- Longtime bartender Stephanie Ridgway told Business Insider about the red flags to watch for at bars.
- The No. 1 (and likely most obvious) bad sign is a dirty bar, particularly countertops and glasses.
The bar and nightclub industry is worth more than $36 billion in the US alone. But with a seemingly never-ending pool of options, it can be hard to know if you're picking the best bar for a happy hour or night out.
Take it from Stephanie Ridgway, who's worked at several bars and distilleries before becoming the director of brand advocacy for liquor brand Charles Jacquin et Cie Inc.
"I've been in my fair share of bars, from dives to high-end cocktail lounges," she told Business Insider. "I've developed a keen eye for what sets the good apart from the great — and behaviors that will always raise a red flag for me."
To spare you a bad experience, Ridgway told BI her top red flags to look out for at a bar so you know when to make a beeline toward the exit.
It's never a good sign when a bar is dirty, especially if it's not busy
Ridgway said the No. 1 red flag is walking into a dirty bar. For her, that means anything from a sticky bar top to soiled towels and glassware.
"Everything else about the place becomes suspect to me and indicates to me that the bar staff doesn't take pride in their workplace," she told BI. "This magnifies exponentially if the bar isn't busy."
The bartender said a familiar mantra for everyone in the industry is, "Time to lean is time to clean."
It's important to give bartenders some grace if you're heading out on a Friday or Saturday night when it might be busier than normal.
That said, if you randomly pop in during the middle of the day and there's a sticky countertop and dirty glasses, you're probably better off going someplace else.
Pay attention to the quality of the spirits behind the bar
In Ridgway's eyes, low-quality spirits can be a red flag.
She knows better than most that liquor can be expensive, and bars must control costs somewhere. But if you're rolling up to a "craft cocktail bar," there shouldn't be a swarm of low-quality spirits.
If the bartender uses poor-quality gin to "craft" a martini, she said, she'd probably pass on it.
"Bar managers and beverage directors have, quite literally, hundreds of quality brands at their disposal and, with a little research, can find some delicious, well-made, cost-effective alternatives with which to stock their bars," Ridgway told BI.
Intoxicated employees are a big no-no
If you walk into a bar and notice the bartender seems to have had one too many drinks themselves, swing the door the other way. Just because they work around spirits doesn't give them a free pass to get drunk on the clock.
Ridgway said it's common for a bartender to join regulars for a sip of something boozy throughout the night. But there are professional limits.
"I don't go to a bar to have someone not fully in control of their faculties mix me a drink," she told BI.
A quality bar should limit the use of batched cocktails
Ridgway said that it's smart for bars to have some of their highest-selling cocktails batched and ready to poor.
But getting handed a drink from a big premade jug can still detract from the overall guest experience if it's overdone.
"When I sit down at a bar and order a cocktail, I want to be treated to the full visual effect that watching the bartender carefully crafting my drink provides," she told BI. "In short, I came here, in part, for the show."
A dismissive bartender is a tough sell for Ridgway
When you go out to a bar, you're handing over some of your hard-earned dollars for the beverage of your choice.
And from Ridgway's point of view, it's perfectly reasonable to expect that mutual transaction to occur "sans bad attitude."
She added, "When I see bartenders rolling their eyes or exhibiting some other sort of dismissive behavior upon hearing a drink order, I'm pretty sure I'm never coming back."