Bar Staff ??

Mossin

kmart6 wrote: »

Jumping the gun there saying bar staff don't smile and a huge generalisation!!!

You have no idea do you?! Your trying to say a good barman is someone who asks....most customers would think your a fairly sh1t barman if you start asking do you want ice/lemon in your vodka/gin!

Your in UL so I take it you've been to Trinity Rooms so I'll use that as an example! Do you expect all the bar staff in there to ask every student all night do they want ice in there vodka?!....if you do then your been totally unrealistic as it's too busy to be doing that!!

Are you serious? you think people would think someone is a **** barman because they ask do you want ice/lemon in your drink!!! you are having a laugh there...the whole point is that its common courtesy to ask, as it doesnt take that long to do it.
Yes I have been in Trinity Rooms, and yes i understand that it is unreasinable to ask everyone in a nightclub, but a nighclub scene is different than your ususal bar. No I'm not contradicting myself there, I'm being realistic.

Tackle69 wrote: »

Ok, first question, have you ever worked in a bar?

As I said previously, I have worked in bars/hotels/nightclubs for over 12 years. I do now what I'm talking about. I have worked with some fantastic bar managers and staff.

Ask what? As i already stated, vodka and gin come with ice and lemon as standerd. It's up to the customer to state it if they don't want this. If you want a big mac without cheese you ask for it without cheese, you don't depend on the psychic powers of the server to know if you want cheese or not. You might think that it only takes 1 second to ask if someone wants ice/lemon etc but in reality it takes much longer due to noise levels, drunkedness etc, i understand you were just setting an example, but that is the reality of it. Add those "seconds "up over a night and it adds up quite a bit. To be honest i'd rather an effecient barman over one who puts lemon in my drink any night of the week.

Heaven forbid that the few seconds asking the question might take you a little longer to get the customer a drink. It is your job!!

Understand the customer? Very important of course, not on a busy night though... Try serving eight different people each with multiple drinks in their order and its difficult to remember which drinks they want let alone if they want lemon in them or not.

I have been in the situation with multiple orders and multiple drinks in each order, it doesnt take much to ask again if you cant remember which drinks want lemon/ice in them. Understanding the cumtomer on a busy night is just as important as on a quiet night. You cannot compromise your service just because its busier.

Speaking of ignorant customers and staff having to accept it, i agree with you, but it is very very difficult at times.... if a barman is a bit short with you do you ever think that he's just busy and doesn't have time to smile or converse with you?

Yes the barman may be busy and stressed, and yes I understand they might not have time to converse with you on a busy night, but it doesnt change anything about how good or bad the barman is.


Good bar staff comes down to how well they are trained and how they apply this training.
There are numerous variables, but asking a simple question [ice/lemon in your drink], smiling and being courteous, are not difficult aspects of the job...

kmart6

Mossin wrote: »

Are you serious? you think people would think someone is a **** barman because they ask do you want ice/lemon in your drink!!! you are having a laugh there...the whole point is that its common courtesy to ask, as it doesnt take that long to do it.
Yes I have been in Trinity Rooms, and yes i understand that it is unreasinable to ask everyone in a nightclub, but a nighclub scene is different than your ususal bar. No I'm not contradicting myself there, I'm being realistic.

Shur think of a really busy pub that has huge amounts of people at the bar shouting for drinks...not going to have time to ask everyone do they want ice/lemon!

aidan_walsh

kmart6 wrote: »

Shur think of a really busy pub that has huge amounts of people at the bar shouting for drinks...not going to have time to ask everyone do they want ice/lemon!

Yes you do. Its a two second question and answer.

Degag

I don't think anyone here is disagreeing with you but you are going a bit over the top.... i mean if you get lemon and you don't want it, fish it out, if you get ice ask for it to be removed... very simple solutions to simple problems.

I'm only guessing here, but i think that you may have worked in establishments where quality was put over service ie. 4* or 5* hotel, i may be totally wrong, but you have to realise there are establishments where service is put over quality.

Also you say that you're not contradicting yourself when you say that you don't expect nightclubs to ask everyone what they want but you are really... a busy bar and a busy nightclub are the same thing in essence, especially if you have loud music playing making it impossible to hear people.

Like yourself, i've been in the trade about 10 years and make it my duty to know if people want ice and lemon etc... i wouldn't be there so long if i wasn't any way good at my job, but sometimes its just not possible to find out what people are drinking especially when its 5 deep.

