Behind the Bar: Can You Make It To Closing Time?

You are a bartender at a local bar. It is a Saturday night and it is pretty busy. You have a full bar. There are some regulars sitting at their usual side of the bar and then there is a lot of random people everywhere else in the bar. Who do you serve first, your regulars or the random people? [[Your regulars|Your regulars?]] or [[Random people|random people?]] *Careful your choices affect whether you successfully make it until close or if the night ends in catastrophe*

You serve your regulars first since you know their usual drink orders anyway. After that you approach the random people. But do you approach the group on the left side or right side of the bar first? [[Left side|Left side?]] or [[Right side|Right side?]]

You go to the random people first but their orders are far more complicated so it takes you longer to serve them. This upsets your regulars and 2 of them actually leave. The rest wait more patiently and you serve them next. After getting the regulars their drinks, everyone at the bar now has a full drink so you decide to stand and talk to your regulars for a bit. After a few minutes go by you feel it is time to check on other customers. Do you start by checking on the left or right side of the bar first? [[Left side|Left side?]] or [[Right side|Right side?]]

This side of the bar is already more rowdy than the rest of the bar so you know you will have to be careful how much you are serving them as the night goes on. They ask for shots of 151, do you serve it to them or do you lie and say you are out of it so you can serve a lesser proof shot? [[Serve it|Serve it?]] or [[Lie|Lie?]]

This side of the bar is more on the calm side. However, they still ask for a shots...Bartender's choice! Do you make them Southern Blues shots or Tootsie Pop shots? [[Southern Blues|Southern Blues?]] or [[Tootsie Pops|Tootsie Pops?]]

Someone instantly throws up on the bar! That is not a good look, you have to clean it up immediately and shut off that customer. The customer tries to argue with you. Do you stick to your grounds or give in and serve him again? [[Hold your ground|Hold your ground?]] or [[Give in|Give in?]]

They are disappointed but they end up choosing a less strong shot. They pick Fireball and you pour them the shots. Do you now go check on your regulars or go check the kegs in the back? [[regulars|regulars?]] or [[Kegs|Kegs?]]

They say the shots are okay. But now they aren't wanting anything else yet. You decide to come back and check on them in a little while. Now do you go to check in on the group on the left or your regulars? [[Left group|Left group?]] or [[Regulars|Regulars?]]

The LOVE the shots! *Remember happy customers means more tips for you* They ask for another round--Bartender's choice...AGAIN! Do you serve them another round of Tootsie pops or do you serve them mini beers? [[Tootsie pops|Tootsie pops?]] or [[Mini beers|Mini beers?]]

The left group is starting to look a little hostile. Two girls are arguing back and forth aggressively. You hone in and listen closer to the argument so you can gauge what might happen. It sounds like a lot of drunken nonsense but it is getting the rest of their group wound up as well. It isn't looking good. Should you step in now and try to diffuse them or should you wait it out a little bit to see what happens? [[Step in|Step in?]] or [[Wait|Wait?]]

Your regulars are happy! However, they bring a situation going on over on the left side of the bar to your attention. [[Left group|Left group?]]

You played it safe. Luckily they really liked those shots. [[Really liked|Really liked]]

You took a chance and they ended up really liking this shot too! You're on a roll. [[Really liked|Really liked]]

He is mad at you but accepts a water and sits down with his friends. Do you go check on your regulars or go check the kegs in the back room? [[regulars|regulars?]] or [[Kegs|Kegs?]]

You serve him again. BAD MOVE. It just so happens that an LCB/LCE agent is sitting at the other end of the bar and sees the whole fiasco occur. He immediately calls it in. The bar has to close for the night now and you get a fine for serving a visibily intoxicated person. Your boss is not happy. END OF NIGHT...you didn't make it until close!

They are all good but Mark wants a Yuengling draft. You go to pour it but the keg kicks! Do you go change it immediately? [[Yes|Yes?]] or [[No|No?]]

None are low yet. You go back out to the bar. Mark wants a Yuengling draft, you now pour his Yuengling and take it to him. [[Yuengling|Yuengling]]

Now they say they want to try another shot of your choice, but they want something new again. Do you serve them another round of shots immediately or do you tell them to hold on a minute while you make your rounds to check everyone else then you will be right back? [[Serve now|Serve now?]] or [[Hold on|Hold on?]]

