Karaoke Forums

I was thinking today after reading some posts about the stumbling blocks we face while working as subs in a place. I have, on more than one occasion, had to talk with management about the caliber of the servers and bartenders in a place. I have never been a server but I KNOW I could do a better job than some of these servers. I actually had a hand, sorry to say, in one getting one fired from a long-term gig I had.  She would be really nice to the people she knew, and almost begrudinglyg wait on unfamiliar patrons.  She would then disappear for long periods of time and be outside smoking, and talking on her cell phone. Nice girl, too. Just wasn't serving material. It seems that is more the norm here than I care to think.

I dropped in on someone else's show last week and even though there was pretty low attendance (not 3 people deep at the bar waiting for drinks), the bartender would NOT come out and take our order. I was pondering a third drink when I decided to see if I can convince him with only my eyes to come out and ask us if we wanted something. Empty glasses in front of us for 20 minutes. I mentioned it to the KJ (a long-time acquaintance) and he said the guy was ticked about having to work a week night...he was "spoiled" by the weekends. I definitely WOULD have opted to purchase another round ($10) had he come and gotten my order...so my tab was $20 instead of potentially $30 (for about 2 hours in the place, and 3 songs each).

I am thinking that there are a lot of places who are missing out on an extra 20-30% in their coffers at the end of the night (the money that becomes the "cream") by not having attentive servers. Was wondering if this is a phenomenon only in this area or is it nationwide? Seems like there needs to be "servers school" set up in this town. Anyone else experiencing this?

K

This seems, unfortunately, to be fairly common.  You know, you really don't have to knock yourself out to keep a customer happy.  How hard is it, really to check every 15 minutes or so to make sure they have drink?  Or to keep an eye on people from across the room, making yourself visible should they signal you for another drink?

The place I frequent has 2 bar tenders and one waitress.  I generally go sit at the table in the back - it's a pretty small place and usually fills up, so I am not "hiding."  I can be there as much as half an hour before I see the waitress.  Generally, I get tired of waiting, go to the bar, and open a tab there.  What this ends up meaning is I go to the bar everytime I want something, and the waitress is not tipped (I don't know if they split tips at the end of the evening).  If I am taken care of by the staff, I tip very well.  If I feel I am ignored and have to put myself out in order to get a drink, I won't tip (I always tip the bartender if I go to the bar).  And yes, I do take into account how busy the bar is.

Tipping has become an obligatory thing rather than a bonus.  If you are going to throw a couple bucks my way regardless of my way at the end of the night no matter how lax I was, why put myself out?

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"I hold the key to an open door....will I ever be free...?"

Bartending/serving is not easy as it looks sometimes.  You're supposed to be everyone's friend and before the night is over at least three people are going to get mad at you for cutting them off or making a joke, or dealing them cold pulltabs.  Except in larger venues, there are no breaks.  If you don't over-serve, the patrons are mad and you get fired and no tips.  If you do over-serve and the police pull the drunk over in some states the bartender is liable.  Mis-count the change and the boss thinks you're a thief.  Two of the drunks start fighting and it's your fault for not seeing it comming.  

This guy that you're complaining about may have had a good reason for staying behind the bar that you had know way of seeing, like there was a meth head mumbling to himself and pounding drinks.  That is an ugly thing when it explodes so maybe he was sitting on something like that.  Or, maybe he was just a bad bartender.

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Okay, who took my pants?

After a few weeks we are employees and have a very good relationship with all staff. I will not work in a bar if anybody on staff  are drinking We are there to read the crowd spot trouble before it starts  in some venues I had the power to 86 anybody. I am a professional I am in a business. We are closely co-ordinated and constantly communicate The mngr in our little bar now he loves us big time. As with the waitresses  and all others. We are there to make money and the tips I worry about are behind the bar... As a result the Z is running about maybe $2500-$3000 in 150 cap.

I dont like little bars but this is a dream bar... I would love to get Babs in here  This bar brought me out of retirement and burnout...

