Bartending 101: The good, the bad and the drunks.

[SoulReapingWolf 2258]

Message from SoulReapingWolf

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This guide was updated, edited and completed by SoulReapingWolf, however, the original post belongs to @Farryn This Guide update is part of the Guide Update, Consolidation and Archiving Project ran by @LadyCarolina

 

Introduction

 

So, your character is wanting to become a bartender, or perhaps has just gained a job at one of the taverns within the continent the descendants are living in? That’s good! A job where they can meet many new people and earn plenty of minas! Great! You’re all excited and ready to go but then you suddenly realize! you’re confused, you're puzzled! You don’t know how to bartend! So, how EXACTLY do you bartend?

This is a guide that I decided to make for anyone who has a character who is a bartender or if they are players, old and new, wanting to become a bartender. I realized there wasn't already a guide for bartending up so I decided to write it for all who wish to become a bartender Basically, this will be a neat little stepping stone in helping you become the best bartender you can be! This guide is mostly based on what I have learned as Elvi Terryal, a bartender at the Drunken Monk Tavern (located on the outskirts of the Cloud Temple by the stone road), and also from common knowledge. There will be a lot to cover, from how to serve a mug of ale to what you should not do as a bartender. Hopefully, this guide will help with your RP as a Lord of The Craft bartender!

 

The Minecraft Bartending.

Basically, from my own experiences (both LOTC and on another server), bartending on a roleplaying server can mostly be placed into 6 steps I call, ‘The Minecraft bartending’: 

• The customer goes to the bar and orders food/drink.
• The bartender gets a Minecraft item representing food/drink.
• The bartender gives food/drink to the customer.
• The customer gives the Bartender the minas.
• The customer drinks and leaves the tavern.
• The bartender goes and serves the next customers.
   

 This is alright but this seems dull and boring, there isn’t really any interaction between the bartender and the customer, might as well just create an automatic shop. Also, there is a lack of emotes, especially when it came to serving the drinks, making it a little hard for any other customers to know what the customer is getting served or how the bartender serves their orders. So, why not spice it up with a pinch of roleplay and emotions. How do you include RPing in bartending instead of just the typical ‘Minecraft Bartending, or what do I do? I’ll show how by breaking each step down and giving tips. I’ll be using ale as an example here.

 

• The customer goes to bar and orders ale: This step mostly depends on the customers and whenever or not they want to be served. If they do, they will approach the bar. However, you can at least make a conversation here by greeting them. Example: “Hello! Welcome to the Drunken Monk tavern! How may I be of service to you, sir?” or ‘Greetings, sir! May I interest you in a mug of Blood Lotus Ale?” for customers who don’t go immediately to the bar, which just encourages them to reply back and maybe come to the bar. Through this, you’re making the customer feel welcomed and engaging in RP with you. If the person greets you back, this may lead to having a conversation with the customer (AKA: RP!). If your character notices something strange about the customer (from a large boil on their nose to the depressed look on their face, or anything strange) you can have your bartender character ask them about it (you can include this in any of the stages aside from five if they leave). Besides, it will at least make another character’s day through being greeted warmly by a kind-hearted bartender. Oh and do listen carefully to what they order, you don’t want to make the customer angry. An angry customer tends to cause trouble and may mean you may not get paid an extra tip. A happy customer is a customer you’ll want to serve.
• The bartender gets MC item representing the ale & Bartender gives ale to the customer. The steps where you show off your emoting skills. These are the two steps where most bartenders get the MC item and hand it to the customer without an inch of RP.  We all know the typical ‘grab the MC item and chuck it at the customer’ but it doesn’t seem suitable for the RP here, this is an RP server after all. So, roleplay serving the ale (or whatever your customer wants) as it will add a nice mood and atmosphere to the tavern, making it feel more like a proper tavern than a 2-3 second food and drink hand out. Basically, I will show you how I serve a drink on LOTC as an example:
  • ‘Elvi nods and would reach up to the shelf, grabbing a mug. She carries the mug over to the keg (where the ale is stored) in a relaxed pace and the young Alchemist places the mug under the keg. She would pull the tab and a rich golden liquid, smelling of sweet apples and alcohol, pours steadily into the mug. Elvi then tilts the mug back, allowing a healthy foam to gather at the top of the mug. Once the mug is full, Elvi releases the tab and would carry the mug to the bar where -insert customer name here- is waiting.’

