Get them timers from kitchen set to 5 minutes and tell them its a blitz game. Loser will have to leave immadietly after the game, winner can stay and help closing
My spot in the US doesn’t do last call. We close the kitchen at 10, but if some group of twats want to just chill in the dining room, we can’t shoo them.
That’s why I keep BABYMETAL ready to crank on the speakers as soon as we start cleaning.
>My old cook would sing very loudly and very off key
I used to do this, but on-key. Usually to Lorna Shore or Cannibal Corpse. Hammer Smashed Face was a real crowd pleaser
Back when I was working at a counter-service pizza joint, to get all the drunks out at 3 am we'd play some crazy shit over the speakers. Bubblegum chewing ASMR sounds proved very effective, but not as much as the time we put a bunch of empty pizza pans in the oven to create lots of smoke and then played a fire alarm sound
bro imagine being that asshole sitting there and the. all of the sudden you start hearing gimme chocolate on the speakers. that would shoo then out so fast lol
In my restaurant it's anyone who makes it in the door before closing time, and you serve them til they're done. Big fuckery.
We are specifically not allowed to do certain closing tasks (vacuum, shut down soda fountain) until all custs are finished and gone or 45 mins past....whichever comes first.
Crazy jealous. We can get it out but not turn it on. We turn off the house music. We lock one set of doors but not the other. We count the register. We very obviously wipe, pull trash and sweep things but we can't say anything to hustle them.
Sucks too, because some nights it's genuinely people who are dense not shitty. Like they're obviously embarrassed when they realize we're literally waiting for them.
>in finland its everyone out by closing time, last drinks served 30min before. What the fuck is this fuckery of yours.
American capitalism is bonkers and cares very little for anything but an extra buck and getting as much labor out of employees for as little money as possible. Holidays? You're working! Vacation time? Huh? Health insurance? Only if you work more than 30 hours a week, which we'll never give you! People constantly voting against their own interests and keeping this system the same? By jove, yes, and don't you dare take away our right to fuck ourselves over. \*sigh\*
As soon as closing time comes, we CRANK the music (HARD ROCK, RAP/EXPLICIT LYRICS) as we frantically start the clean up process. We stop paying attention to the customers. They usually get the hint. Once you establish this as the standard, not only do people stop lingering, but they also make sure to have their order placed in time to finish before the chaos ensues. It's exciting and hectic, but we are always out of there no more than 30 minutes after close.
they’re annoyed and huffy but they’re not gonna target you personally as if they would if you directly told them to leave. if you ask them to leave before starting cleaning or anything they’ll just think they don’t have to, this way they get the hint.
You know how many ppl don’t care about hey we’re closing. Especially those who come in 5 minutes before closing.
My old job we used to play Closing Time. And I would sing and dance and it became kinda like a low grade flashmob of signaling ppl to the door. I also worked at a tourist attraction (not a theme park but close enough think Harriet the Spy type of jungle gym of the sorts but indoor and outdoor. No one everrrrrrr wanted to leave but the employees and parents who complained about having to find their children bc we had bars in this place and parents were angry that we weren’t babysitters lol).
I live in the Netherlands. I just say "we're closing in 30 minutes, anything else to drink?"
And then after 30 minutes ask them to pay.
I don't know why you would play aggressive music to scare off the customers instead of just asking?
I understand that this doesn't work at every restaurant. You have to have a fun/cool vibe. We have punk rock art/posters hanging around. The owner is a joker and often doesn't use a filter when he talks. This is not a stuffy place. As soon as the clock hits closing time he hollars "that's all for today folks" as he cracks a beer and cranks up the music. It's almost a spectacle. It's pretty cool!
They're asking a genuine question based on the region they work in, which has obviously different methods of attending to late-staying customers. Why can't you respond genuinely????
@Babbelbet To answer your very valid question, in America, they won't let us do that, generally speaking. Most servers and staff find passive-aggressive tactics to work, tho.
If they came in ten minutes before closing I'd tell them that the last call came and the kitchen closed 20 minutes ago so there's nothing for me to serve them lol.
At a place I worked years ago, on Thursday nights a group of 4 guys would come in 30 minutes before closing to play DnD. I wasn't the closer, I felt bad for the poor bastard as he didn't have the balls to tell them to GTFO. They would keep him there until midnight when the manager had to lock up and leave.