If you still have drunk or little dive problems then maybe you need to change It aint worth it and I wont put up with it...
I need to figure out SS A guy walked in Sat and handed me a flashdrive with wav files on it Oh I dont need words I never did like uploading mp3 files to showcase my system or singers I have argued with people on herer they think they need 40 drunks You give me 10 like this and I will run you out of business I have another singer in my bevvy.

walkin live[/u]

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After a few weeks we are employees and have a very good relationship with all staff. I will not work in a bar if anybody on staff  are drinking We are there to read the crowd spot trouble before it starts  in some venues I had the power to 86 anybody. I am a professional I am in a business. We are closely co-ordinated and constantly communicate The mngr in our little bar now he loves us big time. As with the waitresses  and all others. We are there to make money and the tips I worry about are behind the bar... As a result the Z is running about maybe $2500-$3000 in 150 cap.

I dont like little bars but this is a dream bar... I would love to get Babs in here  This bar brought me out of retirement and burnout...

If you still have drunk or little dive problems then maybe you need to change It aint worth it and I wont put up with it...
I need to figure out SS A guy walked in Sat and handed me a flashdrive with wav files on it Oh I dont need words I never did like uploading mp3 files to showcase my system or singers I have argued with people on here they think they need 40 drunks You give me 10 like this and I will run you out of business I have another singer in my bevvy.

walkin live[/u]

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Hello All,

In the bar restaurant i kj 4 nights a week, the service sucks pretty bad, even though we still are the most popular and busiest place around.

The problem is, the owners only hire very attractive femals as servers, (22 of them) which draws every heterosexual male in town, but the servers are constantly "hit-on" by every one of these guys, which, in turn creates a cold and direct disposition towards most of our customers.

There is something to be said about girls getting too much attention, especially by a bar full of drunk millitary guys. By the end of the night our waitresses have all their "defenses up" and a lot of them hide in the back kitchen waiting for couples to come in, or other visiting tourists...anything other than obnoxious 21 year old guys!

Our servers are all outfitted in "hooter-like" uniforms with short shorts and tight shirts. Great to look at, but not with frowns/bitchy-looks on their faces.


...But I certainly can't complain- i  go to work, am surrounded by beautiful women who are very cool with me, and i fortunately get paid well enough for my needs.

Unfortunately it's the customers that get the bad service.

My regulars often complain to me about having to wait a long time for more food or drink orders but thankfully they still return week after week. I try to refer the "better" servers to my loyal singers- that usually makes things run smoother and the regulars stay longer.

We are a tourist town so there are plenty of people who pack our places 7 days a week regardless of the service. Karaoke is a large draw but the bar would still thrive without it due to sheer numbers. We are also open 20 hour days.

Like Karen, when i do go out on my off nights, i see terrible service in most bars and restaurants- some because they're under-staffed, others because the servers are talking to their friends or are out smoking.
By that time we don't wanna tip our usual 20%- but do anyways.

Interestingly, last week i read an article on msn . com that mentioned that servers (bartenders/servers) have the second highest rates of depression- the top position being held by hospital workers who assist the elderly.

I don't know how accurate that is, but i did overhear that one of our bartenders is  currently looking for a therapist to treat her depression. Hmm...any truth to it in your opinions??

I should add this: When it is my gig, I bus tables, set up tables for groups, I catch regulars coming in and give the servers a heads-up that they are here, take menus to tables, tell people about specials, find out where they usually sing, whose shows have they gone to, what are their favorite songs, can I get them a book (artist or song title), convince people who have never sung before that they should try it, and promise to help them if they need it .... You get the pic...My singers don't sit and wait, looking longingly at the bar hoping for some attention. I guess that's why my gigs all end up being long-term. I DO become like part of the hosting establishment - amazing that I can do all that and still manager to put 16 singers through every hour without fail. Have to wonder why a server couldn't just do THEIR share of it...

(A pet peeve of mine is the servers who basically ignore those people who they know won't have a large tab at the end of the night...and leave them to fend for themselves. - That is WRONG...)

"What can I get you????"
K

Oh, I definately have this problem.  Although the place I'm working at consistantly is small...they do food, it is excellent.  The have (1) person on staff on Fri/Sat nights.  The owner and his gf will come in 1/2 thru the night to make sure everything is ok, for the late dinner rush and help out...then about 10:30-11 they take off, saying they'll come back if it gets real busy.  This is totally wrong imho and I have voiced it several times.  I don't care how busy it is, you need at a minimum (2) staff on at all times....especially on Fri/Sat.  There is NO WAY in heck (1) person can cook (out of sight for 5-10-15 mins at a time, bartend behind the bar & handle the floor.  I 100% truely believe this is one of the main reasons there is a spotty crowd sometimes.  People can't get served.  I drink the same thing almost everytime I'm there...and I can go the whole night without the waitress coming up and asking if I want something.  If I do, I have to go up to the bar.  It is very unprofessional and is killing the business, but I'm not the owner....so I can't do anything.  He won't hire the 'good looking younger' girls, because they rip him off.  That maybe, but it brings in the big spending/big drinking guys.........errrrrrrrrr, MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
Visit MrD on facebook - mrdsentertainment
& on myspace - larrynance[/highlight]

