Sick of waiting in line for a drink? When it comes to a night out with friends, there’s nothing more annoying than queueing at the bar for what seems like FOREVER to wait for a drink. And so, with the Christmas season rolling in (we know – it’s terrifying) we took it upon ourselves to chat to those in the know, bartenders themselves, to find out what is the best way to get served quicker. ____________________________________________ Manners It’s always about the manners. If you shout and roar at the bar staff, chances are, you will be ignored. Completely. A nice please and thank you first time round will go a long way next time you want to get served too. Waving money Do not – and we repeat NOT – wave your money around. Again, this is another sure way to get yourself ignored and annoy the bartender more and more. Shouting ‘hey’ Bartenders have eyes. They can see you. There is no need to shout at them. Ever. Unless there’s a fight. Or a fire. But only then. Standing behind the taps A pet hate for most bartenders is when people stand directly behind the beer taps and expect to be served. Not only are the taps blocking them from passing a drink out to you with ease, but it’s usually often hard to see you never mind try to hear what you are saying. If you want a spot to stand, locate yourself at either end of the taps or somewhere near the ice bucket – they are more likely to see you there. It’s all about 50 cent It might sound ridiculous to you, but a tip – regardless of how small – is a tip. So on your first order, dropping the bartender even 50 cent will make sure they remember you next time. How you order Please, please, PLEASE if you have a pint of Guinness in your round of orders, please order it first. There’s nothing worse than running around the bar getting seven or eight drinks in lightning quick time only to be told… “And a pint of Guinness please.” Similarly, know what you want when you get to the bar. There’s nothing more annoying than someone ordering one drink at a time, as they turn their back to the bar shouting to their friends asking them what they want. Change… Don’t. Count. Out. All. Of. The. Change. Please, just hand the bar staff a tenner, or whatever note is relevant for the price of the round. Please – we don’t want to “see if you have 40 cent”. We don’t want you to open your hand out so we can count all the coppers until it adds up to €8.90. Just give us a note. Please. Card nightmare Bar staff as a rule have absolutely no problem with people who forget to go to the ATM on the way in and ask to pay by card in order to get cash back. It’s those people who pay for EVERY SINGLE DRINK with their card, even though they know how long it takes to process, and yet refuse to get cash back even though it would make all of our lives easier that drive staff bonkers. Trust the system At least 90 per cent of the time, a good bartender knows who is waiting at the bar and more or less who should be next. You might think it looks like they don’t know what they’re doing but believe us, trust in the system and you will get served. You snooze, you lose If you’ve been standing at the bar waiting and waiting and waiting to get served, we feel your pain. However, if you are standing there and turn around to chat to someone – you more than likely missed your turn and the bartender has moved on and you go back into the loop of order that they are following. You snooze, you lose and really you should just stay focused at the bar. You have one mission. Manners. Again. And again. And again. We can’t stress this enough. Seriously.