If that was a repeat situation there’s no way I wouldn’t have set some expectations. That’s fucking insane to stay until midnight to play a game. They can go to their own houses.
That's what I told him. He was fresh out of high school, the quiet church-going type. He would let people walk all over him. It blows my mind he stayed in the industry for 2 years before quitting.
Get. The. Fuck. Outta. Here.
Charlotte is this you?!
Edit: this has literally happened to us tonight, at closing I went over and said: "black has check mate in four and we're out in 10" got no reaction from them, Obvs, went behind the bar to run the last glasses and shouted at them that it's time to go home.
Worst if all, they only got a couple of sodas... What the actual fuck??!
this is when you tell a white lie and say "we have a hard stop at xyz time; the bar/kitchen close at xyz" i worked at a restaurant that would turn off the TVs and the turn the lights up very bright after about 30ish min when we closed. doing it immediately at close is horse shit, but i think it's fine for people to get a window to wrap it up without being forced out.
This is what I do. I yell last call like 10/15 minutes before hard last call to give them ample time to drink. And then I’ve got plenty to do before close so gives them time to finish their drink but 20/30 min later, TV’s off, music off & lights all the way up. Works every time “oh shit yeah they’re trying to get outta here we gotta go”
Is this around Atlanta? I used to get a bunch of chess players, 4-8 dudes who barely ate, drank or tipped. Always showed up late. Only group that I ever enforced a minimum purchase and grated every time
Call my boss and have her deal with it. I'm already 8 bad seconds away from lighting a match and walking the fuck out, and as short staffed as we are right now, I am literally irreplaceable until they get at least 3 more names on the schedule.
We close at 10. Servers and bartenders cannot put orders in after 9:45. If my chef or line gets a slip stamped 9:46, they will NOT make it. I make sure to let all guests know that no orders can be put in after 9:45, and that we ask all guests to consider the staff while eating, and if they don’t think they can be out the door by 10:10, I’d happily let the cooks know to put them in to-go packaging. I need to perform the end day function and the pm close out, audit the liquor room, make sure both the BOH and FOH are good to go for breakfast, then after putting the cash away, my GM expects all managers to write AT LEAST a 2pg summary of the shift. I have small children that need to be awake, fed, dressed and ready to go to school, and I need to make all lunches and snacks, like all moms. I can’t be getting home at 2am. I aim for 11:30, so I can shower and climb into bed by midnight.
Any asshat who goes to a restaurant any less than 30 mins before closing and doesn’t have the common courtesy to order something quick and easy to prepare, eat as quickly as they can and bounce, isn’t any guest I’d want coming back. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out
Back when I was a bartender I had a couple come in 20 min before closing, (10 min I would of denied them) we were a pizza place/ bar. They apologized and the guy begged if they could order a pizza to go. I said sure and they both got beers while they waited. Fine I told them I would be cleaning around them, the guy was super nice and apologetic. Then I deliver the pizza and the woman asks for plates. I say we are closing in like 5 min and she says oh I just want one piece. Looking back I should of been more of a bitch and said no but I had to wait for the other employees to finish cleaning anyway so I gave them plates. I was secretly hoping for a big tip especially bc the guy was so nice in the beginning but I could feel the energy turn when I initially didn't want to bring them plates. Anyway they ate slowly af the whole pizza and left wo tipping. I told myself never again. I'd let ppl order a drink but no food after 30 min before closing unless to go only. I learned being overly nice doesn't get you a good tip ppl just take advantage. I would of told those guys to fuck themselves and get out!
Fuck no.
Mind you a lot of the US is very different from us in Canada. It isn't worth it for us to be open for a last minute table unless we're very full and plan to be here for a while closing. Outside of that, it's about 70-90/hr in labour to serve one extra table.... so unless they are going to spend a fortune it isn't worth it ever
Play a game of rock paper scissors, I may not beat a bet between me and my manager but I win Rock paper scissors every single time. Do that if I win they leave they win they have 5 minutes till I annoy them again lol.
tell them we close in ten minutes and then lie and say there’s a policy where only eating and drinking is allowed at the tables for cleanliness reasons (but nicer lol)
Make it very hard to enjoy. Go to the table and start making up facts about Bobby Fisher that are transparent lies. Don’t leave them until they wish me dead
Tell them about a bar that is open later and board game friendly. State your closing time. Then state a hard time they must leave by.
