Drinking bartenders

it depends on the bar and the bartender. in some bars it would feel uncomfortable while in others it would feel natural. with some bartenders it wouldn't be a big deal but with others it would be weird.

i used to work in a restaurant where the manager would drink close to a bottle of wine each night, customers didn't seem to mind but the employees sure did. talk about a personality change, and not in a good way for us.

personally i don't mind a bartender enjoying a beer, glass of wine, or cocktail while on the job but if a bartender was taking shots all night then it would be weird to me. i know it's not much of difference but shots all night are different than slow cooking a drink.

 

John Taffer would scream at you for drinking while working.

 

Sorry to put my stuffy old man hat on here, but living in a populated-enough area where there is no Mayberry-like feel, there isn't any point I want a relatively random someone drinking while performing a job of serving me. I can see a smaller local joint where the bartender is the owner and the neighbor of you and two other people at the bar being different, but that is never the case around here.

I do agree with a few posts above - try the beer to see what it tastes like to be an informed bartender. Have some off the clock. But don't be sitting there with a full pour of a DIPA while trying to serve a full bar. I have a similar issue with whatever social media a bartender is using while on duty. Can it be done and not affect job performance or perception thereof? Yes. Can it be done by everyone to this level, so that it can be a generic policy? No.

Can a place be managed without determining this, or dictate: Mary can drink/text on the job because she can still handle our customer load while doing it, but Billy, you cannot? Again, if Mary and Billy are the owners' only employees and children then maybe, but otherwise, count me skeptical on all counts.

So, drinking bartenders possible: yes; plausible: hhmmmm; practical: probably not.

 

As you know, this happens a lot in Belgium...

 

Imagine you work as a bartender at a craft beer bar where new product is constantly coming through the doors. Not only is the list forever growing, but every other person through the door following all that beer would like to know your professional and educated opinion on ALL the beers at their disposal. Are you telling me that the guy suggesting, serving, and marketing all those beers is supposed to do this blind? Don't be silly, it's educational.

 

I prefer to drink with my bartender. I don't see anything wrong with it. Usually get a free drink out of the deal, or at the very least a good conversation.

 

Playing bar dice when the bartender isn't taking shots with you is a terrible thing.

 

You are a little poser amateur compared to some barkeeps. If the situation is normal to them, not some snot nosed beginner then I'd certainly feel OK. Last thing I want in a bar is some 20 year old calling the shots. And if they want to imbibe a little,. good on em.

 

Grea-a-a-a-t topic! I do my fair share of bar tending at a popular craft beer bar, and I personally don't like to drink when behind the bar and in front of customers. I do consider myself a professional at what I do and I want to keep that in tact. Though I'll happily sip on a beer to discuss it with the guy on the friendly side of the bar, I have to manage the business side and I have standards that are greater than being the drunk on the other side. Once the last customer leaves, I'll be happy to share the new beers with whomever with which I work and discuss them, but excessive drinking in front of the customer is a huge no-no. Now when we go to the bar across the street, it's game on! I am actually turned off when I go to another bar where the bartender is obviously intoxicated. It's simply not my cup of tea, ...er- beer.

 

If it doesn't effect his/her performance, I can't understand why it would bother you in any way.

 

This logic makes zero sense

 

I've seen it all. Plastered keeps handing beers out while on their knees and professional mixologist serving with a condescending nod. Honestly the former is more fun than the latter, but the former is becoming extinct. I'm not at all sure if that is a good thing.

 

Dude you need to lighten up. I work at a small mircrobrewery and we are allowed to drink, not til intoxication, but just a few tasters here and there. It works well with a lot of customers cause if were gonna talk beer why not have a beer with someone. It is also a great social lubricant, the microbrew is my second job, and at times im tired, serving people doesnt pay very well, but if i have a little bit of beer in me, it makes me happier to serve and to interact with people. And i know the rebuttle from someone will be, "if you dont enjoy it dont do it" well the truth is i do enjoy it, i love it, but i am human. Some days are tough and just the ability to drink something i love makes it better. and interacting with beer people makes it worth it.

 

Doesn't grind my gears at all.

 

Like times a thousand.

 

You know, it bothers me when somebody wants to make assumptions without empirical evidence. mind your own buisness

 

I drink beer while I serve coffee. Fuck, sounds like some of y'all would totally hate my place.

 

Seen it and don't mind at all. The abusers will sort themselves out.

 

You don't see a distinction? I'm not responsible for anyone if I'm just sitting at the bar, and I'm not losing any money because of a loss of productivity if I'm just sitting at the bar. A customer is there to have a good time, an owner is there to earn a lively hood. The two situations could not be any more different.

 

I really don't see a problem here unless they overcharge/ignore you/fuck up your order. On balance it will probably work to your advantage with more pleasant interactions and free samples and/or rounds.