A Tip For Waitresses – And Customers – At Happy Hour Bars

Nightlife Blog: The Disappearing $5 Margarita

Here’s something that happened recently that ticked me off a bit while out with fiends at a restaurant/bar for Happy Hour.

I asked the waitress if the place still had the fresh-made margaritas (I hate it when places use the pre-made mix in a bottle) for $5. This was something it had previously advertised on a sandwich board outside the restaurant but I had not seen lately.

“Yes we do!,” she excitedly proclaimed, so I immediately ordered one.

But when the bill arrived, I discovered that those margaritas were not $5, but $7. To me, $7 for a margarita – especially in a short glass half-filled with ice, no matter the quality – is not a great Happy Hour deal. Had I known it was $7, I would have ordered a beer instead for $5.

And that ticked me off a bit.

I did not make a big fuss about it because our group only had two rounds, plus the waitress was very generous earlier bringing us plenty of drinks during the bar’s unlimited mimosas special from earlier in the day.

Still, it’s not a good business practice and I will be unlikely to go back there for Happy Hour as a result.

So here’s a tip for waitresses or any server for that matter: Know what is on Happy Hour and the prices and if you don’t, then do not provide false information. It’s okay if you don’t know (perhaps you are new and it was an old special that is no longer valid) as long as you go check and provide correct information to the customer.

And here’s a tip for customers – verify specifically what is on Happy Hour and the prices. In this case, the menu did state the margaritas were $7, but I did not look at it because the waitress said they were $5.

Technically, part of the blame goes to me, but when I ask a server for for information – be it a price or about a drink or menu item – I expect a correct answer.