Edinburgh at Christmas: It’s one of the busiest times of the year for bar staff – be kind

It’s that time of year again where I beg you to be kind to hospitality staff

The frost is on the ground, the Christmas Market is aggressively busy and everyone has started yet again to work out what the criteria for a ‘stocking filler’ actually is.

This year very much feels like the first Christmas out of the steel grips of the pandemic at its height, and we can start enjoying ourselves properly again, or at least, with slightly less caution. So, here we go again, my yearly article begging you to take a single moment to thank (and tip) your bar staff.

I worked for a decade in pubs across Edinburgh and it is not an easy job, especially at this time of year. Drunken office Christmas parties, where people completely lose control – for the bar staff, it’s like herding kittens, but markedly less adorable.

Reporter Rachel Mackie is calling for people to be kiind to hospitality staff in Edinburgh this Christmas

One year, there wasn’t a single member of the female staff who weren’t sexually assaulted by a raucous group of people throwing mistletoe in people’s faces before grabbing them. We eventually had to call the police after they refused to leave. One of them even tried to leap over the bar to grab an 18-year-old girl who had only just started working with us. She quit that day.

Another year some lad vomited on the bar. Like, right on top of it. The sick dripped down the sides and covered all the glass shelves. We had to strip it all down, in the middle of a busy shift, and wipe it, clean all the glasses, and disinfect. It was disgusting. He had the cheek to ask why we were kicking him out while we were ushering him towards the door. Idiot.

As much as the big things – the violence, the abuse, the vomit – were grim, sometimes it’s the small things that really stick with you. One Black Friday (not the American Thanksgiving Black Friday, but the Scottish, last Friday before Christmas-is-hell-in-pubs Black Friday) we were fully booked. A lady came in asking to be seated at her table, 45 minutes early. I apologised, she was too early, there was no way the table would be ready, and please ma’am, take a seat at the bar, I can get you a drink while you wait. Nope. Not good enough. She wants to be seated at that table now.

After a brief “discussion” (she screamed at me), I turn to see what I can do. Someone is leaving a different table, if I move a couple from one table to that table, then I can move the table on the soon to be booked table off a little early. And if I give them all free drinks to be nice and make up for it, I should be able to set up the booked table within a few minutes.

So I do it. The closest thing to actual magic I’ve ever performed. So many apologies, and “thank you so much, I’m so sorry about this, let me get you a drink”, but I did it. I put the Christmas decorations on the table in double quick time, and it looked pretty good if I say so myself. I look over at the lady, and she’s on the phone. I wait for a bit for her to finish her call before proudly showing that yes, she can go to her table ridiculously early.

No she replied. That was her colleague on the phone confirming what I had said. Yes, it was too early for the booking and she’ll leave and come back. No apology. No thank you. She left. I still can’t believe it. Even writing it down just now… I mean, what? Who does that?

Hospitality staff don’t get paid tonnes for the aching feet, the burns on their hands from carrying piping hot plates, to the shrieking and accusations. So please, be kind. Be understanding. Things may take a bit longer when it’s busy, the staff may be tired and harassed, giving up their Christmas and New Year so you can tell them that it’s a completely joke it took them five minutes to bring you a new bottle of wine.

Tip them, and even if you forget everything else, remember your Christmas spirit. And to the staff who are working – thank you. Thank you so much.