The pep talk I give to my co-workers and myself over and over again.
My late friend gave me this advice decades ago. He passed away a couple of years back but his words are always with me.
When I was a bartender, and I was kinda new to it, I remember getting completely overwhelmed when we were in the weeds. I felt like I couldn't keep up, couldn't keep track of who asked for what, who paid, who had a tab, who was waiting for drinks… I felt surrounded, trapped, the sound was deafening. I still have nightmares about being weeded at the bar and alone.
A more experienced industry friend who worked at the place next door pulled me aside and gave me some advice that I think about all the time, even all these decades removed from the bar scene. He told me he could see I was overwhelmed but you need two hands to open a beer bottle, you can only mix two different mixed drinks at one time, you can only hold so many drinks in your hands at once to hand them over across the bar, and you can only run one check at a time and you can’t do it faster than the POS allows.
When you get overwhelmed, and the wait time for a drink is going up and up…. just don't worry if the wait time for a drink is going up.
Don't act like there is a problem and there won't be a problem. Slow down. Act with intention and confidence. Listen to the music and rock with it. Ride the wave as it comes.
Make that money and smile.
This advice remains solid across every job I’ve ever had. It doesn't matter if it’s a bar full of drunk college students demanding shots or an overflowing inbox or cooking and cleaning to prepare for an elaborate meal for a family gathering. You can only multitask so much before you’re fuckin it all up. Slow it down and act with intention. Be confident when you tell people what’s up.
Just listen to the music and rock with it.
