Cocktails and Dreams
Toronto, ON
Female, 29
I work as a bartender at one of Toronto’s most popular bars. This is a job for which you always have to be 'on'. You see some crazy things, meet interesting characters, and grow a thick skin very quickly. I love my job.
Honestly, I'd probably tend to take a step back and leave them alone. First dates are awkward enough that you don't need some nosey server butting in and tryin to make small talk. If anything I might send over a round of shots to ease the first date pains... If they're really awkward I'd watch and giggle and point them out to my coworkers. We need entertainment too. ;)
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I do have a ‘Bartending Certificate’. I took a 3 day long course about 10 years ago in the hopes that it would get me a job. Sadly, it was found to be completely useless. Most bartenders start out working as servers and either impress someone or happen to be in the right place at the right time. I guess that’s how I managed to become a bartender. I had done the odd bar gig in the past as well as some time with a catering company but I just happened to walk into this bar at the right time.
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Hmmm...this answer field may not be big enough!!! I have seen some ridiculous things. Probably just as much as anyone else who goes to a bar but I benefit from being sober and remembering. I've had a girl take a shot and barf on the bar in front of me, I saw a guy pick up a chair and throw it at someone's head, I had a giant 10 person fight break out with bottles smashing off the bar about a foot in front of me, Saw a pregnant woman smoking and drinking a martini, been screamed at, been proposed to....... But I think what tops it off is the time a guy snuck through 2 bouncers and walked up the middle of the bar towards me while taking off his shirt. By the time he got to me his shirt was off. It was pretty hilarious actually, but he got kicked out very quickly.
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The answer I would like to give you is: every glass all the time is cleaned perfectly. Unfortunately the honest answer is: There have been days when our glass washer was broken (ie not using soap) and no one noticed hours later. Mind you, typically we are very careful about this sort of thing. I have rinsed out beer jugs and re-used them, typically for the same table that has re-ordered another jug, and some customers actually specifically ask to re-use their same glass. As for 'double-dunking' ..... we stay away from that! There are strict health and safety laws that we must follow and it is not worth risking being shut down. Thats just us though.... I'd definitely question the bar if you get a glass with giant red lip stick stains on it!
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It’s usually a tough call for me. I have been through the Smart Serve training and I know what to look for. A lot of the time it’s just a feeling though. If their speech is slurred, don’t look me in the eye, or can’t walk properly I will cut them off. I then have to make sure that all of the other bartenders know that this person is cut off. We also cut people off if they are rude. It’s the power we have as bartenders.
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I like this question. I will answer honestly. Yes. I typically have at least one phone number a night given to me. Part of my job is to be friendly, flirt with the guys, entertain them a bit, which usually led to getting bigger tips….and occasionally a date. There is something about being behind a bar that people find sexy. We also had a rule among the bartenders that I would serve the guys and the two guy bartenders I worked with would serve the girls. I went out on a few dates with guys I met at the bar. Probably the most entertaining story is a guy I ended up dating for about 3 months. He won me over with his Irish accent and asking me on ‘running date’. He was the first guy who ever asked me to do something other than going out for a drink. So I went. We started dating. He told me about 2 weeks in that he had actually saved the first bottle of beer that I ever served him. :S We began having issues with him coming into my work and getting upset that I was talking to guys. Needless to say…it didn’t last.
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Yes and no. Yes, female bartenders typically make more in tips from men and woman.... however in my bar I move a bit slower than the male bartenders, therefore I may make more in tips but I serve less customers. I am a believer in good service = good tips. I take my time with people, chat with them, ask them how their night is going. The male bartenders rarely do this. They just try and serve as many drinks as possible.
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