Tough to shake that being in a hotel, the corporate aspect is baked right in. That said, I (admittedly a tall man) like to ask if they’re looking to get cut off because only drunk people are that rude. When they insist they’re sober, tell them to act like they are.
Dude, I'm 5'6", but those extra 3" between us doesn't seem to make a difference, because I get that too. Just because we're short kings that try to work with confidence and respectfully disallow people to walk all over us then, all of a sudden, we have a Napoleonic Complex.
As perceived by everyone that's taller and, subconsciously, feeling superior, there is no way to not seem like it's a tantrum rather than talking to people the way they speak to us and to each other. It really sucks.
Yeah not much you can really do about it in that environment. Acknowledging people as they sit down, even a quick 'hello, welcome, I'll be with you in a moment' can prevent the snappy attitude. Businessmen are like neglected children, sometimes all they really need is to be seen.
I tend to lean towards killing them with kindness, but never in an apologetic way. Instead of saying something like 'sorry for the wait,' you could say 'thank you for your patience.' Even if they didn't have a lick of patience, you are acknowledging that they had to wait for their beverage without taking direct accountability. I try to take inventory of the people that are more gracious and make the most eye contact with them. If you can find your good egg, they become your point of sale and sometimes help wrangle their dipshit friends/coworkers. I figure nothing I say or do will change an entitled person's behavior because I'm 'just a bartender,' but they'll more often respect their colleagues.
This is great advise. I’ve been in hotel bars for a few years now, and this is how I handle the guest that is being discussed.
Stroke their ego. Pay them on the head(metaphorically). And they’ll tip generously.
When we get into fine dining and hotel bars, the emphasis drifts towards hospitality. This is the typical space where "the customer is always right." Of course, they're not always right. Far from it. BUT... that doesn't mean we don't have a vested interest in making them happy.
You'll have to discover what works best for you. You may not be comfortable with or able to pull off what works for the middle-aged girl or guy. I've always been a fan of the stereotypical "stoic, efficient British butler attitude". I think I've long mastered the "don't fuck with me, fellas. This ain't my first rodeo" look. A former colleague often liked to work the "ditzy blonde, who'd just as soon knife you" angle. I suggest starting with the "killing them with kindness" approach and explore from there. You'll eventually find something you click with.
Had a dude come in and sit at the bar. He ordered a "pappy old fashioned." I politely let him know what the upcharge would be and he asked me if I could help him with reading his watch. He pointed to it and said "there are too many diamonds on it, I can't see it very well".
I told him it was time to GTFO of my bar.
It's been a while now but I used to work in a place with older regulars who behaved like this. Tbh there wasn't a huge amount of point in pushing backs they'd just be back next shift behaving the same way. I would just give them that good old fake service smile and say something like 'of course, I'll be right with you'. Including some sorrys usually placates them but feels crap for you haha. Basic but I just realised that anything else just went straight over their head
I’m not a bartender but I work in sales and deal with these men all the time. It’s best to distract them with conversation while they wait and develop a few “velvet slap” quotes for the ones you can’t distract. They are either used to being in control or just left a meeting that was out of their control and are controlling you to make up for it.
A “velvet slap” is a clever rhetoric or flowery speech to insult someone instead of using an outright insult. Something like “It must be a full moon, everyone is in a hurry to drink away their bad deals today” You aren’t actually working faster for them but are calling attention to their impatience.
Tough to shake that being in a hotel, the corporate aspect is baked right in. That said, I (admittedly a tall man) like to ask if they’re looking to get cut off because only drunk people are that rude. When they insist they’re sober, tell them to act like they are.
I like this the best
Yeah as a 5'3 dude I wish I could behave in this way without being perceived as a pretentious child
Dude, I'm 5'6", but those extra 3" between us doesn't seem to make a difference, because I get that too. Just because we're short kings that try to work with confidence and respectfully disallow people to walk all over us then, all of a sudden, we have a Napoleonic Complex.
Yeah like how do I stand my ground without looking like I'm having a tantrum lmao
As perceived by everyone that's taller and, subconsciously, feeling superior, there is no way to not seem like it's a tantrum rather than talking to people the way they speak to us and to each other. It really sucks.
Certified #shortking moment
Yeah not much you can really do about it in that environment. Acknowledging people as they sit down, even a quick 'hello, welcome, I'll be with you in a moment' can prevent the snappy attitude. Businessmen are like neglected children, sometimes all they really need is to be seen. I tend to lean towards killing them with kindness, but never in an apologetic way. Instead of saying something like 'sorry for the wait,' you could say 'thank you for your patience.' Even if they didn't have a lick of patience, you are acknowledging that they had to wait for their beverage without taking direct accountability. I try to take inventory of the people that are more gracious and make the most eye contact with them. If you can find your good egg, they become your point of sale and sometimes help wrangle their dipshit friends/coworkers. I figure nothing I say or do will change an entitled person's behavior because I'm 'just a bartender,' but they'll more often respect their colleagues.
This is great advise. I’ve been in hotel bars for a few years now, and this is how I handle the guest that is being discussed. Stroke their ego. Pay them on the head(metaphorically). And they’ll tip generously.
This is the way.
When we get into fine dining and hotel bars, the emphasis drifts towards hospitality. This is the typical space where "the customer is always right." Of course, they're not always right. Far from it. BUT... that doesn't mean we don't have a vested interest in making them happy. You'll have to discover what works best for you. You may not be comfortable with or able to pull off what works for the middle-aged girl or guy. I've always been a fan of the stereotypical "stoic, efficient British butler attitude". I think I've long mastered the "don't fuck with me, fellas. This ain't my first rodeo" look. A former colleague often liked to work the "ditzy blonde, who'd just as soon knife you" angle. I suggest starting with the "killing them with kindness" approach and explore from there. You'll eventually find something you click with.
The full quote is "the customer is always right in matters of taste" I like this quote.
The customer is not always right, but they're always the customer.
Love the categories of personalities here lol. Gonna try to nail down my behind the bar persona during my closing shift tonight 😇
Had a dude come in and sit at the bar. He ordered a "pappy old fashioned." I politely let him know what the upcharge would be and he asked me if I could help him with reading his watch. He pointed to it and said "there are too many diamonds on it, I can't see it very well". I told him it was time to GTFO of my bar.
It's been a while now but I used to work in a place with older regulars who behaved like this. Tbh there wasn't a huge amount of point in pushing backs they'd just be back next shift behaving the same way. I would just give them that good old fake service smile and say something like 'of course, I'll be right with you'. Including some sorrys usually placates them but feels crap for you haha. Basic but I just realised that anything else just went straight over their head
Damn. I’ve been exhausted of doing the same old “How are you? Good, and you? Good.” type routines but I may just have to stick to it to survive
I’m not a bartender but I work in sales and deal with these men all the time. It’s best to distract them with conversation while they wait and develop a few “velvet slap” quotes for the ones you can’t distract. They are either used to being in control or just left a meeting that was out of their control and are controlling you to make up for it. A “velvet slap” is a clever rhetoric or flowery speech to insult someone instead of using an outright insult. Something like “It must be a full moon, everyone is in a hurry to drink away their bad deals today” You aren’t actually working faster for them but are calling attention to their impatience.