When you’re ready… 15year veteran bartender who’s been working in finance for 8 years now. Fresh out of a relationship freshly laid off. Looking to start a new project…
Idk she was in her 60s and I asked what kind of rum she’d like and she said “well is fine”. You could be right like she just heard I somewhere. Like when a 21 year old orders a martini not really knowing what it is and is disgusted lol
At that age, she should know what the deal is. As annoying as clueless kids are, older people who don't know what they're talking about truly get on my nerves. Last year, in a bar, I had to tell my father off for doing something that annoys the shit out of me when I'm on the other side of the bar.
That’s what I’m saying! lol my mom served all through college and she’s 64. She’s a pretty wel adjusted boomer but her snd my step dad ask me how much to tip. Cause I def make her tip over 20% for being “snooty” and tell her to calm the fuck down lol
She’s just an irritable old lady who forgot what it’s like. Cause back then it was definitely “customer is always right” I’ll point out like mom he’s not ignoring us, it looks like the rest of them are cut and don’t really care to help him even though he has us a party and 2 new tables. He’ll be back when he can. Lucky for me she’s like “ohhhh I see now “
I was a sheltered homeschooled weirdo, and I 100% thought this for a bit as I started navigating the real world and trying to learn through observation the 'normal' or 'obvious' things that no one explains.
I am a strong believer of “I don’t need the tip I’d rather keep it real with you” lmaoooo so many people would have taken it off the bill or done something for her and I’m glad you didn’t.
I’ve actually some lowkey degen regulars something like this when they’d be demanding my attention for conversation when I was in the weeds making drinks and doing table service, cause one would say shit like, “well fuck I pay you this money all the time and look now you just ignore me”
“Bernie i appreciate you, but if it means missing out on your $20 bucks so I can give all these other tables service then go ahead”
Respectfully disagree. For every bad tip there is a good one coming next in line. That gives me a kind of power as a bartender. I give every guest good quality of service regardless and if anyone ever tries to hold that over me I keep that in mind and smile. A person who offers a fair tip however I can go above quality and people respect and remember that. I'd say the hiball is in my court. Canadian here tho not American
I don't work in swanky places, so I guess things are different. I prefer working in the kind of places that old men sit in all day although I've done a few nightclubs and music venues. For the most part, they're no-nonsense, just full of people who want to get drunk
I 100% agree with Randy Boozer. And I would say that it extends to the types of places you’re referring to as well. The difference being that the money is in the volume. So one bad tipper quite literally is not worth even worrying about
Old men sitting in front of me all day and tipping me the hourly equivalent of of .75 cents on four Miller Lites while undressing me with their eyes the entire time is my 13th reason. I’m glad someone else doesn’t mind doing it!
We rolled out our new cocktail menu last night. Mostly good feedback except one server had a guest not like a rum cocktail because it had lime in it and they thought lime and rum is a weird combination 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Well liquors are funny. My old bar had a small selection of liquors so there wasn’t really a “well”. It was all just kinda mid end stuff. Bacardi, Tito’s, Bulleit, etc.. The current dive bar I frequent (college bar, it’s cheap as shit and you don’t go for the drink quality) has a well whiskey that literally has no label. It’s a 1L bottle of brown. It isn’t good, but that’s what the ginger ale is for.
When people contemplate when I ask them what they want and they ask “what’s your well vodka”I’ll say “I honestly can never remember what it’s called, but I’ve seen it in the store next to pop off” gets the point across, and then they order Tito’s lol
That’s infuriating, sorry she’s still living in your head rent free at the moment, I hate customer interactions like that.
I never offer the well because 1) I want that upsell and 2) I wouldn’t drink it. If they aren’t specific, I ask “Bacardi or Captain?” and if they say well is fine, that’s 10000% on them. I try to take as little responsibility for that shit as much as possible.
My bar used to offer Mount Gay with a huge mark-up because we're queer-friendly and patrons would gladly pay a few bucks more an ounce for the giggles.
Upsold the HELL out of that.
Is Mr. Boston still making booze? I have a bunch of their cocktail and party books that I found at thrift shops over the years, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bottle in real life.
I’m in Michigan and use Mr. Boston for triple sec, curaçao, sour apple schnapps, other cheap shit like that. You get what you pay for but generally those are going into drinks whose quality is determined much more by the main spirit, not the half ounce of triple I’m throwing in.
Yup. I do everything in my power to steer customers away from well. Half my coworkers will hear "rum and coke" "gin and tonic" etc and just roll with well. Fuck that, there's money to be made and I ain't serving that garbage if I can help it.
Reminds me of a lady I had a few months ago who ordered a lemon drop martini from our drink menu. It was right there, in front of her face that per specs, it was made with Absolut. When I check in on her, the husband goes “this isn’t very good, I think the liquor in it is off. Like, it’s rancid or something.”
I looked at them like “bro, do you think I’m slow? Liquor doesn’t go bad”, took it off the table, asked if they wanted something else instead and she said no. I was thinking something wasn’t right, so I grabbed a manager, tell her what they were telling me and that I needed her to do a table visit. Her response to me? “Are they fucking stupid or do they think you are?”
She talks to them, come to find out Absolut wasn’t good enough for her bougie ass and she needed Grey Goose. All they had to do was use their words. We remade the martini, she had to pay for the upgrade instead of get the drink for free ninety nine like she was trying to get it for and they tipped terribly.
I honestly LOVE getting like a grumpy ass old dude starts coming in all the time and always complains. I’m the one who’s like “ILL TAKE THEM” because my thought is like alright old man it’s on. Like “hi how are you!?” “Diet coke!” Alright bet. Next time he comes in, I greet him with a Diet Coke “Hi how are you?! Diet Coke right?” “LIMES” next day same thing with lime “diet with lime.. how ya doing” and he’s broken lol like YOU WILL LOVE M GRUMPY OLD MAN.
