Bartender Davey Francis (@daveyfrancis) often posts about his job on TikTok, including a series of videos where he reveals customer behaviors that irk him to no end.
As of this writing, he has a series of three clips titled “Things that actually do kind of piss me off as a bartender.”
@daveyfrancis This happens so often and it drives me crazy. Its totally not a big deal but, like…WHY!? Just pee THEN come and order. A lot of the things that make us mad as bartenders are things the guest just isnt thinking about. To us though, we’re hyper sensitive to all of it because it happens so often. And a lot of these little idiosyncrasies are completely baffling #greenscreen #bartender #bartenderproblems #serviceindustry #bartendersoftiktok #petpeeve ♬ Elevator Music – Bohoman
In the first viral clip, he re-enacts a request from a customer, who approaches the counter and says, “Hey, bartender, can I get four Coors Lights and four shots of Jameson?”
The clip then cuts to Francis responding to the patron with his back turned. “Yeah, dude, of course. It’s gonna be—” he says before turning around and realizing the customer is no longer there. “Where’d he go?” he asks.
Another customer, also played by Francis, chimes in, saying, “I think he went to the bathroom.”
“Why would he order and just walk away?” Francis asks to end the clip.
In the second part of the series, Francis talks about the die-hard allegiance some customers have for their favorite bartenders.
@daveyfrancis I get that sometimes a bartender just hasnt earned your trust yet, but We standardize our bar programs so that you can always get the exact cocktail from any bartender on staff. And Sure, everyone who’s any kind of a regular anywhere has their favorite bartenders, the people who they trust to have make their drinks, but that person isnt always available. I like to think im pretty personable and pleasant to deal with so im always conoletely baffled by the folks who’ll decide go without rather than let me make them a drink. I try not to let it get to me but It makes me SAD!!! I JUST WANT TO HELP YOU!!! I CAN MAKE GOOD DRINKS TOO!!! Is it because im ugly? Its because im ugly. #bartender #bartenderproblems #serviceindustry #cocktails #bartok ♬ Elevator Music – Bohoman
He opens by asking a customer if he can get them anything to drink. As the patron, Francis says he’s just going to wait for “Kevin,” another bartender who makes his Bloody Mary just the way he likes it.
Francis then explains the “special” way Kevin makes the drink and says, “I can totally do that for you,” but the customer isn’t convinced.
“It’s the exact same drink, but you know fuck me, I guess,” Francis concludes.
In the comments section, viewers had a variety of responses to the clip. One user wrote: “translation: Kevin charges the friend rate.”
Another person who said they work in the restaurant industry wrote: “as a server i get asked what bartender made their drink and have had it sent back just based on the answer, before even trying it, it kills me.”
One bartender said they receive this same attitude even with relatively simple drink orders: “Someone did this to me the other day and it was literally just a double Jim Beam.”
Others couldn’t understand why Francis was upset by the customer’s response: “Haha I honestly don’t mind it, enjoy your wait while [I] keep it moving! Oh and ps, I’m not … bothering Kevin to tell him you’re here.”
The TikToker further explained why this behavior rubs him the wrong way in the comments section. He said it’s “fine” for people to have their favorite bartenders, but they should “try to refrain from looking grossed out when someone else tries to take your order.”
The Daily Dot contacted Francis via Instagram direct message for further information.
