I’m a bartender and we have a lot of secret codes to talk about customers
Have you ever wondered how bartenders can understand each other during the hustle and bustle of a busy night?
According to a former employee, most of them use secret codes to convey information, but not all of them are strictly professional.
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For example, if something behind the bar needs to be replenished, the code is 86, or if there is a customer waiting to be served, the code is 200, at least in some bars.
Besides the important stuff, some employees admitted that they have codes to let colleagues know that there is also an attractive person at the bar.
Over on Reddit, many different bartenders revealed the codes they use for important messages, but not all use the same ones, meaning it can be difficult for customers to decipher.
This comes after a former employee explained: “A while ago I was told about a ‘bartender’s code’ which consisted of various numbers used to designate things on the bar, either secretly or quickly between staff.
“Things like ’86’ means running out of product, ‘200’ means a customer is waiting, ’50’ means ‘catch’ and ‘700’ refers to an attractive customer.
“I think it would be quite fun and useful to get my staff working, and I was wondering if anyone knew more or had a different/more extensive list of expressions?”
After sharing their experiences, other bartenders agreed to share the secret codes they use, with one noting that the code for attractive punters was always ‘699’.
Meanwhile, if someone was more than just attractive, the code was ‘700’ – which indicated they were “probably the most popular girl in the building at the bar”.
And an employee at another bar explained that the code for an “attractive lady” at the bar they worked at was “300,” but if they had a tall chest they would say “300 high” instead.
Another employee explained that they would also use a code to designate someone attractive, but that this would vary from customer to customer.
They explained: “The first number is the face on a scale of 0-9, the second number is 0 or 1 (yes or no) and the last number is the body.
“So the 719 is damn good and a 303 looks like your grandfather.”
However, not all bartenders were familiar with the secret number codes to discuss customers and instead used code words for other things.
One explained that their bar manager would let staff know it was time for a few shots, but asked for “a quick word” so customers wouldn’t know they were drinking during the shift.
“Basically, ‘staff meeting’ means shooting behind the bar,” someone else commented, “I’m the general manager of a sports bar and nightclub and I call staff meetings on busy nights when it looks like my staff is about to lose it.”
“Normally everyone quickly pours themselves a shot, or I pour all the shots and we cheer and keep going with the crowd of drunken idiots.”
And someone else said, “We also used to say ‘staff meeting’, but somewhere along the line that changed to ‘family counseling’.”
But it turns out it’s not just bars that use secret codes; a former McDonald’s employee shared a code he would also use at work.
“When I worked at McDonalds you could only cook eight burgers at a time, so if an attractive person walked in the staff had to ‘cheese on nine’,” they explained.
“Then you just see five or six heads pop out from behind the fryer,” she added.
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The disadvantages of binge drinking
The NHS defines binge drinking as ‘heavy drinking over a short period of time’.
According to Drinkaware, more than 8 units of alcohol in one session for men, or more than 6 units in one session for women is the technical definition.
That equates to about four pints of normal strength beer for a man or three pints for a woman.
When you drink a lot, your heart rate and blood pressure will increase, in addition to making you drunk. It can cause an irregular heartbeat, also called arrhythmias.
Alcohol increases stomach acid production – queue nausea and possibly vomiting.
You will also likely experience impaired judgment, coordination, memory lapses, and poor decision-making.
This can lead to accidents, falls, drownings and other mistakes.
In the long term, binge drinking can cause acute liver damage and increase the risk of chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Cardiovascular problems include cardiomyopathy – where the heart loses the ability to pump blood efficiently – and an increased risk of stroke.
Over time, binge drinking can contribute to permanent brain damage. This can masquerade as a mental illness, such as anxiety or depression.
Binge drinking can also lead to alcohol dependence or “addiction.”
