Personal relationships with staffers aside, I don't see anything wrong with outsourcing bartenders. As long as whomever behind the counter knows how to make a drink, this type of change doesn't impact my flying behavior at all. If this leads to cost savings that'll help keep the rest of the beverage/snack service running rather than forcing the club into some sort of cut, I'm OK with it.

And while EWR has some great bartenders, they also have some that love to hide in the kitchen behind the bar and have to be coaxed out of there like Puxatawney Phil from his hole on Groundhog's day. I think if the bartenders see their shadow, it means 4 more weeks of weather/ATC delays...and they retreat back to the kitchen. Perhaps in an outsourcing mode, they'll be a little more attentive.