You can't say that service should not be compromised on a busy night. In an ideal world it shouldn't, but in reality there is absolutely no pub where service is as good quiet as it is busy. Longer waiting times, crowding etc can not be helped!

wittymoniker

was in a bar last night, standing at the bar with a pint. saw a guy come up to the barman with a pint of bulmers, looked like he wanted to swap it, left the pint and headed off with a bottle.

anyhoo, time came for me to order a pint, bulmers as it happened, and the barman has the nerve to give me the pint he just got handed back! s**t service at best, dangerous at worst. when i pulled him up on it he seemed indifferent. no wonder pubs are going down the pan.

JackKelly

I went into a pub in Dublin recently and ordered a bottled beer. The guy behind the bar asked me what type of glass I wanted it in.
IMO, and as a barman, this is the same sort of redundant question as ice/lemon. I want the beer in a normal glass, in the same way I want my Vodka/Gin served the normal way - with ice and a lemon slice. If I wanted my beer in a different glass, I would have specifically asked.

IMO, this American "Sir/Madam" way of dealing with customers is unfortunately too popular a school of thought in the Irish Service Industry.
Equally, there's nothing more annoying then someone at the bar who won't even look you in the eye. Let alone speak to you except for a quick grunt to let you know they heard you.
I much prefer dealing with a person behind the bar (or anywhere for that matter) who talks to me as a normal person, instead of Sir/Madam'ing me at every opportunity, asking me what type of glass I would like my beer served in.

_blank_

TimAy wrote: »

I went into a pub in Dublin recently and ordered a bottled beer. The guy behind the bar asked me what type of glass I wanted it in.
IMO, and as a barman, this is the same sort of redundant question as ice/lemon. I want the beer in a normal glass, in the same way I want my Vodka/Gin served the normal way - with ice and a lemon slice. If I wanted my beer in a different glass, I would have specifically asked.

What bottle of beer was it?

oblivious

TimAy wrote: »

I went into a pub in Dublin recently and ordered a bottled beer. The guy behind the bar asked me what type of glass I wanted it in.
IMO, and as a barman, this is the same sort of redundant question as ice/lemon. I want the beer in a normal glass, in the same way I want my Vodka/Gin served the normal way - with ice and a lemon slice. If I wanted my beer in a different glass, I would have specifically asked.

German hefeweizen and Belgian wits glass are not that uncommon around Ireland these days

the beer revolu

TimAy wrote: »

I went into a pub in Dublin recently and ordered a bottled beer. The guy behind the bar asked me what type of glass I wanted it in.
IMO, and as a barman, this is the same sort of redundant question as ice/lemon. I want the beer in a normal glass, in the same way I want my Vodka/Gin served the normal way - with ice and a lemon slice. If I wanted my beer in a different glass, I would have specifically asked.

IMO, this American "Sir/Madam" way of dealing with customers is unfortunately too popular a school of thought in the Irish Service Industry.
Equally, there's nothing more annoying then someone at the bar who won't even look you in the eye. Let alone speak to you except for a quick grunt to let you know they heard you.
I much prefer dealing with a person behind the bar (or anywhere for that matter) who talks to me as a normal person, instead of Sir/Madam'ing me at every opportunity, asking me what type of glass I would like my beer served in.

Wow, I didn't expect good service to get a bashing here.

This good bar service is a disgrace!
I want my beer thrown at me in a pint glass irrespective of what it is and heaven forbid that a server would address me politely (if a little formaly).:)

JackKelly

DesF wrote: »

What bottle of beer was it?

Budvar!

I'm defo not bashing good service, but I really disagree with overly polite pretentious service.

And obviously on the other hand, I obviously despise barmen with a chip on their shoulder. It's a happy medium that works best.

_blank_

TimAy wrote: »

Budvar!

.

Well there you are, budvar is in 500ml bottles.

I rather a half pint glass with that size of bottle, not a pint glass.

Degag

aidan_walsh wrote: »

Yes you do. Its a two second question and answer.

Its not really especially if there are multiple drinks... "i want lemon in this, no ice in that, lime in the other one...." Taking drunkedness and noise into the equation and it takes alot longer than 2 seconds.

the beer revolu

DesF wrote: »

Well there you are, budvar is in 500ml bottles.

I rather a half pint glass with that size of bottle, not a pint glass.

Yeah, me too.

Budvar gives me a headache, though.

