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navyjack posted:Welp. And here I've been saying I wanted to turn in my keys and get a daytime grown-up job. Maybe wear a necktie. Hey you know I've tried grown up jobs and came back to bartending crying like a little bitch. Don't do it, you'll only get hurt.
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Aug 9, 2012 06:17
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James Woods posted:To be honest I can't really think of any other places I actually go to these days. I don't really hang out at bars that much any more. I usually spend my days off driving down Skyline or up the PCH and my nights down at my warehouse wrenching on one of the old Porsches or BMWs I can't stop buying off craigslist. Weren't you just in a thread in AI driving an old 80's Corvette? That is a nice ride, how's it running?
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Aug 9, 2012 18:13
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James Woods posted:I've still got it, its a bit of a long term restoration project that was serving as my daily driver for the last year until it threw an axle. I've been too busy preparing goon McMadCow's Ratrod BMW 2002 that we just finished a Frankenstein engine swap on for a vintage on-road rally to get the Vette' back together. If you have the time, you should start a project thread in AI. It really does help motivation at times and everyone there would appreciate it I'm sure. I know I would, I love old Vettes, and if you have any more projects the more the merrier.
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Aug 10, 2012 07:45
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Has anyone banned cigar smoking in their bars? We've been thinking about it because there are a few regulars that smoke them non stop and the other patrons bitch and complain about it. One of the bars across the street from us has started kicking out people for smoking cigars, I was wondering if this was a trend to keep the majority happy.Daric posted:James, can we try to get a list together of all the bartenders that post in these threads and what types of venues they're working in? Sounds like a good idea. Would be cool to see the different types of bars we all work in. leica - Tiki beach bar
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Aug 10, 2012 18:21
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Sheep-Goats posted:Ban all smoking in your bar IMO. Girls don't like it. The staff doesn't like it. Smokers are used to their addiction getting beat on so they won't even Our bar is an outside bar that's the problem. Cigs are bad enough, but even outside, cigars are annoying. I can't imagine working an indoor bar where smoking is allowed. A good friend of my wife's who was a bartender passed away from emphysema and never smoked a day in his life. His doctor told him it was from all the second hand smoke he was exposed to over the years  JawKnee posted:Don't go to a bartending school, try and get a job lower down the chain (as a barback or busser), work hard and try not to piss the people above you off. I went to a local cheap bartending school YEARS ago just for my own peace of mind before going out and looking for a job, and I ended up getting a job behind a bar before I even finished the school. YMMV.
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Aug 11, 2012 01:31
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that much.
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Sondheim posted:I'm 23, can't keep up with the young 'uns anymore. I really hope you're joking. What the gently caress are you gonna do when you turn 30, move into a nursing home? I'm 41, gonna bartend the rest of my life as far as I'm concerned. Also I have been known to enjoy a Miami Vice now and then 
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Aug 11, 2012 22:32
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I don't consider myself old, just well seasoned. I've been in the Hospitality business a LONG time 
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Aug 11, 2012 23:50
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Sounds like you need to get out from under your "title". IMO, companies use titles and salaries as a way to gently caress over employees more often than not, but if you're happy with your title/salary then you need to stop collecting tips. Otherwise go back to being a bartender, because tipped employees tend to make more money than management (especially assistant management) anyway. I can't count how many times I've heard managers bitch and complain during closeouts that the servers/bartenders are making more money than them. So why be a manager then?
