Why Managers Make Lousy Bar Staff

A little while ago, after working at a new pub for a week or two, I had a revelation. As I had expected, there was a period of adjustment to the way things worked there, prices, tills, procedures, and so on. And, of course, getting to know the other staff. I didn't know everyone that well yet, there's a good ten people in the kitchen, at least ten waitresses in the restaurant, and something like half a dozen bar staff. I was still learning names and getting used to how people work behind the bar.

Now, when you're working a busy bar, you learn to weave between the other bar-staff in what my previous landlord used to call “bar chi”. It's like a dance; you move so as not to bump into each other and still effectively serve the customers. In my old pub I had this down to a fine art. However, in the new place, I noticed that from time to time this wasn't working.

To begin with, I thought it was me. I was new, a little nervous still, and not entirely used to the position of everything and the flow of the bar. But when the manager stopped serving behind the bar and went to do something else my flow returned, and I managed to get things done properly. My confidence went up, and so did my productivity. I didn't link the two until later, when the manager came back, and the problems started again.

Again, I blamed myself. Maybe I just need to get used to his style, I thought. The manager was undoubtedly a competent barman, he had a good rapport with the customers and poured a mean pint. Why, then, was I having these problems? But before long I figured it out.

We nearly walked into each other.

I, of course, stepped back and apologised. He carried on walking, without a word. There was no two-way give and take in this relationship. I gave, he took. And this wasn't the only time it happened; in fact this continued to happen while he was behind the bar.

Now, it's entirely possible to blame me for the fact that I walked into him, and continued to, and were this someone else's story I would do the same. However, it's not just me. I've seen all but the most seasoned bar staff there encounter the same problem. And this is precisely why management will never make good bar staff. They'll never yield to other bar staff because they're in charge. And that's not how it works. You're supposed to work with the other bar staff, not on top of them.

My advice is this: if you manage a bar, leave it at that. Don't try to get in on the action behind the bar, unless it's massively spacious and not very busy. If you want to do bar work, get a bar job, but if you're raking in a management salary leave the bar work to the professionals.