Blisterman

Tackle69 wrote: »

Its not really especially if there are multiple drinks... "i want lemon in this, no ice in that, lime in the other one...." Taking drunkedness and noise into the equation and it takes alot longer than 2 seconds.

I agree. Plus, If the bar tender had to ask every possible way of serving vodka, the conversation would go something like this.
Customer: I'll have a vodka please.
Bartender: What type of Vodka?
Customer: Smirnoff
Bartender: Which one? Smirnoff Red, Smirnoff Black, Smirnoff Apple?
Customer: The cheapest one.
Bartender: Would you like ice with that?
Customer: Uhhh...Yeah, ok.
Bartender: How many icecubes?
Customer: I dunno... Five
Bartender: Would you like any garnish with it?
Customer: Any what?
Bartender: Lemon, lime, strawberry, olive
Customer: A slice of lemon I suppose
Bartender: What sort of glass?
Customer: Uhhh... A normal one.
Bartender: Highball, collins, martini glass?
Customer: The normal tall ones.
Bartender: Would you like it served on a beer mat or a napkin?
Customer: F*ck this, just give me my vodka.

absinth

Blisterman wrote: »

I agree. Plus, If the bar tender had to ask every possible way of serving vodka, the conversation would go something like this.
Customer: I'll have a vodka please.
Bartender: What type of Vodka?
Customer: Smirnoff
Bartender: Which one? Smirnoff Red, Smirnoff Black, Smirnoff Apple?
Customer: The cheapest one.
Bartender: Would you like ice with that?
Customer: Uhhh...Yeah, ok.
Bartender: How many icecubes?
Customer: I dunno... Five
Bartender: Would you like any garnish with it?
Customer: Any what?
Bartender: Lemon, lime, strawberry, olive
Customer: A slice of lemon I suppose
Bartender: What sort of glass?
Customer: Uhhh... A normal one.
Bartender: Highball, collins, martini glass?
Customer: The normal tall ones.
Bartender: Would you like it served on a beer mat or a napkin?
Customer: F*ck this, just give me my vodka.

Ha ha, love it.

How about this scenario as happened me last night.

Customer orders a round, I give 3 of the 4 drinks out but as I'm serving other customers at the same time I forget what mixer he asked for with a vodka so I ask him again. He says, "um, er, cidona". I uncap a cidona for him, take the money and give the change. Vodka and cidona is unusual so I ask if he wants a separate glass for the cidona or is it for the vodka. He says "no that's grand".

Couple of minutes later, he's back at the bar while I'm serving more customers and interrupts another customer to say "I actually asked for lucozade, and you gave me cidona".
Now he'd obviously returned to his group, who realised his mistake and sent him back to the bar.

If it was a younger fella and if I was in poorer humour I would have been tempted to set him straight, but I went with the "of course, I'm sorry, let me replace that for you" line instead. Customer is always right, yadda yadda. But at the same time he was interrupting other customers, and declaring that I'd messed up his order. This **** pisses me off.

Sometimes I think Irish bar patrons are the most ignorant of the lot, and could do with learning some basic manners or etiquette. It works both ways like. Some major gripes:

• Shouting drink orders at bar staff out of turn
• Waving money or tapping keys on the bar etc. We see you, wait your turn.
• Ordering a large round one drink at a time (and with a pint of stout ordered last)
• "How much is that?" while holding a fifty in their hand (when they know receipts are issued as a matter of course anyway)
• Having made an order and been served, waiting until all the drinks are in front of them before deciding to reach for the handbag, root through it for the purse, unzip the purse, count out the notes etc. (and waiting until you're on your way back from the til with their change to announce "I can give you the twenty cents if it helps!"
• Standing in front of a bank of taps and saying "what do you have on tap?"
• Double ordering off different bar staff when it's busy and refusing to pay when taken up on it.
• Pilfering tips left behind on the bar. GRRRR!
• Asking for a cappucino at 11pm on Saturday. Starbucks is down the street ****o.

Before I ever served behind a bar I knew these basic manners as a customer. If I'm in a busy pub at a very busy time and I have to wait a few minutes for my turn to order, that should give me enough time that when the bar tender comes to me I know what I want to order, and when they come back with my drink(s), I have the money ready and don't make them (and all the other customers) wait for me.

Mr Magnolia

You left out: clicking/snapping fingers to get the barman's attention.



*blood boils*

kmart6

And tapping the pint glass on the counter!:mad:

_blank_

I want to address this list, I agree with most of it, but some of it needs qualification.