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Aug 13, 2012 19:01
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Opening your own place is a very high risk, at least in the area I live in. Liquor license? Haha, good luck with that, even if you do manage to get one it doesn't guarantee anything. Never mind the fact if you have a family good luck keeping it together trying to run a bar. I'm over 35 and it's no where near cloudy for me. As long as I can still function behind a bar I'll probably always have shifts somewhere, I know bartenders that are into their 60's, you just have to work in the appropriate bar. Management is not an option unless a really good opportunity that I couldn't refuse fell into my lap. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Aug 13, 2012 |
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Aug 13, 2012 21:32
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Sheep-Goats posted:I know bartenders in their 50s and it ain't no job for an older guy/gal. The only ones that don't seem totally busted are the ones with union casino jobs or ritzy hotel bars, but there's crosshairs on every one of them from management. I'd probably get a job a the local VFW haha. Most bars where old people hang out don't want young bartenders so there is a market for them although it is admittedly small. If I can't do that then I guess I'll bag groceries until I'm dead 
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Aug 13, 2012 22:24
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Sheep-Goats posted:Again, let me assure you that this isn't accidental blundering. It's strategy. That's how some places are run. Limit yourself to one thing a meeting and make it something minor and easily fixable. The meetings are just window dressing, management doesn't give two shits what anyone says in those meetings. Ding ding ding. I honestly wouldn't even complain to management about the service bartender leaving early, they did that on purpose to save hours. That problem could be solved by making them tipped employees but that's neither here nor there. Management could give two shits about how you feel about it because you can be replaced easily. Pick your battles and don't complain about poo poo that management does to save money or you'll just be pegged a whiner. Complaining about the beer mugs is a much better idea and is constructive, that's picking your battles the right way. Tony Jowns posted:I cannot take anyone talking about Drambuie as 'blue collar' seriously because of Drambuie does taste like poo poo, but those dudes have some serious manhood issues. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 17:46 on Aug 14, 2012 |
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Aug 14, 2012 17:43
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Fair enough, you should know the intricacies of your bar and how management does things. In my experience working in the hospitality business, management is very aware of hourly wages, who has what hours and tries to avoid overtime as much as possible. You could have explained a little more detail earlier so we'd understand better, but it sounds to me if the manager doesn't care either way then you should hash it out with the service bartender.
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Aug 14, 2012 18:45
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Heh, sometimes I take for granted how awesome it is working with plastic cups. I was at a bar down the beach recently to visit a fellow bartender, and as I was watching her scrub glasses it reminded me of how much of a pain in the rear end it was to be in the weeds and having to stop to wash glasses because I ran out of rocks glasses or whatever.
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Aug 15, 2012 02:55
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Bash Ironfist posted:What kind of place do you work at that uses plastic cups? The bar I work at is right on the beach and glass is not allowed by law. Cops give out tickets for a hundred bucks a bottle. I've seen people get busted with a cooler full of beer bottles, you do the math.
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Aug 15, 2012 04:38
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Bash Ironfist posted:sticking with this job, practicing a lot at home, and lying my rear end off hoping to get a bar tending job. There is a 99.9% chance this would never happen. Start as a barback.
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Aug 15, 2012 06:42
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Why is it so hard for people to figure out who's next? Sorry, I'm busy making drinks so I don't see when everyone walks up to the loving bar, I don't have eyes in the back of my head, and I don't hear your inside voice so speak the gently caress up. I got pissed and yelled at everybody standing at the bar WERE ALL ADULTS HERE RIGHT COULD YOU PLEASE FIGURE IT OUT AMONGST YOURSELVES WHOS NEXT IF YOU HAVE A GODDAMN PROBLEM WITH THE ORDER IM SERVING!!!??? I ask who's next and they all just sit there and look at each other 
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Aug 16, 2012 17:53
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Contests are a living? What if you don't win or place? It sounds like fun but I couldn't afford to take time off to find out.
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Aug 16, 2012 20:33
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Vegetable Melange posted:I make the first mistake; I look up. I hate when that happens.
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Aug 17, 2012 17:51
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Dirnok posted:Girl and I arguing about how much alcohol was in her drink. Haha. My bar manager hates that poo poo with a passion and considers it a huge insult. He hardly ever goes off on people except when that happens. When people tell me the drink is weak I just say "Oh so you want a double why didn't you just say so? We don't just give away alcohol for free." Or I make a comment about only a lush would complain because we do generous pours.
