Drinking bartenders

I work as a bartender part time in PA and for 1 its illegal here and 2 I can't imagine being even slightly inebriated when we get super busy.
It would be nice to knock one back on a Monday night or something but come Friday or Saturday I gotta be in my A game

 

Did it merely bother your puritan longings of having a drink and drug free work place, or did it actually impact the quality of your time spent with them and the services they rendered?

 

As a customer I really don't care as long as it doesn't interfere with the service or the ability to function. More free drinks? By the time the barkeep is giving out free drinks because they're drinking, I would think that they've had too much and I probably wouldn't want to deal with them.

As a bar owner? Depends on the bar type and location as you could run into all sorts of issues and legalities. First one that comes to mind is this is a small town out in bum fck and there's only locals including the sheriff drinking, by all means have one.
Most neighborhood bars I would think one or two would be OK if the law allows servers to consume and the patron buys the barkeep a drink.
At any bar the bartender just drinking for free is called stealing unless the the barkeep owns the bar.

Now lets consider the dram laws and imagine a server being allowed to drink and loses the ability to make rash decisions (like some of us) and over serves someone who causes an accident on the way home.

This would get ugly real quick

 

Do you recall the name of the pub?

 

http://www.stillwaterbar.com/

 

There is a massive difference between trying a taste of something and having a full pour. I think a bartender drinking while serving is completely unacceptable.

 

I ran a great little bar, The Pickwick, on Walker Avenue in Greensboro in the early 70's. This was a hang for UNC-G professors and students and is still a wonderful memory for many. Only beer was sold and on occasion I would join in, especially when the Irish guys came in and sang sea shanties, or the great locals would just decide to perform. That was a different era. I saw The Allman Brothers next door at The End Zone (1968) when I was 17, after having had about 3 Blatz drafts served in soda fountain glasses right there in The Pickwick. Marvin Craig was the proprietor, an MP from WW2, and a truly cool man. These days if you drink while working the book will smack you down. I believe that our shirts are a bit too starched these days!

 

I don't care if they drink on the clock. If there's one job where you can drink on the clock, bar tending would be it. Plus, whatever gets you through the day...

 

At least I know that they have some idea of the flavors of beer that they are selling!

I have way more of a problem with them using their cell phones while they work. I wish more businesses would crack down on their employees using them during work hours.

 

Why would I ever care what they are doing so long as their service and attitude remains good? It seems like a very odd thing to be bothered by if it does not adversely impact you.

I get that there are laws and corporate policies in place to stop this, and if that is the case then I understand your concern. However, if it is just something that bothers you I would really like to understand why.

 

Definitely seems opinions are

Definitely agree that it is regional, in most of Wisconsin it is not only acceptable, but expected. If you walk into any small bar in any small town in WI there is a decent chance you'll end up doing shots with the bartender, the only question is who pays, and that is of course decided by fate and the roll of the dice.

 

I've always known bartenders to drink on the job. Shots mostly, but have seen the occasional beer. I feel like they usually drink slow enough that it doesn't really concern me.

 

Welcome to America in 2015. People's sensitivity levels are through the roof compared to yesteryear. That reminds me, I haven't been offended yet today.

 

As long as they get their work done in a timely manner, I don't give a damn.

 

Most beer and wine salespeople drink more than just a little doing their job. It's a hazard of the profession. As in anything, just be careful and cautious. Caution is the main thing that I taught my children and it has served them well. Many of their friends made bad moves and got "caught". Good judgement and having fun are not mutually exclusive.

 

Completely agree. I worked as a stock-man and salesman in the beer department of a large privately owned liquor store in Baltimore. With the quickly changing beer scene is was very important to have tasted everything in my department. Not a sample size, but a full glass to get the profile down correctly. Also about customers, it does help, I would say just don't flaunt it in front of people. But if you want a nice IPA on break to take the edge off, well I got no problem with that!

 

As long as they stay atentive and coherant enough to do their job than it does not bother me.

One of my favorite experiences at a bar was one a really good bartender we got to know over several years told me about Bourbon County Bombs and that she would make them if I brought in enough BCBS to make them (in this case 2 12oz bottles for 4). I happily obliged and we started our St. Patricks day with them.

For Anyone Curious

6oz BCBS
1oz 4 Rose's Single Barrel
1oz Godiva White Chochlate

- Layer in a double shot glass
- Shoot Irish Car Bomb Style

In that case I was more than ok with the bartender drinking with us. Foir the record I would probably never do it again but it was an experience to say the least.

 

I cannot fathom being offended by this unless the service suffered or the bartender became a jackass. I don't care if he/she is a fully functional alcoholic that is 10 beers deep and stumbling every once in awhile. If they can pour me a drink in a reasonably quick and efficient manner, calculate my change properly, and not be offensive toward me or other customers, they can drink all day.

I understand if you've had a drunk bartender that has offended you in the past and being wary about it, but if you've never had a bad experience with that and you've arbitrarily decided it bothers you because "reasons and the legals", I just don't get it.

 

Maybe lighten up and have a beer? Is this really what you focus on in a bar?

 

The more I'm thinking about this, the more confused I'm getting.