I could never bartend. I don't have the back bone for it. I notice that the girls that are good at it have a rough edge to them. They have to put up with a lot while running their butts off trying to keep up with the crowd.

We usually have 2 bartenders on Friday nights and sometimes on Saturday. They hustle all night. I am fortunate to work with a great crew. They seldom can get free to come out from behind the bar but if they do have time they do. A lot of the regulars will actually help out by clearing tables themselves. No one seems to mind. Bad bartenders don't seem to last very long in our bar because they need to be quick on there feet or get buried alive.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

We have several venues here that do not have servers, if you want a drink you have to go to the bar.  The first time I went to one of them I sat there forever waiting for some idiot to finally ask me if I'd like to order.  I finally asked - I wish someone would have told me upfront - I don't mind it if that's the way it is, but at least tell me.

                                          Jackson

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Singing just for you

I don't believe it's a bartender's responsibility to come out from behind the bar to take orders.  They tend the bar not the floor.  We have one gal who works Wed. and two on Fri.  When the Wed. girl gets a chance she comes out from behind the bar and clears glasses, wipes tables, and will on occasion take an order.  If I was her, and someone expected me to be taking their order, they're in the wrong joint.  Same thing on Fri.  the two are pretty busy, getting an order at your table is a luxury.  It's different in different venues, and generally there's a distinction between bar staff and wait staff.  I would NEVER expect a bartender to take my order from my seat (unless I was sitting at the bar).  Ever tended bar?  Me neither.  It's tough enough for these people to take a pea, or have a smoke, or grab a bite to eat.  They work 8+ hours without scheduled breaks, lunches, etc. (most of the places).  And we're going to complain because we're to lazy to get up and order a beer.  Not busting on you guys ... just think we should (as a society) expect less from people who work at McDs and Joe's Tavern.  I would venture to guess that 27% of the time I ask for no pickles ... I GET PICKLES.  Even I was present for that class in school.  NO PICKLES MEANS NO PICKLES.  If I want a beer, I wait til I've got a singer queued and run up to the bar.  The girls know my time is limited, and they give me VIP treatment (unless I'm busting their chops ... then I have to work for my beer), and sometimes they surprise me by bringing my drinks to me.  But I never expect it.  That way, I'm not disappointed.

having been in on all three aspects of this scenario, there are ways to look at it from all sides.  
our venues are in a small town (pop. 25K) but we're right next to a makor city.  since our town is small and most of the folks there are small town folks, the staff doens't get what they would make in the larger city.  that means we don't get the "cream of the crop" as far as talent.  what's worse is once they realize they're not going to make the "big city" money, they quit caring and look for other work.  we can't keep waitresses at all and we just finally got a bar crew that has been here for more than 4 months.  it's pretty bad when the KJ can't get a beer or drink!  i tip rather generously, too!  usually 40-50% of my tab which most weekends runs around $80.  (i buy a lot of drinks for my regular patrons!)  i have gone so far as to pul a waitress aside, give her $20 up front and tell her "don't ever let my beer get empty without having a full one behind it unless i say stop".

don't get me wrong, i don't get hammered at my shows (well there was that one time, but the Ft. Worth crew was in town!) but i do drink during them.

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All work and no play make Homer something something

Nothing drives me more mad than to put a song in, get everything right, have the next one cued up...go up to the bar, because I can't get someone to comeover.  Then wait/wait/wait, always wondering if I'll get back in time to change the song before it runs out.  I don't like to be away from my booth.  The song stops at the end, there is dead air...here I am at the bar, looking like an azz, everyone staring complaining...where's the music....waitress is no where in sight or even working hard behind the bar for the other people there, but I can't get a drink!  I mean, I agree that it is not easy.  The spoiled tatic torks me off as well.  I mean, that is the profession that you chose, DO YOUR JOB (to the best of you ability)!

MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
Visit MrD on facebook - mrdsentertainment
& on myspace - larrynance[/highlight]

Interestingly, I never have a problem getting my one drink for the night from the bartender or server when it is my own show. I do not, however, feel it is my role to constantly scan the room, look for empty glasses, and go fetch the server to wait on the tables. Every time I walk by an empty table that has dirty glasses on it, I pick them up and ask the server to please clear the table so people that are waiting can sit down. I have literally watched groups of people leave because there wasn't a clean table for them. Sometimes these groups were 6-8 people...Translation: Bar tab of over $200 that just walked up the street.  And what I see then is the owner/manager saying we're just not making as much as we used to at karaoke... No duh.  

My original post was about a place I went to where there were hardly any patrons (maybe 15-20).  The bartender spent half the night outside smoking (no indoor smoking in WA state)... so it wasn't like he was busy. And frankly, if he had said the first time I ordered that it was a self-serve place, I wouldn't have minded. He seemed to selectively come out and serve people.... If you don't want to be in the service industry, DON'T punish others because of it. I have watched burned out KJs who shouldn't be in the business anymore, too. The quality suffers so horribly and only perpetuates "krappyoke."  This whole biz requires teamwork and if one member of the team doesn't do their job, it just doesn't work how it should.

K

Yeah.... I work at a place where its a resturant and bar... the bar half is 21+ and no servers. So its go to the bar and get a drink.. I work Thurs-Mon and over the weekend its two bartenders and they are crazy busy.

The problem I have is that I get treated like a second class citizen as a KJ... I can completely agree with the previous poster (the name escapes my beer addled mind) that said he hates getting caught at the bar while a song ends. I have this problem. I don't get a free bar tab but I get free coke at least... but having to fight the crush to get the bar sucks bad sometimes. I've gotten to the point where on fri and sats when i've got a 2 hr rotation i have a few regulars that will crowdsurf up the bar and get my refill. and of course godbless the few singers that insist on tipping me with beers instead of money.

Hmmm i guess i missed part of it.

I end up battling with the bar/restaurant mangers more than anything.. I've got one who's pushing 70 and hates anything loud or even slightly rock sounding. I've got another who thinks he can run my rotation better than me. So when I work with them its a constant fight to keep the music loud enough to be heard over the crowd and to be autonimous enough to run my own damned show.

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KJ for Elite Entertainment at Charlie Horse Saloon in Ocala Florida.

the problem of being stuck at the bar when a song ends is a tough one. thats one reason why I normaly have a cohost.  if i do not have a cohost I do bring somebody with me who can run for a beer or who can turn up the filler music for me when im in the barhroom. I get them a few drinks, and if its a buddy I intro him to a couple of the single female singers if he wants. everyone goes home happy.  it is tough for bars these days so they don't like to over staff. but it can also cost them to understaff

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

Hmmm intro to a few single females.... good idea..... I think because of that I might end up with a lackey for life.

Thanks man!!!!

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KJ for Elite Entertainment at Charlie Horse Saloon in Ocala Florida.

Yeah, I got yelled at last night for playing too loud the night before.  Then the waitress told the owner that I wouldn't turn it down and the people left....which is TOTAL bs, 1st off...it was NOT too loud and 2nd, I did turn it down when asked.  Come to find out later the waitress was just po'd because the owner told her she was going home if we didn't have a descent crowd by 10ish and he would stay.  We ended up having a very descent night, but it looked horrible till about 10:30 or so.  Irritates me for the fact I don't go to the bar and tell them how to do their job, although I certainly want to, leave me alone and let me do mine!  It's just more of the way it's handled than anything.  So what happens last night, I get asked over and over to turn it up...turn it up.  hahahahahah, never happy!  MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
Visit MrD on facebook - mrdsentertainment
& on myspace - larrynance[/highlight]

The dreaded "turn it down" request.  LMAO

I get this request from the Wed. bartender (manager) a lot. In the beginning of the night when it starts out not so busy I try my best to keep it low. But come on it is a PA system not a radio ! I laugh inside when she says it drives away customers because everyone in there is singing karaoke and no one is leaving. Most of the time they're begging me to turn it up. I try and find a happy medium between the 2. Once the bar is full I never hear her complain. I know it is her personal preference.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

"If it's too loud, you're too old; and if your parents don't like it, it must be good"