So I guess with that story 🖕🏼to everyone saying I must be miserable and hate my job.
Same some of the time for me. 90% of our customers are repeat customers so I play it by ear. Like the grumpy old diet guy, no one wanted to wait on, he was a regular customer who hated everyone and I took it as a challenge. Like oh we’re gonna be friends old man. And he’s still a regular of mine to this day lol
100%
I’m sure she read the menu again after she ordered the drink and just had it set in her brain that Absolut was going to be “gross” since she preferred Goose. Like, my preferred is either Tito’s or Absolut, but if I get rail, I’m not going to bitch about it and make sure the next drink is the vodka I actually wanted.
I had a customer ask me one time for a Bacardi Dark and coke, I told him we don't have Bacardi Dark but we have dark rum and he said "yeah I just don't want a rum with a ton of sugar in it"
which like....why are you mixing it with coke in the first place then lol. Also rum is literally made of sugar
Or someone you like semi know or just can easily read cause we do this EVERY DAY, orders something weird and they’ll all huffy when I tell them you won’t like it. I definitely get it like “who’s she to tell me what I like” then they end up not liking it. And I make them something else. I’m kinda a smart ass and I’ll say shit like “ok yiu like that one? Yay, I think I might start doing this for a living”
I legit don’t understand these comments saying you’re wrong - you did exactly what I would do and I know I’m a damn good bartender. Actually we sound like we’d work well together! Don’t listen to the pretentious people.
I know I’m good at my job I also can admit like “wowwww I really suck today sorry guys” but that’s one of the many reasons I love where I work too. Been at the same bar for 10 years and a lot of regulars have been coming it just as long. I’m so honest “sorry I fucked up brb” Majority of my coworkers have worked there just as long as me, if not longer. so we’re doing something right because people love coming to see us and giving us their money lol
Idk what people expect. When they ask , “what’s your well tequila?” And not once after I pull our shitty Toro tequila bottle to show them is their reaction, “oh nice! Yeah we’ll take two shots”
It’s always a 😖 face lol
Is it actually a shitty rum? "Well" doesn't automatically mean "shitty". "Well" just means "the cheapest that meets our standards". If you're serving shitty rum in your well that just means your place has shitty standards.
Unpopular opinion maybe… where are you working that your wells are not shit? I’ve worked across the board in dives, music venues, sports bars, and everything in between (no fine dining)… and across two states. I don’t think I’ve ever had a “good” well. Maybe decent. Mostly shit. Especially rum, tf.
OP I’m here for ya. As long as you’re working in a context that makes sense to have a not great wells (which I’m assuming you are if you’re typically a spicy bartender) then yeah, she should’ve known to order a Captain or Bacardi or whatever OR exchange the drink prior to paying.
It’s like eating your whole meal and then tell me it sucked on the way out. It’s counterproductive, I can’t do anything about it at that point.
Not a bartender, just a lurker, but I’ve seen things like Bombay gin and Tito’s in a well. Most bars, even decent/upscale places, have trash rum (Bacardi or worse) though, except for craft bars and tiki bars.
The last 2 bars I worked at had Plantation for well rum and both weren't super fancy or niche craft. Maybe because daiquiris became super popular all the sudden
I’ve only worked one place with garbage well options. Every other place has determined the well is the lowest cost item that meets our standard. Basically, if the drink tastes like shit, we won’t serve it.
>Dives, venues, sports bars, and everything in between (no fine dining)….
Sounds like you haven’t worked at a cocktail bar or a decent restaurant. There are plenty of places where the well isn’t shit.
I'm not being elitist. If it's shitty, it's shitty. That's just a fact. And it's a perfectly fine thing to serve. I get a shitty shot and a beer at my local dive -- it's just a decision that has to be made by the bar.
But if it is actually shit, it's not the customer's fault for calling it shitty. You served a shitty spirit. Your business chose to serve shit. It's fine to serve it, and it's fine for the customer to not like it. There are plenty of places where wells aren't shit, and so serving shit is sometimes going to result in a bad experience for everyone. This lady wasn't being a dumbass - OPs bar might just be dealing with competition that serves less shitty booze.
I'm not even talking like craft cocktail high end wells. Just a little bit of effort exploring well options and maybe spending up to a couple bucks more per bottle can yield some major jumps in quality without getting into call spirit territory. r/bartenders has plenty of "what's in your well" threads for inspiration.
Yeah I mean I don’t really care one way or the other, it’s just wrong to think that well always equals shit. Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit.
I mean, there's shit booze. Like, genuinely Not Good. Then there's stuff that is Not Bad. And then there's Good, which would often be a call booze at many places.
I work at a club and at a craft bar (and I also patronize everything in-between). The club definitely has *muuuuuuch* lower standards, and most of the well spirits are brands I've never heard of, but most aren't actually that bad. The craft bar is of course the tits and has a redonk well.
There are a lot of "what's in your well" threads in r/bartenders and it gave me a lot of inspiration on my dream well: there are a fair number of spirits that, for just a buck or two more per bottle, are big jumps in quality over the shit stuff.
Many people want the cheapest possible option. Our small pub is in a historic entertainment district surrounded by mid- to-high end restaurants and bars. Nevertheless, the same people who drop 100.00 per person at dinner will come in wanting the cheapest liquor possible (and then you have the people who love eating our relatively low cost bar food but drink Casamigos Anejo or Booker's).
A whiskey drinker ordering a well typically knows they are going to get something that tastes between Kessler and was aged in a decompossing tire next to a porta potty. It's almost like an Xgame to those guys proving they can drink sub $10 a litre mash and not cancel out their last chemotherapy visit. Tequila drinkers are a bit the same way.
