Responsibility Behind the Bar

My Friday shift gave me a solemn reminder as to why my judgement, and my subsequent use thereof, is very important to my trade.  The choices I make in service can mean the difference between a fantastic bar visit or disaster...

 

Remember I said that Friday looked busy?

 

My first six guests were a group of soldiers who had literally just stepped off the plane from Afghanistan.  They hadn't had a drink in 15 months, they said - a fact that, in retrospect, was an important one for me to notice - and were just looking to enjoy the sweet nectar that they'd been deprived of in that desert hell.

 

Hours went by and these fellows were having a blast - one in particular.  This fellow was buying round after round after round for himself and his friends.  Eventually, the majority of his friends ducked out.  Our friend tabbed out, left me a 55.00 tip and went out to smoke. 

 

He came back in with a few more friends and reopened his tab, and the day continued - he tipped me 40.00 more (a fact that may have clouded my judgement further) and I kept serving him.

 

Now, fellow is a solidly built guy.  He came in sober, ate a huge meal full of protein in the form of chicken, rice, etc.  All signs that mean "go" in my experience.

 

But after fifteen months, ones alcohol tolerance diminishes completely - and after a 16 hour flight in, exhaustion had no doubt set in to him, furthering his likelihood of rapid intoxication.

 

Naturally, by the end of his visit he as schmammered.  He began becoming belligerent, melodramatic and violent all at once - and was asked to leave.

 

Fourty five minutes later he was in the parking lot surrounded by his friends passed out.

 

An hour and a half later he was in a squad car for threatening a mall cop - and those guys are dicks anyway.

 

Essentially, my failure to properly assess his tolerance and my inability to properly pace him landed him some time in tank. 

 

And that's why I need to be more aware.