Etiquette Tuesday: Move Away From the Bar, Please.

Lounging around the bar. Good times, fun conversation and…irritating for the person behind you waiting to place their order. Typically, when you go to a bar or a restaurant bar/lounge, you are there to get your drink on and enjoy your company. There is usually a ratio of 2 to 3 bartenders up against 15-20 customers at any given point during the night. With this type of crowd, you need to get in, grab your drink and move to a spot Away from the bar. Today’s Etiquette Tuesday post is a tip that we all should be mindful of: step away from the bar once you have been served.

We are all waiting to get served and toast to a week’s end and for those that stand there in front of the bar simply chatting, they prolong the process. The bartender is less inclined to check for the patrons that are two rows behind the persons sitting or standing directly in front of the bar, so the wait could average between 15-20 minutes for the first drink depending on the bartender to customer ratio. Now this is not just the nightclub scenario, this type of crowd can be at a typical weeknight happy hour in the District at any given restaurant.

The point is to be courteous of your fellow patron: get your drink and step away from the bar. We all want to get to the bar and order but with you blocking the path to the liquor watering hole, we might not get a drink at all. Leave the lack of consideration at home and bring out your best reason to celebrate, Cheers!