Message 5134 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

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> again.  Our young and beautiful clientele has changed a bit in 
> attitude in the last five to eight years to the 'me-me-me; 
...
> This season we have also experienced much more of the complainers 
> that want something for free.

And you are defending this trend?

> There was a day and a place that arrogant did work, but then was it 
> really being charming and making your point or just being arrogant?  

Both, but when I have an audience, it's education.

Those of us who choose to believe that "professional bartender" is not an 
oxymoron simply don't see why we should have to put up with being messed 
around or treated like shit. Yes, there are resorts and private clubs where 
"yes sir, No sir" is the only allowable response, but you know whether that's 
the sort of place you are in, or indeed if it's the sort of a place you choose 
to spend your working life.

Tonight I caught a boy whacking his empty glass on the bar to get served. I 
looked up, glared at him for a second, and continued serving the three other 
orders I'd prioritized. Then I approached his friend, served their round with 
lightning speed while saying "I see your mate here has figured out how not 
to get served :-B ". He had a good laugh, his friend was suitably chastised 
and gave me a sheepish nod.

C'mon, serving alcohol is the one industry where the customer is always wrong. 
Hm, maybe law enforcement has this in common with us ...

My management has it's first priority as the team. Our security, backup, and 
issue resolution (where I am now) is beyond par. Customers come and go. Good 
staff are worth their weight in judgment calls.
We will not be 'made an example of', chastised, or undermined without a 
private discussion. An owner that has come up through the trenches knows the 
real weight of a customers complaint, knows that they probably won't even 
remember what it was that peeved them, and knows that there's more where they 
came from.
(This may be unfortunately less relevant if you are answerable to 
bean-counters or non-industy types who are hypersensitive to bad press)

My rants in this vein this week are all directed to increasing turnover and 
speed for the business - possibly at the detriment of tips or personal gain. 
And management would have a problem with this? I can stick three rounds in the 
till in the time it takes to sort a dithering drunkard - by which time I might 
as well have given them their drinks for free. Does not compute.

I am more than happy to apologise, explain or smooth the waters if something 
is taken the wrong way, but in the heat of the moment, surfing above the crowd 
is what gets me through the night.
Several of my best customers are ones I had to give arseholes to at one point 
or another. I've received personal apologies from all of them. Eventually. 
Often at the prompting of my boss.

I almost got a 'written' complaint once after skipping a group of girls that 
waved me down, then kept passing the ball to each other, before requesting my 
performance of Cheryls multi-coloured shots. (the food colouring trick I'd 
given one of them the previous week). It being 2AM on a Saturday, 5 deep, I 
refused Point Blank (definately not as politely as I could have). So this girl 
who "worked in a bar" in another town gave me an earful about how utterly 
disgraceful my behaviour was, and wanted my name, licence and serial number 
etc etc.
Long story short, she had calmed down by the following week, and now seeks me 
out, brings her friends and gives me a wink every time she's back in town.

Thick skin in this industry - comes with the territory. Remember - we control 
the flow of your alcohol : be nice to us.

.dan.

Um. Despite my adversarial tone here, rememer, most of my attitude is somewhat 
tongue-in-cheek. I don't mean anything by it, just venting a little :-)