ince most people are loyal to that post work cocktail or that beer before the game, it is necessary for those of us to be familiar with certain etiquettes that are appreciated by those that are serving us. Although most people like to think that “the customer is always right,” this is not the case in the world of beer, wine and spirits. Read on to see if you are the customer that the bar despises.1. Do not just assume it is okay to rearrange the furniture. It is polite to ask permission if it is ok to pull together tables, even if you are the only people in the bar. Servers have “sections” and when customers waltz into a bar and start pulling together tables, they mess up these “sections”. Mind your manners and ask first.
2. Carry on your tab with the person you started it with. If you start a tab at the bar with the bartender, then guess where your drinks are? Cocktail servers make their money from their own tabs. Therefore, if your tab is at the bar and you choose to occupy a table in the servers section, then be aware that you will be the one going to the bar to get your drinks, not the server.
3. Be courteous with separate tabs. When drinking in a group, it is okay to ask for separate tabs, but only under a few conditions. A) Make the server aware of it from the beginning to avoid confusion and time at the end and B) Avoid surrendering your credit card for one drink. It is stupid to run a credit card for a $3.50 Bud Light. Try to pay cash as you go if you don’t plan on drinking all night. ATM’s are everywhere.
4. Employees have the right of way. Be mindful to those that are working. When a server is carrying a tray of drinks uttering “excuse me” through a crowded room, get out of the way! This is how drinks get spilled. After all, I’m sure you wouldn’t like to have a Cosmopolitan spilled down the front of your white shirt, now would you?
5. If you say you are ready to order, then be ready to order. Nothing is more frustrating than when a customer says that they are ready to order and then proceed to blankly stare when they are asked what they would like to drink. Don’t make the server or bartender stand there through your “ummm’s and hmmmm’s”.
6. Tip correctly. Rule of thumb: At least one dollar for every drink. However, drinks requiring more work such as Lemon Drops, Kamikazes, or my favorite, the bar halting Spanish Coffee, require more of a tip. [As a side note, loose change is useless. Bring your coins to Coinstar and give your server or bartender the extra dollar.]
7. Have a backup drink planned if the bar is packed. When the bar is busy, it may take a while to get your dry, slightly wet, extra dirty, straight up, shaken not stirred, martini with three olives. Besides being a time consuming order, your drink probably won’t taste as good because the bartender is making it in haste. So, if the bar is packed, or if it is not stocked with the beer or liquor of choice, have a ‘plan b’ drink in mind to avoid disappointment.
8. Order your drink in the order of alcohol first. To clarify, when ordering a mixer, order it as a vodka/cranberry as opposed to cranberry/vodka. It makes the natural order taking process more fluid.
9. Do not stand in the waitresses’ station! This is the personal domain of the staff. This is where drink orders are picked up and delivered. When unknowing drunks occupy this territory, it not only slows down the cocktailing process, but it also increases the chance of a spilled drink.
10. Refrain from hitting on the employees. Sure, everyone has a little more courage after a few drinks, but that doesn’t make it necessary to jock your cute waitress or bartender. In the event you do choose to “pitch woo” to the staff, come up with something better than dropping a sugar packet on the floor and telling the waitress “Hey baby, you dropped your name tag.” Likewise, if you are a female, don’t make yourself a fixture at the bar in hopes of flirting with the bartender all night. Savvy?
Follow these simple bar behavior tips and I assure you your future will consist of good service and a few free drinks here and there. Choose not to follow these etiquettes and it will be you for whom the booze tolls.
Happy boozing!
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