Thursday, June 24, 2004
Three-of-a-kind beats 2 pair, right?
...and the "Bartender Card" may get your ass kissed a little.
I rarely throw out the "Bartender Card" (BC). Which means; I don't often tell a bartender that I don't know (restaurant I've never been to, different city, whatever..) that I am a bartender as well. Us bartenders have a special kind of "Yes! You know exactly what I go through!" relationship with one another whether we know each other or not. And it's cool to find out the person you just met is a bartender so you can compare war/happy stories. But! A bartender does not necessarily like for you to tell them UPFRONT that you are of like minds because it kinda comes off that you are expecting extra-special attention & that's the only reason you're sharing. That's the main reason I rarely share the info to someone that is a new bartender to me. I don't want them to feel that I am ASSUMING I'm going to be treated extra nice. For all they know, I could be a real bitch & not worthy of their extra attention. (I'm sad to say; some bartenders aren't worthy of the trade..it happens.)
The last time I played the BC was at Perry's in Adams Morgan sometime in March. Four fellow female bartenders & I went there for their INCREDIBLE Sunday brunch. Now, I am a brunch fanatic & think I have sampled some of DC's finest, but; Perry's is hand's-down the best I've seen. The buffet is beyond compare. Everything from the basic eggs & stuff to crabcakes, hand-prepared sushi (right in front of you), to awesome desserts. What rounds out this delicious experience is the Drag Queen show they do during brunch. The performers entertain throughout the brunch hours & are Fan-Fucking-Tastic! We had Tina, we had Carmen, & a host of others that are all so incredibly talented; I briefly wished I was a man that could impersonate a woman so CONVINCINGLY that everyone would be jealous of my talents.
Anyway, the bartender was gay & not really paying attention to us. But that was OK. He was wicked busy, & the guys next to us were really cute. I saw it for what it was, but we were celebrating G's B-day, and for that reason; I wanted special attention for our little group. When the bartender finally got our order & made the round of drinks, I just off-handily mentioned that we were all bartenders celebrating a b-day & we were all thankful we could get the same day off to be there. Said bartender did such a quick 180, I think I actually felt the wind in my face! He made our 45 min. wait for our table so enjoyable, we felt happy to tip him $50 on our $85 bar tab. (Hey, $50 on $85 in 45 mins. is awesome for just making pitchers of mimosa's!) This is an example of when the BC card should actually be played. Worked for him & us. Everyone's happy!
Well, I will continue this series with examples of when NOT to play the BC. Until then, please check out BitterWaitress & StainedApron.
"I'm sorry, was that your FACE? Fuck; I meant to slap it harder!"
- Tara
I rarely throw out the "Bartender Card" (BC). Which means; I don't often tell a bartender that I don't know (restaurant I've never been to, different city, whatever..) that I am a bartender as well. Us bartenders have a special kind of "Yes! You know exactly what I go through!" relationship with one another whether we know each other or not. And it's cool to find out the person you just met is a bartender so you can compare war/happy stories. But! A bartender does not necessarily like for you to tell them UPFRONT that you are of like minds because it kinda comes off that you are expecting extra-special attention & that's the only reason you're sharing. That's the main reason I rarely share the info to someone that is a new bartender to me. I don't want them to feel that I am ASSUMING I'm going to be treated extra nice. For all they know, I could be a real bitch & not worthy of their extra attention. (I'm sad to say; some bartenders aren't worthy of the trade..it happens.)
The last time I played the BC was at Perry's in Adams Morgan sometime in March. Four fellow female bartenders & I went there for their INCREDIBLE Sunday brunch. Now, I am a brunch fanatic & think I have sampled some of DC's finest, but; Perry's is hand's-down the best I've seen. The buffet is beyond compare. Everything from the basic eggs & stuff to crabcakes, hand-prepared sushi (right in front of you), to awesome desserts. What rounds out this delicious experience is the Drag Queen show they do during brunch. The performers entertain throughout the brunch hours & are Fan-Fucking-Tastic! We had Tina, we had Carmen, & a host of others that are all so incredibly talented; I briefly wished I was a man that could impersonate a woman so CONVINCINGLY that everyone would be jealous of my talents.
Anyway, the bartender was gay & not really paying attention to us. But that was OK. He was wicked busy, & the guys next to us were really cute. I saw it for what it was, but we were celebrating G's B-day, and for that reason; I wanted special attention for our little group. When the bartender finally got our order & made the round of drinks, I just off-handily mentioned that we were all bartenders celebrating a b-day & we were all thankful we could get the same day off to be there. Said bartender did such a quick 180, I think I actually felt the wind in my face! He made our 45 min. wait for our table so enjoyable, we felt happy to tip him $50 on our $85 bar tab. (Hey, $50 on $85 in 45 mins. is awesome for just making pitchers of mimosa's!) This is an example of when the BC card should actually be played. Worked for him & us. Everyone's happy!
Well, I will continue this series with examples of when NOT to play the BC. Until then, please check out BitterWaitress & StainedApron.
"I'm sorry, was that your FACE? Fuck; I meant to slap it harder!"
- Tara
