"Where everybody knows your name".......

Yes, I stole that line from the theme song of the old television show “Cheers.” But while that show was airing, I was living it, and it’s true. When working the bar you will always have old friends who come to see you, new friends who happen to wander in, but then goal is to get to a point where everyone becomes friends. Everyone wants to go someplace comfortable, where they will run into some people they can converse with or just sit back and relax, if they so choose.


Last night some old friends came in, a couple I have known for 20 years. A few seats down was a guy who has started coming in for dinner once a week, a new friend. Now, you don’t want anyone to feel like an island, like they’re watching the conversation, you want them to be a part of the conversation. People by nature are mostly sociable creatures or they wouldn’t be out in public in the first place. So it’s your job as the bartender to find a common thread, so your old friends and new friends can chat, and when you’re busy, you don’t have to be involved. Sure, the old friends came to see you, but you have other duties to attend to…so here’s an example of how to keep the conversation going, even when you’re not a part of it……

“Oh, by the way, Bob and Kathy, this is Ernie. Ernie’s usually here once a week for dinner, except for last week when he was fishing in Montana.”

That one statement opens the door for a lot of questions, some of which you may need to ask yourself, to get the ball rolling. “Where in Montana?” “What were you fishing for?” “What was the weather like?” Sooner or later, someone will have a comment to add….”I have a friend who goes fishing in Montana.” “I’ve never been to Montana, what’s it like?”

It could be anything…..somehow this conversation ended up being about going to high school in Detroit. Don’t know how it got there, but that doesn’t matter. All you have to do is throw some sparks out there and watch for the fire to start. If the first spark doesn’t catch, try another one.

Sooner or later, you will have built a social network, people will show up more often, because people want to go where everybody knows their name.