This difficult midterms week that recently passed wore on my patience because of the day-to-day annoyances bartenders face. It inspired me to share my thoughts on bar etiquette from start to finish.
The drink-ordering process starts your interaction with the bartender and occasionally decides how the rest of your night will turn out. The bartender needs to be thought of as your "frenemy." He or she has the power to make your night wonderful or miserable.
I make an effort to at least acknowledge all customers that come up to the bar with an "I'll be with you in a minute" if I can't get to them right away. If you haven't been helped, an "excuse me" is the most effective way to get positive attention. Under no circumstances should "hey you" be shouted across the bar.
Even if the bartender happens to stop and serve you at this point, I can almost guarantee that he or she will take plenty of time before checking whether you need a refill.
On the same topic, if a bartender is in the middle of speaking with somebody else, try not to interrupt them. Talking with people about subjects other than their order is how we build a rapport and take care of our regulars.
Granted, if a bartender has been talking to the same person for 20 minutes and you've been sitting with an empty glass, they deserve the interruption.
Every bartender has a drink they hate to make when the bar is busy. Mine happens to be a White Russian because the half-and-half coats the shaker and requires me to scrub it clean after each one is made. One of my co-workers refuses to make Bloody Marys after dark on principle because he thinks it's a daytime drink.
I understand these are completely arbitrary and vary between bartenders. But maintaining the idea that you want to keep your bartender happy, order simple drinks when it's busy and come in during happy hour if you want something complicated.
When you arrive in a group to order drinks, try to have as many ready at the same time as possible. Nobody wants to make separate trips to get four bottles of Bud Light.
These scenarios may seem a bit picky, but when they happen multiple times a night, the frustration starts to build.
More than anything, we want every night to go smoothly. So if you throw a little consideration our way, we might throw a little free booze yours.
