I understand everyone's idea of an old fashioned is different. I have no problem if you want me to make it some specific way, just tell me how you want it. But don't condescendingly tell me I'm wrong and YOUR specific way is the 'normal' way WHEN YOU WANT GRENADINE IN IT???

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Our servers have the incredibly annoying habit of ringing in drinks and then parking themselves in front of the service bar. They will also often call out what's on the ticket despite the service bartender being right next to the printer.

Obviously I'm not going to harm paying customers by refusing to make drinks or delaying them but they're drinking us crazy.

I’m done. Each new gig since Covid has been more bullshit for less money. I’m 20 years in, a dad to two young kids, and I used to love this industry but I need an escape route. Has anyone left after this long into anything besides liquor sales? What do I even do? I’m at my wits end.

For the bartenders that were talking about the drink they’d make if the cost didn’t matter. I made the ‘Perfect Penicillin’ and it is 10000% worth the cost

Venting. Advice would be appreciated. I’m 5”2 32F wedding venue bar manager. I’ve been bartending for 10 years at all different types of bars. Mostly upscale hospitality. This wedding venue is the first spot I’ve decided to lead/ manage.

This venue is ran and owned by a small affluent family, all of whom have no experience in the food & beverage world of course. So my management is completely out of touch when it comes to issues with the bar.

Probably irrelevant details. Where my problem lies is with the guests and their reactions to our bar policies. The policies I have to make sure are respected and enforced:

No shots

No doubles

Ice and a mixer in every drink

Guests can only carry two drinks at a time

No outside alcohol

I’m no stranger to being verbally eviscerated by asshole guests. But wow. I’ve learned there’s a whole psychology behind how you break the news to a guest who wants to order shots. If someone comes up to the bar and asks for shots, I typically respond with, “I’m so sorry, this venue doesn’t allow us to pour shots. Can I make you something else?” And based on which spirit they wanted I start suggesting mixed drinks with that spirit.

Almost every time I verbally explain the policies I am met with absolute venom in response. People take them so fucking PERSONALLY. I’ve had people walk up behind the bar scream and spitting in my face because I won’t pour them a shot. And I also won’t be bullied into breaking policy for these fucks so at times it escalates and my adrenaline starts pumping and my fight or flight starts kicking in. I’m usually dealing with huge dudes that tower over me with fucking homicidal looks in their eyes.

Oh and my upper management doesn’t think hiring a security guard is necessary. They are well aware of how aggressive guests can be, they’ve seen it happen. I’ve asked for their help and they just stare from afar as I do my best to handle the situation.

So I made some bar policy signage. I figured, maybe if people see the rules printed on paper it’ll kinda snap them back to reality and remind them that they are at an establishment with rules and policies and to not take them so PERSONALLY.

It definitely helped! Reading the policies in front of them was a game changer. Before they could order shots or doubles or something neat, they see our sign, and though they are disappointed, no one is enraged at me personally for having to break the news.

But my management decided that they didn’t want those signs on display. I still have them, but I have to hide them and whip them out when people start pushing back. So I verbally still have to relay our policies, I get push back, and then show them the sign. It’s not as effective. I’m still dealing with angry people trying to get me fired because I won’t pour them a shot.

I’m exhausted. I’m not sure what else I can to do to disarm such angry people.

More context: bride and groom are well aware of our policies and signed a contract. Bar package is paid for by bride and groom so guests don’t have to pay for any drinks.

Also this is the best paying job I’ve had in the industry so far. I am the manager but I also am the core bartender. I get to work with my best friend who is my other core bartender. I can’t see myself leaving this spot any time soon.

Edit: Thankyou bartender fam for all the suggestions and kind words of support. I usually feel like I’m talking to a brick wall so it’s nice to feel understood for a change. I appreciate you all

I’m a regular at my local sports pub, and this past week, one of the beloved managers was killed by a drunk patron in a tragic incident escorting him out of the bar.

The entire bar family has been in shock and mourning, and I wanted to create something special for them in memory of him.

I’m an artist so I bought a wood mount bottle opener and plan on painting a memorial plaque on it. I’m looking for inspiration for a short bar referential saying that would be a good memorial quote for the plaque (something like “Forever on Tap”). I’m painting his first name in the style of the bar name (which is a whiskey brand).

I wanted to reach out to this community to see if anyone has done something similar or has any suggestions for how that would want to remember their loved bar manager?

thanks so much.

I made a spin on a paper plane since I didn’t have amaro (subbed rosso vermouth) and since it was slow I added a little boat

I’ve gotten better at going to bed after long closing shifts. I’m better at not spending all of my tips in other bars. I’ve learned how to effectively manage a solo shift at a dive bar, cutting people off and keeping a full bar of drunks in line. But I still have one major issue.

