February 2012
7 posts
4 tags
A Mini Rant
I just wanted to let all the patrons of the bar that I work… When you want a drink that is frozen, please dont use the word slushie… You aren’t 12 years old and if you want a slushie there IS a seven eleven next door.
Also, when you ask for a margarita and I ask you if you want it frozen or on the rocks (noticed I didn’t ask if you wanted it as a slushie) don’t say...
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A Discount For What?!?!
It was a pretty craptastic day at work today, but the only thing I really wanted to share with you is one of the servers got asked by a table if she could get a discount if she sucked on the servers nipples! Needless to say our manager did nothing but all the servers had something to say to the table.
If you are a manager or a general manager… have your servers backs please!
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ON. THE. BAR. →
promiscups:
Show your love to your favorite bartender (and stalk him/her). This new app, currently in beta in Boston and New York, is a boozehound’s mix of Facebook, LinkedIn and Foursquare. First, bartenders create profiles and list their places of employment. When they arrive at work, they can do something akin to a Foursquare check-in, telling the app that they are currently “on the bar.”...
thenycbartender asked: I just got my NY state bartending license, what advice do you give to a new bartender looking for experience?
January 2012
14 posts
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Shaking vs. Stirring Cocktails
I have been in the hospitality on and off since I was 14 years old and although I haven’t been bartending for very long I like to immerse myself in the world of mixing drinks and learn as much as I can.
Something that has been brought to my attention recently is, a lot of bartenders don’t know when to shake or stir a cocktail. Here are a few general rules and some basic principles of...
taconerd1 asked: where is your bar ? so when im 21 i can come have a drink.
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My bar is famous for having "The Accountant" →
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Things I hate!
Me: Hey, how are you?
Customer: Menu...
Me, to myself: You can't even engage is small talk can you?
Would it kill people just to be polite?
Me: Hi, can I help you?
Customer: *Staring at the menu*
Me: Do you need more time with the menu?
Customer: *Staring at the menu*
God damn people, stop being rude!
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I Deserve A What?!
Now, I don’t people to think that I am ungrateful, I just don’t like to get underpaid. Also my job isn’t as bad as I make it out to be, but after all this IS a rant blog, more or less.
So, Thursday night I am on bar as usual, nothing out of the ordinary except for the EXTREMELY busy happy hour, which sucks, because people only order things that are half off, so checks...
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Lady Em and Zawack
I would like to formally introduce two new(ish) members of Adventures Behind the Bar. One, is someone who has posted a couple times before. Lady Em is a newer bartender at the place where I work. I have known her for 3 years and she is a close friend.
The newest member to ABTB is Zawack… we trained as bartenders at the same time, although he does have a lot more experience in the field. ...
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ZAWACK!: I understand that not everyone feels the... →
zawacki:
I understand that not everyone feels the need to tip their bartender out of the kindness of their heart. There are many people who simply do not care that we get paid $2.83 an hour and rarely is any of that left after taxes. To these people I say tip your bartender out of your own self interest….
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Red O's $100 Margarita →
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Leaving Your Number
I’m blogging from work because this is so ridiculous. Two guys just left my bar after being here for 4.5 hours. Their bill $110. They asked to split it between two cards, which is No problem. The split total is 55 a person.
So, one guy left me 13, awesome tip and the other left me 6…. not so great. After I cleaned up I noticed one guy left his number. It was the guy that left 6, I...
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A Message From Lady Em!
This is something that has been covered before, but perhaps the followers could help spread the word… Tipping is how many of us make our money.
At my particular establishment, I make my money directly from tips. I have no $8.00 an hour minimum. In fact, at the end of my shift I even have to give out money. It is very important that you leave something. Imagine having a table that orders...
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The Importance of Inventory
First off, I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year. Coincidentally, this post is about my shift on New Years day.
In Philadelphia, every New Years Day, the Mummers have an enormous parade that hundreds of people attend. The bar I work is at the very end of the parade route and a lot of people come in for more drinks or a bite to eat.
When I entered work, my boss told me our 86 list (86 is...
katbot asked: Please update more often if you can! I just adore your blog!
December 2011
7 posts
5 tags
Theft #2
Overt Theft - aka “Wide Open”
Bartender makes drink, collects for drink and then puts money directly into open cash register or tip cup. The cash register is not rung. This is the simplest form of bartender theft.
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Bartender Theft
I do not promote bartenders stealing but unfortunately 95% of them do. As a bartender myself and hopefully, one day, bar owner I feel it is time to let other bar owners know how their bartender might be stealing from them.
#1 Multiple Transactions
Bartender makes several drinks for, say, two to five different customers at one time. Then he collects for all of these drinks at one time,...
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50 Followers
I now have 50 followers, thanks everyone for helping me get there
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It Isn't The Bouncers Problem
A man sat at my bar and asked for a Coors Lt. after a couple of beers I over hear him talk about someone at the court house, which is across the street from my bar. We started talking and he told me that his younger sister is at the court house because she was caught drinking underage at a bar.
He said the Liquor Control Board (LCB) raided the bar and they got caught. The bartenders got arrested...
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Good Bartender vs Bad Bartender
This isn’t my list although I do agree with most of it.