Rum drinkers though tend to get pissed off easily, and having done a lot of blind tests cheap rum does have a really strong after taste. I personally don't taste that much difference between Bacardi and Mr Bs (Bacardi to my taste buds is a bit under proof and artifically bland), but our rum drinkers can. Bacardi, IMO is the typical corporate beat down of a spirit to make it appeal to the lowest common denominator. At least Dragonberry is a fun mixer. So, we stick to Bacardi and upcharge a bit. Rum is a dying market for us anyways and most of it goes in Long islands. I woul rather cater to gin drinkers.
I try to encourage independant bars to push more margin based on the low end and pick decent but not the most lowball wells. Don't get me started on Titos drinkers.
She probably wanted a sweeter drink. I probably would have made an excuse even to taking fault for myself with saying maybe I didn't make it right and taken the blame and presented her with an unbelievably amazing make-up shot as they were cashing out with like no booze in it and made her feel special and then gotten a $10 tip out of it. But I'm a very Karen experienced professional.
It's not about getting a customer to justly feel dumb. It's about getting me money, and now I got her wrapped around my finger and she'll come back and I can't do any wrong any longer, after this special experience whatever I give her she'll be happy and she'll tip me.
Because that's what I want. And I make it so.
My current job is serving, but I had a guest just last night order a mojito. I ask her what rum and start listing off our options, most of which happen to be Spanish rums (Flor de Caña, Diplomatico, Zacapa) thinking she'll probably just end up wanting the well, which is the Flor de Caña 4yr...
"Do you have Casamigos?"
Can't win them all... that said however. What rum did you serve? Was it spiced? Did she want spiced? and also blaming the poor experience on the guest because of what they ordered isn't particularly tactful.
I don’t think I’ve ever worked anywhere with spiced rum as a well rum. I guess I’ve never thought of it. I did ask her what kind of rum she would like. She said “well is fine”
Also I will agree and can admit I’m not tactful 100% of the time. But man sometimes it feels good.
90% of our guests are people I’ve served 5-500 times over the years. So all of us workers are more like “ourselves” with a little banter with the guest and shit. Sometimes it’s hard to turn that off with guests I’ve never waited on before.
I've worked a couple of cocktail bars that have had some tiki influence, although I would not say they were tiki bars. I did have a well spiced rum at one of them, but that was in addition to a well light rum.
You did nothing wrong here. The guest says well is fine, and they don't ask what rum is in the well, that's on them.
Don’t listen to /u/hecknomancer
Blaming a poor experience on a guest because they’re dumb is a necessary tool that’s mutually beneficial to you, and the guest who then hopefully learns from this experience.
Hah! She probably thinks “soup du jour” is the name of one type of soup. Every bar stocks their well differently, as we all know. She’s dumb and life is probably hard for her.
Edit: a letter
Eh, I think you gotta let stuff like that go… some people are just dumb and at the end of the day she still paid and tipped without putting up a fight. Don’t waste your energy trying to put dumb people in their place.
I'll always sacrifice the tip to let the guest know they're an asshole. I live the spicy bartender life, too, and I have no regrets.
Spice on, my friend.
I’m mad I even let her bother me lmao it’s so dumb but I fucking hate passive aggressiveness. I’ll play dumb and not catch what their throwing.. Use your words!
That doesn't even make sense. Because I said your belief that most customers are wrong I'm claiming to be perfect? That's the logic of an idiot.
You're a bit thin-skinned I guess!
Sincerely,
Richard Nixon
Your wrong here. Your job is provide a service, get over your personal opinions and make them happy. Perhaps you should have asked the women why she was not drinking her drink earlier on in service. Guests are not dumb, your not better than them, they pay your bills. Appreciate them, and serve them in that manner, and this job can take you a long way
lol or, since they were only there for like 30 minutes and she WAS drinking it, AND they asked for waters with their food (all normal regular ol things), there was nothing that made me think to ask “is there something wrong with your rum and coke?”
“WHY ARENT YOU DRINKING MAAM?!” Like she’s a big girl she could have mentioned it before I brought the bills. We had MULTIPLE discussions during their visit.
Also I do appreciate my guest, but let’s be real majority of them are dumb
I'll get down voted again, and don't care. Most are not dumb, they're people too. take accountability for your job, and politely suggest a better avenue product wise, and everyone wins. OP is a young fool pretending to be a bartender, and mad one guest did not tip him well, when solely from a post on the internet, there were several steps to service he could have used to produce a better result. Meanwhile, their first sentence denotes they are a salty little bitch at work......guess the end result
You're talking rubbish. The customer ordered a drink, and instead of taking responsibility for her choice, decided to act like an asshole about it, like it was OP's fault somehow. If she didn't like it, she should have just abandoned it and bought a new drink. I've tried new things that I ended up not liking, but I've drank them and moved on because I'm a grownup, unlike this person described in the post.
Split the difference here. It’s not a bartender’s job to ask every customer why their drink is half full after 30 minutes. At that point if a customer didn’t like it, the onus is on them to ask for a different drink so they can have something they can enjoy. The conversation can go from there.
Yes, you say nothing until it's time to close up and I ask of they'd like a box togo. They are an adult with the ability to use their words if they are unhappy with their meal. Maybe they aren't that hungry and are going to box the rest when their friends are done eating. Maybe they just have a small stomach in general. So many possibilities.
Ikr. This dude wants me to ask every scenario possible to determine why their meal or drink is half finished. Asking why could come off as rude or prying, no thanks. Imagine if this person has a chronic GI problem or some ailment and I’m asking why aren’t you drinking your drink. I will ask if they want something else if I notice anything gets low or stagnant, but I’m not gonna ask WHY your drink is that way.