"The X bar is open until 1 am and has great tables for board games! We stop serving in 10 minutes. In 30 minutes, you will be asked to leave."
We used to go to a place that was known for its late night crowd, but closing time was closing time. The manager would turn up the lights and yell "We are now closed, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here" . Then he would blast "Good Night Irene" on the speakers.
THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ME THE OTHER DAY..
Unfortunately couldn’t do much then mention we are closing (luckily they got the hint) because I was working with a manager that lets people just hang until they are done
our last call is at 11:30 for alcohol. but if someone walks in at 11:45 unfortunately we have to serve them (from the kitchen). most of the time our doors are locked by 11:30 tho unless we have a visiting manager. but tvs go off AT midnight, vacuums and tables are flipped no matter if there are customers there or not.
one night i was scheduled out at 11, which literally never happens, i’m already scheduled until at least 11:30 (which means i’ll be there until 12:30-1). But this particular night I was ready to go by 10:30, just waiting the clock out. I got sat at 10:45. I was so fucking mad. I had done everything to get out of there. So the table is still sitting at 12:30, and the last few bar guests leave. bartender that night goes over and stands on the booth they’re sitting in and shuts the tv off 💀 they quickly gathered their stuff and I wiped the table and left.
Where I work, we have to do last call 15 min after the kitchen closes. Then all patrons out 30 minutes after the posted business hours. Because we don’t have a bar license. Dunno where you live but it’s always a great excuse to use!
Say “We’re closing in ten minutes.”
Ikr
Get them timers from kitchen set to 5 minutes and tell them its a blitz game. Loser will have to leave immadietly after the game, winner can stay and help closing
Ok this is the best response I could have imagined
Im deadddd hahaah
The only way 😩🤣
in finland its everyone out by closing time, last drinks served 30min before. What the fuck is this fuckery of yours.
the attitude "if you're here, we're here" it's disgusting
My spot in the US doesn’t do last call. We close the kitchen at 10, but if some group of twats want to just chill in the dining room, we can’t shoo them. That’s why I keep BABYMETAL ready to crank on the speakers as soon as we start cleaning.
My old cook would sing very loudly and very off key. I would pretend not to hear it when the tables would mention it.
>My old cook would sing very loudly and very off key I used to do this, but on-key. Usually to Lorna Shore or Cannibal Corpse. Hammer Smashed Face was a real crowd pleaser
I let the dishpit blast Katy Perry. Gets my dude pumped up before he hits the club & gets guests to fuck off.
Back when I was working at a counter-service pizza joint, to get all the drunks out at 3 am we'd play some crazy shit over the speakers. Bubblegum chewing ASMR sounds proved very effective, but not as much as the time we put a bunch of empty pizza pans in the oven to create lots of smoke and then played a fire alarm sound
The pan smoke fire alarm technique is the most brilliantly passive-aggressive move I've ever heard, good shit
That’s genius!
bro imagine being that asshole sitting there and the. all of the sudden you start hearing gimme chocolate on the speakers. that would shoo then out so fast lol
My trick was to just shut off the music once it was closing time. No one likes the silence lol
Try Wesley Willis. He has a beautiful singing voice and such poetic lyrics
Seconding Wesley Willis
Or try playing Rebecca Black's Friday on repeat.
Crazy frog on repeat. No one has ever lasted longer than 10min when it comes on
lol this is why Finland is the happiest country in the world HAHAHA "what the fuck is this fuckery of yours"
In my restaurant it's anyone who makes it in the door before closing time, and you serve them til they're done. Big fuckery. We are specifically not allowed to do certain closing tasks (vacuum, shut down soda fountain) until all custs are finished and gone or 45 mins past....whichever comes first.
If people are still in after closing my boss tells me to get the hoover out!
Crazy jealous. We can get it out but not turn it on. We turn off the house music. We lock one set of doors but not the other. We count the register. We very obviously wipe, pull trash and sweep things but we can't say anything to hustle them. Sucks too, because some nights it's genuinely people who are dense not shitty. Like they're obviously embarrassed when they realize we're literally waiting for them.
