Who are the meanest bartenders in San Francisco?

[Popeye the Sailor]

Ducnymph did not make the list

[mostrobelle]

Good.  Maybe it'll keep some of the white slacks crowd away. 

Oh, and derby.   

[desmoquattro]

Me: "Could I get a Red Stripe, please?"

Bartender: Silence and glare. Drink slid in my general direction.

Me: "Thank you very much!"

Bartender: Silence and glare.

Sorry to make you do your job. I know you're probably in some sort of band or have some sort of art show coming up, but right now I'd really like a Red Stripe.

Maybe if you weren't wearing an Izod shirt at Zeitgeist because you read about it in Esquire magazine you'd get better reaction out of people...

[desmoquattro]

Me: "Could I get a Red Stripe, please?"

Bartender: Silence and glare. Drink slid in my general direction.

Me: "Thank you very much!"

Bartender: Silence and glare.

Sorry to make you do your job. I know you're probably in some sort of band or have some sort of art show coming up, but right now I'd really like a Red Stripe.

Maybe if you weren't wearing an Izod shirt at Zeitgeist because you read about it in Esquire magazine you'd get better reaction out of people...

[Spidey]

The 'giest bartenders can be pretty damn rude.  I almost never get that treatment though.  Honestly, I think wearing moto gear helps.  So does leaving them huge tips and not ordering stupid drinks.*"




** A stupid drink is anything that doesn't come in a bottle, or can't be poured from a bottle with no mixing or stirring.  If it requires shaking or stirring or mixing with some other liquid, it's a stupid drink.  If it comes in a delicate glass, it's a stupid drink.  If it takes more than 30 seconds to make, it's a stupid drink (real Guiness pints excluded).  Examples of stupid drinks:  margarita, gin and tonic, vodka and anything, martini, cosmo, etc.  Not stupid drinks:  beer, straight bourbon, straight tequila, straight vodka, straight whiskey, etc.  Notable exception:  A bloody mary is not a stupid drink.  It's medication.

[desmoquattro]

The 'giest bartenders can be pretty damn rude.  I almost never get that treatment though.  Honestly, I think wearing moto gear helps.  So does leaving them huge tips and not ordering stupid drinks.*"




** A stupid drink is anything that doesn't come in a bottle, or can't be poured from a bottle with no mixing or stirring.  If it requires shaking or stirring or mixing with some other liquid, it's a stupid drink.  If it comes in a delicate glass, it's a stupid drink.  If it takes more than 30 seconds to make, it's a stupid drink (real Guiness pints excluded).  Examples of stupid drinks:  margarita, gin and tonic, vodka and anything, martini, cosmo, etc.  Not stupid drinks:  beer, straight bourbon, straight tequila, straight vodka, straight whiskey, etc.  Notable exception:  A bloody mary is not a stupid drink.  It's medication.

or a margarita...or a Dead Elvis. They like those there too.

[Michael Moore]

The 'giest bartenders can be pretty damn rude.  I almost never get that treatment though.  Honestly, I think wearing moto gear helps.  So does leaving them huge tips and not ordering stupid drinks.*"




** A stupid drink is anything that doesn't come in a bottle, or can't be poured from a bottle with no mixing or stirring.  If it requires shaking or stirring or mixing with some other liquid, it's a stupid drink.  If it comes in a delicate glass, it's a stupid drink.  If it takes more than 30 seconds to make, it's a stupid drink (real Guiness pints excluded).  Examples of stupid drinks:  margarita, gin and tonic, vodka and anything, martini, cosmo, etc.  Not stupid drinks:  beer, straight bourbon, straight tequila, straight vodka, straight whiskey, etc.  Notable exception:  A bloody mary is not a stupid drink.  It's medication.

Word.

In fact, if you tip well enough, they'll even be pleasant to an old git like me.

[Drunken Monkey]

Moto gear + healthy tips + simple drinks = I've never had a bartender at the Z be a dick to me.

Now, the "glass collection" staff in the garden? Those guys are generally world-class douches.

[ducnymph]

Ducnymph did not make the list

Nope, too much of a flirt to be a rude bartender. I like making lots of tips 

But for the record, if you're a shitty tipper, don't know how to order a drink, are creepy, and/or look weird I'll probably ignore you. Usually, people appear this way around 1:30, and by then my charm is replaced by a quiet malice . Example:

Customer: Can we get one more round?

Bartender: I don't know it depends on what you want -SHOTS only.

Customer: Can we can a vodka-cran...(as they turn around to ask the rest of their friends)

Bartender: I said SHOTS! (rolls eyes)

Customer: ...and a bottle of Bud, and...  (I glare and decidedly walk away)

*5 min pass*

Customers: Can we get that round?

Bartender: Sorry! (shrugs) Last call's done.


Not the meanest example, but I do get a sick pleasure out of telling dumb people no. 

[Michael Moore]

I would imagine that dealing with drunks on a daily basis would get old fast.

[Spidey]

I would imagine that dealing with drunks on a daily basis would get old fast.

That's what the Blonde says.   

[Drunken Monkey]

I would imagine that dealing with drunks on a daily basis would get old fast.

Ironically, my longest stint of sobriety was when I worked as a bartender (back in the early 90s, when alcohol had just been invented)

[ducnymph]

Ironically, my longest stint of sobriety was when I worked as a bartender (back in the early 90s, when alcohol had just been invented)

+1 on the sobriety.

And, ironically, my longest times in monogamy have been as a bartender. I've been spared meeting people "in the wild". I often feel like a sociologist/zoologist studying the mating habits of adult humans 

[Vindingo]

The bartenders at Z aren't nearly as bad as the grill people who shake the tip jar in front of your face before you even get your food... as if tipping beforehand will stop them from hocking something gnarly on your cheese burger. 

Carl at the Ha Ra is actually a really nice guy.  First time I walked into the bar and tried to order a drink I stood at the bar for about 10 min.  There were probably 7 people in the bar so it wasn't like they were too busy.  I enlisted my girlfriend to get his attention:

Her: hey, my boyfriend wants to order some drinks!

Carl: [turns and looks at me] What the make the beast with two backs do you want, you black eyed Italian mother make the beast with two backser?!

Me: [laughing hysterically] two shots of whiskey you son of pregnant dog and one of whatever you're having!

We took a shot together then he asked my girlfriend if she wanted to play leapfrog... he goes first.

I frequented the place often, and never left with out getting a free drink or two.  He is kind of a sad old dude, but not a bad guy.