I have worked in busy bars by the way, so I'm not some ignorant punter.

absinth wrote: »

Shouting drink orders at bar staff out of turn

Unless I'm in a busy pub where the fúckwit of a mouthbreather behind the bar is serving every Nuala, Jacinta and Noreen with her tits hanging out of a low cut top, before me.

This happens a lot.

Or if the barman is obviously doing a queue along the bar, but then another barman comes along and starts again, at the furthest possible point away, especially if I'm at the other end of the "queue".

Highly unprofessional.

absinth wrote: »

]Waving money or tapping keys on the bar etc. We see you, wait your turn.

Or you choose to see the big breasts first.

absinth wrote: »

Ordering a large round one drink at a time (and with a pint of stout ordered last)

Certainly annoying.

absinth wrote: »

"How much is that?" while holding a fifty in their hand (when they know receipts are issued as a matter of course anyway)

OR they might have a twenty, a ten and some change in their pocket, and want to know how much the round is in case they can make up the price, so as not to have a pocketful of change after the barman decides he's too lazy to open another bag of €2 coins, instead give the change back in all 20c pieces.

Anyway, if a barman doesn't have the mental arithmetic skills to tot up a bar bill, he shouldn't be there.

When I'm serving, even large rounds, I know how much it is before I hit the til. I start to remove the customer's change, and use the final tally on the til to confirm what I already know.

Seriously like. 90% of drinks ordered, you are already going to know the price, the customer, maybe not.

absinth wrote: »

Having made an order and been served, waiting until all the drinks are in front of them before deciding to reach for the handbag, root through it for the purse, unzip the purse, count out the notes etc. (and waiting until you're on your way back from the til with their change to announce "I can give you the twenty cents if it helps!"

This is the same for people in all retail jobs, not specific to bar staff.

It is ALWAYS women who do this, never men.

Fact.

absinth wrote: »

Standing in front of a bank of taps and saying "what do you have on tap?"

Jaysis.

absinth wrote: »

Double ordering off different bar staff when it's busy and refusing to pay when taken up on it.

What if it looks like the other fella forgot, because he starts serving some large breasted woman, after he has taken your order?

absinth wrote: »

Pilfering tips left behind on the bar. GRRRR!

Pick up your tips quicker tbh.

absinth wrote: »

Asking for a cappucino at 11pm on Saturday. Starbucks is down the street ****o.

So, my uncle, who is a recovering alcoholic, would not be welcome in your bar? He drinks coffee all night wherever he goes.

absinth

I see where you're coming from with your qualifications, and I'd agree for the most part.

To clarify a few points though-
- I wrote "while holding a fifty in their hand" specifically. I have no problem with those who want to get rid of change.
- Coffee from the pot is fine, but in an exceptionally busy pub at the busiest time in the week, expecting someone to spend 10 minutes grinding beans and foaming milk is not realistic. For a hotel bar or posh establishment, perhaps.

And to add to the blatant sexism... have you ever noticed how women will also queue for 10 minutes for an ATM machine, but never think of getting their card out until they've reached the front of the line? And many insist on spending another few minutes in front of the machine reading the advice slip and packing away the bag before moving on.
I just needed to vent about that one too!

Degag

Man, how do you use this multi- quote thing... this is going to take time...

Unless I'm in a busy pub where the fúckwit of a mouthbreather behind the bar is serving every Nuala, Jacinta and Noreen with her tits hanging out of a low cut top, before me.

This happens a lot.

Or if the barman is obviously doing a queue along the bar, but then another barman comes along and starts again, at the furthest possible point away, especially if I'm at the other end of the "queue".

Highly unprofessional.

Maybe the ignorant barman is doing this to teach the ignorant customer a lesson by not shouting at him... i do this a bit if there's an annoying cnut at the bar and it doesn't have to be a blonde with nice knockers, it could be the polite, patient bloke at the other end of the counter who waits his turn.

I often find it more annoying when i'm out when some person pushes right past you at the bar even though you were there well before him/her and gets served before you... i think those people are a hell of alot more ignorant than the staff.

Or you choose to see the big breasts first.

See previous comment.

OR they might have a twenty, a ten and some change in their pocket, and want to know how much the round is in case they can make up the price, so as not to have a pocketful of change after the barman decides he's too lazy to open another bag of €2 coins, instead give the change back in all 20c pieces.

Anyway, if a barman doesn't have the mental arithmetic skills to tot up a bar bill, he shouldn't be there.

