Ben hangs up his apron for the very last timeWell it was a sad summer for the staff at All Bar One as their favourite part-time barman decided to hang up his apron for the very last time...
...Upon reflection, I did actually quite enjoy working there - it was just the inconvenience! Seriously though, most enjoyable was the adrenaline of working behind a packed bar and being surrounded by a young, friendly and vibrant team who were full of energy and optimism - a stark difference to the environment I have Monday to Friday.
I've hung up my apron for the very last time
However, it wasn't always so glamorous - mopping up litres of urine in the men's room on a Friday night was not my proudest moment - and even less so when I discovered holes in my shoes. Or how about the time I became part of some elaborate £50 note scam and was screamed at relentlessly by two four-foot something Romanian women in front of a hundred or so people? But then again, who could forget the drunk hen party, who, early on a Saturday evening, the mother of the bride, armed with a thick leathery skin and more putrid than the word itself, lent up over the bar and screamed in the foulest of manners "so c'mon luv... how big-s ya cock!?". One word: mortified.
The key thing was the experience. In addition to some extra pocket money I went there to learn how to pull a pint, change a barrel, knock up a cocktail or two and learn how to blag my way around the wine rack. With the exception of the latter, for which to this day I still can't tell you anything more about wine other than its colour, I'm saying all in all, job well done.