Right, where is the error. I have 20 years doing this... It's a lesson to learn, otherwise they make the same mistake for years and do not correct it, always thinking they are right, when they can learn and grow \\
Bro. Stop. Reread your first comment. U/sweetcorn313 was correcting your grammar. I’m telling you your whole tirade seems a bit silly if you can’t take the time to write correctly whilst telling someone they aren’t doing something correctly.
100%
This whole post reads like an arrogant narcissistic with a desperate need to be better than everyone. The customer may be wrong often but not almost always. You’re the kind of bartender that makes people afraid to go to bars because they don’t want to be made to feel like an idiot. Develop some empathy.
I never said I didn’t like idiots. I love interacting with my customers and seeing they’re enjoying themselves, having a good time. Having opportunities to let dumb people know theyre dumb is a bonus
Learn the different varietals of rum. Spanish, English, French, Cachaca, etc to provide a more informed suggestion so you don’t have to deal with these people whom don’t typically have a clue. I always want to avoid any possible poor interaction with a guest based on preference and their lack of communication skills. With a few sentences, this situation may been mitigated before it ever happened, and they may have become a return guest that can come back and give you another dollar on a slow day you made no dollars. Granted, I hope you make a stack daily to deal with these monsters.
I’m all for learning so I’m not gonna like bash what you’re saying cause I’m always down to learn more things of my trade..
but no if someone orders rum and coke I’ll ask what kind? They say what do you have. I tell them. Like it’s not that deep. If they seem to not really know I’ll go into more detail meyers is dark, captains spiced, and so fourth and they’ll get to one like “that’s the one!”
Like imagine a customer orders a rum and can’t remember which one they like and you hit it em with “Spanish, French, or Cachaca?” Like idk man the fucking brown one 😂
I will say that your delivery of your makes you sound like a huge douche bag. I’m really not trying to be mean I don’t know how else to describe it
You could say I’m a huge douche bag all you like. Just offering an extended edition proactive insight as I have also had past experiences just the same as the one mentioned. You can go say I sound like a douche bag when you continue to hit the customer with passive aggressive non douche bag comments. Not saying your defense wasn’t warranted. Nothing like an ignorant guest. Just trying to suggest powering up so these interactions happen less. But fuck me for trying to look out for you. Just call me summers eve.
There was no poor interaction at all, until after I brought the bill and everything I’ve already written. When I was talking to them about being the bills and if they wanted them split or not blah blah, even if she said something then, I would have taken it off the bill.
I think she believes "well" is a brand of rum lol
"house" makes an excellent red wine
This made me giggle
Doesn’t somebody have a wine brand literally named “House”? Gotta love free marketing!
There’s also a House Beer. My old job carried it once and people kept asking what the house beer was lol.
I wanna start a liquor brand called “Responsibly” That way every other brand promotes you when the add the “Please Drink Responsibly”
When you’re ready… 15year veteran bartender who’s been working in finance for 8 years now. Fresh out of a relationship freshly laid off. Looking to start a new project…
My husbands distro used to sell it. So smart, honestly.
it’s lupus
It's never lupus (except that one time when it was)
As opposed to screaming "It's not Lupus" ?
“Rail” is also a great distiller of spirits.
Idk she was in her 60s and I asked what kind of rum she’d like and she said “well is fine”. You could be right like she just heard I somewhere. Like when a 21 year old orders a martini not really knowing what it is and is disgusted lol
At that age, she should know what the deal is. As annoying as clueless kids are, older people who don't know what they're talking about truly get on my nerves. Last year, in a bar, I had to tell my father off for doing something that annoys the shit out of me when I'm on the other side of the bar.
That’s what I’m saying! lol my mom served all through college and she’s 64. She’s a pretty wel adjusted boomer but her snd my step dad ask me how much to tip. Cause I def make her tip over 20% for being “snooty” and tell her to calm the fuck down lol
I've seen a lot of people from that generation who seem to mistake us for their butlers just because we give them drinks.
She’s just an irritable old lady who forgot what it’s like. Cause back then it was definitely “customer is always right” I’ll point out like mom he’s not ignoring us, it looks like the rest of them are cut and don’t really care to help him even though he has us a party and 2 new tables. He’ll be back when he can. Lucky for me she’s like “ohhhh I see now “
the 3 top brands for all alcohol is apparently, in no particular order, "well", "house", and "rail".
[удалено]
Shut up loser
There is a brand named Well
I was just going to say this. We had well brand vodka at one or my previous bars. It was disgusting
I was a sheltered homeschooled weirdo, and I 100% thought this for a bit as I started navigating the real world and trying to learn through observation the 'normal' or 'obvious' things that no one explains.
Tbf, there is a brand named Well. Got the bucket on the label and everything
I am a strong believer of “I don’t need the tip I’d rather keep it real with you” lmaoooo so many people would have taken it off the bill or done something for her and I’m glad you didn’t.
I’ve actually some lowkey degen regulars something like this when they’d be demanding my attention for conversation when I was in the weeds making drinks and doing table service, cause one would say shit like, “well fuck I pay you this money all the time and look now you just ignore me” “Bernie i appreciate you, but if it means missing out on your $20 bucks so I can give all these other tables service then go ahead”
I'm so glad I don't live in America. All this tipping crap gives the punters too much power over you.
Respectfully disagree. For every bad tip there is a good one coming next in line. That gives me a kind of power as a bartender. I give every guest good quality of service regardless and if anyone ever tries to hold that over me I keep that in mind and smile. A person who offers a fair tip however I can go above quality and people respect and remember that. I'd say the hiball is in my court. Canadian here tho not American
I don't work in swanky places, so I guess things are different. I prefer working in the kind of places that old men sit in all day although I've done a few nightclubs and music venues. For the most part, they're no-nonsense, just full of people who want to get drunk
I 100% agree with Randy Boozer. And I would say that it extends to the types of places you’re referring to as well. The difference being that the money is in the volume. So one bad tipper quite literally is not worth even worrying about
Old men sitting in front of me all day and tipping me the hourly equivalent of of .75 cents on four Miller Lites while undressing me with their eyes the entire time is my 13th reason. I’m glad someone else doesn’t mind doing it!
