• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • 5 DOUBLE-U’S
    • MASTHEAD
    • DISTRIBUTION
    • ADVERTISE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 23.02 – 1/28/21

TERMS OF SERVICE: NO SHAME IN SERVICE GAME

Written by HALEY HAMILTON Posted April 4, 2017 Filed Under: COLUMNS, Drinks, LIFESTYLE

 

We do it for the people. And the tips, but mainly the people.

 

Seven years. That’s how long I have been bartending, and it always seems to surprise people. Sometimes my tenure is met with the good kind of surprise, like, Wow! That’s so cool! But mostly, the number of years that I have been behind the bar elicits furrowed brows and funny looks, silent questions asking two things: Why? and What’s wrong with you?

 

I get it: I’m almost 30, which means that in the eyes of those in nearly every other industry, I’m too old to not have an office job with benefits and paid vacation, to fret over what ‘business casual’ means, or to regularly sleep past noon.

 

I don’t bother answering those who believe there is something wrong with me, and who think that I have cognitive deficiencies that keep me out of a more traditional line of work. Because, my friend, times are changing: I’m not married with children either, and good luck calling me a lost cause because of that.

 

But when people ask why I have stayed in the service industry, what drew me to late nights, odd hours, and such a diverse array of duties—as well as when I ask others who have made careers out of what some consider merely a means for making extra money in college, the answer is always the same: We started young and we loved it—so we stayed.

 

Working in an advanced skill restaurant position as a cook or a bartender is violently antithetical to traditional work. Similar to dancing and acting, you get to mix master-level knowledge, technique, and teamwork with an active work environment that honors the desire to do and to make.

 

There’s also this: Some people are simply averse to early mornings, and to the solitary nature of so much office culture. Maybe we’re a little stuck on ourselves, or we have problems with authority, but restaurants are places that demand to be filled with big personalities that thrive on multitasking and being called to think on your feet. Many of us would feel crushed and suffocated by a job entering data or answer phones all day.

 

And while the technical skills that go into preparing and plating fine meals and working in high-volume establishments are a point of pride for many, every career bartender I’ve ever asked about their favorite part of the job has said they stay for the interaction factor: for the chance to augment someone’s experience.

 

I do my fair share of bitching about dealing with unruly and demanding people, but having a true and open conversation with a guest, being the reason someone leaves your bar with a smile on their face—that’s the counterbalance to the bitching, and it always tips the scales.

 

We want you to have a good time, to try something new and love it, to learn, in depth, about a drink or spirit you have always enjoyed. The same kind of high people have after hosting a successful dinner party or event —that’s the feeling we chase every night. That’s what keeps us coming back for 12-hour shifts and more aching knees, often serving people who deserve to be punched in the face.

 

Some people feel they were born to teach because of the connections they build with students. Others feel a calling for the stage because they thirst for the limelight. Most bartenders will tell you they want both.

 

And, you know—the money doesn’t hurt, either.

 

 

 

Copyright 2016 Haley Hamilton.

Terms of Service is licensed for use by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and media outlets in its network.

HALEY HAMILTON

Haley is an AAN Award-winning columnist for DigBoston and Mel magazine and has contributed to publications including the Boston Globe and helped found Homicide Watch Boston. She has spearheaded and led several Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism investigations including a landmark multipart series about the racialized history of liquor licensing in Massachusetts, and for three years wrote the column Terms of Service about restaurant industry issues from the perspective of workers.

More from author
  • HALEY HAMILTON
    https://digboston.com/author/haley-hamilton/
    TEACHING ESSENTIAL WORKERS HOW TO PACIFY THE UNHINGED DURING COVID
  • HALEY HAMILTON
    https://digboston.com/author/haley-hamilton/
    Restaurants offer classes
    SILVER DINING PLAYBOOK: RESTAURANTS FOSTER PHYSICAL COMMUNITY THROUGH REMOTE CLASSES
  • HALEY HAMILTON
    https://digboston.com/author/haley-hamilton/
    A PANDEMIC EMPLOYMENT SURVEY FOR GREATER BOSTON SERVICE INDUSTRY WORKERS
  • HALEY HAMILTON
    https://digboston.com/author/haley-hamilton/
    Al Fresco Boston
    SILVER DINING PLAYBOOK: DON’T FORGET TO OVER-TIP YOUR SERVER

Filed Under: COLUMNS, Drinks, LIFESTYLE Tagged With: Bars, Bartending, eats, Food, Haley Hamilton, Restaurants, service industry, Terms of Service

WHAT’S NEW

Gov. Charlie Baker announces an educator vaccine program Wednesday in a WCVB screen capture.

