Bar Etiquette - How long until the staff hates me?
I need to get the hell out of the house, but I still need to code. If I claim a table at a bar and set up shop, how long per drink until I've overstayed my welcome? My thought was to go on weeknights when it's not so busy, work for a couple hours, have a few drinks, and then walk it off on the waterfront. I don't want to impose on wait staff though.
Any Portland PAers that can recommend somewhere downtown that would be good on a weeknight? Not super busy, and in range of wifi? Good spanish coffees a plus.
0
Posts
Have you considered a public library instead? I'm not a portlander and don't frequent bars so I am afraid I can be of little help in answering the question you asked, but perhaps there may be other, less unorthodox options.
Edit: I frequently bring my computer to do work at bars where I'm a regular, but it's always daytime and relatively slow.
This.
If it's not super-packed, the wait staff will probably like you there since you'll be a low-maintenance customer who is still paying. If it's starting to get busy, or you stop ordering, then it is time to leave.
Seconding this.
Used to work in the industry and this is pretty much how it is. The only thing I can add is grab a table for two if possible, preferably in a back corner. People will try to talk to you otherwise, plus you are out of the way and taking up a table that is less likely to be used when it is busy.
Thirded.
Also, make sure you tip well. If I go alone to a pub or restaurant I always make sure I can leave a 20 on the table; you don't have to go that steep, but you should tip higher than you normally would (otherwise you're screwing-over the server who has to deal with a single patron table).
Yup!
If you're a frequent flier and you tip well, it's generally a beneficial arrangement for all parties. it is not uncommon to my experience to have bar staff learn your name/favorite drinks/habitual needs like a specific table with an outlet, for example, if you're low-maintenance and polite. I would say 1-2 beverage minimum per hour; really depends on what the beverage is, though. Pounding down dollar PBRs is counterintuitive to productivity, but a good beer might take a while to work at without getting plastered as well. I would suggest probably supplementing the beer with an order or two from the kitchen to keep from marinating (ymmv, etc, etc)
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
If the place is quiet, your presence simply means a couple extra bucks for them at the expense of walking around a little bit more. If you weren't there, they wouldn't get paid any extra, so it's really not a big deal. The only bad thing could be if they need your table or if your laptop bugs other patrons (unlikely).
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
@Esh
Edit: Ah, PM already sent. Carry on, then.
If any Portlanders stumble on this, feel free to PM me about any bars I might not know about - I'm in the burbs, so part of town doesn't matter.
Although it will get you remembered/appreciated, a $20 seems a bit little steep depending on the situation.
I used to work at a bar that never got packed and we regularly had a woman come in alone with her laptop and sit for a couple hours to do work. She would sometimes get only two beers and sometimes a meal and a beer. She tipped around 30% but always at least $5 (>50% for two beers). Personally I didn't mind serving her even when it was just $5 as long as I couldn't fill that table with someone else (i.e. we weren't busy) and she wasn't demanding (which she wasn't). Basically it just required getting her initial order, checking if she wanted food, then eyeing her table occasionally to see if the beer was empty. I got to know/recognize her by the third time she came in and actually appreciated her because it was so easy and nice.
I've worked in three different restaurants and each had semi-regular solo customers. Basically as long as you're not rude and you're not making them "lose" money, I don't think servers would mind. As others have said, make sure it's not busy. I worked at a restaurant/bar that got packed every night (even weekdays) from 6pm-10pm, usually with a 15-30 minute wait and if a table sat around after their meal or was a hold-over from the afternoon (ie. came in at 4pm and was still there at 6:30), it meant less money for the restaurant and the server, and garnered a moderate amount of hatred.
Another tip, if you become a regular somewhere, try and get to know shift changes, close out your bill with the initial server if it gets to be near the end of his/her shift, then change over to the new server. Some restaurants require servers to stay until all their tables have left or at least closed out.
You probably aren't pissing off anyone as long as there isn't someone waiting for your seat who would be a fresh round of income for the wait staff.
Drinks are a bit more pricey, but hotel bars / lounges tend to be pretty chill places to grab a drink and get some work done.
It's a bit steep, and I doubt it's expected, but I look at it this way:
Most of the time I go to restaurant lounges on Friday. It's almost always busy. Most tables host about 4~ people, from what I've seen (people doing double dates, people meeting family, whatever. I could be wrong, but that's what it seems like whenever I go out). If they each drop 25 bucks on food / drinks, which is typical whenever I'm with a group, the tip for their table will be about $10~ (assuming they weren't cheap assholes, which I try to assume most people aren't).
I usually buy about 25~ dollars worth of food, which would make my tip about $2.50.
So the server who happened to get my table would be hosed out of $7.50, assuming minimum tips, and the restaurant would have a table grossing 25 dollars instead of 100 dollars. I grew up in Oil Patch Country; people never leave the minimum tip there.
i figure 20 bucks in gratuity covers my bases, letting me be That Guy With The Big Tips! ^.^ instead of That Fucking Guy? Again? >.<
Where is 10% anything but an insult?
England.
In the context that in England we are expecting the staff to be being paid a liveable wage before tips.
You sound like you are a courteous customer anyway, you would be amazed how many people don't consider any of this. I was recently out celebrating with some friends at a tiny little bar/fancy restaurant. We ordered apps and drinks as we waited 2 hours for a proper table, and while at that table we ordered dish after dish (small plates) and kept up our wine and drinks. Over the 2+ hours of us at the table constantly ordering, the 7 top next to us had been done since we sat down. In those 2 hours they ordered 2 coffees. That was it. After they finally left we apologized to the staff FOR them. Their squatting probably lost the place hundreds of dollars.
When you treat people in the service industry like human beings instead of just another part of the landscape, they'll do the same.
Where in portland are you? im in Aloha
Edit : can i just note how weird it is how popular this thread is? I never can predict what ends up popular in H&A