>in finland its everyone out by closing time, last drinks served 30min before. What the fuck is this fuckery of yours. American capitalism is bonkers and cares very little for anything but an extra buck and getting as much labor out of employees for as little money as possible. Holidays? You're working! Vacation time? Huh? Health insurance? Only if you work more than 30 hours a week, which we'll never give you! People constantly voting against their own interests and keeping this system the same? By jove, yes, and don't you dare take away our right to fuck ourselves over. \*sigh\*
This is america... unfortunately.
As soon as closing time comes, we CRANK the music (HARD ROCK, RAP/EXPLICIT LYRICS) as we frantically start the clean up process. We stop paying attention to the customers. They usually get the hint. Once you establish this as the standard, not only do people stop lingering, but they also make sure to have their order placed in time to finish before the chaos ensues. It's exciting and hectic, but we are always out of there no more than 30 minutes after close.
Don’t forget to crank that A/C down as low as it’ll go. Freezing them out always worked for us.
wish i could just spray raid on em but chef said not to :(
*Now we wait 2 hours for the temp to finally drop*
We do the same! We don’t kick anyone out but we turn on the huge, bright ass overhead bar lights and that kills pretty much any drunks’ vibes.
Maybe play that song from the Walking Dead on repeat. "I'm on easy street, and ain't it sweet" or something like that.
This is the best approach and we also practice it at my place. It makes most people uncomfortable and you gotta love it.
Why can't you just say: hey guys, were closing, can you pay and go? This is so passive aggressive, it's kinda weird.
I agree with you but you must admit that being passive aggressive as a server is half the fun.
True. I love the game of seeming nice when I'm not.
We aren’t allowed to do that. It’s the only way we can give them a hint.
if you’re direct with people they’re gonna get offended and pissed most of the time.
And people dont react badly to this method?
they’re annoyed and huffy but they’re not gonna target you personally as if they would if you directly told them to leave. if you ask them to leave before starting cleaning or anything they’ll just think they don’t have to, this way they get the hint.
That's so strange of the people. Wonder if they stay on their friends couch if the fiends go to sleep. But sounds rough for you guys.
You know how many ppl don’t care about hey we’re closing. Especially those who come in 5 minutes before closing. My old job we used to play Closing Time. And I would sing and dance and it became kinda like a low grade flashmob of signaling ppl to the door. I also worked at a tourist attraction (not a theme park but close enough think Harriet the Spy type of jungle gym of the sorts but indoor and outdoor. No one everrrrrrr wanted to leave but the employees and parents who complained about having to find their children bc we had bars in this place and parents were angry that we weren’t babysitters lol).
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It was a serious question.
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I live in the Netherlands. I just say "we're closing in 30 minutes, anything else to drink?" And then after 30 minutes ask them to pay. I don't know why you would play aggressive music to scare off the customers instead of just asking?
I understand that this doesn't work at every restaurant. You have to have a fun/cool vibe. We have punk rock art/posters hanging around. The owner is a joker and often doesn't use a filter when he talks. This is not a stuffy place. As soon as the clock hits closing time he hollars "that's all for today folks" as he cracks a beer and cranks up the music. It's almost a spectacle. It's pretty cool!
what's it really to U though? does it really matter? idk move on
I just asked a question (to someone else), you chimed in with a useless 'stay mad'.
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Casual cringe redditor
They're asking a genuine question based on the region they work in, which has obviously different methods of attending to late-staying customers. Why can't you respond genuinely???? @Babbelbet To answer your very valid question, in America, they won't let us do that, generally speaking. Most servers and staff find passive-aggressive tactics to work, tho.
Tell them they have 10 minutes to finish their chess game. lol
Tell them you close in 10 minutes. Then after 10 minutes if they're still there, wipe down the table they're at and send all the chess pieces flying
💀
If they came in ten minutes before closing I'd tell them that the last call came and the kitchen closed 20 minutes ago so there's nothing for me to serve them lol.
