded, "hey, it doesn't matter to me! it's your choice"

a minute later something clicked and i realized with horror that what they'd said was they don't want to drive drunk.

Hey BLAM, disappearing/reappearing soft red balls are astounding to drunks and don't seem to be too difficult to master.

Sleep well.

Day #4
Hours Worked: 11 am - 8 pm
Wages Earned: (8 x 7.50) + (1 x 11.25) = 71.75
Tips earned: 70
Drinks poured: Approx. 120
Glasses of wine poured: 30
Beers poured: 45
Cocktails poured: 20
Most Complicated Drink Served: Ambassador Smash
Non-alcoholic drinks served: 25
Meals served at bar: 10
Patrons of Note:
- Four post-undergrad kids, celebrating the beginning of the school year or something, rang up around $100 in drinks, got drunk and obnoxious, demanded that the check be split according to what they had to drink, were seriously high maintenance for a table of drinking young'ns, and they tipped around $10. Apparently, Jaeger and Red Bull makes you cheap.
- A guy with a serious speech impediment and I had a half-hour long conversation re: college basketball. When asked by a co-worker why I was engaging the guy in conversation so much, I said "That's part of the job. He seemed like a nice guy. I stutter sometimes, too. Besides, no one here likes ACC basketball. He did."
- A young woman of around mid-20s ordered her food to go, and then sat in the bar and expected table service for beverages.
- A guy who grew up in the same hometown as my mother.
- Two ladies planning a retirement party for one who had Long Island Iced Teas. They were SHOCKED that we didn't have anisette. I told them we had a few herbed liquors, mostly of the apertif/digestif variety, but anisette was not one of them. "Aper-what?"
Co-Worker Hijinx
- Apparently, another one of the bartenders has been giving away Red Bull, Pellegrino, etc. to the cooks. The new manager does not like this, and told me so. I do not give away things that can be so easily counted.
- One of the cocktail server's mother has Stage 3 colon cancer and has just started chemo. My co-worker is not doing well with the strain, and is not being supported by any of her siblings or relatives.

I keep reading that as 'a guy who threw up in the same hometown as my mother'.

I had a (semi-regular) client in yesterday. I seriously did not understand a word he said, but he bought something and seemed happy that someone listened to him. I know it was about a house and buying (or maybe selling?) it but apart from that I didn't have a clue what he was on about and as such did not know how to react properly. :-(

i think it's safe to write off BC for doing any real damage in either the ACC or NCAA tourneys, they have a 7 man team now. not a 7 man rotation, A SEVEN MAN TEAM. I guess they'll be adding some walk on's from the jv squad this weekend.

If the iced-tea lady is on her game, she might get 10%

Jeez Louise. :-/

-- chicago kevin (blablabl...), January 25th, 2007.

Yeah, yeah, I know this is all common sense, but... I dunno, I guess I just like Dudley too much to completely dismiss them; he's probably the only genuinely dominant player in the ACC (although Hansbrough has occasionally shown flashes of that during an otherwise career-sabotaging season).

Oh don't you worry. (And if it doesn't pan out this time, then sometime soon.)

ILM = Priceless
Life = Not so priceless

UGH! i hate it when bartenders get pissed off about what my guests order. as if i can really tell them no. trust me, i'm not trying to push virgin strawberry daquiris on my tables, i promise. i'm sure your coworkers aren't either.

HINT: Break the blender! My restaurant (a fine-dining seafood place in Chicago's Loop) has been blender-free since right around the time I got hired 3 years ago, and apparently this was thanks to one bartender intentionally burning out the motor.

This is also very useful in other jobs if your fucking fax machine is being a dumb bitch or a calculator is not up to snuff.

http://riroads.com/images/mccormick_and_schmicks_3.jpg

And we're totally blender free. Its not that I object to people ordering lemonades. That's fine. But don't make snide, assholish comments about it to me when you tip me out, giving me approx. $.10 per lemonade. Too much work for the money I make off of them.

WHICH REMINDS ME! For anyone who is huffy about tipping standard amounts, keep in mind: If my tips total $225 I tip out about $30 to a busser, $30 to runners/expiditers, $10 to bartenders, and $6 to hosts, leaving me with $150. (A pretty average weeknight for me.)

