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And you don't have your ID why...?
A couple comes in for drinks. The guy orders a nice sipping rum, the girl orders a draft beer. As she looks 30 or under, I ask for her ID. She doesn't have it with her. "But I'm 38." Congratulations....you don't look it, and because of your carelessness in leaving your ID wherever, I now cannot serve you. I explain all of this politely, and she orders water, which I get when I get him his sipping rum.
And then she proceeds to taste the rum. Upon which I explain to her that she can't be doing that, as I have not seen her ID. "But I was just tasting it." Great. You know what happens if my underaged nieces "just taste" a drink of mine in view of an officer? Right. We both get in trouble, me more so. You know what happens if I let someone who I have carded but who has failed to produce ID "just taste" an alcoholic drink? Right. I get in trouble. I don't want trouble with the legal system, thanks.
A bit later, a guy comes in and orders some beers to go. The rum drinker says, "You can get to go beers here?" To which I explain to him that in Key West, as long as it is in plastic, you can get ANY drink to go. At which point he orders a draft beer to go. Since we don't have any rules that you can't do that (he orders and pays for it and walks out with it, what he does with it then is not my problem), I ask him which one. And he turns to his girl and says, "Which one do I want again?" At which point I say, "C'mon guys, don't do that to me!" Seriously, at least try to be subtle.
I was not even vaguely surprised when these yahoos left me less than a 10% tip. Apparently it's bad service to actually obey the law if it inconveniences these two.
NOW I understand the phrase "henpecked"
Later, another couple comes in. The girl orders a very particular drink, which I make while the guy decides, though he has said he wants some rum. Sipping rum? Rum cocktail? He decides he wants some sipping rum. His girl disagrees. "No, you're not going to be doing that now....you had all those other drinks." He starts to waver. Perhaps a margarita. "No, you shouldn't get that. You've had enough of those today." Finally he decides on one of our specialty drinks, saying he is "putting his foot down."
Good thing he has that foot, since he doesn't have any balls to speak of if he lets his girl dictate what he can and cannot drink. For such a large guy, this guy was such a weenie.
Just curious, then?
During a slow time when I really have nothing to do, I am standing by the hostess stand when a guy walks in from the street.
HIM: "How ya doing?"
ME: "Great."
And then....he leaves. Without another word. No questions about the menu, our hours, happy hour, nada. Apparently he was just inquisitive about my general well-being.
Bob the Builder?
During another slow time when I am behind the bar, another guy walks in, but something's off. He's not looking for the bathroom. He's not looking at the draft beers. He's not looking at the bottles behind the bar, or the general decor, or even me. His eyes are down, and he's studiously looking at the physical bar itself. And then he runs his hand along it, obviously checking it for....something. And he looks up and asks, "Do you know how old this bar is?" And I tell him I don't know its exact age, but as The Bar was built about five years ago from the ground up, I would imagine it's no older than that.
And without another word, this lover of woodwork leaves.
At least for the rest of the weekend *I* get to be the strange customer!
A couple comes in for drinks. The guy orders a nice sipping rum, the girl orders a draft beer. As she looks 30 or under, I ask for her ID. She doesn't have it with her. "But I'm 38." Congratulations....you don't look it, and because of your carelessness in leaving your ID wherever, I now cannot serve you. I explain all of this politely, and she orders water, which I get when I get him his sipping rum.
And then she proceeds to taste the rum. Upon which I explain to her that she can't be doing that, as I have not seen her ID. "But I was just tasting it." Great. You know what happens if my underaged nieces "just taste" a drink of mine in view of an officer? Right. We both get in trouble, me more so. You know what happens if I let someone who I have carded but who has failed to produce ID "just taste" an alcoholic drink? Right. I get in trouble. I don't want trouble with the legal system, thanks.
A bit later, a guy comes in and orders some beers to go. The rum drinker says, "You can get to go beers here?" To which I explain to him that in Key West, as long as it is in plastic, you can get ANY drink to go. At which point he orders a draft beer to go. Since we don't have any rules that you can't do that (he orders and pays for it and walks out with it, what he does with it then is not my problem), I ask him which one. And he turns to his girl and says, "Which one do I want again?" At which point I say, "C'mon guys, don't do that to me!" Seriously, at least try to be subtle.
I was not even vaguely surprised when these yahoos left me less than a 10% tip. Apparently it's bad service to actually obey the law if it inconveniences these two.
NOW I understand the phrase "henpecked"
Later, another couple comes in. The girl orders a very particular drink, which I make while the guy decides, though he has said he wants some rum. Sipping rum? Rum cocktail? He decides he wants some sipping rum. His girl disagrees. "No, you're not going to be doing that now....you had all those other drinks." He starts to waver. Perhaps a margarita. "No, you shouldn't get that. You've had enough of those today." Finally he decides on one of our specialty drinks, saying he is "putting his foot down."
Good thing he has that foot, since he doesn't have any balls to speak of if he lets his girl dictate what he can and cannot drink. For such a large guy, this guy was such a weenie.
Just curious, then?
During a slow time when I really have nothing to do, I am standing by the hostess stand when a guy walks in from the street.
HIM: "How ya doing?"
ME: "Great."
And then....he leaves. Without another word. No questions about the menu, our hours, happy hour, nada. Apparently he was just inquisitive about my general well-being.
Bob the Builder?
During another slow time when I am behind the bar, another guy walks in, but something's off. He's not looking for the bathroom. He's not looking at the draft beers. He's not looking at the bottles behind the bar, or the general decor, or even me. His eyes are down, and he's studiously looking at the physical bar itself. And then he runs his hand along it, obviously checking it for....something. And he looks up and asks, "Do you know how old this bar is?" And I tell him I don't know its exact age, but as The Bar was built about five years ago from the ground up, I would imagine it's no older than that.
And without another word, this lover of woodwork leaves.
At least for the rest of the weekend *I* get to be the strange customer!
Our local pub is very old; it's on several levels, the beams that make up the basement support have holes in them that were once part of a ship, and behind a perspex window is the original Saxon flint wall!! The basement used to be street level. Yeah our pub is a contender for the oldest bar in England (bar, specifically, the semantics matter in the mess - barstaff quote, not mine) Lots of people come in just to look at the old stuff.
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