This Sunday, I went to a popular Manhattan bar with a few buddies to watch football. The place was PACKED which was great for energy purposes but made ordering drinks at the bar frustrating.
In really crowded situations, catching the bartender can be difficult for guys...
Men usually kick off the process using the eye contact route. Standard procedure… You hope by shooting a look in the drink slinger’s direction that you'll get acknowledged. But if 90 seconds pass and you remain unnoticed then it’s time to take action. That's right, it's time for the finger raise.
Ahh the finger raise. A full fledged wave would be too geeky but your pointer alone provides just the right touch. Here’s what you need to remember… timing is everything. One must wait precisely until entering the bartender's vision before pulling the trigger.
Otherwise, it gets really awkward as you stand there with your hand in the air… remember, you're not hailing a cab. This should be a smooth operation. Stike quick, my friend. Strike quick!
Along the way, you'll probably compete with a few money flaggers. I’m not a big fan of these characters. They break out the cash early and start waving it around to attract the target (and/or gold diggers). If you ask me, it’s a little on the tacky side.
Equally as irritating are the self-permitted orderers. You know what I'm talking about. The bartender's tied up, there's a queue of people who've waited patiently and yet these prima donnas roll up out of nowhere and start dishing out requests like they own the joint!
Still, regardless of my opinions, each of these methods have proven successful from time to time. We all have our own personal styles.
And don't worry if the environment is challenging and you're growing impatient because there's always my personal favorite approach- just have your/a girl buy the drinks for you! Women always seem to get quicker results... Why not take advantage?
Of course, it goes without say to take care of her for helping you out. That's Sprezzatura.
In really crowded situations, catching the bartender can be difficult for guys...
Men usually kick off the process using the eye contact route. Standard procedure… You hope by shooting a look in the drink slinger’s direction that you'll get acknowledged. But if 90 seconds pass and you remain unnoticed then it’s time to take action. That's right, it's time for the finger raise.
Ahh the finger raise. A full fledged wave would be too geeky but your pointer alone provides just the right touch. Here’s what you need to remember… timing is everything. One must wait precisely until entering the bartender's vision before pulling the trigger.
Otherwise, it gets really awkward as you stand there with your hand in the air… remember, you're not hailing a cab. This should be a smooth operation. Stike quick, my friend. Strike quick!
Along the way, you'll probably compete with a few money flaggers. I’m not a big fan of these characters. They break out the cash early and start waving it around to attract the target (and/or gold diggers). If you ask me, it’s a little on the tacky side.
Equally as irritating are the self-permitted orderers. You know what I'm talking about. The bartender's tied up, there's a queue of people who've waited patiently and yet these prima donnas roll up out of nowhere and start dishing out requests like they own the joint!
Still, regardless of my opinions, each of these methods have proven successful from time to time. We all have our own personal styles.
And don't worry if the environment is challenging and you're growing impatient because there's always my personal favorite approach- just have your/a girl buy the drinks for you! Women always seem to get quicker results... Why not take advantage?
Of course, it goes without say to take care of her for helping you out. That's Sprezzatura.
you come up with the most unusual topics to write about....... and yet i cant stop reading. where do you think of these ideas!?!
ReplyDeleteur a really good writer man
ReplyDeleteyae women got it easy...
ReplyDeletefrom a bartender-
ReplyDeleteeye contact mode- not aggressive enough if were busy unless were totally sober
finger raise- not bad, but youre right, timing is everything. if you look like youre calling your butler you might as well head to the bodega on the corner for a warm tall boy
money flaggers- depending on the intoxication level of the bartender, you will be treated somewhere on the scale of Ignored -> Robbed in front of countless eye witnesses (they will all laugh)
self-permitted orderers- the timid bartender will take your order and then remember you very specifically (that would be your one order for the night with that bartender if your tip wasnt so big they disregarded your douchery). the more confident bartender will hear you and then spend 2 or 3 laps of the bar coming up with the most humiliating thing to say to you in front of your friends in an attempt to remind you that you are not special
the fact is, if the bartender is drunk or just not a very thoughtful person the best way to get served is to be annoying. eventually they just want you to leave so theyll give you what you want. if they look like theyve got a system going and you try to shortcut it youll probably be intentionally ignored. and if you get cocky with the wrong bartender, youll probably be more concerned with finding a bar in which the entire female population isnt laughing at your for being a scumbag rather than how to get a beer
great blog by the way
enjoyable post and loved brian's response... funny to hear from the other perspective.
ReplyDelete