I was bartending an afternoon happy hour shift at the dive bar, which is typically a pretty mellow shift. Even the busier happy hours don't usually see more than 30 people in the bar at a time. At a place with no food and customers mostly ordering beers and shots, it's very manageable. Therefore, these shifts are always one bartender and no security guard.

Every once in a while, though, you get rocked. And on those days, managing the crowd like a security guard is important.

The Happy Hour That Got Weird

In the midst of one of those shifts, I checked the ID of a guy who was there by himself, and he was barely 21. He had weird energy—possibly drunk already, but not showing signs of heavy impairment. Just...off. He ordered a beer, and without asking if he wanted to keep his tab open, I closed him out, anticipating that I might not be serving him another one.

The Sprint for the Door

As soon as I went to take orders on the other side of the bar, I glanced over my shoulder to see him darting toward the exit with his beer. I rushed to cut him off before he made it to the sidewalk.*

After telling him he can't leave with a drink, he responded, "Just let me take it! Just let me take it!" Then he tried to start walking past me.

I reached to take his beer from him, and he put a death grip on it. With a packed bar, I had to end this quickly, but he was determined to leave with the beer. 

A couple of seconds that felt like a couple of minutes passed with both of our hands on the beer before he goes, "Just let me finish it." By then, he was halfway out of the establishment. I said fine, he chugged it, then made a motion like he was going to slam the pint glass on the pavement. Luckily, I caught his arm, took the glass, and he stormed down the street to presumably terrorize another bartender.

*There are very few places (if any) in the US outside of Las Vegas or New Orleans where you can drink liquor in public. In states such as California, a bar can potentially lose its liquor license if a customer leaves the establishment with an alcoholic beverage

Merch From The Customer’s Wrong Is Now Available

If stories like this feel painfully familiar, you’re not alone. Merch featuring quotes, lines, and moments from The Customer’s Wrong is now available with our first launch, the Do Not Wave t-shirt.

More t-shirts, bar gear, and other items inspired by the chaos of bartending will be live on the site in the coming weeks.