Photo Credit - iStock/santypan

Have you ever been sitting quietly at the bar minding your own, (Maybe you’re out with friend, maybe you were just thirsty.) when someone comes up next to you and starts waving their hand in the air desperately trying to get the bartenders attention? Everyone at the bar can see that the bartender is busy and not ignoring anyone, just busy.

When the bartender sees you, that is the acknowledgement that you hit their queue and they will get to you once they have completed the slew of things they have to accomplish before you walked up. That list not only includes making drinks for the people at the bar, but also any wait staff that are taking care of tables.

When the bartender is available and does get to you, HAVE YOUR ORDER READY. There is nothing quite as unnerving for all parties involved as finally getting the bartender’s undivided attention, only to have to ask all 6 members of the group what they want.

Once you do get your drink(s), have your method of payment ready. If you know that you are going to order more than one round, open a tab. That makes life easier for everyone. If it’s a loud venue and you have a tab, when you go up to order, have your ID ready to show, that way the bartender can just look at the last name and no issues will be had.

Tipping is a never-ending battle that we see all over social media. Some firmly believe in it, others, not so much. I do. I have worked the service industry for most of my life (23 years to be exact) and I always tip, but hey, that’s just me. How much I decide to tip is determined by several factors: quality of service, quality of product, promptness of service, whether or not I am friends with the staff….I will never tip less than 10%, even if none of my standards are met. Everyone deserves to get paid, and how do I know that my server/bartender isn’t having an “off day”. Aren’t we all entitled to those? I know I have them.

I am not going to preach on what to order because everyone is entitled to get whatever they want. You want a Mojito, order a Mojito. Vodka Soda, Midori Sour, Ramos Gin Fizz…Order WHATEVER you want. That is what we bartenders are here for. It’s called the SERVICE INDUSTRY. We are here to provide a service, and any staff member that cops an attitude for you ordering what you want, probably shouldn’t be in the industry. Like what you like, and don’t feel bad or feel like you are putting someone “out” by ordering it.

I happen to believe making drinks the coolest part of the service industry. Making drinks and talking to people of all walks of life is a great gig. That’s why I have been slinging drinks for 18 years. To quote the movie Cocktail “We are the aristocrats of the working class…”