Emma Witman
- It’s OK to send back a drink at a bar if you don’t like it.
- But like in any other situation, there’s a right and wrong way to handle getting a drink you don’t enjoy.
- I’m a bartender, and you should follow these tips next time to make the best out of a bad situation.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
As a bartender, I’ve had countless times when a patron told me they didn’t like the drink I made them.
Admittedly, it always stings a little to hear this.
But like in any other situation, there’s a right way and a wrong way for you to handle your dissatisfaction.
It’s when I find out after the fact — when the problem is too late to fix — that this phenomenon goes from mildly perturbing to becoming a top pet peeve. More irksome than all those annoying drink orders I judge you for.
Why? Because you’ve failed to take advantage of the single aspect I most love about bartending: If you dislike the drinks I made for you, I can just as easily make it disappear and create a different, better one for you.
But maybe you don’t know what to say, or how to say it. After all, no one wants to be that guy.
Fear not: Here’s exactly what you should and shouldn’t do if your drink doesn’t spark joy.
Do use your words
Shutterstock/Mavo
It goes without saying that if you want your cocktail to be better, dissatisfaction with your drink can’t, well, go without saying.
Speak up. And more importantly, give us the explicit reason you don’t like what is in the glass in front of you.
I’ve even been able to help a few drinkers who I intuited felt ambivalent toward their drink by simply adding an ice cube, or a splash of soda for overly bold cocktails.
Don’t just say, "This is horrible"
AP/Chris Pizzello/Invision
That statement is your opinion. Not fact. And definitely not helpful.
Don’t claim we hoodwinked you
Reuters/Bernadett Szabo
When you make declarations like "I asked for a ___ and you made a ___," you might technically be "right." You are the customer, after all.
But most likely, we were both right: There are countless variations and differences in even the "classic" cocktails, and we probably simply didn’t realize you expected something different, like gin rather than cognac in your French 75, or an Old Fashioned with muddled cherries and soda, rather than orange peel and lemon.
This is fine. We get it, and can fix it.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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SEE ALSO: I’m a bartender, and these are the drinks that we secretly judge you for ordering
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Emma Witman)