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Aug 18, 2012 16:27
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Daric posted:We ended up making $200 each but that wasn't enough for how much I took it in the rear end tonight. I've found that busier doesn't always equal better tips. When it's steady but not too busy you're able to give better service and actually talk to people, those are the days I bank. When you're in the weeds people are always waiting and get pissed, they reflect their displeasure in the tips. So you work twice as hard but don't get nearly what you thought you should. My bar manager did the math and figured out once we get to a certain sales number the tip percentage starts going down in a hurry. Also if your managers are going to fire a bartender because of timeliness complaints when it was busy they are idiots. Bars get busy, and people have to wait. Losing cards happens too, and nine times out of ten it's the customer that loses it after it's given back. Unless your fellow bartender was rude to the customers there's no reason to fire her.
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Aug 20, 2012 19:02
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I went to a "school", more like a crash course really, it was just a couple nights a week for a few months. I did it to prepare myself because I was determined to get behind a bar, it helped until a certain point and by that time I got a job behind a bar before I finished. That being said, I had a background in hospitality and had barbacked before, so I knew how to act working around a bar. The school was just for me personally to get my confidence where I wanted it to be in terms of just making drinks and being fast. I didn't even finish to get the "certificate" haha.
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Aug 21, 2012 06:20
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Right, once you get your foot in the door somewhere there's no need to use it anymore. The first job I got was just based on clicking with the manager personality wise, having worked as a barback, and being in the school at the time showed the manager that I was committed to bartending. This was YEARS ago btw, around the mid 90's so things may be much different now. Back then there were lots of bartending jobs to go around and there were people being hired out of the schools. Not sure how it is these days, apparently not so good. If I were to give advice about the schools I would say do it for your self confidence and don't expect a job coming out of it unless you are totally committed.
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Aug 21, 2012 21:49
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WampaLord posted:Is this impossible to do if you just plan on running a tab and have no cash on you? Pretty much. I've had people promise me a good tip when handing me the card then getting screwed. Cash is king.
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Aug 24, 2012 03:04
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Our hotel front desk gives out free drink tickets for when they gently caress up. Some days it's a lot. Apparently "free drink" means "I don't have to tip poo poo" either. It isn't my loving fault your room isn't ready, and I didn't put a roach on your pillow, so you can go gently caress yourself.
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Aug 24, 2012 17:01
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We've had people come to the bar expecting a free drink after every one they buy, and cop an attitude when we laugh at them. "We're from Mass-a-two-shits, the bar there buys us a drink after each one we buy" well good for you, guess what you're in Florida now? Surprising how your stupid bar gimmicks aren't nationwide. We don't need to give out drinks to get business, we're on a popular beach, we could be selling Vodka with our back sweat and we'd still be in business.
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Aug 24, 2012 19:54
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nrr posted:It just doesn't really make sense. I think the only soloution there is that you gather up all the drink tickets at the end of the shift, and charge the hotel for them instead of just writing them off. That way you get your tip for service, the customer gets a truly free drink without being responsible or feeling guilty for not wanting to tip (because they really shouldn't have to imo) and the hotel's fuckups become tangible instead of just being waived away. That way, if they continue to mount, then it costs them money and it's something that can and will be addressed because it's stupid to have a safety valve for fuckups (ie free drink tickets) that don't have any accountability and can just be thrown around willy nilly. Especially when the cause of the fuckup is one department, and a completely different department has to shoulder the effect. This is a very reasonable idea, but the owner is a tightwad that couldn't care less about his employees and would laugh in our faces for even bringing it up. It just irks me because people know better, they just say "gently caress the bartender too" when we had nothing to do with whatever their problem was. And of course they choose the most expensive drink they can get like Patron Margaritas, at least throw me a buck goddamn. Every once in awhile someone gets it and leaves a tip but not too often.