In turn, our bartenders tip out their busser 3% of their total sales, and sometimes on really busy nights we have a sort of pre-dishwasher, a guy in the back whose job it is to scrape plates, and bussers will (totally voluntarily) give him a few bucks, as will the servers.

leaving 20% can still be cheap in some cases. i remember having coffee with a few people at a diner, and our total bill was about $5 for the drinks and a danish. one person was vehement that $1 was enough of a tip because it was 20%, but it just seemed wrong. we'd been given good service (prompt refills and all that), and $1 felt like stiffing.

Wasn't there some thread about places in NYC getting pissed off at people just getting coffee?

Woo. There was some bourbon consumed last night.

Los Robles is the street you're on, yes?

This table OTM.

Its pretty much up to our own discretion as to when we 86 someone. I was about a hair's breadth away last night.

Post script on the shift: $75 in tips last night, and I'm working Super Bowl Sunday night. By myself. Awesome.

A vision! We did actually talk about some place over in Pasadena to do another dinner get-together in the near future, so we might plan around that.

Oh don't worry about that, we just went to the Colorado for a beer instead.

Really, really slow day. Ugh.

I worked out some numbers:

Shifts worked: 7
Hours worked: 48.5
Total Pay: $368
Total Tips: $504
Total earned: $872 (of which tips make up 58%)
Average hourly earnings: $17.98
Thread value: Gold

They were nice, though, and tipped very well.

I appreciate the encouragement, folks. I will keep the thread alive as long as I work as a bartender.

I had an APEROL + prosecco + orange twist cocktail that was very tasty and I'm posting the recipe here because your other thread about cocktails has floated off into the twilight zone.

Elaborate. I am interested.

Hours Worked: 10:45 - 5:30
Hourly Wages Earned: 6.75 x 7.50 = 50.63
Tips Earned: $70
Drinks Poured: About 100
Glasses of Wine Poured: 20
Beers Poured: 20
Cocktails Poured: 20
Non-alcoholic drinks poured: 40
Most Complex Drink Served: Lemon Drop Martini
Drinks Created: The Copacabana - Cachaca (Brazilian Sugar Cane Rum), fresh lime, simple syrup, peach schnapps, triple sec, soda, on the rocks with a salted rim. Have sold a good bit of these.
Meals served at bar: 3
Tables served: 4
Breaks taken: 1, for lunch
Patrons of Note:
- We actually get a number of people in from the seminary for happy hour, since the food prices are so low. Problem is that, for the most part, they don't tip very well.
- Older gentleman who comes in about once or twice a week for lunch to kill a few hours before he works at a local men's clothing shop. Decent tipper, but a really fun guy to shoot the breeze with. Hates Larry Bird with a passion.
- Two ladies in for dessert - one had the cookie basket (an almond cookie basket, bottom coated in with dark chocolate, and filled with mango mousse and mixed berries) and the dessert sampler (a mini three berry cobbler, a mini brioche bread pudding, and a mini creme brulee - not a Guinness one, but still pretty good).

Good tips b/c I worked a couple of decent sized lunch tables, and the rest of the restaurant was busy so I got tipped out by the servers pretty well.

then i get home, open my new package from FYE.com that came today, looking forward to watching THE WIRE, season 2! then i discover i ordered some fucking british show called "wire in the blood" by accident.

aghghghghghghghghghghgahhdgjasjhfdjashfajdsklhf

OTM. I think it's cos you're expected to interact more with the customer in US pubs what with the table service. Also no tipping, tho I guess the more reasonable minimum wage in the UK ($9.90 at current rates) means that there's less emphasis all round.

I would however like to know what a Guinness creme brulee is all about. Sounds less confusing than tipping tho that is not saying much.

In terms of the servers tipping us out, here's an example - the wine I pour is only the wine by the glass. Any other wines must be gotten by either the manager (red, from the wine locker) or the kitchen staff (from the refrigerator). I only get tipped out on the stuff that I pour, not the others. The rationale that was explained to me was that I pour the by-the-glass wine, but do nothing for the other stuff. Therefore, any tip that the server recieves I am due a (small) part of.

I am not entering into or encouraging debate on this point, I am simply explaining the way it works at our restaurant.

wow, the leather uppers were in your bar???

