Perhaps burning bras was all the rage back in the day, but fire department officials in Milwaukee were worried about a very specific collection of undergarments going up in flames. After a bar with a 45-year tradition of decorating its premises with bras and boxers had to take down the hanging intimates for fear of spreading fires, the business’ owner is now celebrating after the city said the clothing is probably harmless. Whew. [More]
bars
California Lawmaker Seeking To Extend Bar Hours Not Ready To Part With That Beer At 2 A.M.
By 4.9.13
To a person, the one thing visiting friends always said to me after I moved to New York City was: “It’s crazy how late bars are open here!” Crazy, maybe, but last call is at 4 a.m., and not 2 a.m. like many other establishments across the country. One California lawmaker has apparently been visiting pals in the Big Apple because he wants his state to adopt those later hours for last call. [More]
Sorry, Massachusetts: Looks Like You’re Not Getting Happy Hour Anytime Soon
By 2.4.13
If you live in a state where happy hour is legal, pat yourself on the back and consider pouring one out for your Massachusetts cocktail-loving brethren. Lawmakers had been flirting with the idea of repealing the state’s 29-year ban on happy hour, but from the sound of it, regulators think it would be a bad idea for both businesses and the public’s safety. [More]
This Beer Promotion Isn't A Good Deal, But At Least It's Honest
By 9.19.12
Regular photo contributor Ashi sent us this photo, seen in San Diego. It’s a thing of beauty: truth in advertising and the least fuzzy math we’ve ever seen. Or is it the most fuzzy math, because it’s calling your attention to something that isn’t a special price at all? [More]
"Cocktail Party Animal" Sues Bar For Serving Him Booze & Severing His Finger While Bouncing Him
By 9.19.12
If your lawyer calls you a “cocktail party animal” and you previously downed seven alcoholic drinks at a bar before waltzing into another bar, where they serve you the booze you ordered but then kick you out, accidentally severing your pinkie finger in the process should you sue said bar? Okay, hold up. Rhetorical situation aside? A Washington D.C. man is doing just that — suing a bar for loss of pinkie after feeding him drinks he asked for. Oh, the world we live in. [More]
Dallas Bar-Owners Unhappy About New School Ruining Their Neighborhood
By 1.31.12
Usually when you see reports about a flashy new charter school going into a neighborhood of bars and nightclubs, it’s about how local families are thrilled about the area taking a turn for the better. But bar-owners in Dallas’ Deep Ellum area are hoping to 86 the school’s plans of bringing education to the block. [More]
The Right Way To Get A Bartender's Attention
By 10.11.11
If you’ve ever felt like you need to send off flares and sparklers in order to get a drink from the bar, bartender and bar culture author Rosie Schaap has some advice on things that will work to get served faster. [More]
Even More Reasons Your Waitress Hates You
By 9.7.10
Last week, we wrote about the reasons your cocktail waitress probably doesn’t like you very much. The item earned some strong reactions, including an f-bomb laden response/addendum from the folks theGloss.com. [More]
Why Your Cocktail Waitress Hates You
By 9.3.10
When you’re in the business of serving up drinks to packs of cocky water buffalo, you have to put up with some serious bull. One cocktail waitress carried around a pen and paper and wrote down some of the most annoying and degrading things she and her brethren experience in the course of their duties. [More]
Illinois And Wisconsin Do Not Mess Around When It Comes To Drinkin'
By 3.5.10
Say what you will about the heart of the Midwest,
it’s certainly not hard to find a bar. Geography blog FloatingSheep
took a look a the bar-to-grocery store ratio in different parts of
the country and it became immediately apparent that Illinois and
Wisconsin (and part of Iowa) team up to form the beer belly of
America.
College Students Arrested For Refusing To Pay Tip
By 11.19.09
Should you be required by law to pay a gratuity if you don’t think the restaurant’s service was worth it? The police in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania think so, and they arrested two college students for refusing to pay a $16.35 tip over what they claim was poor service. Update 11/23/09: the charges will be dropped.
Ms. Booty Will Be Your Waitress
By 7.31.09
Andrew just looked over the credit card receipt from a night out earlier this month, and he noticed that his server has an unusually descriptive name. Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow named her.
Continental's "General Vibe" Doesn't Include Black People
By 5.26.09
Laney went out for drinks after work with some co-workers. He changed out of his uniform, but they wore theirs. Soon after the group entered, Laney was asked to leave, ostensibly due to a dress code violation…but it became clear his outfit wasn’t the problem.
Martinis: Classy, Yet Thrifty!
By 3.6.09
Want more bang for your buck at the bar? Take a cue from James Bond and order a martini. Alcohol-to-price, it’s the best value out there. Gin, dirty, up, with olives for me, please. Mmmm. (Photo: boyghost)
Money-Conscious Boozers Fight Depression With Happy Hour
By 1.10.09
Consumers low in spirits are starting to sadden bar owners as they increasingly take advantage of happy hour deals. People aren’t cutting back on their drinking, but they are consuming more at home and trying to extract more booze from their buck when they go out.
Japan Introduces Monkey Waiters; Blogger Scratches Another Business Plan Off His List
By 10.9.08
A Japanese sake house near Tokyo has stolen one of my ideas and employed monkeys as waiters—one brings hot towels to customers when they sit down, and another takes orders and delivers bottles of sake. They’re tipped in edamame, which U.S. waitstaff should seriously consider since you don’t have to report it, and since the dollar will soon be worth about the same anyway. Our favorite quote from the article: “‘The monkeys are actually better waiters than some really bad human ones,’ customer Takayoshi Soeno said.” Hold on to your hats, there’s video footage below!
Gordon Biersch Pinches Your Pennies
By 4.8.08
Gordon Biersch, a small chain of brewery-restaurants, stole a penny from our reader. Consumerist “Punkrawka” used a credit card to hold open a tab at the bar, then closed the with a gift card. Gordon Biersch then passed a one-cent charge onto our reader’s credit card a few days later. More funny than anything else, the bizarre details, inside…
