New Year's Eve Behind the Bar
Here is an interview the Raleigh News & Observer did with me last Christmas; I figured I would drag it out since New Year's Eve is once again upon us....
Paper: News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC)
Title: Make eye contact and have your money ready
Date: December 26, 2004
Good, bad and intoxicated, Jayk Kreider has seen us all.
Kreider, 24, a bartender, has become somewhat of a New Year's expert. His sober eye can detect a lightweight drinker at great distances while his unclouded mind records all that follows. He'll surely draw on those skills Friday night when he helps run the bar at Tir na nog, in downtown Raleigh. Kreider spoke with staff writer Frank Norton on the pros, cons and general freakishness of holiday bartending.
Q:What's the rowdiness factor on New Year's Eve?
A:Everybody is out, and all rules are off. People get wild, whether it's a couple getting real close to each other at the bar and not seeming to realize there are people all around, or just friends doing shot after shot, running around yelling and dancing. There are people who have obviously never stood on a dance floor in their lives who will get out there and try to shake it with the best of them right in front of the band. It's awesome to watch. The thing that gets me is watching how people change throughout the evening. A couple will come in and sit down and be so soft-spoken, polite and professional. They order that first martini and then a glass of champagne, and the next thing you know they're on each other's laps. You can break up people's behavior into several stages.
Q:Is New Year's Eve indeed an amateur night?
A:It can feel that way. You get a mix of people. Some don't seem to realize anybody else is at the bar, even when there are like 500 people and four bartenders to take care of them. Others drink a little more than they should because they're not used to going out drinking. It's also the night when you get the most people coming up to the crowded bar and saying "What should I drink?"
Q:To what extent is sickness an issue?
A:Part of the job is keeping an eye on people's drunkenness. Our policy here is that if somebody pukes, the last person that served them has to clean it up, so that's a pretty good deterrent to serving too much. If somebody has had a few too many, you don't necessarily cut them off, but you might just give them some water and tell them to give it a while.
Q:Do big tippers get bigger pours?
A:Not necessarily bigger; more like quicker. If you go out on New Year's Eve yelling "Bartender, bartender, I need a drink," it doesn't pay. Everybody needs a drink, and everybody is waiting. What doesn't hurt is to lay a big tip down on your first drink, introduce yourself and get the bartender's name. I know that when I'm busy I respond a lot quicker to my name than to "bartender, bartender."
Q:Is there a gender bias in the service?
A:When I'm out I always tell girls, even beautiful ones, that I can get a drink faster than they can. What you want to do is just go up to the bar, lean over patiently with a $20 bill and watch the bartender's eyes. When he's really busy he doesn't notice the hot girls or the people screaming at him, just who's making eye contact and who has money ready. That said, girls have flashed us here to get drinks, and that definitely gets your attention. If you're walking around a busy bar and all of the sudden somebody is topless and asking for a Midori Sour, you're going to remember.
Q:How much can you clear on a good New Year's Eve as opposed to a regular weekend night?
A:Double. Even though it's amateur night and only one in five people might tip you, it's so busy that you still make twice what you normally would. That could be anywhere from $350 to $500 or $600, depending on the mood, weather, location and definitely the economy. Restaurants are the first to get hit when people have less money in their pockets.
Q:How important is the holiday drinking season to your annual income and savings?
A:It definitely helps pay for your presents and then put a little away for the months when you know you're not going to earn as much.
Q:Is it hard going to work knowing that that everyone else is going out to have a good time?
A:Not really. Part of the allure of being a bartender is that you feel like you're throwing a party every night. It's no more stressful than having a Christmas or New Year's party at your house and worrying whether everyone is having a good time and getting what they need. And you're having a blast doing it. If anything, it's less stress than a typical Friday or Saturday night, just because everybody is in such a good mood. They're out celebrating making it through another year and are looking forward to a new one. It's one of the best times to work.
Q:Are bartenders allowed to have a little fun of their own when it gets close to midnight?
A:Not in North Carolina. In many states you can drink behind the bar on any night you work, but here it's illegal to consume any alcohol behind the bar. That part is a little bit hard, not being able to jump right in when everybody is doing their midnight champagne toast. It's not worth the risk, though, because the authorities are out just as much as everybody else having a good time. The thing to do might be to go out after work to an all-night place like IHOP and then to somebody's house to drink.