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Aug 25, 2012 01:23
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfipl5BYBqo
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Aug 27, 2012 18:21
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But you don't understand, people at the bar want live lobsters you would be foolish not to get one 
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Aug 31, 2012 03:15
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New job for the barback: Get rid of all the dead lobsters laying around.
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Aug 31, 2012 03:57
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nrr posted:two very, very lovely ladies in tonight sitting at my bar enjoying what looked like maybe their anniversary dinner, shared a bottle of bubbles and then while one of them was talking to me about champagne and oysters the other one started licking and sucking on her finger and it took every single ounce of professionalism left in me to keep a straight face and continue answering her questions. Imagine this but they're in skimpy bikinis with their nipples poking out. This is the bar I work at
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Sep 2, 2012 22:31
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nrr posted:The upside of my work environment though, is NO BLENDED DRINKS We have an Island Oasis machine which makes it about 100 times easier and faster. And I will gladly make frozen drinks if it means I get to see women in what is basically their underwear all day long.
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Sep 3, 2012 04:08
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which I'm sure you do a shitload of at a college pool bar, and I think I hate blended drinks with enough of a passion that I would actually trade in bikini clad customers to not have to make them.
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Vegetable Melange posted:Also I only recently hit the point where people are trying to poach me away from my job, and it was a doozie; a client, heavy into PR/Event Production, asking me what it would take to open my own place. "Cash, Real Estate, PR, what?" My bar manager has had people trying to get him to open a bar for years, and has found out most of the "investors" are full of poo poo, he doesn't want to open a bar anyway because he knows how it is, and he has a family so it probably wouldn't work out too well in that regard. Unless you want it to consume your life opening your own place probably isn't worth the risk nine times out of ten. It is fun talking about it though, we do it all the time [edit] also, been looking at bartender want ads in CL, is it really a good idea to advertise that you need a bartender with a "following" because that implies you're desperate for customers so why the hell would I want to work there then? Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Sep 5, 2012 |
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Sep 5, 2012 18:09
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Anything with blue curacao sells like hotcakes at a beach bar. All it takes is one blue Long Island and next thing you know the whole bar is drinking them.
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Sep 8, 2012 00:33
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Because you were drinking a faggy pink drink?
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Sep 8, 2012 05:38
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Vegetable Melange posted:25 people walked out at midnight complaining that the dj sucked. What are the grounds for justifiable homicide, again? We went from slammed to polishing glasses on a Saturday night. How does a DJ suck? All he has to do is play music, right? Try having a "one man band" which is basically a guy singing to karaoke tracks and barely playing a guitar. Thankfuly our location does more to pull in customers, but if the singers are bad enough (most of them are) they will drive them away.
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Sep 9, 2012 22:03
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Hoops posted:put a vodka red bull pitcher on sale. Haha you gotta be kidding. Is this a new trend now?
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Sep 10, 2012 00:11
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nrr posted:bud light lime margarita. An ad informed me yesterday that for years people have been trying to perfect the margarita, and now bud light have finally done it! In beer form!! The only thing Bud Light perfected is piss in a can.
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Sep 11, 2012 05:50
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Dirnok posted:Noticed that poo poo in our cooler when I opened last week. So continues the saga of our GM stocking every dumb thing Budweiser comes out with. 8% ABV in an 8 ounce can, in a college bar full of binge drinkers. loving brilliant, what could possibly go wrong? You can always say you ran out if it gets bad, we do that with Jager 
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Sep 11, 2012 15:42
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nrr posted:Can't wait for the Bud Light CosmoTM Can you still get Jim Beam and cola in a can? Because that was actually pretty awesome. Dirnok posted:The loving worst kind. Seriously. Yep. That's why we "run out" of it all the time. Send them off to Sloppy Joe's about a hundred yards down the beach. "Sorry buddy, we can't serve you anymore, try Sloppy's." They must loving hate us over there
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Sep 12, 2012 01:44
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 12:11 |
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If bartending degrees were obtainable imagine the classes you'd have to go to.
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Sep 18, 2012 21:07
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