I’m honestly not sure that I could ever have the patience to be a bartender, which makes me respect those that are quite a bit. Even the best bartenders get annoyed though. The Seattle Weekly polled current and retired bartenders and came up with their list of the Top 5 Ways to Annoy Your Bartender. Here are the first two ways to annoy your bartender:
5. Talking on your cell phone while ordering. This is annoying to anyone working in the service industry–at grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, etc. Yes, you are a busy person, but so is your bartender. They don’t know how important your phone call is and don’t want to interrupt you. If you have their attention, put down the damn phone.
4. Wasting my time. Calling over the bartender like you are in a hurry to order and just then beginning the “What are you having?” discussion with your friends. That is why the bartender gave you menus and walked away, to provide time for that. If you call for them, be ready to tell them what you want or they’ll say “Take your time, I’ll give you a few more minutes,” and may take their time getting back.
Check out the rest of their list for the other 3 top ways to annoy your bartender. To avoid annoying your bartender, really all you need is a little common sense…which can be challenging for some.
Thanks Jeff, I’d also love to see a “Top 5 Ways Bartenders Annoy their Patrons”… I fully get that a lot of people go out to bars and act obnoxious, not taking into consideration that the person serving them is a human being deserving of some respect, but I also get sick of the “industry insider” attitude (and folks in Seattle that still tip 20% to “too cool” condescending wait-staff) that allows so much crappy service in Seattle. Which is why Quinn’s got my vote for #1 beer bar, you would expect inattentive, hipster service but instead get some of the nicest, most hospitable people tending bar there!
I’m with ted, tip if the tip is worth it. I use to always tip 20% because I didn’t want to be rude but if a bartender is rude or just plain bad they don’t deserve it!
Completely agree with both of you guys. I don’t run into too much bad service these days (I also don’t go out as often as you might think). As for Quinn’s, I’ve never had anything but outstanding service there either. Knowledgeable, friendly, and they even handled a large group of us who were your typical large group that couldn’t make decisions, etc…with nothing but smiles.