Longest you've ever waited at the Admirals Club bar?
 

I would not kvetch about this anywhere but FlyerTalk.

I walked up to the SFO AC bar (some patrons sitting with a drink, but no queue) and found one bartender slowly preparing three very complicated drinks - each made with apple slices, syrup, and god knows what else. A second bartender was cleaning/wiping down the bar. The first bartender asked me what I'd like and said it would be a moment.

I waited 10 minutes, and during this time:

• At least one other person ordered a drink from the second bartender and received it immediately
• The first bartender bantered with the apple-drink recipients prior to starting on my drink

I feel bad to complain because everybody was very nice and ultimately I was just unfortunate to have queued behind three lengthy orders. I did receive a brief apology for my wait. Nonetheless, I was displeased (due to my two bullet points above), and while I have always tipped at least $2/drink at ACs past, this time I simply smiled and said thanks.

Any particular reason that you didn't ask the second bartender yourself? I would have.

I'd already given my order to the first one.

Then it sounds like OP's pain is self inflicted.

Sidebar-If there was an AC competition for best Bloody Mary (evidently not the drinks ahead of OP), SFO might just be the winner. Whole bar staff takes HUGE pride in their Bloody's. If you want to know why, ask the AC manager.

First world problems indeed. I'm in drinking (rare since 90% of my travels are during the day) I sit at the bar to minimize wait times otherwise clubs with a self serve soda fountain are great and alleviate the problem. I have and am obviously at clubs without that feature and I've waited a few minutes for my sprite zero, yes. It is what it is.

Totally agree. the bar staff at the SFO AC is FANTASTIC. And I'm a particular fan of the bartender referenced - any SFO AC regular knows which bartender that is. He always remembers my drink and takes special care to chat up patrons and offer them interesting alternatives. He's proactive on refills, and even delivers beyond the bar. It's nice compared to the typical indifference in many other club locations. If you wanted quicker service, you should have just asked the second bartender if you could grab your drink as it was clear the first one was busy.

I find AC's the perfect environment for incentivized tipping bartender market research. Given the nature of the free vs. premium offerings at the bar there is a large gap between drink outcomes with plenty of bartender discretion. All my research has been done while I was sitting at the bar thus encouraging bartender/customer image retention. A decent enough amount initial tip, in the $3-$5 range on free offering drinks, always leads to enhanced attention for refills and significantly better pours on subsequent orders. Follow up tips on subsequent drinks almost always leads to unlisted benefits such as: premium drink "mis-pours" (unsurprisingly in the same alcohol category) being redirected to me as otherwise; "it would just go to waste, "unclaimed" food orders placed in front of me, to-go cups, etc.

Some of the premium offering drink prices can be eye-watering, ie; $28 for 2 G&Ts. I do enjoy watching the interactions between bartenders and non-regular AC customers and whether they are tippers or non-tippers. Human nature and all its brutality on full display!