‘Equivalent of checking the back in retail’: Bartender shares how she tricks customers into thinking she’s replacing their ‘bad’ drink
A TikTok from an English pub shows a customer complaining about a pint of beer "not tasting the best," followed by the bartender going through a whole process to make the customer think something's happening—only to give the customer what appears to be the same pint in the end.
The video comes from the TikTok account for the Devonshire Arms pub in Coventry, an English city in the West Midlands region near Birmingham. It's racked up more than 1.7 million views since going up April 27.
Its website boasts, "We believe the people of Coventry deserve more from their local pub. And it's our job to give you just that." The video, beginning with the caption, "What actually happens when you bring a pint back," appears to be a humorous take on a bartender-customer exchange, and judging from the comments, people seemed to take it as that, even though it brought up some issues for some.
@devonshirearms Every time that certain person brings a pint back…. You know who you are…. #devonshirearmscoventry #sizzlingpubs #tiktok #fyp #pubstafflife #bringonthesizzle #barstaffproblems #hospitality #pubworkerproblems #publife #barstaff ♬ Spongebob Closing Theme Song Music - Ocean Floor Orchestra
In it, a male customer complains to a female bartender that the beer tastes funny. The bartender sets it down, and then the camera follows her down a flight of stairs to where all the kegs are kept. She then fusses with one of the hoses on the keg, sits down on one, all looks at her phone while peeking at her watch—all while the closing music for Spongebob Squarepants plays to add to the whimsy.
She then returns upstairs, grabs the beer she set down, squirts a bit into the glass to make it full again, and then hands it back to the customer. The on-screen caption, apparently revealing the customer's reaction, reads, "Thanks, love, tastes good."
Commenters came in with serious thoughts to a silly video.
"Not in a real pub," one remarked. "You'd get a fresh pint typically."
The creator quipped, "Welcome to the world of TikTok."
One person noted, "A smelly glass can affect the taste," while another looked to diagnose it with, "Whenever the pint tastes funny, it's usually cuz the pipes were cleaned recently."
Yet another had a comparison at the ready, saying, "Equivalent of checking the back in retail lmao."
Others critiqued the customer for drinking Carling brand beer, implying that someone drinking that brand can't be all that concerned about taste.
Someone did say they used a similar "fix" with food at their restaurant. "I do that at work with the fries," that person said. "I just put it in a new bag, and they always say it tastes a lot better."
"I just swap the glass and top it up without them looking," said another industry person.
Another had a strategy for making the customer believe you're doing something without actually doing something.
"This is why I keep an empty keg," that person said. "Just to simulate the sound of a keg swap! (Cellar is right behind the backbar)."
The Daily Dot reached out to the creator via TikTok comment.
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