Bars and their staff deserve your respect
WATERLOO (CUP) -- College is a time where you do endless amounts of school work, but it's also when you do some of the best partying of your life.
After a long day of hitting the books, most students hit the bar for a good night out. These evenings are amusing for those looking to party, but those few hours of craziness are sometimes dreaded by the establishment.
Having waitressed my entire university career, some students are often unaware they're doing things that either put a damper on the night for those providing service to them or just make them laugh and shake their heads.
Take younger students who just can't handle themselves while drinking for instance. They get sloppy and ridiculous, often because they aren't of age in their first year and the bar scene is still new.
There's also the matter of showing respect towards those working. In most college towns, the servers and bartenders are students themselves. While everyone is out drinking, servers are sauntering around with those desperately needed drinks.
It's always interesting to stand back and watch the crowd around the bar and observe the variety of tactics used to catch the bartender's attention. Whistling, crazy arm gestures, a little head nod, leaning right over just to make sure you're seen. Trust me, they see you.
They serve in a manner that's fair to everyone and being obnoxious will get you nowhere. If you're at a bar that lets you grab a table for the night, most likely you'll have someone look after you. They'll run around for you most of the night and keep a tab for your table.
When the cheque comes, you may be surprised by the amount of liquor ingested and some tabs may be higher than you thought. Being a student myself, I understand money is tight at times, but if you can spend $100 drinking with your friends, you've got the money to tip at least 10 per cent if not the regular 15.
You have to pony up at the bar too. If you've ever been to Phil's in Waterloo, you know the sound of cowbell — it's to make sure everyone knows that someone didn't tip. Don't forget, students working at a bar are liquor servers making less than minimum wage.
And to all you aspiring party-vandals: breaking glass and stealing things from a bar is never appreciated, nor is it as funny or awesome as you think it is.
So while you sit in class hungover after a night of irritating me, just remember, I'll be right there beside you, tired from running around all evening.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
After a long day of hitting the books, most students hit the bar for a good night out. These evenings are amusing for those looking to party, but those few hours of craziness are sometimes dreaded by the establishment.
Having waitressed my entire university career, some students are often unaware they're doing things that either put a damper on the night for those providing service to them or just make them laugh and shake their heads.
Take younger students who just can't handle themselves while drinking for instance. They get sloppy and ridiculous, often because they aren't of age in their first year and the bar scene is still new.
There's also the matter of showing respect towards those working. In most college towns, the servers and bartenders are students themselves. While everyone is out drinking, servers are sauntering around with those desperately needed drinks.
It's always interesting to stand back and watch the crowd around the bar and observe the variety of tactics used to catch the bartender's attention. Whistling, crazy arm gestures, a little head nod, leaning right over just to make sure you're seen. Trust me, they see you.
They serve in a manner that's fair to everyone and being obnoxious will get you nowhere. If you're at a bar that lets you grab a table for the night, most likely you'll have someone look after you. They'll run around for you most of the night and keep a tab for your table.
When the cheque comes, you may be surprised by the amount of liquor ingested and some tabs may be higher than you thought. Being a student myself, I understand money is tight at times, but if you can spend $100 drinking with your friends, you've got the money to tip at least 10 per cent if not the regular 15.
You have to pony up at the bar too. If you've ever been to Phil's in Waterloo, you know the sound of cowbell — it's to make sure everyone knows that someone didn't tip. Don't forget, students working at a bar are liquor servers making less than minimum wage.
And to all you aspiring party-vandals: breaking glass and stealing things from a bar is never appreciated, nor is it as funny or awesome as you think it is.
So while you sit in class hungover after a night of irritating me, just remember, I'll be right there beside you, tired from running around all evening.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
