Bar Areas The Customer Should Never Breach
Nights out on the town with friends are almost always accompanied by a visit to your favorite bar or if you're feeling extra celebratory, many bars. Alcohol has always seemed to be an easy way to smooth out rough edges and make a night filled with lots of people, and long hours of socializing, easier.
According to Daily JSTOR, one study found that after having had an alcoholic drink, consumers smiled and conversed much more than their sober counterparts. That is to say, it's been proven that alcohol, and therefore bars, can make for a good time. But unfortunately, due to issues like overcrowding, understaffing, customers over-indulging, and people not thinking super clearly due to the booze, bars can become all too chaotic, and on those sorts of nights, a whole host of things could go wrong.
Safety and good etiquette are important to consider wherever you're going but are especially important at a bar. The Ninja Gypsy says that the basic rule of thumb at a bar is to stay aware! Not only should you stay aware of your drink, how much you're drinking, your friends, and other customers, but you should also be aware of where you should and shouldn't be in the bar.
In the midst of a few drinks, it can be all too easy to slip up and find yourself in the way of the bar's staff, or break a rule that will have you banned, so these are some areas you should never breach in a bar.
Behind the bar
It is perhaps all too easy to blame TV shows and movies for convincing some patrons that wandering behind the bar to pour themselves a drink isn't all that big a deal, but trust us, it is. Bars must be kept sanitary and well organized.
If you round the corner and start messing with bottles, ice, garnishes, and glass, you could cause a lot of problems for the bartenders and the other patrons by getting them sick or worse (via Bar & Restaurant). Additionally, you are putting the bar at legal risk! When you walk into an establishment serving alcohol, that business is liable, to a degree, for you and your actions (via Chad West Law).
In many places, you are only allowed to serve alcohol if you have a license to do so, and odds are that if you are reaching over the bar to pour yourself a beer, you don't have one. Imagine if restaurants let the customers into the kitchens and let them start cooking around professionally trained chefs. It would not go over well. So, why would it be any different at a bar?
Bars and Bartending says that customers are never allowed behind bars. Those that break that rule may be thrown out. So don't reach, walk, or lean over the bar for any reason; it just isn't worth it.
The service area
This one isn't as serious as going behind the bar, but it is still important. According to Thrillist, customers should avoid the service area. Are you wondering what the bar's service area might be?
Well, the service area is the area of the bar that the servers, bartenders, and all the other employees move through to get behind the bar and access the POS system. It should be pretty easy to spot if you're looking for it (but most customers remain blissfully unaware).
So, don't go standing in the midst of a service area, and honestly, if you're standing anywhere in the building where you notice a heavy traffic stream, get out of the way! Regardless of the reason, whether you're standing there to grab your drinks or shout your order over a ruckus crowd, it is never a good thing to be disturbing the flow of things. Instead, sit at the bar and be patient; a bartender will eventually get to you (via BuzzFeed).