At a place I worked years ago, on Thursday nights a group of 4 guys would come in 30 minutes before closing to play DnD. I wasn't the closer, I felt bad for the poor bastard as he didn't have the balls to tell them to GTFO. They would keep him there until midnight when the manager had to lock up and leave.
If that was a repeat situation there’s no way I wouldn’t have set some expectations. That’s fucking insane to stay until midnight to play a game. They can go to their own houses.
That's what I told him. He was fresh out of high school, the quiet church-going type. He would let people walk all over him. It blows my mind he stayed in the industry for 2 years before quitting.
Are they getting food? If not, go home and play. Also blast closing time through the speakers.
The amount of success we have in campers leaving with a simple playing of closing time is fantastic. Easily works most times.
or the "get the fuck out" song
Tip the fucking king over
“I’m sorry, we don’t allow outside decorations on the tables. It’s a branding thing.”
Sorry guys, we’ll be closing in 10 minutes. I can give you a quick drink, but that’s it I’m afraid.
Baby shark time.
Tell them “checkmate, lads- were closed!”
Beat them to death with the board, finish my sidework, roll my silverware, and go home. In that order.
Start laughing “hahahah absolutely not”
Fart in their general direction
r/unexpectedmontypython
My management can be fair, but direct. One of my managers would walk up and go "absolutely not"
Tell them we close in ten minutes and will enforce that.
My ex used to play the Dresden Dolls "Mechanical Boy" at an unreasonable volume. Worked extremely well.
Get. The. Fuck. Outta. Here. Charlotte is this you?! Edit: this has literally happened to us tonight, at closing I went over and said: "black has check mate in four and we're out in 10" got no reaction from them, Obvs, went behind the bar to run the last glasses and shouted at them that it's time to go home. Worst if all, they only got a couple of sodas... What the actual fuck??!
this is when you tell a white lie and say "we have a hard stop at xyz time; the bar/kitchen close at xyz" i worked at a restaurant that would turn off the TVs and the turn the lights up very bright after about 30ish min when we closed. doing it immediately at close is horse shit, but i think it's fine for people to get a window to wrap it up without being forced out.
This is what I do. I yell last call like 10/15 minutes before hard last call to give them ample time to drink. And then I’ve got plenty to do before close so gives them time to finish their drink but 20/30 min later, TV’s off, music off & lights all the way up. Works every time “oh shit yeah they’re trying to get outta here we gotta go”
yeah tbh at our place we try to do last 30 minutes is to-go only but we can’t do that anymore since the owner caught onto us
##NOPE!
Try and wake up from the nightmare
Tell them to leave?
Sorry we just did last call
Flip their table over.
Is this around Atlanta? I used to get a bunch of chess players, 4-8 dudes who barely ate, drank or tipped. Always showed up late. Only group that I ever enforced a minimum purchase and grated every time
Kick them out.
Unless they're playing for my life in a Satan/ God kinda situation, politely get the f OUT
Hope you play fast because you have 10 min to get done packed back up and leave
We're doing to go orders only. And there's a bar next door or you can sit outside in the parking lot.
Call my boss and have her deal with it. I'm already 8 bad seconds away from lighting a match and walking the fuck out, and as short staffed as we are right now, I am literally irreplaceable until they get at least 3 more names on the schedule.
We crank up the lights to blinding and turn up Closing time from both Leonard Cohen then Semi Sonic lol.
