HOW TO HANDLE ANNOYING CUSTOMERS

All bartenders have dealt with them – annoying customers. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do in order to deal with these people. We all have different ways of diffusing situations when we’re behind the bar.

There are aggressive ways to handle trouble customers but usually you will get much further if you are polite and massage the situation. Here is a list of things you can say in specific situations to professionally handle annoying customers.

CUSTOMER: “This drink is weak, put more booze in it”

BARTENDER: “Every pour is a standard 1.5 ounce pour (insert your bar/club’s standard pour amount here”. I would love to give you more but my manager is watching and I’ll lose my job if I do.”

CUSTOMER: “Can I get your number? Let’s go out sometime”

BARTENDER: “See that girl/guy over there? She/he is my girlfriend/boyfriend. She’d/he’d kill me if she/he saw me give out my number.”

CUSTOMER: “My friend spilled my drink. I want another one.”

BARTENDER: “Sounds like your friend owes you a drink. I’m not allowed to give out anything for free. Sorry.”

CUSTOMER: “I know the owner. He said I can drink for free.”

BARTENDER: “(Insert owner’s name here) hired me to not give anything away for free unless he approves it. If you’d like a free drink, you will need to find him first. ”

CUSTOMER: “What do you have for free for the bachelorette?”

BARTENDER: “I would love to give her something but unfortunately I don’t have the authority to comp any drinks for her.”

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