Hates Larry Bird with a passion.

this makes no sense to me. might as well say he likes eating live kittens or punches random kindergarteners for fun.

Day 9
Hours Worked: 11 - 6
Hourly Wages Earned: 7 x 7.50 = 53.50
Tips Earned: $60
Drinks Poured: 90
Glasses of Wine Poured: 20
Beers Poured: 20
Cocktails Poured: 30
Most Complex drink served: Pisco Sour
Non-alcoholic drinks served: 20
Meals served @ bar: 2
Tables served: 4
Patrons of Note:
- None. Very boring, mechanical day
Co-worker Hijinx:
- The host got all pissed off at the new server hires, calling them all "blonde whores." I don't think any of them are blonde, except for one, and she has three kids and wears her wedding ring while cocktail waitressing. Dude just wants attention and to be hired as server b/c he doesn't make jack as a host.

I got Magic's autograph in boston int he 80s.... so cool!!!!!

There are different kinds of bars/pubs in the US. Not all have table service. Then there are some that do, but I wind up going up to the bar to order, anyway, since I don't want to wait for the server.

Places LET you do this?? When you order at the bar in a place with table service (assuming you're seated at a table), you're taking tips out of your server's pocket. A giant faux pas.

It means more money, b/c I'm actually getting tipped on meals instead of just a few lunch drinks. I've done it before, and its pretty simple stuff. Just be friendly, honest, and solicitous, and being a server is pretty easy.

X-post - if you're at a table in a restaurant with servers, wait for the server. You've got a seat, which means you can wait a few extra minutes. The people who try to have the speed/ease of bar service with the comfort of sitting at a table need to go somewhere where they have both for you - McDonalds! And you don't even have to tip!

Places LET you do this?? When you order at the bar in a place with table service (assuming you're seated at a table), you're taking tips out of your server's pocket. A giant faux pas.

ENORMOUS FAUX PAS. BAD, BAD, BAD. If the bartender is paying attention and is not a dickhole, he or she will send you straight back to your table. If you do it again, the staff is obligated to put laxatives in your drink.

If I were paying at the bar I would tip $1 per drink, but if I were at a table (or running a tab at the bar, I suppose) I would tip 20% of the tab. So say my friend and I have 3 $4 beers each, that's $24, so I'd tip about $5. If we were paying per beer, we would tip $1 on each of the 6 beers.

I totally understand the busy server aspect to this. Just understand where the staff is coming from when we ask for some understanding adhererance to the protocol.

Oops, I didn't realise this. I think I got completely the wrong end of the stick - I feel silly having people just bringing me drinks when I can perfectly easily go to the bar so most of the time I've done the latter to save them the effort. How embarrassing.

Okay - what if your table server keeps you waiting more than a reasonable (arbitrary I know, but you know when you've been kept waiting too long by and large) amount of time? I guess you'd be tipping less then in any case, no?

lol no-one watched this in the UK

I think this has occurred to me as well.

Furthermore, I've never had a bartender send me back. Bartenders are usually happy to get tips themselves.

Most likely they didn't realize that you were at a table since most tipped employees tend to be fairly honorable and not leech each others' tips.

And think about it--say there are 12 tables in the place, 3 people at each one; with those 36 people making their way to the bar you would be waiting a lot longer than with a server.

it could be the new Spy vs Spy

xpost I do not see why you shouldn't.

Elaborate. I am interested.

Well, basically... I worked behind the bar of a small village pub in the Devon countryside for years before, during (holidays from) and after university. Although it was in a village, it was between two campsites, and in summer would be absolutely mental - on a busy summer evening we could do between 50-100 meals, and that's with one chef (cook, more accurately, in those days), one kitchen assistant, one washer-up, and maybe three waitresses, plus perhaps two behind the bar and the owner (sadly now dead) doing front-of-house stuff (sitting drinking and chewing shit with his mates!).

There'd be no cocktails, no tips, no meals at the bar, no serving people at their table (fucking hell no! - unless it was my boss and his friends at the table next to the bar) - just five hours per shift (6-11) of frantic pint-pulling, joke-telling, barrel-changing, wine-opening and glass-collecting. I enjoyed it, mostly. Pay was shocking! I learnt a lot about people, obviously. Fuck all about cocktails... If we did 100 meals I'd pull 200 pints, at a guess. Maybe more. And that's not thinking about glasses of wine or spirits.

