The world of bartenders is fascinating, or at least that’s what you see with the naked eye. Since we see that bartenders are always the life of the party, their nightlife is always hectic. They are in the most fashionable places and in the city. They also meet a lot of people every night while they wait for the bar.
The art of handling inebriated partygoers is all about having emotional intelligence in combination with other skills we will mention here.
This may make many think that bartenders earn their tips easily every night. The truth is that this is far from the truth. The life of a bartender is sacrificed, while their friends work they sleep or are partying elsewhere. They also have super complicated schedules and different from the rest. They work late into the night and sleep during the day.
Difficulties in customer service
Beyond that, the bartender has to deal with a wide variety of types of customers. Where while it is true, most of them are friendly, some others are not, especially those who spend on drinks and get uncomfortable. Some get annoying and even looking to fight with other customers or with the bartender.
That is why dealing with inebriated customers is a big challenge that every bartender has to deal with every night. That is precisely why he has to be 100% prepared. Mainly to avoid that a drunk customer ends up causing problems in the Bar while you are on duty.
Emotional control plays an important role in these cases, since beyond knowing how to talk to a drunk customer or knowing what methods can be applied, the bartender must be mentally and emotionally prepared to handle these situations that in the end. They are routine in bars, since they happen almost every night.
Keeping it cool whatever happens
Bartenders are an extremely important part of any party that looks to provide the best possible experience for their guests. A bartender for hire needs to be able to mix drinks, engage in conversations with guests, but most importantly, they need to be able to keep their cool. Keeping their cool when guests become intoxicated and start behaving in a way that can be annoying or even offensive.
Yes, the bartender’s task is not easy, in fact it is very difficult to deal with all these types of customers who show up at the bar, but of all of them the most complicated is the customer who is already drunk at midnight and starts to drink. try to get in trouble.
Letโs face it, we all love to enjoy a few drinks with friends at a party or event. However, some people take it to the next level. For example, their personality takes a dive to obnoxious territory once they have had one drink too many. When this happens, a good bartender is always going to know how to handle the situation. In order to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
This means that when you hire a bartender, you also need to ensure that this person is going to be able to handle any situation. Situations that could put their patience to the test. Instead, they just will keep serving those drinks without being faced by the situation.
A bartenders that has all the skills
In short, you not only have to be attentive to the skills that the bartender or bartenders you are hiring have regarding their experience creating cocktails and drinks, but you must also ensure that they have the ability to deal with all kinds of guests, from the most pleasant and talkative, the most uncomfortable to that guest who comes to any party or activity to get drunk and do whatever he wants and create an uncomfortable environment.
If you are looking to hire the services of a bartending team, it is important that you pay attention to these details. But what is a bartender to do when faced with an inebriated partygoer? There are many ways a bartender can handle a drunken guest, but the most common are:
- It is important to remember that our job is not to intoxicate customers, but at the contrary, is to take care of them and encourage them to generate large accounts so that they leave large tips.
- When a customer is already past drinking, let’s try not to confront him directly, it can be counterproductive; a rough treatment can also remain in the memory of our guests and we do not want to be related to it.
- Please be always careful and especially patience. Many people suffer from illnesses linked to addictive behaviors caused by alcohol consumption and thatโs something real. In many cases, these behaviors translate into violence.
- Have a protocol for action with the rest of the Staff and your boss. Define when and how to act in front of a person who is bothering other people, who is not supporting himself and may be on the verge of an alcoholic worst situation. In the same way, it is necessary to identify those customers who become violent and have the telephones of who must ensure security and order in the bar located.
- Consider offering a glass of water with some drinks, and remind your customers that they can drink the water any time they want. Water is going to be one of your best allies.
- Always offer something to eat to the customer, when you take note of alcoholic beverages. From a few chips, nuts or gummies, they can be of help to slow down and at the same time, reduce the effects of alcohol.
- Try to serve drinks one at a time and to the people who have ordered them than to serve a full round for the table. Each of your customers is going to have a different rhythm and you need to consider that.
- Try always to collect the used glasses from the table or the bar before starting to serve a new round that way; you will be able to gain a little time between glasses of those who look very affected by the dinks they are taking.
- Always have non-alcoholic cocktails on your menu. But, what’s more, don’t be ashamed of them, so try to offers them as much as you can.
- Serve the drinks one at a time to each customer. There are alcohol consumers who may ask you for a shot and a glass, or several drinks. Serve them one at a time; it will be better for everyone.
- Identify the warning signs of a drunk or drunken customer: Speech problems or a stuck tongue, Decreased motor skills, confusion, nonsense speech, speak loudly and difficulty maintaining balance, among others.
- Help the customer to take a taxi: Always order a taxi for the customer and do whatever you can to avoid that they drive while they are intoxicated.
Questions and Answers about handling inebriated
The bartender has to be clear, first of all, that these types of customers are very common in bars. Perhaps not every night but very often, he will have to deal with a customer of this type. The bartender must not only know what kind of tactics to use with these clients, but also emotional control. Be patient, try to put himself in the shoes of others and above all, be kind and respectful despite the fact that the customer is not.
f the client begins to yell, push, annoy others, lose balance and drink more without stopping. That is why it is important to catch these signals to time, before things get out of hand. That is why it is necessary to be attentive to everything that happens around the bar. Above all to be attentive to the customers.
It is important to know how to apply emotional control and emotional intelligence. Since that will undoubtedly help the bartender control his emotions when he has to face such a situation.
The bartender must be ready to face these situations, always behaving like a professional. No matter how difficult the client gets. He always has to handle the situation in the best possible way. You not only have to be a pro, making cocktails. Also, being able to handle your customers in the best way is possible.
A professional bartender is always going to be able to defuse this kind of situation and make the best out of it. This is not only going to help keep the event running smoothly. It will also lower any tension. Tension that a guest may be creating.
If you want to hire a bartender for pop up bar events. One that can handle the heat of an inebriated crowd. You will find one at Party Shakers!
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