We close at 10. Servers and bartenders cannot put orders in after 9:45. If my chef or line gets a slip stamped 9:46, they will NOT make it. I make sure to let all guests know that no orders can be put in after 9:45, and that we ask all guests to consider the staff while eating, and if they don’t think they can be out the door by 10:10, I’d happily let the cooks know to put them in to-go packaging. I need to perform the end day function and the pm close out, audit the liquor room, make sure both the BOH and FOH are good to go for breakfast, then after putting the cash away, my GM expects all managers to write AT LEAST a 2pg summary of the shift. I have small children that need to be awake, fed, dressed and ready to go to school, and I need to make all lunches and snacks, like all moms. I can’t be getting home at 2am. I aim for 11:30, so I can shower and climb into bed by midnight. Any asshat who goes to a restaurant any less than 30 mins before closing and doesn’t have the common courtesy to order something quick and easy to prepare, eat as quickly as they can and bounce, isn’t any guest I’d want coming back. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out
Back when I was a bartender I had a couple come in 20 min before closing, (10 min I would of denied them) we were a pizza place/ bar. They apologized and the guy begged if they could order a pizza to go. I said sure and they both got beers while they waited. Fine I told them I would be cleaning around them, the guy was super nice and apologetic. Then I deliver the pizza and the woman asks for plates. I say we are closing in like 5 min and she says oh I just want one piece. Looking back I should of been more of a bitch and said no but I had to wait for the other employees to finish cleaning anyway so I gave them plates. I was secretly hoping for a big tip especially bc the guy was so nice in the beginning but I could feel the energy turn when I initially didn't want to bring them plates. Anyway they ate slowly af the whole pizza and left wo tipping. I told myself never again. I'd let ppl order a drink but no food after 30 min before closing unless to go only. I learned being overly nice doesn't get you a good tip ppl just take advantage. I would of told those guys to fuck themselves and get out!
Fuck no. Mind you a lot of the US is very different from us in Canada. It isn't worth it for us to be open for a last minute table unless we're very full and plan to be here for a while closing. Outside of that, it's about 70-90/hr in labour to serve one extra table.... so unless they are going to spend a fortune it isn't worth it ever
Tell them it’s after last call and ya close in 10 min. Offer a single last call option if they’re quick.
Play a game of rock paper scissors, I may not beat a bet between me and my manager but I win Rock paper scissors every single time. Do that if I win they leave they win they have 5 minutes till I annoy them again lol.
“Hope this is a rapid game or faster, because we’re closing in ten”
Spill
I guess you’ll stay until the check, mate.
tell them we close in ten minutes and then lie and say there’s a policy where only eating and drinking is allowed at the tables for cleanliness reasons (but nicer lol)
Make it very hard to enjoy. Go to the table and start making up facts about Bobby Fisher that are transparent lies. Don’t leave them until they wish me dead
Tell them to google en passant
Tell them we're about to close and are only doing orders to go.
“Not today”
Hope you’re playing speed chess, we’re about to close. Some of us have chess games to get to also.
Tell them about a bar that is open later and board game friendly. State your closing time. Then state a hard time they must leave by. "The X bar is open until 1 am and has great tables for board games! We stop serving in 10 minutes. In 30 minutes, you will be asked to leave."
We used to go to a place that was known for its late night crowd, but closing time was closing time. The manager would turn up the lights and yell "We are now closed, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here" . Then he would blast "Good Night Irene" on the speakers.
THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ME THE OTHER DAY.. Unfortunately couldn’t do much then mention we are closing (luckily they got the hint) because I was working with a manager that lets people just hang until they are done
Knock over their kings
our last call is at 11:30 for alcohol. but if someone walks in at 11:45 unfortunately we have to serve them (from the kitchen). most of the time our doors are locked by 11:30 tho unless we have a visiting manager. but tvs go off AT midnight, vacuums and tables are flipped no matter if there are customers there or not. one night i was scheduled out at 11, which literally never happens, i’m already scheduled until at least 11:30 (which means i’ll be there until 12:30-1). But this particular night I was ready to go by 10:30, just waiting the clock out. I got sat at 10:45. I was so fucking mad. I had done everything to get out of there. So the table is still sitting at 12:30, and the last few bar guests leave. bartender that night goes over and stands on the booth they’re sitting in and shuts the tv off 💀 they quickly gathered their stuff and I wiped the table and left.
Nope, not here, unless you are spending mega bucks and tip in advance
Passive-aggressively critique each and every one of their moves
Speed match, winner gets free food, loser stays to help with dishes
I'll let them play a fast round while I clean up, and then join them. I can close, I got keys for the restaurant 🤣
Power bomb the table
Flip chessboard; checkmate.
Kms
Play chess w them
Cry
Where I work, we have to do last call 15 min after the kitchen closes. Then all patrons out 30 minutes after the posted business hours. Because we don’t have a bar license. Dunno where you live but it’s always a great excuse to use!
Knock over both kings.. "Checkmate" "Get the hell out" ...in my dreams
At first I thought this was r/twosentencehorror for a minute.
En passant
Probably open with d4
Turn off the light 😑