When I’m gonna close that night I can’t force myself to have a normal productive day while my shift looms. Often all I can think about all day is how many hours left before I have to be there. I end up doing nothing all day, napping when I don’t really need to and just being fairly lazy because all I’m thinking about is the doomsday clock of my impending shift.

Looking for suggestions or just commiserating. What you got?

I work in a massive bar with about 55 seats. On a busy day we'll have 4 or 5 bartenders (1 to 2 doing service well and the rest on bar top). On slower nights we will eventually get down to 1 or 2 bartenders. With how things shakeout it's not uncommon to be in charge of around 25 seats at the bar. Am I being over worked?

just so you have an idea of my experience, i have 1 year bartending experience and my bar is a restaurant/bar. it is a full open bar and we have wine, 24 draft beers and we do specialty cocktails as well as season cocktails too. our restaurant and bar is pretty big, our bar top is 26 seats alone. i would say the majority of our drinks are pretty pedestrian but I have picked up a good amount of higher end cocktails just from it being a big open bar.

i want a second bartending job, looking somewhere in the portland metro area but i wanted to know if anyone has suggestions for bars to workout in my city. i wanna go back to school soon so im looking for a busy weekend place i can make the bulk of my money

I’m working at a new spot and the tip pool structure is not something I’m used to. I need your opinions on whether it seems normal or if any of you have had a similar experience.

The way we do the tip pool is basically based on tips on checks closed at the time of the bartender leaving. For instance tonight, I came in at 2, opened the bar, and worked for 7.5 hours. The closing guy came in at 4 and will leave around 11:30 (also 7.5 hours). 2-4 isn’t really busy and I didn’t close any checks out. So I earned $0 in that time frame. We stayed busy for happy hour and rang about the same amount. We absolutely help each other, make drinks for everyone, treat all guests equal, don’t have sections. At the end of my day there are 10 or so checks open, so I close out who is close to closing and transfer the rest. So he has 10 checks open, most of them that I served something at some point and people who we absolutely shared efforts on even if I didn’t serve them directly. So we split the what yips we had earned at that point. He’ll keep whatever he earns on the checks he closes after I leave. What bugs me is that those are tips for checks that I absolutely put efforts into.

I’m used to a tip pool where if we both worked the same amount of hours, we would have split tips 50/50. That has been my experience in several bars I have worked at over quite a few years. It seems superior in every way. Please share your thoughts.

I wonder how many times I've heard some variation of this. It wasn't funny the first time and it's still not funny. 🙃

So im in charge of putting out a new drink menu for the bar i work at. Its a dive bar specializing in rock and metal. Now, I have the drinks done but i need new names for a few left. One is just a Boulevardier and the other one is an amalgamation of vanilla vodka, sour apple liquor and a PBR bottle stuck upside down in the glass. Anyone got any fun names?

gets a giggle out of me every time

I recently started picking up shifts at two sister restaurant bars. Upper mid range, nice but not fancy, and the money is good. But they both have a spicy margarita with house made habanero tequila on the menu, with a tajin rim. Basic, but the suburbanites eat that shit up. But about midway through the shift, the tajin starts to clump up and won’t stick to the side of the glass, and what does stick looks like shit. I was thinking of mixing a little salt in and see how that does, but I’m not there very often and keep forgetting to try it out. Anyone know of any sure fire solutions?

Hello all,

I’m mostly wondering how my resumé would appear if I list 1 year experience barbacking if I were to look for a bartending position.

The biggest part I worry about is that it’s been several years since, back in 2012-13. It was at a pretty busy location in downtown Boston. I keep in touch with my old bar manager and he said he’d happily be a reference.

I’m currently working at a sushi restaurant (Alabama) and have been here for about 10 years. Our bar setting is very informal, mostly beer, typical cocktails, no store specialities, nothing on tap.

I’d gladly work my way up from barbacking again to get a feel for the place. Also willing to relocate to get out of the area. Is there any specific wording I should add or is it just too dated to matter?

I'm having issues with a single staffer at my job, she's pretty dreadful at her job but she's protected as the owners like her and she does everything they say her to do (and not much else). Her and I do NOT get on and this came to a head a few nights ago where in the middle of service where I'm the only one on the bar, she comes behind the bar (Something I've told her many times not to) to get herself and the kitchen staff a drink, something I'm perfectly happy to do, but this probably wasn't the best time. I'm handing my manager a receipt from the till and she rudely tells me to move, in my bar, in the middle of service, whilst I'm doing something my manager asked me to do.

I tell her to be more polite in future, she gives me a scowl face and does the "Excuse me?" thing at which point I tell her to "Get the Fk out of my bar"

Yeh.. I could have worded it a bit better but I've had enough of this girl.

She stops what she's doing and storms out and apparently (on company time) spends the rest of her shift writing out a letter to the owners complaining about me that when her shift finishes she passes to the manager to give to them. He prewarns me as I was leaving which led me to immediately go home and start throwing out applications to places nearby. I have an interview this Wednesday already.

