Life Lessons of the Restaurant Industry from a Bartender
Listen up, take care of your shit, and make it snappy
These words have been something of a mantra for me in every bartending gig I’ve had over the years, expressed with varying degrees of vulgarity. If you can’t find your place while working on a busy weekend night, one will surely be provided for you. And you will find out almost immediately when you are thrown to the wolves whether you taste good or not.
If this all sounds very Anthony Bourdain-ish, it is because he knew the industry very well. Cooks have their own code, which is quite apparent if you have read Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, but all service folk live and breathe in the same bubble.
I don’t make a habit of listing meaningful attributes to my countless jobs, however, after all of these years, the industry deserves it. From every route or road, we find ourselves in matching folds and uniforms. We at least can agree on one universal truth: Everyone should serve, and you’ll be better off for it. The following is a handful of garnished gems; some wisdom of waiting if you will. Enjoy.
Trial by fire
An endearing term used in lieu of “good luck, kid,” you won’t find much hand-holding in restaurants—and certainly little respect for it. What this does teach, unfair as it might seem, is as much for you as it is the industry. It teaches you adaptation, resourcefulness and how to ask for help when you need it. You learn quickly whether you can really hack it.
Mood is your prerogative
This choice has always been exclusively yours; the only difference is now you are customer-facing. That means you can’t retreat the way you can with other jobs. You can’t make someone else’s day miserable just because you are. Here you realize that you are not an island, and mood affects your guests and your co-workers. Sort out the crap some other time—just make it through the shift first.
The subtle art of eavesdropping
Most people are generally bad at conversation because they don’t know when to listen and when to give input. A seasoned bartender knows when to engage and will more than likely have something interesting to say. You discover the subtleties of tone and nonverbal communication because not everyone will tell you explicitly that their food is overcooked; they will wait until they tip.
Integrity is everyone’s best friend
Even degenerates have integrity, or at least they should. Showing up super late or calling in sick puts that work directly on the backs of your colleagues and will be felt as soon as the rush hits. You think twice about playing hooky when you’ve been the one alone behind the bar with maxed out reservations.
Appreciate the service
This job is often long and thankless. You witness all the revelry but can’t exactly take part in it. People expect decency and courtesy without reciprocating. There is a specific exhaustion felt by those who know it. Like most endeavors, even doing this job once is enough to understand both the stress and skill attached. Above any other lesson you learn from this industry is how to treat people, especially people who serve you. Appreciate those who do it well and have compassion for the mistakes we all invariably make.
The service industry is not for everyone. But everyone should try it once. Every shift is a microcosm of humanity—the generous and the difficult, the gracious and the oblivious. Every interaction is a small test: of patience, of people, of yourself.
