Tips for a New Bartender
It’s your first night working as a bartender. You’re nervous. You question yourself as to whether you will be able to handle the partying crowd that has begun to flood the bar. It’s standing-room-only around the occupied bar seats. You are the only bartender and you can see straight down the bar that customers are vying for your attention. Everyone wants to be first. Nobody wants to wait their turn. You are determined to keep your new job and show the customers what a great bartender you are.
When a Customer Leaves a Drink on the Bar
It is now customary for drinking customers to take their drinks with them when leaving the bar, but some still may leave an open drink. Let the customer decide if they want to keep the drink or not. The bartender should ask the customer if they are finished with the drink and would like to dispose of it. Leaving their unattended drink at the bar doesn’t entitle the customer to a free drink. If a customer’s drink is tainted and the customer becomes sick, the bar or club can be sued for damages.
Some bar or club patrons want to get really drunk, roaring drunk or fall-down drunk. As a bartender, you can be held liable for a bar customer that is so inebriated that it results in a hospital emergency, accident or damage to other patrons. The bartender must, by law, tell the inebriated customer that they will not receive further service, which means no more alcoholic drinks will be served to the customer. Offer the customer a glass of ice water or soda with a bit of lemon or lime, which will actually help the customer lower their alcohol level over the period of an hour. If the customer insists on leaving, offer to call a taxi. If the customer leaves, the bartender must try to get the license plate number and make of car and immediately call it in to the police. In some bars or clubs, it is the manager who will handle that aspect of customer relations.
Telling a Customer That You Will Not Serve Them Further
Bartenders want to be liked by the drinking customers. Even under crowded-room circumstances, if the bartender can maintain a pleasant demeanor, smile a bit and thank the customer for coming in, that customer is likely to return, which will increase the establishment’s earnings as well as the bartender’s tips. Even if the bartender is really tired and worn out, it is best to act as if you are very pleased to have been of service, rather than acting as if you can hardly wait to be rid of the drinking patron. Word of mouth can do much for a bartender’s future tips, as regular customers will likely spread the word about the great bartender that make the most fantastic drinks.
Thanking Customers for their Patronage
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