Longest you've ever waited at the Admirals Club bar?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,374
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:
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
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,753
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.
#4
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW-In Plano & CDG-In the 11th
Programs: DL Diamond, AA revenue negative, Bonvoy Titanium +, Avis likes me
Posts: 3,209
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.
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.
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 29,997
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.
#6
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP, SPG / Marriott GLD, HHonors GLD
Posts: 520
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.
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.
#7
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 2,055
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!
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!