What does a bar owe you?

No, this guy was as mad as I'd ever seen anyone. EVER. Thought it best not to correct his incorrect opinion. Thought he was going to start flipping tables.

 

Actually it did. For the cost of a free pint, he earned a loyal customer. I don't go out to bars often, but any time we're looking for someplace to hang out with friends, I direct us to this place. In the long run, he's made out quite well because his bartender had good customer relations skills.

 

I hate to tell you, but that rationalization doesn't show up on the books at the end of the month when the beer sales and quantity dispensed don't add up.

Now, it's entirely possible that she paid for the pint herself, but it's just as possible that she didn't. One scenario is far preferable to a bar owner than the other; whichever it is makes no difference to the customer, who doesn't know either way.

 

Nice, the asshole orders a pitcher of a brew he doesn't have a clue about, and he's pissed?

 

This whole thread just reeks of "entitled" people with first world problems having an incorrect feeling of entitlement!

 

I was at a nightclub not too long ago and a friend ordered me a vodka redbull without me knowing. I told the bartender sorry but I didn't want redbull so she dumped the drink and made me something I wanted. No big deal, just depends on the mood they're in :/
I think they don't 'owe' you anything but if the price of a draft beer is enough to keep a customer coming back then it's worth it

 

A clean glass, a cold beer, a comfortable stool.

 

I'm pretty sure I owe a few bars some glassware...

 

Absolutely not. The only exception would be if the server insists that you try something. Then they should replace it if you don't like it. But if they're insisting, it should be gratis anyway.

 

I once politely gave back a beer I didn't like and ordered another. I did not complain or ask for it to be free, but it was not on my bill. She got it back in tip though. I see it two ways, though. At a high class, laid back craft beer bar, just don't be a dick about it and you probably won't have to pay for it. If you do this at a busy, volume based establishment (almost all of them), dont even bother, just charge it to the game.

 

I am a bartender at a nicer restaurant and usually when people ask me for a tap beer recommendation, they get a pint of it, take a sip and if they don't like it, order a Heineken. However, a majority of the time they bring it up when I drop the bill and ask why they are being charged.

I am of the same vain as the OP. I know what I like and don't like, and if I happen to try a beer I am not familiar with, it is on me to take the hit if I do not like it. That being said, I always make a point to be a 'good' bartender and ask the customer what they like and don't like in their beer to see how I can make the best recommendation.

But in the end, it's a roll of the dice, and what a fun and tasty roll it is :-)

 

Do I think the bar has an obligation to switch me out if I didn't taste it first? No. But, most would. At least on the first round. Do it again without trying, and you deserve to have your ass thrown out!

 

I chalk it up to the same difference as eating all the food on your plate. If you have it in front of you at a table you will consume it all. As a child if I didn't eat all my food it was re-served at the next meal cold. If you don't drink all your beer, you won't grow up big and strong.

 

You're welcome to ask for a sample of a beer you want to try it. They're welcome to charge you for that sample or they can flat out tell you NO. If you order the pint, it's yours. The only way to hope to get out of it is to have your wait staff spill it.

 

No. If you're thinking of ordering something you're not familiar with, ask for a taste first (assuming it's on tap). If they don't do tasters, stick with something you're familiar with, or find a better beer bar.

 

I have yet to find a bar with craft beers that does not offer a taste.
However I would not order a pint of something without knowing that I like it. That's what flights are for.
As far as the original question, if you order a beer, and it is what you ordered, you should expect to pay for it.

 

I ordered a Bois the other day, $11/8oz. After a few minutes the bartender asked if I would like to exchange it for something else. I declined. I'm assuming they had other people try it and demand a refund and were expecting more of the same. It was nice of them to offer but seemed like an ill considered offer considering the price of the keg.

 

No. Never had a problem getting a sample of something I'd never tried, and usually the bartender has been happy to hang out and talk about it or do a sample as well. But you order a beer, you pay for a beer.

 

Yeah, if you don't ask for a sample if you completely are clueless about what you're getting and/or you aren't a beer geek, you should just mark that on your tab as a stupidity penalty.

Really, the bar is doing you a favor, if you think about it. Next time maybe you'll learn.

 

I'm shocked by all these responses. While yeah, sometimes you can just suck it up, it's a CUSTOMER based industry. You want HAPPY customers. Being in the industry, it's absolutely 100% a MUST to be happy to get a new drink/food/whatever if the customer isn't happy with it. It doesn't really matter if there isn't anything wrong with it. A happy customer is a profitable customer. It's much better to eat a little overhead cost and give a customer a great experience and a product they like then let them walk out the door disappointed. Business 101 (although, probably the reason why a lot of business today are going down the shitter)