 

As you can see in what I wrote, I’m descriptive and I focus on key details (such as the color and the smell of the ale, and what Elvi does from grabbing the mug to where she places it, etc). Being descriptive allows your customers to know what you are doing, how you are doing it, what does the ale smell and look like, and so on.  Besides, you are a roleplayer, roleplaying is what you should be doing! Between the emotions, your character may have to talk to someone or quickly do something else. Lastly, everyone has their own ways on RP, from the brief to the descriptive, so don’t feel pressured on getting down every single detail, just focus on one or two small bits and RP. If there are some things you’re confused about, like what a keg is, Google it! Don’t be afraid to do a little bit of research into bartending! Some people also describe the type of mugs they have in each tavern or serve different drinks in different types of drinking containers, take this into account, while the MC item representing the drink is in a glass bottle the RP item can be served in whatever you desire.

 

The customer gives Bartender the minas: With the ale served, your bartender can finally get paid! You don’t really need to go into full detail about taking the minas, just ‘-bartender name- would take the minas with a nod to the customer before placing them away in their minas pouch-’. OOC wise, I would wait till the player has given you the minas they needed to pay you before giving the drink to them. However, there will be times where a customer may not have the exact minas needed or even give you a tip (if you was quick, polite, etc).

What to do/emote if the customer fails to pay the minas: I have a solution that can be used to prevent the customer from running scot-free with their purchase: Ask for the minas first and once they paid, give them their item. If they don’t pay, ask them why. The most common excuse would be that they need to go to the bank, let them and they should hopefully pay you. There is also the vote (or gaining sudden minas from the sky gods) where the customers can get the minas on the spot. If they still have not paid them, don’t give them their orders.

What to do/emote if the customer gives you a tip: Basically, a tip is basically giving the bartender more than the average price. This could because the customer is happy you served them or if they are just very kind people. In other words, more minas for you! Just have your character say thanks and take the tip with a smile. Some times players forget about this a simple emote like “Tips are at the customer’s discretion but greatly appreciated”
 

Customer drinks and leaves & Bartender goes and serves next customers: These last two steps aren’t much to focus on, but some things may happen after serving the customer the drink or food. Such as the customer wants to have a chat about the latest gossip or information that will be somewhat useful to hear. If the customer doesn’t talk more to your character or just leaves, just relax and wait till the next customer turns up OR go to the next customer. (Personally, I would just have my character lean against the workbench, relaxing a little before going to the next customers.) Once you got a new customer, repeat the process again! Step 1: Get the order. Step 2: Prepare the order. Step 3: Get ready to give the order to the customer. Step 4: Profit.

 

These steps also apply for foods and teas as well, although if you want to RP your character making the food, I do recommend researching some recipes (like making bread, soup, teas, etc) if you’re unsure of what to emote. 

 

Also, there may be a time when a customer asks you to put the price on his tab. A tab is basically the customer paying for the order later on in the week. These tabs may build up so I recommend noting down how many tabs a character has and then set a time limit for the character to pay for his or her tab. (Don't set the limit to an hour, give the character/user time to get the minas. Mostly, I go for one-two Elven Weeks)

 

The Dos and Don’ts of Bartending

• DO: emote your actions, it’ll help bring your character to life instead of just doing the basic ‘Minecraft Bartending’ over and over. Besides, it may even improve your RP and get you to use to write in detail.
• DON’T: Minecraft Bartend, unless you are really unsure about how to emote something or if you’re in a rush to do something else.
• DO: Listen carefully to what the customer is ordering. No one enjoys receiving the wrong food or drink.
• DO: Be active! This is something I am sure many tavern owners would like their bartenders to be.
• DON’T: Forget that you’re a bartender now! I’ve seen one or two people recruited as a bartender but then I never got to see them again as they most likely forgot their character is a bartender or cannot be asked with the job. It saves the tavern owner from having to give out more keys (AKA allowing access to behind the bar and chests.)

If your bartender character that might be the type who:

May be rude to customers.

May have a grudge against a particular customer.

May purposely overcharge someone

Maybe steal from the bar. 

Let your character steal, overcharge, be rude, and bring personal matters into the bar if they ARE the type of person who would do that. Although there may be some consequences for your character, it’ll at least let your character be themselves rather than a goodie-two-shoes bartender. Although make sure you don’t steal literally everything, the other bartenders (and yourself) will need these for orders, so don’t go too overboard with the stealing. Make it noticeable that some things have gone missing (like a mass drop in haystacks or ale), but don’t literally empty out all the chests.

 

Credit & Message From The Original Author:

Spoiler

 

@Farryn

Lastly, do have fun bartending. It's a nice profession to start off with as a new player so I highly recommend taking it up if you are unsure or if you want to try something new!

I hope this guide is useful to any new bartenders (and old) out there. - GiratinaXable.