Copyright 2004 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
Author: Frank Norton
Section: Business Work & Money
Page: E1
Copyright 2004 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
Paper: News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC)
Title: Make eye contact and have your money ready
Date: December 26, 2004
Good, bad and intoxicated, Jayk Kreider has seen us all.
Kreider, 24, a bartender, has become somewhat of a New Year's expert. His sober eye can detect a lightweight drinker at great distances while his unclouded mind records all that follows. He'll surely draw on those skills Friday night when he helps run the bar at Tir na nog, in downtown Raleigh. Kreider spoke with staff writer Frank Norton on the pros, cons and general freakishness of holiday bartending.
Q:What's the rowdiness factor on New Year's Eve?
A:Everybody is out, and all rules are off. People get wild, whether it's a couple getting real close to each other at the bar and not seeming to realize there are people all around, or just friends doing shot after shot, running around yelling and dancing. There are people who have obviously never stood on a dance floor in their lives who will get out there and try to shake it with the best of them right in front of the band. It's awesome to watch. The thing that gets me is watching how people change throughout the evening. A couple will come in and sit down and be so soft-spoken, polite and professional. They order that first martini and then a glass of champagne, and the next thing you know they're on each other's laps. You can break up people's behavior into several stages.
Q:Is New Year's Eve indeed an amateur night?
A:It can feel that way. You get a mix of people. Some don't seem to realize anybody else is at the bar, even when there are like 500 people and four bartenders to take care of them. Others drink a little more than they should because they're not used to going out drinking. It's also the night when you get the most people coming up to the crowded bar and saying "What should I drink?"
Q:To what extent is sickness an issue?
A:Part of the job is keeping an eye on people's drunkenness. Our policy here is that if somebody pukes, the last person that served them has to clean it up, so that's a pretty good deterrent to serving too much. If somebody has had a few too many, you don't necessarily cut them off, but you might just give them some water and tell them to give it a while.
Q:Do big tippers get bigger pours?
A:Not necessarily bigger; more like quicker. If you go out on New Year's Eve yelling "Bartender, bartender, I need a drink," it doesn't pay. Everybody needs a drink, and everybody is waiting. What doesn't hurt is to lay a big tip down on your first drink, introduce yourself and get the bartender's name. I know that when I'm busy I respond a lot quicker to my name than to "bartender, bartender."
Q:Is there a gender bias in the service?
A:When I'm out I always tell girls, even beautiful ones, that I can get a drink faster than they can. What you want to do is just go up to the bar, lean over patiently with a $20 bill and watch the bartender's eyes. When he's really busy he doesn't notice the hot girls or the people screaming at him, just who's making eye contact and who has money ready. That said, girls have flashed us here to get drinks, and that definitely gets your attention. If you're walking around a busy bar and all of the sudden somebody is topless and asking for a Midori Sour, you're going to remember.
Q:How much can you clear on a good New Year's Eve as opposed to a regular weekend night?
A:Double. Even though it's amateur night and only one in five people might tip you, it's so busy that you still make twice what you normally would. That could be anywhere from $350 to $500 or $600, depending on the mood, weather, location and definitely the economy. Restaurants are the first to get hit when people have less money in their pockets.
Q:How important is the holiday drinking season to your annual income and savings?
A:It definitely helps pay for your presents and then put a little away for the months when you know you're not going to earn as much.
Q:Is it hard going to work knowing that that everyone else is going out to have a good time?
A:Not really. Part of the allure of being a bartender is that you feel like you're throwing a party every night. It's no more stressful than having a Christmas or New Year's party at your house and worrying whether everyone is having a good time and getting what they need. And you're having a blast doing it. If anything, it's less stress than a typical Friday or Saturday night, just because everybody is in such a good mood. They're out celebrating making it through another year and are looking forward to a new one. It's one of the best times to work.
Q:Are bartenders allowed to have a little fun of their own when it gets close to midnight?
A:Not in North Carolina. In many states you can drink behind the bar on any night you work, but here it's illegal to consume any alcohol behind the bar. That part is a little bit hard, not being able to jump right in when everybody is doing their midnight champagne toast. It's not worth the risk, though, because the authorities are out just as much as everybody else having a good time. The thing to do might be to go out after work to an all-night place like IHOP and then to somebody's house to drink.
Copyright 2004 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
Author: Frank Norton
Section: Business Work & Money
Page: E1
Copyright 2004 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
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