This weekend is going to be a busy one and I won't be able to get out of the house and go to a show or bar like I usually enjoy doing. So I went out for a "short walk around the block" and ended up walking five miles to the Royal Key Bar.
It's never a dull night at the Royal Key, and usually there are many great reasons for this, but tonight the excitement came from an unexpected source.
You see, the Royal Key recently acquired new owners. With their new owners came several new staff members. One of these new staff members was made the bar manager.
And he was somewhat tipsy tonight. Maybe a little more than tipsy even.
One of the bartenders who had worked with the previous owner came up to the bar as I was sitting there silently over my drink and asked the new bar manger about his schedule. This bartender had not yet been told when he was scheduled to work.
I would have expected that the manager would have given him his schedule and that was all. But as I said, the manager was intoxicated and instead went into a hostile lecture about how he was new and didn't know how much business to expect and therefore could not make up the schedule.
His tone was hostile, and loud. In the middle of the bar, where the patrons, myself included, could overhear the entire conversation. He could not have known who was listening and hearing all this. Finally, in exasperation the bartender got up and walked out of the bar, calling the manager a dick as he walked out-- never having been given anything resembling an answer concerning his schedule.
While the bartender was outside the manager kept talking about him-- still loudly so that the entire bar could hear. "He is best friends with the old owner and isn't part of our team." "I don't want him working anywhere near me." "I can't wait to let him go." Things of that nature.
So... my question is... how is it appropriate to say these things in front of customers? Is his being drunk any excuse? This was a place I enjoy hanging out, but suddenly I question if I should ever go back.
The story doesn't end there though.
The bartender came back inside, having wisely stepped out to cool his head. The manager suddenly said things like "I don't dislike you" and the such, a reversal of attitude from moments ago. They sat down and the bartender tried to do just what I would have expected, talk about past business and what can be expected so that the manager would have something to go by when making the schedule.
The manager exploded-- again loudly enough for the patrons in the bar to hear. "How do you know my sales numbers?!" He demanded.
Now, from what I hear this guy has been the manager for all of four days. The bartender though has been working at this bar for months. The bartender SHOULD know the numbers-- at least anyone halfway paying attention to their job would.
From there the conversation between the two quieted a bit and I turned my attention to other things, rolling several things around in my head.
This couldn't look good to any customers in the bar. Even the other employees seemed tense. This also couldn't be the image that the bar would want to project, heck, even I am considering returning to the bar.
The bartender left, and I... well, I found other things to occupy my time. The whole thing though left a sour taste in my mouth. It is a good lesson in how employees need to act with maturity and responsibility when representing their business.
And I, I may have lost some Black Territory.
No comments:
Post a Comment