LetsSeeSomeID
New York, NY
Male, 33
I bartended for three years in NYC and San Francisco … for better or worse. Ask me anything.
I like your rating scale. I'm not sure if martini always equals pain in the ass but I'm pretty sure scotch equals really cool. The quick answer is sort of. I never really cared what anyone ordered (with the exception of mojitos because they are a pain in the ass to make and once someone orders one suddenly everybody wants one). My main qualifier for if girl sucks or not based on the drink they order is if they know what they want (which means they're cool) or the come up and pull one of these: "Ummmmm, I want something....hmmmm... something like, strong but good. Like, not too sweet but kind of fruity." That person sucks. I also have a qualifier for guys. Guys that come up and start ordering stupid shots like Liquid Cocaines or Incredible Hulks or anything on fire or any other assortment of retarded drinks they've heard of, have no idea what is in, and pretend tastes good - those guys are douche bags.
Bartending Licenses are a joke, at least in NYC. A great way to make sure you DON'T get hired is to come in waving your Bartending License. The number one way to get a bartending job in NYC is to be a hot girl. The sluttier the outfit you're willing to wear at the interview, the better. I have years of bartending experience and I've worked shifts where I've served over $4K in drinks in one night and a hot girl straight off the bus will get the job over me 100% of the time. I was once let go from a bar when business was slow because, as I was told, they thought business might be better if they had a “big-tittied girl” instead of a guy behind the bar.
The hip-hop crowd is the worst tippers of all time, period. Stereotype true. I worked a stint at Jay-Z's club and got stiffed 90% of the time. I've never seen anything like it. The club counters it by automatically adding a 20% tip on any order over $30. If you read the bill carefully you could figure it out, but no one ever read the bill.
Depends. I've worked off the books on tips only and I've worked on the books in some of the bigger bars.
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Has anyone killed themselves during a call?When I got bored, I’d go into the "tell me anything" mode. People will tell you some weird shit. You have to be careful with it, though, because if business picks up, they still want you to play therapist.
It's much different if you’re a female bartender. They probably get multiple numbers a night. They also, inevitably, get that one guy who thinks he's going home with her and won't leave when the bar is closing. A word of advice: Don't be that guy. You're not going home with her. She does this to everyone and you're just looking like more and more of a pathetic chump the longer you stay. Also - as a bouncer, these are often some of the most dangerous customers - the ones that won't leave when the bar is closed because they think they're going home with the female bartender. You're leaving one way or another. Whether you do it with your dignity or not is up to you. I'm not going to say I never went home with a patron, but I don't think I ever dated one. A lot of the people I worked with went home with patrons. I wasn't really that into it. Bars are fantasyland, and if you're the bartender, you're king of the fairies. People don't like you because you are you, they like you because you are “the bartender.” I was very aware of this, and the times when I did go home with someone, it wasn't that satisfying. Interestingly, I got way more of this type of thing when I was bouncing.
DON'T yell at the bartender. DON'T learn the bartender's name and shout it out whenever you want something. You're two-dollar tip is worth about, oh, two dollars. For two bucks I don't need to deal with an asshole. A lot of girls would try and get your attention by cutting in to the front of the bar and pushing their tits up at you. I never went for that -- I thought it was petty and stupid. But not surprisingly, a lot of guy bartenders did go for it. The best advice I can give if its crowded is to know what you want and have your money out. The bartender is just trying to crank out drinks, help them work fast and they will remember you. Starting with a huge tip doesn't hurt either.
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