You decide to go ahead and serve them now. But you can sense that they are on too fast of a pace now. You really don't want to have any drama with this group so immediately after serving the shots you walk away to go do some other things. Do you start to work on cleaning tasks or stock bottles? [[cleaning|cleaning?]] or [[bottles|bottles?]]

The group gets annoyed because they want your undivided attention...they must not know what it is like to be a bartender that has to wait on so many people at once. This group decides to go to another bar. Oh well. You still have other people to take care of. A new group of people actually walks in as they are leaving too. Before they get to the bar do you hurry to stock up some bottles or do you put that on hold so that you can wait on them as soon as they get up to the bar? [[bottles|bottles?]] or [[wait on them|wait on them?]]

You switch the kegs out and tap the new one. Now you go back out to the bar to drain the tap lines and then pour Mark his Yuengling. [[Yuengling|Yuengling]]

You choose to not change the keg right away so now you can't give Mark the beer he wants. Since he is a regular he knows that you probably have a back up keg in the back. He understands that your bar is busy so he understands why you can't go get the keg right away but he is still a little annoyed. He asks for a beer list so he can look for another option. He can't find anyting else he wants, even though usually he has a pretty wide taste for beers. He must just be really in the mood for a Yuengling. Do you go change the Yuengling keg for him since you have a couple minutes of down time in between waiting on customers or do you check your phone? [[Yuengling|Yuengling]] or [[phone|phone?]]

You changed the keg and got him the Yuengling. You're doing pretty good, it is nearing midnight and last call will be at 1:30am! Now do you go check on the left group or the other regulars? [[Left group|Left group?]] or [[Regulars|Regulars?]]

Mark understood that you couldn't get to changing the keg right away the first time since there were so many people needing waited on at the bar. But when he sees you checking your phone he realizes that you had gotten all caught up with the customers. He instantly gets mad because you blew off his request for Yuengling to check your phone, even after he was patiently waiting while you were too busy before. Mark decides to give your boss a text about it. Your boss comes in, very unhappy since it is late at night and he had to get out of bed for this, and yells at you for not prioritizing your customers first. He apolizes to Mark and gives him a free drink since he is a regular. Your boss says that he will finish working the night from here since he is already here and is upset with you. He sends you home for the night. Luckily he didn't fire you though! But you still didn't make it until close!

Good choice! You are able to diffuse the situation and calm the group back down to a reasonable level. It is now time for last call! You are almost there!! [[Make last call|Make last call]]

Uh oh. The girls rip into eachother. The rest of the group is divided into people trying to help the situation and others that are just making it worse by joining into the argument or fight themselves. You try to step in now and break it up yourself but you are only one person and it is too far gone now. You have no choice but to call your boss and the cops. Your boss comes in and the cops also arrives a few minutes later. You are not in trouble but this instantly puts the bar into closing mode for the night. Although you were close, you did not make it until close unfortunately!

You have made last call! A few people come up to get their final drink orders for the night in. Then everyone starts cashing out their tabs. You lock the door so as people leave it locks behind them and no one can re-enter the bar. You begin your clean up and closing tasks as your final few people are finishing their drinks. All the remaining customers are out the door by 2:15am. You finish your final tasks, count your drawer, turn off the lights, do a walk through of the building, and exit the bar locking the door behind you! CONGRATULATIONS, you have made it to close!

While you are doing your cleaning, the group decides they would like to bar hop. Whenever you get within earshot of their group, they ask for their check. You take it to them, they cash out, and then they leave. By this time it is 1:30am so you are able to make last call anyway so it worked out. [[Make last call|Make last call]]

You decide to stock up some bottles since you are running very low on the popular beers. The new customers had to wait a few minutes but they weren't upset. You now have to [[wait on them|wait on them?]]

The group knows that they came in close to 1:30am so they know that last call is coming up soon. They are courteous people and they said they will each just have a drink and a shot but to go ahead and cash them out for everything now. You serve each person the shots and drinks they each requested then you take them their tab. They go ahead a pay then proceed to talk and enjoy their drinks. It is now 1:30am so you can make last call. [[Make last call|Make last call]]