Submitted by Karen Cleveland

My friend Gavin is a rock star bartender. He has won all sorts of international accolades, has served up drinks all across Toronto and trains aspiring bartenders on how to master his mad skills. To put it short: he’s served a lot of drinks, to a lot of people.

When you’re out, do you typically have to wait a painful long time for a drink? Maybe it’s your approach. Here are some universal tips to land the best service, from folks like him, wherever you go.


§ Have all orders handy. No add on’s and please, no last minute changes.
§ Have your cash at the ready. The more pleasant, courteous and prompt the transaction, the better.
§ Please never yell, holler, or snap your fingers to get a bartender’s attention (or anyone’s, for that manner, it’s awfully rude). If you’re at the bar, you’ll get served.
§ Don’t question the amount of alcohol in your drink. Bartenders are instructed to make every drink on the bar counter in front of the patron so that they can see exactly what goes into it. So pay attention.
§ Tip well and smile.
§ Say please and thank you.
§ Know your limits. If you’ve had too much to drink, know when to call it a night. Bartenders don’t like to cut people off, but they absolutely will if safety is a concern.
§ Know when last call is. And know that, umm well, it’s really last call.

Like any service-based industry, be kind and show some love when you get good service. You might just get an extra cherry in your drink.