Here’s one from the owner of an upscale establishment. Happened a few years ago.
Several couples (co-workers at a nearby brokerage firm and their spouses) were dining at a long table next to the front window of this particular restaurant.
A man walked by and saw them sitting there. He happened to have just been laid off by one of the diners, his former boss. So this man spots his former boss, walks in, says “Hi” and starts poking at the ex- boss who at first thinks he’s kidding. Then he slugs the ex-boss and the table stands up and tries to intervene, while other diners are screaming. The owner, a man, goes to stop it but the bartender, a woman, says “Let me handle it. They won’t slug a woman.” She stepped in-between the men, stopped the fighting, and ushered the culprit out.
Later that evening, that same restaurant had a diner in cardiac arrest and had to call the paramedics who came in with a stretcher. More than enough excitement for one night.
Tagged as:
bartender,
medical & illness,
violence
As a bartender in a summer resort town at a nice restaurant on the water, I sometimes assist the waitrons at tables near the bar if the bar itself is slow, or if I want to get in good with a waitress (bigger tip-outs).
So I went to a table to help, delivering four standard salads that had been made on the cold side in the kitchen. As I am placing the 4th salad, the woman that received the 1st salad commented, very excitedly but quietly, “There is a frog in my salad!” Everyone just laughed a little, but sure enough a baby frog jumped right out on the table. The entire meal was comped and the patrons didn’t have a problem with the rest of the meal, even commenting about how good all the food tasted. This is not a chain restaurant.
At the end of the meal a bus boy clears their table; the customers are still seated and I am behind the bar. I look over and the bus boy is on the floor floundering. It turns out he had a seizure condition and something set him off. He got up and returned to his duties and all was well. Great customers and I am sure this was a meal they will never forget.
By the way, the customer did not eat the salad; she was fun, but not crazy. And they insisted on tipping.
Bender the Bartender
Tagged as:
bartender,
busser,
hygiene
