Quote: (11-24-2011 07:14 PM)Gmac Wrote:
Quote:Quote:
I think Gmac is right about all this. The staff are essentially a family and they all run the place together. The patrons are cattle.
I win!
Quote:Quote:
I don't get the mentality of looking down on your regulars. Ok, so maybe he thinks I'm a caddy philanderer, but A) I'm a consistent patron, B) why do you give a shit? We all live there together, man.
I usually take a different approach when I start frequenting a new bar. If I go out to a bar or take a girl to one for a date, I make sure I already have the place on at least partial lockdown. Meaning, I've been to the bar a few times, introduced myself and made friends with a few of the bouncers/bartenders, over-tipped on my drinks, and always kept your cool (aka not starting fights, embarrassing yourself, or getting kicked out).
I run hospitality game on the staff since I was in the industry for a long time... I know how to befriend them. Once you've done that, you'll rarely run into the problem of cockblocking white knight bartenders. You can be a regular and still go unnoticed by the staff. Make friends and this problem disappears. Might be too late in your case with this particular bar, but you can always work the rest of the staff first.
I prefer this to the "dude what's your problem!" approach. You tend to put them on the defensive immediately and get yourself in a worse spot than you started.
If you couldn't tell, I'm all about the networking. Infiltrate and you quickly become part of that family. Once the bartenders start comping you drinks or doing shots with you for free, you know you're in. Just don't forget to overtip... this can all be done in one night.
Had one of the best (and possibly last with the elders) thanksgivings with my family tonight. Drank a lot of wine, but am not trying to wreck liver (been out a few days in a row).
Show up at the place. Dude is there. They have customer accessible water coolers, so I poured myself some in liu of getting a beer.. just to chill with drinking for a bit.
I'm hanging at the bar. He comes over and tells me I have to leave because I haven't bought any booze and that the owner needs to pay rent blah blah...
He brings the bouncer over. Again, I'm a regular at this bar. I asked the bouncer where the manager was and bouncer says "I'm just taking orders."
Mixx, I kind of did what you said and asked the bartender "Do you have a problem with me?"
Him: "Yes,"
Then he went on to list:
1) "I know this is a hook-up bar, but you come in here and get drunk and then act like a predator and talk to drunk girls in a weird way"
2) "You take up too much space at the bar" There was a time when I had my guitar and it was taking up space and he told to move it. I moved it.
3) "You don't tip well."
I said, "1) whatever," then I told him that he didn't do buy-backs after I started giving him higher tips.
Then I ordered a diet coke, and he didn't serve me. The bouncer walked off. I got a girl to order me the diet coke from the other bartender.
Then some guy came up and started talking to me. He was nice and seemed to know the staff. We got into a long conversation. He knew the bartender. I told him what happened, and he told me that the bartender has been known to extemporaneously say/do shit (like if a customer tips in change, he'll throw it back at their forehead), but was surprised by my story.
Gmac, I started at this place before I formally got into game, so they know parts of my older beta side. I've since snagged I-don't-remember how many girls there. Anyway, they know I'm not trying to be a kiss-ass white knight. So, I can't go preventative on this and pay my way out of this. I'd feel like shit if I gave this guy more money than the base tip.
However, I used to work at the owner's other spot, and might try to get in touch with him to tell him. That said, the owner seems kind of laissez faire, because, like the bouncer insinuated, the staff runs the place.
I ended up staying and not ordering from him anymore, closed out the bar, no girls.
So, maybe I sometimes seem a little weird or intense. But, I connect with some of the girls there very quickly.
If it makes a difference, I found out that the bartender just had a baby with one of the other bartenders.