1. Men can't even imagine that you're a bartender, because you're a woman. When a male guest comes in and I try to take his order, he asks if he can order from the "bartender," gesturing toward the vested man behind me. I have to explain that he's my apprentice, but if he'd rather order from him, that's fine with me! Other times, men will just assume that the male bartender next to you is more qualified. It's honestly their loss.
2. Guys hit on you while you're working at the bar and make you really uncomfortable. Whether or not you're in a relationship, it just feels awkward and obviously inappropriate. Men will also comment on my shake; when I slap mint or crack ice, they always make it into something sexual. Like hello, this is my workplace. Do I make sexual quips about your cubicle?
3. Guys tip less when you don't flirt back. This happens way more frequently than you'd think. News flash, boys: I'm doing my job, and you should tip me for that, not because I choose to flatter your ego.
4. People overreact to accidents that are out of your control. The other day, a woman bumped into me and it caused half a bottle of wine to spill on her. The woman herself wasn't upset, but two of her friends were livid. It was unfair, because accidents happen and these women were berating me for a mistake.
5. Some people are used to their drinks being made a very specific way and will send them back when they're not made that exact way. Maybe they're used to ordering a cocktail in chain restaurants, for instance, and the way I make it is slightly different, so it's not what they were expecting. That doesn't happen super often, but I still feel bad when they send a drink back and say it's not what they ordered when it is.
6. Customers snap their fingers at you. Anyone in any service industry can tell you that is a dick move. Don't do that. Literally so rude.
7. You might get thrown into it with little to no training. When I first started, I had nothing but some notes a previous bartender had scribbled down on a piece of lined paper with beer and shot prices, and basic instructions on how to make a margarita. I had had no previous restaurant experience and was winging it most of the time. It's hard to really perfect the craft or even learn when you're on your own behind the bar with few resources. I rely heavily on my bartending app (Mixology) and YouTube videos for how to pour correctly and how to make popular cocktails.
8. If you're more experienced, you have to make up for newbies' shortcomings. The new hires straight out of school tend to struggle especially. Even though they have the cocktail recipes down, they are often really slow and don't have the experience to balance everything out.
8. You might be asked to wait tables on nights when your workplace is short-staffed. I find that this can be annoying, because I feel like I have a higher skill set that I want to use, instead of having to serve again.
9. You have to come up with creative ways to make sure someone is using their own ID. People memorize the information on whoever's ID they're borrowing, so I ask related questions. So I look at their birth year, and I can estimate when they graduated, then I'll ask them when they graduated high school. Or I'll ask them their zodiac sign.
10. Men get mad about getting carded when they're over a certain age. Guys tend to be more offended, while girls generally take it as a compliment.
11. You have to get multitasking down to an art form. Every once in a while I get someone who is really chatty and it's hard to get away from them to do the rest of my job, but they don't mean it maliciously — they just want someone to listen to them. Those conversations can turn out really great, but I have drinks to make!
12. People don't understand how important tips are to bartenders. Even if you come in just for one drink and sit at my bar for 45 minutes or an hour, you are taking up a spot that someone else could be sitting in, someone who might order food or another drink. So when you leave me a $1 tip (or less) on your $10 glass of wine, that's not very nice. Some bartenders get paid like $2.50 to $5 an hour, and the difference is meant to be made up in tips.
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