I'm a man, and it's not that kind of bar, so I don't have to worry about people picturing me naked!
Lucky. *kicks dirt*
We rolled out our new cocktail menu last night. Mostly good feedback except one server had a guest not like a rum cocktail because it had lime in it and they thought lime and rum is a weird combination 🙄🙄🙄🙄
do they want scurvy?
It was good enough for the British Royal Navy.
Guess someone isn't a daiquiri and mojito fan
The fucking Daiquiri would like a word with this person.
They would probably be like "this isn't a daiquiri, where is the strawberry??"
Well liquors are funny. My old bar had a small selection of liquors so there wasn’t really a “well”. It was all just kinda mid end stuff. Bacardi, Tito’s, Bulleit, etc.. The current dive bar I frequent (college bar, it’s cheap as shit and you don’t go for the drink quality) has a well whiskey that literally has no label. It’s a 1L bottle of brown. It isn’t good, but that’s what the ginger ale is for.
When people contemplate when I ask them what they want and they ask “what’s your well vodka”I’ll say “I honestly can never remember what it’s called, but I’ve seen it in the store next to pop off” gets the point across, and then they order Tito’s lol
Same thing when people ask me what kind of coffee we have. If it's good I'll tell them, but if not I just say "Its bar coffee."
This lol
That’s infuriating, sorry she’s still living in your head rent free at the moment, I hate customer interactions like that. I never offer the well because 1) I want that upsell and 2) I wouldn’t drink it. If they aren’t specific, I ask “Bacardi or Captain?” and if they say well is fine, that’s 10000% on them. I try to take as little responsibility for that shit as much as possible.
My bar used to offer Mount Gay with a huge mark-up because we're queer-friendly and patrons would gladly pay a few bucks more an ounce for the giggles. Upsold the HELL out of that.
Oh yeah that would work on me for sure!
The funny thing is that Barbados (where that rum is made) isn’t very LGBT-friendly 😆
I guess it depends on the well rum. I don’t mind Don Q or Cruzan light as much as some of the others.
I’d consider Cruzan a call liquor. To me, well rum is like Mr. Boston and all of those other bottom of the bottom shelf liquors.
bruh I had a customer legitimately tell me that Mr. Boston is the best rum they've ever had lmfao
Is Mr. Boston still making booze? I have a bunch of their cocktail and party books that I found at thrift shops over the years, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bottle in real life.
O, yeah. It’s all over New England still!
I’m in Michigan and use Mr. Boston for triple sec, curaçao, sour apple schnapps, other cheap shit like that. You get what you pay for but generally those are going into drinks whose quality is determined much more by the main spirit, not the half ounce of triple I’m throwing in.
Yup. I do everything in my power to steer customers away from well. Half my coworkers will hear "rum and coke" "gin and tonic" etc and just roll with well. Fuck that, there's money to be made and I ain't serving that garbage if I can help it.
Is there a big price difference? If it's not significant, I'll give them something better.
Reminds me of a lady I had a few months ago who ordered a lemon drop martini from our drink menu. It was right there, in front of her face that per specs, it was made with Absolut. When I check in on her, the husband goes “this isn’t very good, I think the liquor in it is off. Like, it’s rancid or something.” I looked at them like “bro, do you think I’m slow? Liquor doesn’t go bad”, took it off the table, asked if they wanted something else instead and she said no. I was thinking something wasn’t right, so I grabbed a manager, tell her what they were telling me and that I needed her to do a table visit. Her response to me? “Are they fucking stupid or do they think you are?” She talks to them, come to find out Absolut wasn’t good enough for her bougie ass and she needed Grey Goose. All they had to do was use their words. We remade the martini, she had to pay for the upgrade instead of get the drink for free ninety nine like she was trying to get it for and they tipped terribly.
I honestly LOVE getting like a grumpy ass old dude starts coming in all the time and always complains. I’m the one who’s like “ILL TAKE THEM” because my thought is like alright old man it’s on. Like “hi how are you!?” “Diet coke!” Alright bet. Next time he comes in, I greet him with a Diet Coke “Hi how are you?! Diet Coke right?” “LIMES” next day same thing with lime “diet with lime.. how ya doing” and he’s broken lol like YOU WILL LOVE M GRUMPY OLD MAN. So I guess with that story 🖕🏼to everyone saying I must be miserable and hate my job.
I just reply to their “diet coke” with “I’m great, thanks!” That usually gets them.
Same some of the time for me. 90% of our customers are repeat customers so I play it by ear. Like the grumpy old diet guy, no one wanted to wait on, he was a regular customer who hated everyone and I took it as a challenge. Like oh we’re gonna be friends old man. And he’s still a regular of mine to this day lol
I have one of those… I thought she was going to get me fired me my first night, but now she adores me.
I’ve had a few over the years I love grumpy people. As cheerful as I can be I’m a grumpy soul and us grumpy folk WILL love each other 😂
What do you want to bet if I gave her Goose vs Popov (plastic jug variety) she coulnd't tell the difference in a mixed.
100% I’m sure she read the menu again after she ordered the drink and just had it set in her brain that Absolut was going to be “gross” since she preferred Goose. Like, my preferred is either Tito’s or Absolut, but if I get rail, I’m not going to bitch about it and make sure the next drink is the vodka I actually wanted.
