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While every bartender and waiter has their own approach to dealing with customers, they can all make a lasting impression. But whether it's good or bad depends on a lot of factors.

To show you just how memorable a casual trip to the restaurant or bar can be, Bored Panda collected the funniest, weirdest, and most wholesome experiences people have shared with their servers.

From taking care of the homeless to matching on Tinder, continue scrolling and check out what we have in store for you this time!

Moments like these don't just happen. To learn more about what goes into making customers happy, we contacted Danil Nevsky, the founder and CEO of the Indie Bartender Company, an organization that strives to inspire and support fearless and enthusiastic bartenders who want to advance as independent professionals.

He said that being a bartender is like being a discount psychologist plus a pharmacist, morphed into an actor on stage at an improv theatre while being shouted at by waiters, the kitchen staff, the guests, and the owner all at the same time.

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"It is like trying to juggle umbrellas using your feet on a rollercoaster in Disneyland Paris," Nevsky told Bored Panda. "Those that end up doing this for a living are definitely into masochism and, if anything, are probably the most caring and educated people you will ever meet."

Nevsky said there is a saying about bartenders that goes like this: "The bartender is the aristocrat of the working class." He doesn't look at the phrase as something pretentious or having anything to do with financial wealth. Instead, he thinks it's about people. "Bartending is the only profession where the entire world comes to [you] in good times and bad. Another expression I really like is, 'A man walks into a bar and discovers the world!'"

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#6

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Amy Dodds
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jfc the comments on this post. Calling the girl a cheat, thief, fraud and prostitute. What is wrong with you all?

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Estelle Winwoode
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She sounds like a Hostess or escort and what happened sounds like a common and age-old scam to separate lonely, drunk men from their money. She didn't say whose idea it was - she got a guy to pay her to drink with him. She drank water (cold tea looks like scotch or other spirits, water looks like gin or vodka) and took his money, and she laughed about it.

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Daniel Mattock
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She didn’t defraud him, idiotic commenters, she did do shots with the guy.

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Blaze Fitzwater
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He paid to not drink alone. He never specified shots of what. 🙃

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AngelWingsYT
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All the ppl mad at the girl are just guys pissed a girl outsmarted a guy

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Estelle Winwoode
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope, I'm a woman with enough experience of the world to recognize that this was a hostess ripping off a customer. It's a familiar trick, but it's usually cold tea, not water.

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Valley Girl
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There should be a code word for shots of water at every bar

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Estelle Winwoode
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you WORK at the bar, like this woman does, you can set up code words with the bartender.

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Theodore Theodora
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Asshole guy is an asshole predator, but the bartender and you rock.

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Estelle Winwoode
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The guy was the woman's customer. She worked at the bar (probably as a hostess) and that is why she was drinking with the man. She got him to pay her $100 per shot but she didn't actually drink with him. She's the predator, and the asshole.

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helen anderson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I say good for you! You're not the first nor last to do this!😄 they have been doing this since the Greek age I'm sure!

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Caro Caro
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That bartender is great. I would take shots of water for less Hahaha /////// Edit: It's at her work sooooo Cheri Aline Sydney is right, this is wrong. Sorry, MY bad.

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AspieGirl88
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Considering this is how young ladies disappear in countless places throughout the world, I’d say that’s one bullet dodged! Making a girl drink that many shots in a row, it’s obvious what kind of intentions this guy had & if she has to fake it with water just to stay safe, power to her! 🍸👏🤷‍♀️

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Estelle Winwoode
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Last night at work I HAD THIS GUY GIVE ME $100 for every shot I took with him..." She works somewhere where she drinks with men, either for pay and tips or just tips, and SHE HAD HIM GIVE HER THE MONEY. He wasn't the predator, she was.

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J
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

First question, why are you allowed to take shots at work with customers?? Thats just a bad way to operate a business. Most bars don't allow this and fire servers that violate the drinking at work rule. Second, if he's paying you to go one on one with him he's hardly a predator because YOU knew what you were getting into. YOU CHOOSE to do this (even if its water). Personal responsibility is still a thing. If I was your manager, you would be unemployed, along with the bartender.

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Estelle Winwoode
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She wasn't behind the bar, and she almost certainly wasn't wait staff as she wouldn't be able to drink with the customers - she was probaby a hostess. That's fine by me, and if she feels she needs to drink water instead of shots, hey, she knows what's best for her health. What gets me is her "lmao" because she took the man's money wthout actually drinking with him. So she cheated him - he drank alone - and she laughed about it. I also read it as her deal "I had this guy give me $$ for drinking with him..." No where does it say he offered her money. The suggestion is that she asked for it.

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Estelle Winwoode
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She's at work - she's a hostess paid tips to drink with men. She drinks water instead, and takes their money. This would be fine if she wasn't laughing at the guy.

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AngelWingsYT
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2 years ago

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Leah Hofman
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2 years ago

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Lisa
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2 years ago

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Ba Loeloe
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2 years ago

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What's her job? Lure customers into taking shots together? Sounds like a prostitute?

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Adreanne Woodard
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Read the title of the whole article. She's a bartender. That's a huge ass difference from a prostitute

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Nevsky said there's a lot of types of customers bartenders have to deal with but when it comes to tips, "cougars and gay men [are the best.] Both are generous ... and have a more 'free' approach to spending money and trying out new things."

"For conversations, actors and basically everyone in the arts. [They] love to gossip and are generally all 'starving artists' who spend their entire monthly budget in one weekend. They also have the best stories and will teach you something you'll end up passing onto your kids and parents in order to look cultured."