What is the difference between a Good Bartender or a Bad Bartender? We’ve all been upset at poor service but equally I know when I get good service, I remember it! So what are the things that annoy or impress us?
A good Bartender:
Always acknowledges customers at the bar.
Can take more than one order at a time.
Pours the pint of...
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A few firsts.
I’ve been waiting for a long time to have a story good enough to share my first time blogging.
It has arrived.
Although I wasn’t bar tending, I got to observe from not too far away. It’s your average saturday night… Not dead, not busy. Plenty of people enjoying their beverages, food, what have you. I was prepared for people to get loud. I was prepared for people to get...
November 2011
9 posts
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Go to drink
Just curious… what is every ones go to drink? The drink you order 99% of the time when you go out?
katietron asked: Hi! I'm a bartender at Hooters and I have noticed something odd. A LOT of people do. not. tip. I don't know if it's because they're not sitting at an actual table so they think it's not necessary? What blows my mind more, is men will hit on me and still leave me no tip! Some people will order and full meal and drinks meaning I'm doing more than the waitresses and they...
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Irony?
I open the bar on Monday mornings, which usually means it is pretty slow on the alcohol front, except for when this man walks in at about 11:45am. He orders a house vodka and tonic, after returning with his drink he orders a cup of soup. Within the next 40 minutes or so he orders three more, pays and then leaves.
The same man returns 30 minutes later and says ‘That was fast’. The...
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The Dos and Don'ts of Ordering At The Bar
Do put your money on the bar when ordering a drink. This simple act immediately separates the pros from the amateurs.
Don’t wave your money or your empty glass/bottle when you want a drink.
Don’t order one drink at a time, or pay for each drink separately with a credit card.
Do have your drink order ready, especially if it’s busy.
Don’t shred your cocktail napkins, beer coasters, or beer...
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What the hell is...?
A Grey Goose, Absolut and cranberry juice? I guess similarly what is a Grey Goose, Absolut and orange juice? Yes, last night a couple asked me for this and I had to keep asking them to repeat themselves, because I had no idea what the hell he was asking for. It turns out the one had an expired ID and you all know how I feel about that and once they figured out that I wasn’t going to make...
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How to Make RPG Shots →
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I'm Sorry... what?
I went to a wedding on Saturday and they had an open bar… I was playing designated driver so I opted to drink in the beginning and then sober up so I can drive home. I went to get my date a drink (they were drinking Chardonnay) so when I asked the bartender for a chardonnay they asked me the most peculiar question…
“Red or White”
Whaaat?! I am 100% sure that Chardonnay...
October 2011
8 posts
9 tags
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Another Day
Here we go again… 7 people sit down at the bar last night and one is holding a college text book. I can hear them talking about getting drinks so in the back of my mind I know I am going to card everyone of them. Out of 7, 6 ordered drinks and the all had I.D.
I noticed the one girl that didn’t get a drink, drink her friends margarita twice. I told her that I needed to see her I.D....
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Overheard At The Bar
“Don’t ask me to be in your wedding, I won’t be your best man. He needs to drop her to the curb with the rest of the garbage.”
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Sir... I mean ma'am.. I mean.. what?!
Since I work in the center of a diverse city, I have seen my fair share of interesting people. It’s a Saturday night and I notice a ‘woman’ sit at the bar. I’ve seen her before, once or twice. Now, I have no problem with cross dressers, drag queens, trans-what-have-you. But this was simply a man in a dress and a bad wig. She wore a pink sundress and sneakers…....
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brand new eyes: So You Want My Job: Bartender →
rightbraindance:
by BRETT at artofmanliness
Today we return to our “So You Want My Job” series, in which we interview men who are employed in desirable man jobs and ask them about the reality of their work. So belly up to the bar and let bartender Mike Hagan pour you a drink as he offers some advice…
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EXPIRED ID'S!
ARE NOT VALID! I don’t care if it has your birthday on it. It is no longer valid. Get that shit renewed! Don’t argue with me!
The End
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New Shctuff
We got a bunch of new drinks at the bar and on top of that a new margarita going onto the happy hour menu… that means… I am going to want to kill myself in a week or two!
September 2011
10 posts
9 tags
TGIF!
It’s Friday, time to get your drink on. I am ready for some Stoli O and Redbull…
so my question to you… what is your go to drink?
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I Couldn't Make This Shit Up!
Around 4pm 2 guys sit at the bar and order lunch, everything went smoothly until I went to the kitchen to grab some food, as I came out I saw them leaving and I looked on the bar to see if there was money there… there was. There bill was about $44.15 and the left me $45… obviously they didn’t read my post about tipping.
I didn’t have time to clean up their dishes because...
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There Ain't No Liquors in This
I can’t take credit for this story but I will re-tell it and add a little.
Strawberry daiquiris are probably the worst thing to ask a bartender for. No one actually wants to take out the blender and blend your stupid drink. The way we make our daiquiris is 1 1/4oz of rum and a whole lot of sugary strawberry puree.
So a table orders them and complains “there ain’t no...
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Happy Hour
I work tonight from Happy Hour to close, so I am sure I will have some good ones for you tonight or tomorrow am… stay tuned.