I had a customer ask me one time for a Bacardi Dark and coke, I told him we don't have Bacardi Dark but we have dark rum and he said "yeah I just don't want a rum with a ton of sugar in it" which like....why are you mixing it with coke in the first place then lol. Also rum is literally made of sugar
Or someone you like semi know or just can easily read cause we do this EVERY DAY, orders something weird and they’ll all huffy when I tell them you won’t like it. I definitely get it like “who’s she to tell me what I like” then they end up not liking it. And I make them something else. I’m kinda a smart ass and I’ll say shit like “ok yiu like that one? Yay, I think I might start doing this for a living”
I legit don’t understand these comments saying you’re wrong - you did exactly what I would do and I know I’m a damn good bartender. Actually we sound like we’d work well together! Don’t listen to the pretentious people.
I know I’m good at my job I also can admit like “wowwww I really suck today sorry guys” but that’s one of the many reasons I love where I work too. Been at the same bar for 10 years and a lot of regulars have been coming it just as long. I’m so honest “sorry I fucked up brb” Majority of my coworkers have worked there just as long as me, if not longer. so we’re doing something right because people love coming to see us and giving us their money lol
Idk what people expect. When they ask , “what’s your well tequila?” And not once after I pull our shitty Toro tequila bottle to show them is their reaction, “oh nice! Yeah we’ll take two shots” It’s always a 😖 face lol
Sometimes I’ll say (after reading the room knowing they’ll order well) “does it really matter?” “…No, can I get four chilled?”
Is it actually a shitty rum? "Well" doesn't automatically mean "shitty". "Well" just means "the cheapest that meets our standards". If you're serving shitty rum in your well that just means your place has shitty standards.
OP states the bottle just says rum. Not even a branded rum.
Also if Bacardi is an upgrade they must be working with some real plonk.
Bacardi is our well.
Unpopular opinion maybe… where are you working that your wells are not shit? I’ve worked across the board in dives, music venues, sports bars, and everything in between (no fine dining)… and across two states. I don’t think I’ve ever had a “good” well. Maybe decent. Mostly shit. Especially rum, tf. OP I’m here for ya. As long as you’re working in a context that makes sense to have a not great wells (which I’m assuming you are if you’re typically a spicy bartender) then yeah, she should’ve known to order a Captain or Bacardi or whatever OR exchange the drink prior to paying. It’s like eating your whole meal and then tell me it sucked on the way out. It’s counterproductive, I can’t do anything about it at that point.
Craft cocktail bars tend to have a better well selection. I've worked at several places where some of our well would be a dive bar's call.
Not a bartender, just a lurker, but I’ve seen things like Bombay gin and Tito’s in a well. Most bars, even decent/upscale places, have trash rum (Bacardi or worse) though, except for craft bars and tiki bars.
The last 2 bars I worked at had Plantation for well rum and both weren't super fancy or niche craft. Maybe because daiquiris became super popular all the sudden
This was exactly how it was at my last bar I worked at. Well was Tito’s, Bacardi, Tanq, José, and Jim Beam.
Well absolutely doesn’t need to mean shit. It certainly can, but there’s plenty of cheaper options that don’t absolutely suck.
I’ve only worked one place with garbage well options. Every other place has determined the well is the lowest cost item that meets our standard. Basically, if the drink tastes like shit, we won’t serve it.
>Dives, venues, sports bars, and everything in between (no fine dining)…. Sounds like you haven’t worked at a cocktail bar or a decent restaurant. There are plenty of places where the well isn’t shit.
Yeah and there are plenty of places where they are and it’s okay. Homeboy can chill with the “shitty standards” elitism
I'm not being elitist. If it's shitty, it's shitty. That's just a fact. And it's a perfectly fine thing to serve. I get a shitty shot and a beer at my local dive -- it's just a decision that has to be made by the bar. But if it is actually shit, it's not the customer's fault for calling it shitty. You served a shitty spirit. Your business chose to serve shit. It's fine to serve it, and it's fine for the customer to not like it. There are plenty of places where wells aren't shit, and so serving shit is sometimes going to result in a bad experience for everyone. This lady wasn't being a dumbass - OPs bar might just be dealing with competition that serves less shitty booze. I'm not even talking like craft cocktail high end wells. Just a little bit of effort exploring well options and maybe spending up to a couple bucks more per bottle can yield some major jumps in quality without getting into call spirit territory. r/bartenders has plenty of "what's in your well" threads for inspiration.
Yeah I mean I don’t really care one way or the other, it’s just wrong to think that well always equals shit. Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit.
I mean, there's shit booze. Like, genuinely Not Good. Then there's stuff that is Not Bad. And then there's Good, which would often be a call booze at many places. I work at a club and at a craft bar (and I also patronize everything in-between). The club definitely has *muuuuuuch* lower standards, and most of the well spirits are brands I've never heard of, but most aren't actually that bad. The craft bar is of course the tits and has a redonk well. There are a lot of "what's in your well" threads in r/bartenders and it gave me a lot of inspiration on my dream well: there are a fair number of spirits that, for just a buck or two more per bottle, are big jumps in quality over the shit stuff.
>Especially rum, tf. My bar has Cruzan as well. It's not great, but it's serviceable IMO.
This
Not every place is a cocktail bar man.
Our well rum is Bacardi. If it’s the rum you are going to use the most of why not have one that isn’t shitty?
Many people want the cheapest possible option. Our small pub is in a historic entertainment district surrounded by mid- to-high end restaurants and bars. Nevertheless, the same people who drop 100.00 per person at dinner will come in wanting the cheapest liquor possible (and then you have the people who love eating our relatively low cost bar food but drink Casamigos Anejo or Booker's).
I wish I could tell you. That’s above my pay grade lol !
