in the tradition of all the other “ask the…” threads, i’ll answer every legitimate question on the behind-the-scenes of the nightclub industry that i can.
please note that my experience in the industry is very toronto-centric; though i have bartended in smaller ontario cities, currently, i am a barback in an “upscale casual” club in middle of the entertainment district. still, there are many aspects of this industry that are universal.
over the past four years, i have backed some of the busiest bars in some of the busiest clubs in the city. as well as a few of the slowest bars in a couple of clubs. but i have seen almost all there is to see in the industry.
During my stint as a cab driver, I worked around some of the bars and clubs in the wee hours. I wondered if it would get depressing closing a place down night after night. I mean, I saw some of the uglier side of human behavior then: friends abandoning friends, drunks desperate for someone to talk to, rude and boorish behavior that you were expected to accept because they were drunk, etc. Does it get depressing after a while? It did to me and I was outside looking in.
How do you deal with the noise? I don’t like most bars and some restaurants because of the noise level. When you work in one of these, are you worried about the long-term effect on your hearing?
Are there any clubs for the over-forty set? My liking for electronic music did not suddenly die when I ceased being 39…
Or to rephrase that question: do the clubs divide themselves according to age? How about cultural grouping? Are there Chinese clubs, South Asian clubs, Anglo clubs, etc? Or does that just happen ‘automagically’ as they choose their music type?
What is the most ridiculous fake ID you’ve ever seen? A friend of mine was a bouncer in a college town in Ohio, and I always enjoyed these stories of his. My personal favorite was an idiot that tried to present a driver’s license from Canada. No, not a province, just Canada. And he’d used a nicely posed senior picture with a lovely backdrop as his photo. Hee.
just as a disclaimer, some nightclubs are run more ethically than others. i have had the fortune of working long terms within one of the better ownerships; i have also worked in some almost indescribable conditions.
but to the questions…
details can differ from club to club, but most generally, a barback is the bartender’s third hand. barbacks control inventory flow (stocking / restocking beer, liquor, mixes, garnishes, etc.)
some clubs have a glass washer behind each bar; in such cases the barback rarely, if ever, leaves the bar. otherwise, glass cleaning is centralized, and barbacks regularly move large amounts of used glass in one direction, and eaqually large amounts of clean glass in the opposite direction.
next, re: dealing with those on the street when the work is over: 99.9% of the time, not even an issue. by the time most of us leave the club, all the trouble-makers have been caught, or are asleep. the streets are much quieter at 04:30 than you’d think, except for handfulls of us club workers, and barely-hangers-on-by-this-time.
as for what i hope to never hear again, or see again… shit. i dunno. all sounds the same to me. i block it out. the sounds are all just background to me. as for slutty chicks… well, a dime a dozen. i don’t care what the wear. by now, i only notice customers that are causing problems.
fire: well, each corner of the square is an emergency exit.
next few replies coming shortly.
honestly, a halfassed promoter can turn an average weekend night at an average club into the place-to-be!!!1 for a couple weeks.
promoters do get some through the door, a good crop to the door; but it is really only the bartenders (as long as they are backed well) that earn regulars. though a solid & standup doorstaff can be the decider if a couple clubs have an equality of 'tenders
no, in my experience, drinks are never watered down – except that you may have more ice than vodka or soda in a vodka soda. but you are still getting 1oz of vodka; even if you ask “no ice.”
the club where i work, and many/most others, are indepenently audited daily to weekly to monthly, as well as being subject to random inspection by government agents. inventory is not a joke; we account for every ounce, every night.
pouring, say popov, or even absolut, or stoli, into a grey goose bottle does not happen at any bar i’d associate myself with. even marrying 1/4 bottle of brand x into another 1/4 bottle of brand x to make 1/2 bottle brand x does not happen. not only because it is illegal, but because it’s just wrong.
there are clubs all over the place that cater to specific groups.
it would be impossibe for me to name them all…
and i.d? why would i have anything to do with i.d.? you pass the door, and the bartender does not question you… who am i toi ask? and do i really even have the time?
What happens to all the lost cellphones, etc?
I have a good friend who used to bartend at a lot of trendy Manhattan clubs (Limelight, Palladium, etc) back in the day. I’ll ask you the same question I ask him all the time:
Do they ever make you work all oiled up with nothing but pants, a pair of suspenders and a bowtie?
Wow…you sound like a real “glass is half empty” guy. As someone whos been clubing and barhopping for the past 15 years, I can say that you are correct in that you can see a lot of the bad side of human behavior - fighting, alchohol and drug abuse, womanizing (and manizing) and all manner of jerkish behavior. But in general it’s mostly just regular people just out having a good time with their friends. Of course, the closer you get to closing time, the more likely you are left with the drunks, the weirdos and the pathetics as most of the normal folks will have either coupled off or just called it a night by then.
Well, it’s true I’m a “glass is half empty” guy, but I’m trying to get better.
Actually, you bring up a point that I thought about back then, too. The cab driver job had kind of a negative filtering effect. You interacted with the people whose friends had drove off without them, those that had lost their license, and those that had nowhere else to go. I didn’t get to interact with “regular” people very often. They were usually responsible enough to arrange their own transportation.
That’s why I was wondering what a bartender’s view was on the subject.
anything found like a cellphone, jewelry, credit card / i.d, etc. gets turned over to the doorstaff, and in turn to the lost & found in the office. if someone comes back asking about a lost whatever, and they can describe the item, they get it back. if something goes unclaimed for three months, it’s pawned (cellphoine, jewelry) given to the salvation army (clothing) returned to the issuing bank (credit card) or stays put in the box (i.d.)
no. i don’t work in the gaybourhood.
no. i love it. when everyone around is having a good time, i’m likely to make more money.
i rarely go to a club, unless i’m paid to be there. when i do go out, i’m more of the neighbourhood pub kinda guy. if i do go to a club, it’s most likely an industry event, or an industry friend’s birthday.
As someone whos been clubing and barhopping for the past 15 years, I can say that you are correct in that you can see a lot of the bad side of human behavior - fighting, alchohol and drug abuse, womanizing (and manizing) and all manner of jerkish behavior. But in general it’s mostly just regular people just out having a good time with their friends. Of course, the closer you get to closing time, the more likely you are left with the drunks, the weirdos and the pathetics as most of the normal folks will have either coupled off or just called it a night by then.