You are a worthless P.O.S. if you don't hire a bartender for your house party, say people who own catering companies and two random douchebags. This is a certified trend, according to the Times Thursday Style section, which, ahem, reports that "a growing crowd of 30-something New Yorkers who wish to signal they’ve graduated from post-collegiate squalor to young professional coming of age... won’t invite friends over for cocktails without the assistance of a bartender — eve [sic] if there’s barely room for the bartender to stand." Interviews with caterers and people who've hired bartenders confirm it, and here are the three most infuriating quotes from this most infuriating of articles:
If You Don't Hire a Bartender For Your Party, You're Pathetic
Lawsuit: Cops Filed False Report To Protect Steakhouse
An actress claims a manager at Smith & Wollensky steakhouse attacked and berated her for refusing to sleep with a bartender—and police covered up the incident to "maintain goodwill" between the NYPD and the eatery. Jennifer Sachs, 38, says a patron and a drunken manager at the 49th Street restaurant called her a "f---ing Jew" when she refused the barkeep's proposition. When police arrived, she claims they arrested her on false charges of assault and disorderly conduct so they could keep getting cheap food and drinks.
Lots of Money in Mixology, Making Dogs Poop
Some "hidden rich people" were recently profiled by the New York Post, and now we regret not considering a different career path. A limo driver, for instance, makes $250,000 a year/up to $20,000 a day driving around celebrities. A personal trainer pulls in $300 an hour and between $200,000 and $250,000 a year, and Soho dog walker Eddie Bimonte earns about $4,000 a month, $230 a day. "My job is to make sure they pee and poop," he explains. "I love it when they poop!"
Yankees Deny Dismissing Elderly Bartender Because of Age
An elderly bartender who spent 27 seasons behind the bar at the Yankees' Stadium Club says he was rejected for a job at the team's new home because he's just too old. 73-year-old John Vendikos—who has served legends like Joe DiMaggio—says that when the Yankees' food service company began hiring for the new stadium, he was instructed to re-interview for his old job. He tells the Post, in an article headlined Boo-ze for the Yanks, "I had to wait in line for three hours, and when I got in, the guy said to me, 'Why should I hire you? You're an old man.' At first, I was sure he was being a wisenheimer. But then I realized he was dead serious." Vendikos is filing a complaint against the Yankees with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and says, "This never would have happened before Mr. [George] Steinbrenner became sick."
Would You Date These Desperate Chefs and Barkeeps?
It's not easy maintaining a healthy relationship when you're fully immersed in the not-so-healthy restaurant and bar industry. So Time Out NY has come to the rescue this week, highlighting personal ads from local chefs, bartenders and club owners who are on the prowl. Anita Lo (pictured), chef and co-owner of Bar Q, is attracted "to pretty girls" and wants "someone who eats everything." Alex Day, a bartender at fussy cocktail lounge Death & Company, gets points for being totally upfront about his twee attire: "I wear a tie and vest or suspenders six nights a week—you can’t work in this part of the industry without being a little bit of a dandy." And Matthew Roff, who co-owns Southpaw and Public Assembly, likes "girls who know how to fucking drive." Go get 'em, fast drivin', big eatin', Wes Anderson fans!
Slow Economy Shrinking Bartender Tips
Here’s a tip: the recession is screwing the service industry. Though it’s hard to quantify, the National Bartender Association says many bartenders are reporting a 30% drop in income thanks to smaller tips. The AP has a long report on the tip decline nationwide, while the Post talks to some local bartenders about the trend. Courtney Fox at the Meatpacking District’s Hog Pit says, "Now people are leaving you a dollar on $10, rather than two on whatever they gave." Come on, bros, Fox makes a slammin’ car bomb – don’t be cheap. Besides, she's totally vibing you!
Who's Tipping What at NYC Venues?
Do certain band's fans tip better than others? Sasha Frere-Jones does an uncontrolled study at Bowery Ballroom -- and Chromeo fans, you're busted.
“When Chromeo played, their crowd drank house vodka and Budweiser. Didn’t tip. Some of them did what I’ll call the slide-backs. They put a dollar down on the bar, wait until you turn your back, then palm their buck and walk away. Classy. When your night starts out with “What’s your cheapest drink?” that’s also not good.”Classy, indeed. So who is picking up the slack and keeping these bartenders in the green? It's the hard-drinking hard-rockers, of course. Specifically Preistess fans who fancy a little whiskey with their beer and often tip $2 per drink. Similarly, Bogmen fans aren't tight-fisted either, as Bowery bartender Amy Korb tells SFJ, "It’s nearly impossible to keep the Bud Light stocked in the cooler or the Ketel on the shelf. They draw investment bankers, guys who shout and get inappropriate, but, damn, they need that Bud Light."