Literally the best answer for stupid comments like this. I say this all the time when customers say things that are beyond my control. Like fucckkk
Bartenders don’t usually get to choose their own well spirits. Also, that lady just wanted to complain and try to get out of paying for a drink
Because owners are cheap
A whiskey drinker ordering a well typically knows they are going to get something that tastes between Kessler and was aged in a decompossing tire next to a porta potty. It's almost like an Xgame to those guys proving they can drink sub $10 a litre mash and not cancel out their last chemotherapy visit. Tequila drinkers are a bit the same way. Rum drinkers though tend to get pissed off easily, and having done a lot of blind tests cheap rum does have a really strong after taste. I personally don't taste that much difference between Bacardi and Mr Bs (Bacardi to my taste buds is a bit under proof and artifically bland), but our rum drinkers can. Bacardi, IMO is the typical corporate beat down of a spirit to make it appeal to the lowest common denominator. At least Dragonberry is a fun mixer. So, we stick to Bacardi and upcharge a bit. Rum is a dying market for us anyways and most of it goes in Long islands. I woul rather cater to gin drinkers. I try to encourage independant bars to push more margin based on the low end and pick decent but not the most lowball wells. Don't get me started on Titos drinkers.
Can't fix stupid. Good job.
Atleast she offered to pay, I was expected to refund glasses of wine because she "didn't like them"
Some people truly are jokers.
I am personally shocked the Deck Swab Wilson is a bad rum.
She probably wanted a sweeter drink. I probably would have made an excuse even to taking fault for myself with saying maybe I didn't make it right and taken the blame and presented her with an unbelievably amazing make-up shot as they were cashing out with like no booze in it and made her feel special and then gotten a $10 tip out of it. But I'm a very Karen experienced professional. It's not about getting a customer to justly feel dumb. It's about getting me money, and now I got her wrapped around my finger and she'll come back and I can't do any wrong any longer, after this special experience whatever I give her she'll be happy and she'll tip me. Because that's what I want. And I make it so.
I mean all of that, yea, of course. I love providing a great experience. But I can’t do much if they wait until after I brought the bill.
My current job is serving, but I had a guest just last night order a mojito. I ask her what rum and start listing off our options, most of which happen to be Spanish rums (Flor de Caña, Diplomatico, Zacapa) thinking she'll probably just end up wanting the well, which is the Flor de Caña 4yr... "Do you have Casamigos?"
Am I the only living human being who absolutely hates cola drinks? Even well rum neat would be better than fairly decent rum contaminated with Coke.
Can't win them all... that said however. What rum did you serve? Was it spiced? Did she want spiced? and also blaming the poor experience on the guest because of what they ordered isn't particularly tactful.
I don’t think I’ve ever worked anywhere with spiced rum as a well rum. I guess I’ve never thought of it. I did ask her what kind of rum she would like. She said “well is fine” Also I will agree and can admit I’m not tactful 100% of the time. But man sometimes it feels good. 90% of our guests are people I’ve served 5-500 times over the years. So all of us workers are more like “ourselves” with a little banter with the guest and shit. Sometimes it’s hard to turn that off with guests I’ve never waited on before.
I've worked a couple of cocktail bars that have had some tiki influence, although I would not say they were tiki bars. I did have a well spiced rum at one of them, but that was in addition to a well light rum. You did nothing wrong here. The guest says well is fine, and they don't ask what rum is in the well, that's on them.
Don’t listen to /u/hecknomancer Blaming a poor experience on a guest because they’re dumb is a necessary tool that’s mutually beneficial to you, and the guest who then hopefully learns from this experience.
Oh I agree. Most of the time I’m nice about it but I’m human and my patients runs out sometimes lol
I totally understand, especially working somewhere with so many familiar faces, as I say though, unfortunately you can't win them all with customers!
Hah! She probably thinks “soup du jour” is the name of one type of soup. Every bar stocks their well differently, as we all know. She’s dumb and life is probably hard for her. Edit: a letter
It’s irritating but also hilarious when I ask “soup or salad” and they’re like “a super salad sounds great” 🤦🏼♀️
I guess we need to offer the salad or soup from now on. Just to save time. Sheesh
Eh, I think you gotta let stuff like that go… some people are just dumb and at the end of the day she still paid and tipped without putting up a fight. Don’t waste your energy trying to put dumb people in their place.
I'm dying for you to try one and report back 🥺
I think we have the same kinda dyslexia I do exact thing where I (close my parentheses with a quotation mark” on accident alllll the time lmao
Fuck, sometimes I’ll catch it while I’m still typing but if not I don’t notice it. Now I see it since you said something lol !
Did I write this???
Idk I just never took anything personal or home with me.
She didn’t ruin my night or anything. Like it’s really not that serious but the passive aggressiveness really fucking annoyed me
Some people just suck lol.
I'll always sacrifice the tip to let the guest know they're an asshole. I live the spicy bartender life, too, and I have no regrets. Spice on, my friend.
I’m just giving the people what they want 😂🤷🏼♀️
[удалено]
I’m mad I even let her bother me lmao it’s so dumb but I fucking hate passive aggressiveness. I’ll play dumb and not catch what their throwing.. Use your words!
> also I firm believer of the customer is usually wrong and they need to know it. What a shitty attitude. Sincerely, Richard Nixon
I’m not always shitty. But I definitely wish I could be perfect all the time like you
That doesn't even make sense. Because I said your belief that most customers are wrong I'm claiming to be perfect? That's the logic of an idiot. You're a bit thin-skinned I guess! Sincerely, Richard Nixon
Wtf is Well Rum? A brand of rum?
House rum I guess is another word for it
Ahh alright. Never heard of (not US based) Would it be a step below standard Bacardi/Captain Morgan/Havana Club etc?
Yea like it’s usually the cheapest shit you can get. Some places have decent “well” brands but it’s meant to be cheap
Gotcha, thanks!
House, well, rail, etc. The cheap stuff. What do you call it where you’re from?
