Welcome to the Daily Quote – a podcast designed to kickstart your day in a positive way. I'm Andrew McGivern for December 5th.Today is National Bartender Day. Honoring the people who mix drinks and listen.Bartenders are known not just for their mixology skills but also for being a pseudo-psychologist. In other words they are good listeners.
Which brings us to today's quote from bartending expert Harry Gordon Johnson who wrote:"The greatest accomplishment of a bartender lies in his ability to exactly suit his customer."Johnson understood. It's not about flashy tricks. It's about reading people. Knowing when to chat, when to stay quiet.Good bartenders don't just pour drinks. They match the moment. Strong when you need strength. Light when you need ease.They suit you. Exactly.
I actually used to be a bartender. And I learned this lesson pretty quick. I had been working weeknights because I liked having the weekends off but I switched shifts and started working the weekends. One of the other bartenders warned me about this jerk who always sits at the end of the bar, spends hundreds of dollars every Friday night and doesn't tip at all. Well sure enough at the end of the night, a big bill with a big ZERO in the tip line. So after a couple weeks of this one Friday I served him his drink and stuck around for bit. He spoke about his family and friends and some trouble his kids got into recently. For the rest of the night when I wasn't busy and he wasn't chatting with someone else, I'd step over and be a good conversationalist. Well at the end of the night after ordering a lot of drinks for himself and others there was huge tab with a 20% tip included. Wow... lesson learned. My job wasn't just making and serving good drinks. It was much more than that... for people who needed it. Some people who come into a bar by themselves and sit at the bar are looking for more than a drink. Others, that is all they want. And it was my job to exactly suit my customer.So next time you go for a drink. See how the bartender adapts to your personality. Maybe they're matching your mood before you say a word. Reading your needs. Suiting you exactly.Johnson was right. That's the art. That's the accomplishment.And that's going to do it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern signing off for now but I'll be back tomorrow. Same Pod time, same Pod Station - with another Daily Quote.