Food in bars? It always polite to ask. People like that. It’s tiresome when these kids are going on/ It’s the big city! In reality, this town is small enough for people to remember assholes – servers AND customers – even when you’re outside of “the hood.” Word gets around.

Sadly, not true. You have either had some seriously good luck, don’t go out much or really need to tell me which bars you’re going to if you truly believe this is the case. I’m always polite and respectful when ordering drinks as I believe in common courtesy (and my mama raised me right). The first (and probably last) time I patronized Churchill I was first summarily ignored by the bartender who was too busy flirting with the dude next to me (who was not ordering a drink) to notice my attempts to order. When he finally deigned to make me a drink he set it down and made change without even glancing over as he was still enthralled in conversation with my neighbor. I still left a respectable tip. The second time I ordered I asked for two vodka sodas (to which the bartender’s “friend” asked “did you REALLY just order a vodka soda?” Oh, I’M SORRY, I didn’t mean to insult the MIXOLOGIST with my criminally mundane drink order… ) and received only one. When after another 5-10 minutes of patient waiting at the bar, cash displayed in hand he failed to produce either another drink or take the money for the first (or look in my direction again) I decided that a bird in the hand would do, shared the drink with my friend and got half of a vodka soda for free.

Another time a friend and I were at Thieves Tavern and she ordered a scotch and soda that tasted suspiciously like gin (and was a suspiciously light color). After conferring with the entirely of our party who all agreed it smelled/tasted like gin she approached the bar and very politely suggested there may have been a mistake and requested revised drink. The bartender picked up the drink, gave it a brief sniff, announced brusquely that it was scotch and left. I then suggested we get the attention of the other bartender and she very graciously replaced the drink in a second.

These are just two examples off the top of my head. I’m not saying that a lot of bar patrons aren’t obnoxious/entitled idiots/a-holes who maybe don’t deserve good service, but there are also a lot of snobby/rude/a-hole bartenders who treat polite, paying customers like crap. Basic courtesy works both ways. And while yes, I may want my precious glass of boozy goodness more than they want my couple dollars of tip, one of the many wonders of San Francisco is that there is almost always another bar (and another liquor store) right down the street. Hopefully with less pretentious bartenders and next to a taqueria.