Tip the Bartender

Anthony Vano

Description

My name is Anthony Vano and I recently retired as a bartender. 'Tip the Bartender' is a collection of anecdotes, stories and conversations collected during my twenty years of slinging drinks from behind a bar.

My favorite part of bartending is that it offers countless opportunities for amazing conversations with guests and fellow bartenders alike. Everybody has a story to tell or a confession to make. An exciting achievement. A haunting regret. A record to set straight. A powerful "aha" moment or lesson learned–wisdom that simply must be shared.

Some of the most real, vulnerable and life-changing conversations I've participated in or witnessed have taken place while I was behind the bar.

There's something special about the guest-bartender relationship– it's perhaps akin to "doctor-patient confidentially" or "attorney-client privilege". Night after night, guests from all walks of life inevitably bare their souls, confiding their deepest secrets and innermost feelings to the man or woman serving drinks behind the bar.

I'm honored to have had so many confide in me over the years, and allow me to speak into their lives. My years as a bartender were truly unforgettable.

Here's a tip:

As you approach this book, think of yourself as the bartender, and me as your guest. I've just slipped onto the barstool and ordered my first drink. And now I'm about to open my heart and share with you some of my favorite memories.

Relax and enjoy; the next few rounds are on me.

Cheers!

Sujets

• Personal Memoirs
• Biography
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 04 mars 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456632861
• Langue: English

Extrait

Tip the Bartender
My Bartending Journey
 
by
Anthony Vano
 
Copyright 2019 Anthony Vano,
All rights reserved.
 