STATE ADDS 400,000 EDUCATORS TO LIST FOR VACCINE

INBOX: JOHN BARROS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR MAYOR OF BOSTON

INBOX: JOHN BARROS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR MAYOR OF BOSTON

TRUMP GUY WINS THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY TO FILL DELEO’S SEAT

TRUMP GUY WINS THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY TO FILL DELEO’S SEAT

CHECKING IN ON THE COMMONWEALTH’S COMPREHENSIVE CLIMATE BILL

CHECKING IN ON THE COMMONWEALTH’S COMPREHENSIVE CLIMATE BILL

YOUNG VOTERS, OLD GAME

YOUNG VOTERS, OLD GAME

CAMPBELL ORDERS INFORMATION ON OFFICER’S INVOLVEMENT IN CAPITOL ATTACK

CAMPBELL ORDERS INFORMATION ON OFFICER’S INVOLVEMENT IN CAPITOL ATTACK

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • SPECIAL FEATURE ON THE MASS STATE POLICE: TROOPER WILSON’S WAR by CHRIS FARAONE
  • [UPDATE: WE GOT IT!] WHERE IS THE CONTRACT FOR MASSACHUSETTS’ VACCINE APPOINTMENT SOFTWARE? by POLINA WHITEHOUSE
  • BOSTON LATIN ACADEMY GRADS FIGHT FOR REPRESENTATION IN ALUMNI GROUP by CHRIS FARAONE
  • MASS KEEPS TRYING TO BUILD A NEW WOMEN’S PRISON OUTSIDE OF PUBLIC VIEW by DAN ATKINSON
  • WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH MASSACHUSETTS POLITICS AND VACCINATIONS? by ZACK HUFFMAN

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 1.9 – 11/26/20

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG 23.02 – 1/28/21

Footer

digbos

digbos
Can a veteran of the Wisconsin Uprising and former Can a veteran of the Wisconsin Uprising and former Mass union leader rescue the IAFF? https://digboston.com/a-firefighter-election/ #labor #firefighter #union #election #opinion #WisconsinUprising #Massachusetts #national
New #report shows 1/6 of women in Mass prisons sen New #report shows 1/6 of women in Mass prisons sentenced to life without parole. https://digboston.com/commonwealth-committed-to-other-death-penalty/ #prison #prisoner #humanrights #criticism #Massachusetts
“The gratuitous militarization of police forces “The gratuitous militarization of police forces across the United States facilitated by this program has helped to turn these agencies into brutal weapons of repression.” https://digboston.com/inbox-group-calls-for-biden-to-abolish-police-militarization-program/ #police #reform #criticism #Massachusetts
It’s the second time in less than a year that pr It’s the second time in less than a year that progressives have been dealt a bitter defeat in a crowded primary race. https://digboston.com/trump-guy-wins-the-democratic-primary-to-fill-deleos-seat/ #politics #election #Democrats #primary #legislature #Winthrop #Revere  #Massachusetts #MAGA #herp #derp
As lawmakers consider Baker’s amendments to clim As lawmakers consider Baker’s amendments to climate bill, the fight for environmental justice continues. https://digboston.com/checking-in-on-the-commonwealths-comprehensive-climate-bill/ #politics #legislature #environment #activism #globalwarming #Massachusetts
AS LABOR SECRETARY, WILL MARTY WALSH REPRESENT ALL AS LABOR SECRETARY, WILL MARTY WALSH REPRESENT ALL WORKERS? Or just unionized construction workers… and the corporations that fund the Democrats. The latest from DigBoston's @jasonpramas. https://digboston.com/as-labor-secretary-will-marty-walsh-represent-all-workers/ #politics #labor #union #work #national #analysis #Boston #Massachusetts
Includes Gang Green, The Freeze, SIEGE, TREE, and Includes Gang Green, The Freeze, SIEGE, TREE, and many more. https://digboston.com/iconic-lineup-comes-through-to-support-nantasket-venue-through-pandemic/ #music #digital #benefit #Hull #Massachusetts
Our interview with Avi Loeb, author of “Extrater Our interview with Avi Loeb, author of “Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth.” https://buff.ly/2O3nlUd #interview #book #alien #technology #astronomy #controversy #debate #science #Boston #Massachusetts
LGBTQ+ prisoners in Mass stand up to a violent sys LGBTQ+ prisoners in Mass stand up to a violent system that targets and dehumanizes vulnerable populations. https://digboston.com/special-feature-the-cruel-and-usual-violence-against-lgbtq-people-in-mass-prisons/ #prison #prisoner #humanrights #LGBT #politics #Massachusetts
Nominations now open! Vote for your favorite busin Nominations now open! Vote for your favorite businesses today. 

Are you a business? Are you the best at what you do? Encourage your fans to cast their votes! DM us to get our social media materials to promote your business and ensure your win. #bostontops #digboston
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]