HEY! We're closed!

I am constantly amazed at how many people (some even seemingly intelligent) don’t know when they’ve over stayed their welcome. It was easy when I worked at a place that stayed open until 2:30 a.m. by law (in Michigan) we could not serve any alcoholic beverages after 2:00 a.m., and everyone had to be gone by 2:30. It doesn’t matter whether or not you had finished your drink, or food for that matter, by 2:30, we had to throw you out. And yes, it was fun.


However, now I choose to work at a place that does not stay open that late. The other night we had a group of nine, who came for a late dinner and business meeting. We stayed a little past our normal closing time for them. As we were waiting for them to leave, I closed up the bar…..which includes putting little paper cone cups over the tops of all the bottles. It’s more than little obvious that we are done for the night.

Four of them decide to come over to the bar…along with the physical evidence that we are closed, as they came around the corner, I was picking up my purse to leave. The people they saw in the lounge, were the servers, (it’s easy to tell, they all have on the same uniform) They weren’t there to party, they were cashing out for the night. So what do these guys do? Plop their butts down on the bar stools, comment on the cone cups, “Oh, you must be closing” then point to the beer taps and say, “I bet those still work.” Idiots.

Then there’s the two guys who came in last night for dinner. They were not the last table to arrive, but they were the last table to leave. The dining room is empty, has been for a while, there is no sign of life, and still they sit. The server and busboy were in the kitchen waiting for them to leave. Knowing that subtlety is totally lost on fools, I picked up my purse, hung it on my shoulder, had a to go cup of pop in my left hand, and started to walk through the dining room…..I paused ever so slightly at their table, all the while looking them in the eye, (it sort of forces them to acknowledge you) and they asked, “Are you closing?” “Uh-huh.” I’m not going with the standard answer, “Oh, it’s okay, take your time.” They’ve already taken their time, and mine. It’s almost an hour past closing. By the time I took two more steps, they were getting up and leaving. Mission accomplished.