Bartenders do not have an easy time of it. Liquor licenses, entertainment schedules, drunk patrons -- it's a lot to take on. If you can manage a bar, odds are you can manage just about anything. Problem is, ever since Archie Bunker bought his own bar and grill there aren't very many good examples of stellar bar management out there. What do you suppose that is about?
For a bad example, we can always look to The Simpsons. Poor Moe is a pathetic case with the worst judgment on the planet. How many errors do you spot here?
Don't lose your cool. Don't leave your responsibilities unattended. Don't, don't. On the other hand, at least Moe stops short of assault, and he is master of his own domain -- unlike the poor slob working for Tony Soprano, who has an extreme way of rectifying bad hiring decisions.
Valerie Malone (no relation to Sam, as far as I know), in contrast, had the good sense to treat her business on 90210 like a business -- even when she was using it to machiavellian ends, and even if she spent 99 percent of her time messing around in other people's business, to unhappy ends.
But honestly, the award for savviest saloonkeeper of all time has to go to my old favorite Al Swearengen. Deadwood's patriarch is a shrewd businessman, a master showman, he responds quickly to emergencies and he communicates effectively (if violently) with his staff when they drop the ball.
One must bear in mind that there are as many different managerial styles as there are managers -- and people to be managed. Bar management is a completely different animal from the white-collar college grad office environment. You can be a little looser, you can have a little more fun. But you also have to be a lot more careful to keep things in line. Frankly, all I've learned from this week is that I'd be right awful at running such an establishment. A toast to those who do.
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