 
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
http://www.eBookIt.com
 
 
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-3286-1
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
What They Tell the Bartender — By Anthony Vano
Introduction: “ Deep conversations with the right people are priceless. ” – Anonymous This quote sums up how I felt being a bartender. The first time I saw the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise, I knew I wanted to become a bartender. Shortly after that, I went to bartending school. The year was 1996. That is when my journey began, and now I have put twenty years into the bar game.
It ’ s been a cool experience. I have been a bartender in nightclubs, restaurant bars, and catering halls. My most favorite thing about bartending was when I would have deep, life-changing conversations with guests and other bartenders. I never forgot these epic moments. The conversation dynamic between the bartender and the guest is magical. I always looked at it as though I was the quarterback, throwing passes to guests so that they could score a touchdown at that moment in their lives.
As a bartender, I tried to enhance guests ’ self-worth and confidence. Whether it ’ s one-to-one talk or group conversation, it ’ s their time to shine. Whenever guests tell me a story about themselves or their lives, I always act interested. The greatest gift I can give is my attention. When they feel good, they tip well.
I learned so much from bartending that I decided to write this book and share it with the world. It ’ s a collection of different real and raw conversations I had while behind the bar. Some stories are long, and others are short. However, each story is unique and has some meaning to it. I ’ m very proud and honored that I was fortunate enough to hear these stories and to witness the magic of conversation. When people open up their souls and speak from their hearts. They show pure honesty and trust that you will not judge or mock their vulnerability. I ’ m very proud to have called myself a bartender.
I retired as a bartender in 2016. I am proud that I stuck with it — completing twenty years of slinging drinks. When I look back at these memories, I ’ m overcome with strong emotions of gratitude and happiness. They put a smile on my face. This book is my bartending journal, containing stories, conversations, and observations.
Contents
Chapter 1: The First Time I Ever Bartended (Fresh out of Bartending School)
Chapter 2: Crystal “The Dancer”
Chapter 3: Broken Glass in Ice
Chapter 4: Flaming Dead Head (Shot)
Chapter 5: The Mob Guy
Chapter 6: The Opera Singer
Chapter 7: Stump the Bartender
Chapter 8: Dancing Queen
Chapter 9: Free Lunch (The Stone Man)
Chapter 10: The Ninja
Chapter 11: Wall Street Wolf Meets Wolf Bartender
Chapter 12: Last Dance
Chapter 13: Bridal Expo
Chapter 14: Lemon Twist
Chapter 15: Heart of the Matter
Chapter 16: Who Would You Save?
Chapter 17: Kings Talk to Kings
Chapter 18: Rich Dad
Chapter 19: Combat Pay
Chapter 20: I Don’t Trust a Man Who Doesn’t Drink
Chapter 21: Stripper Wedding
Chapter 22: Relapse
Chapter 23: Bartenders Don’t Tell Bartenders They’re Bartenders
Chapter 24: Paulie
Chapter 25: Vincent
Chapter 26: Barry
Chapter 27: My Last Gig
Chapter 28: Wild Turkey, Neat
Chapter 29: Last call
Chapter 1: The First Time I Ever Bartended (Fresh out of Bartending School)
My first night as a bartender, I was god-awful, just horrible. I knew how to make drinks, having committed more than fifty drinks to memory — plus I had all the insight I had gained from talking to random bartenders; however, I didn ’ t factor in what it took to work a large crowd as a solo bartender. It was extremely overwhelming. The crowd was evil. It felt like it was me against the world.
I remember I dropped my shaker, and when I bent down to get it, I didn ’ t want to get back up to face the crowd. I thought the bartending game was not for me. Nevertheless, I got back up and faced the music, and I took my lumps. I was soon in the weeds, and finally, the owners sent a bartender to bail me out. At the end of the night, I felt ashamed and defeated. I wanted nothing to do with this bartending hustle. I went up to the owner to give him my tip money. I didn ’ t want it. I told him I was sorry for wasting his time. It was hard to look him in the eyes. I put the tips on the table and began to walk out. Then he yelled, “ Wait! ” I turned back around, and he said to me, “ You ’ re in. You showed crazy heart tonight. Most people would have run out of here, but you took the beating. You ’ re in. ” He handed me back my tip money, plus my shift pay.
That was 1996. What a defining moment for me. I was extremely hard on myself my first night bartending. The idea that a recent graduate from bartending school with no experience was going to just crush it behind the bar — that it was going to be smooth sailing — was crazy.
The fact that the first gig I landed as a bartender was at a multilevel club was impressive enough, especially considering that I had no bartending experience. What ’ s even crazier, though, was that I got the guy who trained me at the bartending school a job at the club, too. His name was Frankie. He told me how proud and impressed he was of me. I bartended at the club for two years while I was in college. During those two years, I felt like a rock star. It was like a cheap way of becoming famous — a shortcut to local fame. I ’ m proud of what I did and the strategies I implemented. I set a goal, practiced and trained, and accomplished the goal. If I want something bad enough, and if I put the work in, I believe I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. Having real confidence in yourself is the ultimate rush.
Chapter 2: Crystal “The Dancer”
One of my first mentors in the bar game was a bartender I used to work with at a nightclub. Her name was Crystal, and she was an amazing bartender who could really work a room and charm all the guests. Crystal taught me many things. For example, she would say that bartending is a mental game and that one should always look for angles. I worked with Crystal a lot and always made good money with her. The guests loved and adored her. Not only was Crystal beautiful, she had an awesome personality. She was very kind to everyone, and because of this, her tip bucket was always overflowing. One of the many things Crystal taught me was how important it was to remember someone ’ s name and preferred drink. Crystal explained that there is nothing more pleasant to a person than hearing their own name.
Crystal would do certain things when talking to guests. She called this friendly flirting. For example, while Crystal was talking to a guest, if they said something funny, she would touch their hand and laugh. According to her, this was harmless flirting and a great way to make the guest feel special. Crystal would say, “ Welcome the guests and make them feel important. Make it a positive experience for them. ” Crystal gave every guest an equal amount of attention. She would often say, “ When a guest feels good, they tip good. ” Crystal also schooled me about other bartenders. She told me to always be present when other bartenders were counting out the tips. Some bartenders would steal from the pot. After that, I made sure to always be around when we counted out the tips, and when I worked with other bartenders, I made sure they were present when counting out the tips as well. I truly lucked out working with Crystal. At the time, I was bringing nothing to the game; I was still learning how to be a bartender. I would do all the heavy lifting and cleaning. I would even buy breakfast at the diner after our shift. We would get out of the club at around 3 a.m. and go to the diner around the corner. In fact, that was my favorite part about working with Crystal — going out to eat and talk afterwards.
Crystal confided in me that she worked part time as a dancer (aka stripper); on the weekends, she bartended. During the day, she went to school to learn about fashion and design and to make clothes. Her dream was to own a fashion boutique where she could sell the clothes she designed. Crystal stressed that you needed a goal in life. She said, “ I know what I want. Dancing and bartending help me support myself while I ’ m going to school. ”
Crystal was always getting hit on whenever she bartended. In fact, it got so bad that she started wearing a fake engagement ring to make all the guests think she was taken. One night in the club, there was this rude rich guy who was acting extremely arrogant toward everyone. His family owned many successful businesses, and he would let everyone know just how rich and powerful he was.
After Crystal made this fool a drink, instead of tipping her, he said, “ I ’ m going to give you something better than a tip. ” He wrote down his number and handed it to Crystal.
It was bad move on his part. Crystal looked at the paper and smiled at the man. “ This is your phone number? ” she asked with a big warm smile.
The man replied, “ Yes, it is. ”
Then Crystal did the coolest thing I ’ ve ever seen: She said, “ OK, cool, I ’ ll call you, ” and then held the man ’ s phone number in front of him and then dropped the paper to the ground. Everyone who was in that section of the bar watched as the paper dropped to the floor, seemingly in slow motion. As the paper hit the floor, the man ’ s ego crumbled. Some people even laughed. The man left the bar quickly. Crystal was an amazing person and bartender.
I lost contact with her after I stopped working at the nightclub. I often wondered wha