Ncognito13

I'm working at a bar with over 500 beers. This guy is having his retirement party there. Maybe 150 people show up. He tells me he's a "Bud Light kinda guy". I recommend something on tap that's similar, he agrees to it. With that many people and 4 servers it's often difficult to coordinate how much people are drinking.

I check the running tab, there are 9 large Legend Lagers. I check with everyone else if these are all going to the same guy. Sure enough they are. Oddly enough he seems fine. Not slurring, not being loud, but we agree that we have to cut him off. We go to this guys wife and tell her, he can't have anymore. She gets upset because "it's his party, he's not being belligerent, and I'm driving him home". I agree to let him have one more.

Now, this guy still seems fine, but it all catches up with him. I come back he's passed out on the ground. He was a pretty big guy so it takes 4 people to take him out. I notice a bad smell. The guy had crapped himself in addition to passing out. I figure the party is over but people keep ordering like nothing happened. The 4 guys come back a few minutes later and keep drinking too. I'm kinda wondering what they did with him. They tell me they stuck him behind the bushes outside. "He's fine, he's not going anywhere".

At this point I'm like "party over", get the tab, hand it to his wife. She is not pleased. Two days later she writes an angry email to the owner about my decision to end the party. So I have a meeting with him and explain "they stuck a drunk man behind the bushes out front, you don't see anything wrong with that?". Obviously he didn't because I got suspended for 3 days.

Looking back I can think of a million stupid things that happened over the 3 years I worked there.

Cynderino

WOW! I am surprised your boss would want the liability of that drunk guy laying in the bushes in the front. I would maybe argue you were just trying to protect the business.

And honestly, you are probably the one hurt most in the end. I am sure you didnt get the tip you deserved for dealing with that BS. ((hugs)) to you!

instant

Incredible!!

I think when I was drinking I did not see the insanity of it

Ncognito13

Gratuity was on the tab so I did get paid.

The owners general excuse was that they were paying customers and I had no right to cut everyone off.

Tang

What a sad commentary on how drinking makes people selfish.

Sulu1

Money talks unfortunately.

Well done on doing the right thing

Tang

I second this. What an awesome move on your part.

Ncognito13

Once we had 2 wedding parties at the bar. Someone said something someone didn't like, a huge bar fight ensues. Me and 2 other guys are pulling people off each other, having to hold people back, etc.. I'm thinking "we gotta kick these people out". They go back to the bar and start ordering drinks like nothing happened.

So I ask the manager "you're not kicking them out? that was a full out 60 man brawl". His response to me? "It's all good, no one really got hurt"

foolsgold66

That is a pretty awful story. Thanks for sharing it.

BradJustBrad

Really? He crapped himself in a bar at his own retirement party? I bet his colleagues were awful sorry to see him go.

Ncognito13

Obliviously not enough to drive him home. When they told me "we stuck him outside behind some bushes, he'll be okay" I thought it was a joke at first. Then I realized they were serious. And there was ZERO concern from anyone at this party if he was okay. His wife didn't even ask what happened to him.

In a way it's almost comical. In a more accurate way that really low.

EndGameNYC

I worked as a bartender in NYC for about seven years after I first got sober. For the most part, management had a great deal of tolerance for paying customers, regardless of their condition or behavior. The "regulars" who came in nearly every night to drink themselves stupid were usually escorted to a cab since the owners knew they'd be back the next day despite being cut off after several hours of drinking.

For larger parties, the owners were interested in having all these people return, and that they tell people they knew about the "great time" that had, again turning a blind eye to bad or potentially dangerous behavior. That's just the way things were.

ScottFromWI

I was both the bartender serving people I shouldn't have and the guy served too much passed out in the back more than once in my life. Glad you made the right decision.

Ncognito13

This bar was beyond irresponsible. The Christmas party was 'all you can drink'.

We also had an employee trip. If you worked there a year, you could go. Now, this was a local chain so we had 2 charter buses because around 120 were going. The trip was to Atlantic City a few hours away. We got there at 5am, got on the bus. Each bus had around 10 coolers of beer. I had no idea you could drink on a bus. The rule was we could start drinking once we got on the highway (2 minutes away). So at 6am beer is flowin'. People are getting wasted.

By the time we get to Atlantic City I'm hammered, and very tired. My thought is "I'll be happy to get to the hotel". But what do they do? Drop us off at a beer festival. The owner tells us to not over do it. I get a bit of a second wind and go in. Our dishwasher that did not speak a lot of English asks me to help him get beer. An hour later he slips on the ground and breaks his arm. He's yelling in pain. Because drunk people are jerks some people start posing with him and taking pictures. I'm drunk and start yelling for people to stop.

Later I am hanging out with one of the cooks when we hear a POP. We turn and see a man face down, blood everywhere. Arms at his side, obviously didn't attempt to catch himself. I remember thinking damn, how drunk did that dude get. They turn him over. It's the owner! The same guy that said not to over do it.

I've never worked anywhere else where such reckless behavior was promoted.

Pipping

All of this makes me feel sick and so grateful not to be part of this madness any more
Good for you for refusing to serve that man at his retirement party. What a bunch of animals.

least

Makes me glad I don't hang out in bars.