'And then the keg blew': Trouble brews when manager dismisses bartender's advice, gets soaked with beer

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  • 01
    Font - I'm just a bartender and you know everything? Ok have a nice shower M OC Happened about 10 years ago now, I had been working in catering and hospitality (managing pubs) for about 10 years at that stage. The catering company I worked for had come up short staffed for a smallish function/ festival they were putting on.
  • 02
    Font - Probably max 200 people at a venue they controlled. I was in a different division but was asked to help out on the bar and the bump in/out. Easy enough and the music was looking pretty good so I agreed. It was in the middle of Spring. The weather had not yet been really warm so we were expecting decent numbers but nothing special.
  • 03
    Font - Bringing in the bar was easy enough. The venue was massive and easily able to accommodate the truck etc. Having a single mobile bar with just 1 tap tree was probably on the light side but I figured the venue manager knew what he was doing.
  • 04
    Font - So I introduced myself to him and got to work. Iunloaded and brought all the gear and beverage in and made a couple of attempts to discuss how we'd set up the service area. Each time was shut down with progressively more aggressive language until he finally told me "I've run dozens of functions in this venue, I think I know how to set it up. We really only asked for a bartender."
  • 05
    Font - OK no problem I thought. I didn't mention to him that it had been me that had picked up the truck from the warehouse, collected the bar and 10 kegs from our supplier, as well as the other beverage package, and delivered it to him. Or that I was the only one able to bump it all out at the end of the evening. So I just agreed with whatever he said and set up his he wanted.
  • 06
    Font - So the weather ended up being a beautiful day. About 27C (80F) with a light breeze and the turnout was more like 400 - much better than expected. Pretty quickly it turned out that we were struggling to keep up with bar service so I suggested that rather than a traditional service we should have one person on the till, one person constantly pouring beers (ie never shut off the tap) and one person filling other drinks (wine/ soft drinks etc).
  • 07
    Font - Again I was snapped at by the now clearly stressed venue supervisor. "You just keep serving and let me do the thinking". Ok so now I'd had enough. Customers were getting frustrated at the slow service and this peanut was too proud to accept advice from someone far more experienced.
  • 08
    Font - And then the keg blew. I was about to change it when the peanut stepped in and said he would take care of it. I checked that he knew what he was doing and was assured he'd done it a hundred times and to back off and leave him to it. So I did. I watched him not uncouple the gas line and go straight for the beer lock. Happily he had his face right in the spot so as soon
  • 09
    Font - as he cracked the lock he copped a huge spray in the face of nice warm beer foam. All through his hair and all over his glasses. Wet all down the front of his shirt as well. It was glorious and the first 30 people in line thought so as well because they'd witnessed some of his antics.
  • 10
    Font - I didn't hear much out of him for the rest of the day. He asked me to change the kegs when needed and pretty much stayed away from the service area. We streamlined things as well and although it didn't end up a success as far as customer satisfaction, it was not the disaster that was brewing.
  • 11
    Font - MoonChaser22 I watched him not uncouple the gas line and go straight for the beer lock. I only worked as a porter at a night club for a few months and even I cringed and said "oh no" out loud the moment I read this 687 Reply Share
  • 12
    Font - Feather_of_a_Jay I never worked at any place where this kind of knowledge was necessary, but I could guess where this was going... Reply Share 217
  • 13
    Font - Illustrious_Ad4691 Sounds like the guy went in optimistically but left misty optically 748 Reply Share flypin1 I wish I could upvote this multiple times lol ↑ 60 Reply Share
  • 14
    Font - Dear-Ad9314 Hire folks who are better than you, then get out of the way... Lmao. Nice MC 253 Reply Share badatthenewmeta Leaders don't do things. That's what their team is for. Leaders remove barriers so that their team is able to do things. This dude decided to both be a barrier and try to do things, and it didn't go well. 87 Reply Share
  • 15
    Font - zephen_just_zephen "disaster that was brewing" I see what you did there. 786 nister1 Reply Share Ales well that ends well. 194 ●●● Reply Share
  • 16
    Font - Shadow Dragon8685 We streamlined things as well and although it didn't end up a success as far as customer satisfaction, Other than the thirty or so who got to watch him take a beer- foam shower. I bet they were mighty satisfied! 73 Reply Share ●●●
  • 17
    Font - AlsoNotTheMamma ... disaster that was brewing Was it going to be a big disaster or a small one? I'm just wondering if it was a micro brewery... 27 Reply Share
  • 18
    Font - HouseNumb3rs He's got his pride and I got mine. My only given warning is "Don't go there". Without a proper apology, I'd let it burn down to the ground. Reply Share 13

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