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Thursday, December 16, 2004
SHOPTALK: John Rolfe
Veteran barkeeper: Job hasn't lost its fizz
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Also on this page: MIKE DICKSON | |||||||||
Q: Nineteen years! What did you start out as? A: In July of '85 I was just a bartender part time, working at the Bear and at the Bramhall Pub. Q: How did you learn to bartend? A: Uh, boy, um, at a racetrack - where was that? . . . Actually, at The Bag in Sugarloaf. Q: So you learned on the job? A: I pretty much did, because I'd been working as an accountant before that. They were looking for somone to work part time on a Sunday, and I was there and just jumped in and did it. Even here we train all the bartenders and wait staff. Q: What's your degree in? A: Business management, from USM. Q: Did you see this becoming a career, way back then? A: You know, in some way I think I did, but I wasn't sure. At one point I thought Byrd (my wife) and I would go off on our own. But I've seen so many restaurants pop up everywhere, and this is such a great company to work for. It was fun, and it still is, and that's the way it's run. The customers are drawn to that, too.
Q: What's your schedule like? A: I'm in and out all the time, that's the nature of the business. I'm always ordering, or if something's broken I'm fixing it, anything to do with the bar or the walk-ins. But I actually work four solid shifts, including a couple of nights.
Q: Can you fix the taps? A: Yes, we do all that ourselves, clean and fix. Q: How long is a shift? A: It varies. Six to eight hours. Usually I close when I go on, and the first bartender, who goes on at 5, leaves before I do. Q: Is it tiring work, tending bar? A: Yeah, as I get older, it definitely is. I'm always on my feet and moving around, and gravity is no longer my friend. I don't think it ever has been, actually. I work with a girl on Wednesday nights, she's young and pretty and she's like a twister around me sometimes. Q: How about the customer relations - are they challenging? A: It's interesting, there's such a variety of people who come in. The college crowd, and there's a huge neighborhood behind us so we get a lot of walkers, and, of course, tourists, and people who patronize the local businesses - furniture store, dance studio. And there are people who have been coming in for years and years. I still have people who boast that they were coming in before I started working here. Q: Do you have a bouncer there? A: No, we don't. Q: Is that a good thing? A: The incidents are so very, very rare and very mild. It's only someone complaining about something not done right, or whatever. We also close at 11:30. A lot of people have a pattern. They start out at the Bear, then off they go, and work their way up to the Old Port. Q: Is the nonsmoking law a good thing? A: Absolutely. We complied when it was a city ordinance, before it became a state law. At first it was a little slow, but overall it's been much better since. You get people coming in on a Friday night with children, having appetizers in the lounge - that was the great exception a few years back, because it was too smoky. Q: What's hard about the job? A: I think the iffy hours. You really have to have it in your blood to do it, sort of a nonconformist attitude. That type of schedule is tough for some people to get accustomed to, but I can get a lot of stuff done on Monday afternoons. Q: Are you ready for another 19 years? A: Jeez, who knows? I still, I love it, you know, I never feel, 'oh gosh, I've got to go to work.' It's a fun place. I feel blessed to have there people to work with, and as friends. Q: Do you get over-the-bar tales of woe, like the my-wife-doesn't-understand-me stuff? A: You know, a little bit, but not as much any more. If I'm having that kind of conversation, it's someone I've known a long time. I try to pick my battles, so to speak. It's not like, Joe spills out his guts while I wipe the wine glasses. We always make fun of that old Jackie Gleason stereotype. Put it this way, it's never boring. Sometimes it's hard not to hear the mild conversation between a couple that turns into a heated argument, but I can't think of much else. I'm glad I can't. Q: Do you see many underage would-be drinkers? A: On occasion. You card 'em, even if you question 'em by a day. As I get older, I can't tell if they're 18 or 28. There are a lot of new, young customers coming in, as well as younger additions to the staff. It really makes for a great mix. Lots of people come in on a particular night looking for a certain bartender. If I'm there, they might be saying, 'Where's Karen?' I hear it all the time. Q: What about your regulars? Why do they look for you in particular? A: I don't know, because I'm not there when they're asking for me. I hope I have some! Q: How has the business grown over the years? A: On average - I think - growth has been about 10 percent. The past couple of years were slower, after 9/11, but we're still seeing good growth. Q: Is it hard to keep up with all the new beers? A: We're constantly feeding ourselves information. The styles are all pretty much explained on the beer menu, but that changes - every week, we're adding or deleting something. There are 52 draft beers. Q: And in 1985? A: When I started, I think there were five. Q: Ever see any celebs? A: Quite a few, in fact. We just had Jerry Seinfeld, after his gig in town. He'd asked the chauffeur where he could get a good burger. You can't beat that kind of marketing. I think they're listed on the Web site. There's a Web cam, too, which will show you live shots of the bar. Pretty cool.
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