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Amazing how many people can't understand why, if we're in the building, we can't let them in until our actual opening time. No, you can't just sit there and wait. No, you can't just get a quick drink. No, no, no. And here's why.
I come in an hour before opening for a reason. Here's all the shit that I need to get done in that time:
Wipe down the entire bar surface.
Drain the triple sink from the night before, which has had the bar mats soaking in it.
Turn on the glass dishwasher. Put out my bus tubs for dishes.
Set up the service bar area with all the bar mats, fruit tray, shaker tins, salt tray, juices, mint, etc.
Put the grates in the drains of the draft beer area. Remove the plugs from the spouts of the same.
Get my drawer/till from the manager. Count same.
Make sure all the video games are on. Make sure all the tv's are on, and turned to sports or news stations. Make sure the neon beer light signs are on. Make sure the AC is at the right level. Make sure all the bar lights are at the right level.
Make sure I have enough silverware and side plates for the shift.
I do all of this in the first hour, before we open.
All of this does NOT include pulling down the chairs, putting out the floor mats, putting out the trash cans with liners, and filling my ice bins, which blessedly the Wonderful Cleaning Girl does for me (I tip her for this.) But without this arrangement in place, that's a bunch of other stuff I would have to do.
This also does not include a bunch of other stuff that I'd love to do before we open, but which I can do while going through the shift. What other stuff? Well, (deep breath)....
Make sure all the fruit is fresh, cut enough fruit to be up to par on our backups, pick enough mint to be up to par on our backups, make simple syrup if necessary, stock the beer, stock the liquor, stock the wine, stock the juices, stock the condiments, stock the plastic cups, stock the to go boxes, put away any liquor orders that come in, stock the purées for the frozen drinks, stock other mixers that I may need, stock dinner napkins and beverage napkins, stock coasters, stock straws of both sizes, and stock the paper rolls for the terminal.
This also does not include any "extra" duties my manager my toss my way that day, like creating a new drink special (since none of the other bartenders can be bothered to do so), reorganizing the rum cabinet, finding space for yet another new kind of glassware that we will almost never use and that we don't have the space for AGAIN, taking out the empty kegs that my coworkers from the previous night conveniently forgot to do, rearranging the keg room into an orderly fashion from the train wreck it became the night before, and who know what else.
I do all of this throughout the shift, while dealing with questions from servers who should know better, with a smile on my face, while getting you your I drinks and food. And I do all of this as someone who does not drink coffee. Ever.
So, no...WE ARE NOT OPENING THE FUCKING DOOR EARLY JUST FOR YOU!
Just because you think all I do is open a few bottles of beer doesn't mean you are even close to being right.
I come in an hour before opening for a reason. Here's all the shit that I need to get done in that time:
Wipe down the entire bar surface.
Drain the triple sink from the night before, which has had the bar mats soaking in it.
Turn on the glass dishwasher. Put out my bus tubs for dishes.
Set up the service bar area with all the bar mats, fruit tray, shaker tins, salt tray, juices, mint, etc.
Put the grates in the drains of the draft beer area. Remove the plugs from the spouts of the same.
Get my drawer/till from the manager. Count same.
Make sure all the video games are on. Make sure all the tv's are on, and turned to sports or news stations. Make sure the neon beer light signs are on. Make sure the AC is at the right level. Make sure all the bar lights are at the right level.
Make sure I have enough silverware and side plates for the shift.
I do all of this in the first hour, before we open.
All of this does NOT include pulling down the chairs, putting out the floor mats, putting out the trash cans with liners, and filling my ice bins, which blessedly the Wonderful Cleaning Girl does for me (I tip her for this.) But without this arrangement in place, that's a bunch of other stuff I would have to do.
This also does not include a bunch of other stuff that I'd love to do before we open, but which I can do while going through the shift. What other stuff? Well, (deep breath)....
Make sure all the fruit is fresh, cut enough fruit to be up to par on our backups, pick enough mint to be up to par on our backups, make simple syrup if necessary, stock the beer, stock the liquor, stock the wine, stock the juices, stock the condiments, stock the plastic cups, stock the to go boxes, put away any liquor orders that come in, stock the purées for the frozen drinks, stock other mixers that I may need, stock dinner napkins and beverage napkins, stock coasters, stock straws of both sizes, and stock the paper rolls for the terminal.
This also does not include any "extra" duties my manager my toss my way that day, like creating a new drink special (since none of the other bartenders can be bothered to do so), reorganizing the rum cabinet, finding space for yet another new kind of glassware that we will almost never use and that we don't have the space for AGAIN, taking out the empty kegs that my coworkers from the previous night conveniently forgot to do, rearranging the keg room into an orderly fashion from the train wreck it became the night before, and who know what else.
I do all of this throughout the shift, while dealing with questions from servers who should know better, with a smile on my face, while getting you your I drinks and food. And I do all of this as someone who does not drink coffee. Ever.
So, no...WE ARE NOT OPENING THE FUCKING DOOR EARLY JUST FOR YOU!
Just because you think all I do is open a few bottles of beer doesn't mean you are even close to being right.
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