Of course, wet Wednesday evenings in february, I'd take a book...

Also, it just occured to me that in some isolated instances the bartenders and the lounge servers are one and the same, or they pool. But that's the exception, not the rule.

Table service is provided at some rural pub/restaurants here tho. I'm sure we had it at a pub/restuarant we visited in Dorset last Summer.

15 - 20 dollar range, yeah, but the bar serves happy hour food with a rather extensive menu of 1.95 and 4.95 food specials that are actually quite a good value. If we had any other schools near us, and we had a beer special, we'd be ridiculously busy during happy hour. As for now, its just wine and one cocktail per shift.

And the bar does have lounge tables attached thereto. about 12.

Not once. My delivery was/is impeccable. I'm such a cunt.

I seriously didn't realize that this was a major faux pas until fairly recently. Jesse is the only person I know who works in the industry. Previously, when I've been with other friends, and the server hasn't come around, I've said, "Should I just go to the bar?" and my companions were like, "Sure, might as well."

I've smoked at tables at the Lion Head.

Heh, Google tells me that term is only used in Massachusetts.

Jesse, I apologize. It's more like I'm talking to figure out why I've done something a certain way before being told that I should've been doing it a different way. They're explanations for past behavior, not excuses for current or future behavior. (I often have trouble conveying the difference to people I'm talking to.) I understand your position and will certainly bear it in mind in the future. If anything, this conversation has made me feel extremely guilty about ordering from the bar when servers are around.

Jay, I totally understand where you're coming from with your confusion. Many people still do it, despite my repeated, identical suggestions of "You're server will be right with you." By and large, though, sitting at a table and ordering from the bar is kind of like having the best of both worlds, and the servers eat the difference. Unfair to them.

Usual routine for me: get a drink at the bar. Maybe another while people show up, or until a table is available. But even if a table is available, I'll drink from the bar until we collectively decide to get a table. Getting a table means letting the waitress serve you. Sometimes that's not what you want. Sometimes you want another beer and you want it now, and proximity to the bartender is important. In which case, sit at the bar.

Observation of the species in the wild?

Jesse would've given me a beatdown in person sooner or later. (I'm assuming TCP/IP = Internet.)

Ha. OTM.

Also, what Kevin said, pretty much.

If I hung out around more disgruntled waiters like you, this would've straightened itself out long ago.

xpost Not really, Jesse.

Day 10
Hours Worked: 11 - 5:45
Hourly Wages Earned: 6.75 x 7.50 = 50.63
Tips Earned = 80$!!!
Drinks Poured: Around 80
Wine: 20
Cocktails: 20
Beer: 10
Non-alcoholics: 30
Meals Served/Tables Waited On: 7
Breaks Taken: 1, for lunch
Patrons of Note:
- Two ladies who compared me to every past bartender, blaming me for the change in a) the size of the martini glasses and b) the level of my pour. I follow the rules, y'all. It took me a month to find a job. I ain't tryin' to go looking again. Anyway, they were SO particular about everything, and acted as if I was their cute little cabana boy. Ladies, I already have a mistress I need to serve, and she is my wife.
- Three dudes (see above) who came back, sat at the corner of the bar, and talked shop about multi-million dollar real estate deals.
- A quartet of Chinese folk who spoke in Mandarin about how tacky the server's hair was. I recognized the word "hair" and "ugly", both of which were followed by laughter. Beward the Mandarin speaking bartender!!!
- Dudes from the local seminary. Guys, I understand that you aren't drinking. And I understand that you don't spend a ton of money. But, if you are going to be HELLA particular to a bartender who is also the only server covering 15 tables, and then leave an 8% tip, please don't come back. You all creep me out anyway.
- Some regulars who were awesome as always. Those guys give me much love.

A pretty busy day, and obv. good tips. Day off tomorrow!!!

Alright - recommence yelling at jaymc for his horrendous bar ettiquette.

i dare you to try serving people on sunday here in north carolina, dude. seriously. i've served local gang members who have rolled blunts at the table and talked about running trainz on bitchez while i was refilling their drinks, and NOBODY is worse clientele then church-goers.

yea, charlotte. 21 days before house arrest ends. probably about 210 days before house arrest jokes end.