When I'm serving, even large rounds, I know how much it is before I hit the til. I start to remove the customer's change, and use the final tally on the til to confirm what I already know.

Seriously like. 90% of drinks ordered, you are already going to know the price, the customer, maybe not.

The original poster specifically said a fifty, not a twenty or a ten... this is pretty annoying... they are going to give you the money anyway.... The most annoying thing though is when they have ordered the same round multiple times and STILL ask you the price even though they have the exact ammount of money in their hand eady to give you... just so silly.

This is the same for people in all retail jobs, not specific to bar staff.

It is ALWAYS women who do this, never men.

Fact.

Yes very annoying though, and they could have got their money ready during the two minutes they were waiting while twiddling their thumbs.

What if it looks like the other fella forgot, because he starts serving some large breasted woman, after he has taken your order?

Or tell the barman whom he is about to double order off that he has already ordered off the other barman and to inform him that he will instead take the order... or try and get the other barmans attention to remind him that he may have forgotten him... Seriously, total ignorance.

_blank_

Tackle69 wrote: »

Maybe the ignorant barman is doing this to teach the ignorant customer a lesson by not shouting at him... i do this a bit if there's an annoying cnut at the bar and it doesn't have to be a blonde with nice knockers, it could be the polite, patient bloke at the other end of the counter who waits his turn.

The patient fella can become a shouty fella if he is constantly ignored, and females are served ahead of him.

It has been me at bars. And I make no apology either.

Tackle69 wrote: »

The bloke who waits his turn is going to turn into a shouty mess if the bar staff is constantly ignoring him though.
The most annoying thing though is when they have ordered the same round multiple times and STILL ask you the price even though they have the exact ammount of money in their hand ready to give you... just so silly.

Er no.

Pubs change the prices of drinks the whole time.

11pm? Whack another few cent on to the prices there. 11.30pm? A Shure, another few cent now too. 12.30? Jaysis, can't be charging the same prices there either.

Also, alcohol adversely affects memory, so the customer may have forgotten a. what the last round they bought was b. how much it cost etc etc.

Degag

DesF wrote: »

The patient fella can become a shouty fella if he is constantly ignored, and females are served ahead of him.

It has been me at bars. And I make no apology either.

Yes, but if you are like me then you are still someway polite about it unlike the other degenerates.

Er no.

Pubs change the prices of drinks the whole time.

11pm? Whack another few cent on to the prices there. 11.30pm? A Shure, another few cent now too. 12.30? Jaysis, can't be charging the same prices there either.

Also, alcohol adversely affects memory, so the customer may have forgotten a. what the last round they bought was b. how much it cost etc etc.

I have never heard of a pub doing this, niteclubs yes (pedantic?), but this has been illegal for a long time afaik and i haven't heard of cases of it happening for a long time... perhaps its different in the bigger towns and cities.

Blah, yeah it affects your memory yada yada, in the morning when you can't remember how you got home after 10 double vodka red bulls. A person who orders two pints of heineken 6 times in the space of two hours CAN remember how much it is.

BeerNut

Tackle69 wrote: »

but this has been illegal for a long time afaik and i haven't heard of cases of it happening for a long time

Nope. As long as you display all the prices you charge, and the times you charge them, it's perfectly legal.

k99_64

I work in a bar and its a mixed bag.
Some customers nice, some pricks, same with the barmen, some you want shot.
Yes all staff must be trained to some degree but if you want a conversation about lots of different kinds of beer you need someone else who is into it, there is just too many different types to be knowledgeable on.

Now the list of things that customers piss me off with.
Waving a 50euro note and then handing you a 20 then stating they gave you a 50.
(its a nightclub I work in) Customers that order a long list of drinks then disappear (it gets very busy) to ask someone else what they want, then do it again and again and again.
Customers that pay with cards.
Customers that get a drink for free then come back wanting you to change it.
Anyone who shouts at me
The big one: Customers that make up drinks with their own names and expect you to know what the hell they are, or they make up crap for a drink. example spiced rum and coke, I put ice and lime in fine,
he goes "Well done on the lime but you should take it squeeze it round the rim of the glass then get a new lime and put it in the drink then put in the ice" what a dip****.

Degag

BeerNut wrote: »

Nope. As long as you display all the prices you charge, and the times you charge them, it's perfectly legal.

My bad, i rember there being alot of controversy about this and thought it had been made illegal... i must have a quick look around the local niteclubs to see if there are any pricelists.