Do you speak to your customers like that?

[ThinkingBartender]

[cross-posted]

Some of the most absurd excuses for logic can be found in heated internet

forum "debates", such classics as:

Do you speak to your customers like that?

What the hell kind of a question is that? An internet forum is in no way

indicative of how someone will be in a real-life bar situation.

The Snarky Answer:

Hell yeah. Those ass-holes want to come into my bar and ask me to make them a

drink, then by god they must proof that they are of the calibre I expect my

customers to be. Give them the questionnaire and two minutes to complete it.

No pen?, straight out the door, always come prepared for the questionnaire.

Less than a 95% pass-rate?, straight out the door. Some days I am not in the

mood to serve those plebs that come into the bar, so I don't; The bar-manager

realises how truly awesome I am so he goes along with it. "Our sales may be

down," say the bar manager, "but our integrity is intact." What do real bars

care about bar sales, profit margins? Its all about knowing which year and by

whom a certain cocktail was invented, if you don't know that then you are in

the wrong business. Suiting the publics tastes, as long as they mirror mine,

then yes.

snark-mode-off

How do you greet your customers?

1) Hi. How are you doing?

2) What can I get for you?

3) You dare come into my bar!!!

Controversy creates cash!

George

[srhcb]

I haven't tended bar for years, but a hearty "Ey", accompanied by a waving hand, always worked for me.

SB (sorry if that was just a rhetorical question )

[ThinkingBartender]

No, not rhetorical at all.

It seems to be a lost art to some people to simply greet someone as they enter their bar with some sort of acknowledgement, a nod, a mouthed hello (i.e. no sound, just the mouth movement), a raising of the eye-brows, whatever, just so that you know that they know that you are there, and that you will require some attention.

An award winning cocktail bar in Soho, London was renowned for their bartenders inability to just say "hey, I will be with you in a minute", even if someone else would end up serving you. The arrogance of their bartenders was compounded by their carefree attitude, "it doesn't matter if a customer walks out, there will be plenty more." Even if that is true, it might not always be true. Customers can be fickle, and they will talk to their friends, who talk to their friends. One indiscretion on the part of a member of staff can have a knock-on effect, which can influence hundreds/ thousands of other potential customers; Especially with the internet only a click away.

Cheers!

George