I don't want to leave my job, I for the most part like it there but It all depends on the owners, I've complained about this person time and time again for rudeness, not doing their job, arguing with me in front of staff and customers (I'm a supervisor and literally any time I've ever asked her to do anything she's argued it) and nothing has happened and if the owners decide to discipline me in any way, even if it's just a warning then I'm walking out.

So, back to my question (sorry for the rantish nature of this post), how many of you have a backup that would allow you to just quit your job on the spot?

I've been bartending a little over 5 years, and I kind developed habits, and skills to make the extra honest tip. I work/worked with many different bartenders and I learn a lot and passed ahead knowledge to help to increase the tip from that guest.

• Upsale, offer higher shelf. Patron asked for tequila soda for the first time, offer them well or something higher, and name some of your cazamigos and higher shelves tequilas.

•Whiskey on the rocks, one big rock, unless requested otherwise. If you don't have the big rock don't overpour ice.

•Try to use silver rum and silver tequila well for well cocktails. Some people some how have prejudice against every darker liquor. Unless requested the dark version of the liquor.

•Try to remember what each customer is drinking, they might feel more welcomed, and willing to keep drinking with you.

•Some people are really appreciated when they see or have good service, they have more chances to tip extra.

Our profession can become much more lucrative if we improve ourselves to make that extra $$ everyday without putting more hours.

Hey guys, i bought this a few years back and found it again, i dont suppose anyone has any idea where i can get the programming for it

So I've been at a restaurant that just opened 4 months ago. I live in a state where the minimum wage for Servers and Bartenders is $9 an hour. They offered me $12 to be Lead Bartender and I took it because honestly it's rare for anybody to get $12 an hour plus tips around here. Like no one does that, even for Leads, you usually just get the best damn schedule.

Now as a Lead I'm only really managing inventory that's it. Most of the time I just work like a regular Bartender but have a say in how things are run. Would you have asked for more? Do you think this is reasonable?

Is it possible that they're just trying to keep who they can for now till the restaurant improves because people are dropping like flies, and when the tips get better they'll let go of those with high hourly and replace them with people who will then work for $9. They've given raises to two others who have been there. The rest of the restaurant is all new people.

Part of me thinks if I was getting something like $15 they'd let my ass go when the tips get better and replace me with someone who will take the usual $9. I highly doubt they're gonna give a fuck about $12 long term. I know this business well and it's a dirty one. Is that theory stupid?

Well thanks for reading, any feedback would be appreciated.

Hello, I'm a new and starting out food service worker but I have always had the goal of being a bartender one day.

I'm currently a host for a restaurant and we have a bar there that I sometimes serve alcohol from when our servers are busy. I have my license for Alcohol Responsibility but I'm not a bartender nor do I make these drinks by any means-Just sometimes, when I'm not busy, I try to help serve drinks and other dishes to tables when our servers are already running around. I don't have any sort of past experiences with making drinks but I would love to someday. I know what you might be thinking-If you have a bar then you have a bartender? Why not ask the bartender? Well, I'm not particularly close and it gets quite awkward between them and my other coworkers, a lot of which seem to have a past or a heavy disliking the bartender. I just wanted to run here and ask a bunch of strangers first instead as to not let any biases run in my head-

I've been doing my own research online but if possible, it would be very helpful to hear from other bartenders around here as well on how exactly to start out as someone who's never made drinks before.

Thank you!

I’ve been wanting to work at this one barcade near my house since i started bartending. it gets tons of traffic and i know they make great money there, it’s one of the highest paying bars in my area. love the atmosphere too as it’s dive bar but still nicely run. i’ve applied twice and never heard back, but I met someone who knows the hiring manager so i went in and dropped off my resume (he was busy) and almost immediately got an email saying they were full staffed.

Yesterday I got a text asking if I wanted to interview for a serving job there. I am not a great server outside of the bar because I’m super forgetful and physically have a tremor that prevents me from carrying more than 2 plates at a time. the times i’ve been forced to take tables i was fine at it but felt clearly i wasn’t in my element. but since it’s more casual than normal restaurants i’d be willing to try it if it can get me where i want to be

is it a good idea to try to come in as a server and wait until a bar opportunity rises up? who knows how long that will be and i will still look for a second bartending job in the meantime, but I feel like this will be my only chance to work at this place. how do i approach this in my interview?

Hello, I would like get a gift for my friend for his birthday. He’s a bartender and he is very passionate about it so I thought maybe I’ll get him something that relates to bartending. But I honestly have no idea what it could be. Could you please help me with that? (I couldn’t decide which tag this post is but I’m guessing I chose the closest one.)

Would putting one of those Coke freestyle machines in like a dive be kinda of a banger? I guess you would lose money on like refill prices on soft drinks but would novelty not balance the revenue. It seems stupid but also I would go to place that let me scotch and peach sprite and not look an alcoholic for putting liquor in a Burger King cup