When people listen as well as cats.......

We had a group of about 15 come in for Happy Hour last Friday. They’ve been there before, but it’s usually been on a week night. During the week the lounge is slow, so it doesn’t matter where they sit or stand. There’s usually some that sit at the bar, many of them stand (totally blocking the aisle) and some work their way to whichever table they want. That’s fine during the week, but it’s a different story on Friday.

They started arriving about 4:00 p.m. I asked how many they thought there would be, they weren’t sure. So I told them if they needed any tables, to let me know, and I would clear off a couple of tables for them, since it was Friday, we would be getting busy and would need the rest of the tables.

I may as well have been talking to my cat. They heard me, but gave it no mind. Next thing I know, they are putting their coats and jackets wherever they felt like it. (Now they have staked claim to three tables (there are only 10)…..they ordered some appetizers, we set them out one ONE table ….as the hostess is leading folks to tables behind them, they all have to squeeze in between other tables just to get by.

The singer arrives….had to go through a long series of “Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me,” just to get back to where her equipment is.

Okay, we’re getting busy…..I explained the table situation a couple of times, since this herd of cats chose not to listen, I didn’t feel any more conversation was necessary….so I walked out to the tables which were being used as coat depots, and started moving them all to one table.  (Your coats aren't spending any money)

Finally the herd started shrinking and more folks needed tables for dinner, so I once again walked over to the last table, which had two coats left on the chairs, and hung them on the bar stools they were sitting on.

Oh, and then there’s the bar stools they were just standing next to, (with no intention of actually using them,) the other bartender and I started telling others to go ahead and sit there. The ones standing next to them started giving us sneery cat looks.

Sorry! Perhaps you should develop a little social awareness, after all, you’re not the only ones here.