Less mic@key more B.L.A.M. please!
-- Kv_nol (...), January 31st, 2007 9:17 AM.

No tips, either way, apart from the "jar on the counter" generic tip.

That said, I suspect we pay a lot more for drinks than what I'm seeing here. $6 for a beer. $8 for a simple mixed drink. $10+ for a fancy cocktail or top shelf booze.

BTW - this is me, smiling to keep from crying about studying. BREW, COFFEE!!!!! BREW, DAMN YOU!!!!

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s96/andrew_l_smith_184/Picture6.jpg

And, now that the coffee is done, http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s96/andrew_l_smith_184/Picture10.jpg The Eternal Dilemma .

Working during the Super Bowl tonight, but I have off tomorrow. Awesome.

Wow! Is that customary at your bar? Or is it something special you do? When I was bartending I did everything from behind the bar because then the patron didn't have to swivel in their seat to see me, but it sounds nice that you did that.

but i have never been to a bar where staff will come around the tables for any reason other than to collect empties. in all the places that serve food i have been to, you go to the bar/kitchen, order food, they give you a little device that flashes/vibrates when your food is ready, and you go back to the kitchen to pick it up.

xpost | that i did see

Kv_nol, I saw it the first time. fuck off.

Please stfu then, it seems to be the consensus on this thread that your interjections are unwelcome and uninteresting.

I'm off today, folks, so I'll post again tomorrow evening.

The tips made up for it, but I'm really not about being taken advantage of. Ugh.

But dinner has calmed me. Whew!

On saying that I am quite keen to drink more cocktails. But not at those places I think. BLAM do you make French 75s? They are the best!

does anyone else find themselves thinking along this line too often? i know i do.

I'm a pretty nice and patient guy. I put in a good deal of work, and expect to be compensated for it. As a result of this, I have NO patience for people with overblown senses of entitlement. People who feel like the world owes them something, before anyone else, and they're going to make things miserable for other people until they get their way.

So long as these folks aren't interfering with my happiness, I have no real opinion about them except for the same feeling I have about roadkill - whoa! Let's not go near that! But, upon the times that they do exert some control over my life, regardless of in how small a way, I want to beat them. Loudly.

He whines about not making enough money as a host (dude! you're 20! You're SUPPOSED to be broke), he whines about the restaurant hiring people as servers over him, he has this adolscent, dismissive attitude re: EVERYTHING, and he's now taking money out of my pocket. Fuck 'em.

The Duke fan was pretty cool. I left before the game had started. His story was typical - "Yeah, its just that, when I started to get into college basketball, they were the team that was winning blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah." You know what? The same thing happened to me. Except I didn't start cheering for the OVER-ENTITLED, SPOILED ASS BITCHES of Duke University. I started cheering for the Sin City Supermen - the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. They were a good, clean program, with a strong moral compass as a coach, and I'm sure at least an 85% graduation rate.

NO, fucktard! Its NOT a shitty life. Its a damn good life but people like you make it shitty.

Other than him and servers who don't tip for extra effort, its fine.

Either your sense of humor is as dry as melba toast, or the UNLV I know is a totally different towel-eating turkey.

He said that to your face to justify his treatment of you, or just as a general waaaahh?

you see that? That red stuff is "sarcasm".

HAHAH

I'll post later about today...gotta get some studying done. Did pretty well, and had a good round of customers. The server working the lounge with me today is a very cool dude, so we had a good time today.

That's sad!

Perhaps you do, and I hadn't noticed.

I'm exhausted and tea isn't working, I think only a champagne and gin cocktail could keep me up now.

Do any places in the UK have dedicated hosts? That aren't ultra-snooty places, that is... usually you just go in and one of the waiters will point you at a table. I larfed in Veronica Mars where she appears to be a host in a... coffee shop?? Good grief, people can find their own seats in a coffee shop for crying out loud.

-- Stephen X (figmentfragmen...) (webmail), February 9th, 2007. (Stephen X)

seriously? that's bizarre. never seen a place like that before.

Sorry about the lackluster post, guys. I'm just REALLY REALLY tired, and I don't want to go into work tonight.

Beergaritas are yummy.