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hyperunknown
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I once was an adventurer like you, but then i took a spear to the chest"

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Vero
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so, if you dont have a cellphone, you don get to see the menu?

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Nevsky added that baristas and other bartenders are the best to make drinks to since they love to experiment with new flavors or know exactly what they want the moment they sit down. "Some will try to show off and catch you out on your knowledge whilst others will give you honest feedback on your original creations while sharing their own knowledge with you. But all of them will keep you sharp."

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Anne
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or he already thought you were cute and remembered your (very specific) drink

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Devil's Advocate
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But if the waiter hadn't been "fit", this would have been "ewww, creepy waiter hit on me", but I bet he hits on loads of girls

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Nevsky, who also shares his craft on his Instagram account, has had plenty of memorable encounters with his customers as well. "Some were scary, some were spicy and some were just awkward," he said. "One that springs to mind was with a guest who I was serving for a whole month during a brief stint of working in Beirut a few years back. The man would come in and usually just drink straight whisky but I managed to earn his trust and slowly introduced him to some classic cocktails such as the Manhattan, Boulevardier, and Rob Roy. When he learned that I would be leaving at the end of the month, he told me he works at the airport and that I should let him know when my flight was so he can come and say his goodbyes," the bartender recalled.

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As with any job, servers don't just become good. To develop their skills, they need on-the-job training. "If you have to choose between spending money on a bartending course and making money working a shift as a bar-back or a cocktail server, choose to work," Lynnette Marrero, a bartender, mixologist, and a co-founder of the world's first all-female speed bartending competition, 'Speed Rack, told Cosmopolitan.

That being said, certain classes, like the Beverage Alcohol Resource (a well-respected accreditation that teaches you all about spirits), are valuable. But they still aren't the same as real-life practice.

Even though servers aren't athletes, injuries like tennis elbow, tendinitis, and carpal tunnel are all fairly common in bartenders, thanks to mixing heavy shakers above your head all night.

As you can imagine, it's exhausting to work 10-hour shifts on your feet, and your back will ache from frequently bending down to grab ingredients under the bar. Not to mention having to entertain the customers.

"Small adjustments—like wearing comfortable shoes, taking breaks to stretch your muscles, and practicing proper cocktail-shaking form—will help your body in the long run," Marrero advised.

Servers also miss out on parties, Saturday night hangs, and having a normal dating life, since most people schedule plans at the same time they're grinding away.

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Marrero, for example, is married to a "daywalker" (what bartenders call people with regular day-time jobs), and said that in the beginning of their relationship, it was very difficult to find time for each other. "Sometimes, you'll have to give up your best shifts to go to someone's wedding, and sometimes you'll have to miss out on something important because you can't take off work."

Marrero said there's nothing more glam than comping your friends' drinks, but bartenders should try not to make it a habit.

"You have to account for those drinks (they get charged to a 'comp tab'), and it also shows that you don't view the bar as a place of business."

Of course, the staff can buy a drink for a return customer to build up a relationship, but the buy-back is not a right—it's a compliment to people who visit you regularly.

At a certain point in the night, the bar gets crazy packed and there's a deep line of people waiting to order drinks.

"Some bartenders might take a quick shot at this point to deal with the stress, but I actually find that this is the best time to get in the zone. Customers might get impatient, but you just give them a little nod to acknowledge that you see them and keep banging out drink orders. Time passes the most quickly when it's busy, and you make the most money on tips," Marrero explained.

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Devil's Advocate
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, have you? 1995 is now 26 years ago even though I'm pretty sure it was last month...

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When the time came and Nevsky arrived at the airport, an armed soldier with an assault rifle welcomed him. "It was the first time in my life I genuinely thought I was absolutely [screwed] and sent my mom a simple 'I love you' just before I got out of the car. The soldier escorted me to the airport and into the customs clearance area whilst confiscating my luggage. As I sat there alone for what seemed like an eternity, the guest I had been serving all month came in with a giant smile on his face holding coffee and sweets."


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Natalie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Does the 'You're a wizard, Danny' expression look a lot like the 'You're a condescending ass, Danny' expression? Just askin'.

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Otter
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The only shame in being hammered at a bar, is if you're the designated driver.

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Turns out, the guy was the chief of border control at the airport! "My luggage was already checked in, and [he gave me] my boarding pass and a bottle of red wine from his grandfather's vineyard. We talked about cocktails, women, and when will I come back to Lebanon. I got out and didn't even have to get my stuff scanned. The soldier escorted me right to the gate as I boarded first. Everyone around probably thought I was important. But I was just trying to recover from a heart attack."

#23

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Otter
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thats the drink you order after your taste buds have blacked out.

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As you can tell from the pictures (and maybe your personal experience), people reveal to bartenders not only their joys but their sorrows as well. According to one study, bartenders said 16 percent of customers routinely did so. But why?

"First of all, if your cocktail-serving confidant works somewhere you visit frequently, you probably don't view them as a stranger," Wendy L. Patrick, J.D., Ph.D., wrote in Psychology Today. "After all, bartenders are trained (and paid) to engage patrons. If you saddle up to their bar often, they remember what you order, and trust me, they also remember how you tip."

But due to the hectic bar atmosphere, bartenders are actually less capable of addressing their patron's personal problems as compared with other informal help-agents, such as beauticians and lawyers, who traditionally engage clients one-to-one. Bartenders, in contrast, are required to engage multiple customers simultaneously

So the next time you meet your favorite server, let them know that you value their work. Your good words will mean just as much to them as your tip.