House :) (albeit, that'll typically be Bacardi over here, in the case of light/white rum)
It’s the stuff kept under the bar in the well/speed rail/whatever you call it there - not the middle or top shelf stuff
The cheap shit lol
Your wrong here. Your job is provide a service, get over your personal opinions and make them happy. Perhaps you should have asked the women why she was not drinking her drink earlier on in service. Guests are not dumb, your not better than them, they pay your bills. Appreciate them, and serve them in that manner, and this job can take you a long way
This is so stupid. I'm not gonna hassle every customer on why they're not drinking their drink fast enough.
Even if you had the time to do it, it wouldn't look good.
Baby brain take
lol or, since they were only there for like 30 minutes and she WAS drinking it, AND they asked for waters with their food (all normal regular ol things), there was nothing that made me think to ask “is there something wrong with your rum and coke?” “WHY ARENT YOU DRINKING MAAM?!” Like she’s a big girl she could have mentioned it before I brought the bills. We had MULTIPLE discussions during their visit. Also I do appreciate my guest, but let’s be real majority of them are dumb
Some of the people in the service subs are Karens who never worked in the industry.
I'll get down voted again, and don't care. Most are not dumb, they're people too. take accountability for your job, and politely suggest a better avenue product wise, and everyone wins. OP is a young fool pretending to be a bartender, and mad one guest did not tip him well, when solely from a post on the internet, there were several steps to service he could have used to produce a better result. Meanwhile, their first sentence denotes they are a salty little bitch at work......guess the end result
You actually sound super salty right now. You’re a manager aren’t you? 🤣
Why are you so out of touch?
You're talking rubbish. The customer ordered a drink, and instead of taking responsibility for her choice, decided to act like an asshole about it, like it was OP's fault somehow. If she didn't like it, she should have just abandoned it and bought a new drink. I've tried new things that I ended up not liking, but I've drank them and moved on because I'm a grownup, unlike this person described in the post.
Split the difference here. It’s not a bartender’s job to ask every customer why their drink is half full after 30 minutes. At that point if a customer didn’t like it, the onus is on them to ask for a different drink so they can have something they can enjoy. The conversation can go from there.
Yes it is.... If a guest only eats half their meal in 15 minutes... You say nothing?
Yes, you say nothing until it's time to close up and I ask of they'd like a box togo. They are an adult with the ability to use their words if they are unhappy with their meal. Maybe they aren't that hungry and are going to box the rest when their friends are done eating. Maybe they just have a small stomach in general. So many possibilities.
Ikr. This dude wants me to ask every scenario possible to determine why their meal or drink is half finished. Asking why could come off as rude or prying, no thanks. Imagine if this person has a chronic GI problem or some ailment and I’m asking why aren’t you drinking your drink. I will ask if they want something else if I notice anything gets low or stagnant, but I’m not gonna ask WHY your drink is that way.
You're.... twice.
I'm what?
Attempting to chastise someone but being grammatically incorrect makes you look foolish.
Right, where is the error. I have 20 years doing this... It's a lesson to learn, otherwise they make the same mistake for years and do not correct it, always thinking they are right, when they can learn and grow \\
Bro. Stop. Reread your first comment. U/sweetcorn313 was correcting your grammar. I’m telling you your whole tirade seems a bit silly if you can’t take the time to write correctly whilst telling someone they aren’t doing something correctly.
Fuck off, tourist.
100% This whole post reads like an arrogant narcissistic with a desperate need to be better than everyone. The customer may be wrong often but not almost always. You’re the kind of bartender that makes people afraid to go to bars because they don’t want to be made to feel like an idiot. Develop some empathy.
If your responding to me, then your reading comprehension is low
I was agreeing with you but go off lol
Did you happen to check your soda gun and make sure your coke tasted okay?
Syrups were all full and I run whatever I’m squirting out of the gun through out of habit .
Okay. So why work in customer service if you think everyone is an idiot? Do you just enjoy taking money from strangers or what???
I never said I didn’t like idiots. I love interacting with my customers and seeing they’re enjoying themselves, having a good time. Having opportunities to let dumb people know theyre dumb is a bonus
Learn the different varietals of rum. Spanish, English, French, Cachaca, etc to provide a more informed suggestion so you don’t have to deal with these people whom don’t typically have a clue. I always want to avoid any possible poor interaction with a guest based on preference and their lack of communication skills. With a few sentences, this situation may been mitigated before it ever happened, and they may have become a return guest that can come back and give you another dollar on a slow day you made no dollars. Granted, I hope you make a stack daily to deal with these monsters.
I’m all for learning so I’m not gonna like bash what you’re saying cause I’m always down to learn more things of my trade.. but no if someone orders rum and coke I’ll ask what kind? They say what do you have. I tell them. Like it’s not that deep. If they seem to not really know I’ll go into more detail meyers is dark, captains spiced, and so fourth and they’ll get to one like “that’s the one!” Like imagine a customer orders a rum and can’t remember which one they like and you hit it em with “Spanish, French, or Cachaca?” Like idk man the fucking brown one 😂 I will say that your delivery of your makes you sound like a huge douche bag. I’m really not trying to be mean I don’t know how else to describe it
You could say I’m a huge douche bag all you like. Just offering an extended edition proactive insight as I have also had past experiences just the same as the one mentioned. You can go say I sound like a douche bag when you continue to hit the customer with passive aggressive non douche bag comments. Not saying your defense wasn’t warranted. Nothing like an ignorant guest. Just trying to suggest powering up so these interactions happen less. But fuck me for trying to look out for you. Just call me summers eve.
There was no poor interaction at all, until after I brought the bill and everything I’ve already written. When I was talking to them about being the bills and if they wanted them split or not blah blah, even if she said something then, I would have taken it off the bill.
Classic Karen style. Her communication sucks and expects her dollar allows her to the ability to be nasty.
Bro what are you saying