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Going to a Bar Should Be FUN

when going to a bar is good

WHEN GOING TO A BAR STINKS

when going to a bar stinksI’m going to a bar, one of my favorite places in Brooklyn, and there’s a different bartender working. Not one of my usual bartenders; a guy I don’t know. I sit down, fold my hands in front of me, and wait. And wait. And, you know, WAIT. The guy doesn’t even make eye contact with me. He knows I’m there, but stays at the far end of the bar and it’s not even busy. What the hell, man? This is one of my happy places, and he’s wrecking it. After about five minutes I pack up and leave, and after that, whenever I see him working, I keep walking.

Another place, one of the oldest bars in Brooklyn: charming-looking, classic joint, very neighborhoody. It was near my art studio, and I go in for lunch. Just a nice, pubby, mid-day bite, maybe do a little reading, have a little down-time. What music are they playing? Crappy ’90s hair metal. LOUD. I thought it might run its course, but it doesn’t. Turns out that’s their awesome go-to music, the Crappy ’90s Hair Metal station on Pandora or something. I stop going there. I’m not the only one; a lot of people have the same complaint and the place goes out of business the next year.

And then there’s the old chestnut about the withdrawn, sullen, silent mixologists who make a mean drink but can’t seem to take the time to make you feel welcome at all. They don’t talk, don’t smile, don’t want you there, it seems. Ecch.

Shouldn’t going to a bar be fun, or at least enjoyable? I’m not going there for a sad, grim shot of shamefully-downed “medicine.” I’m going there to hang out, to rejuvenate, to eat, to drink, to connect with humanity, whatever, but I’m paying for a positive experience. I can have a beer at home. Hell, I can have a damn fine cocktail at home on the cheap with the wife, the comfiest couch in Kings County and two fun little cats to boot, but when I go out to a bar, that’s not what I’m after. I want a positive, extramural, semi-social experience. Is that too much to ask? Sometimes, it would seem so.

Screw those places. This is New freakin’ York. I’ve got about 3,000 other options.

WHEN GOING TO A BAR DOES NOT STINK

The good news is there’s a backlash, and a lot of new bars are honoring the Dale DeGroff philosophy of hosting and creating some of the best environments you’ll ever quaff a Manhattan in. And of course there’s a lot of classic places, neighborhood favorites, that’ve been doing this for years. That’s how they got to be neighborhood favorites. They create a good place to hang out.

Rule One from a Liquor.com interview with Mr. DeGroff, the dean of American bartenders:

“The most important thing—the thing that needs to happen immediately—is eye contact. When a guest walks through the door, you give them a wave and a smile, even if the bar is three or four deep. It’s the difference between keeping and losing a customer.”

Yes, Dale. Well said. And simple. The human touch. That makes going to a bar so, so much better. That’s why we go out in the first place.

when going to a bar is good

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