A bartender has revealed how she “ruined a wedding” after she quit during the reception, but many people believe her actions were totally justified.
Writing on the parenting forum Mumsnet, the woman told how her working conditions were already an issue due to a “sexist new supervisor” and issues with a lack of staff.
However, it was while working a wedding that the situation really came to a head. The woman explained how she was the only bartender for a wedding party of 200 guests who “sexually harassed” her and verbally abused her over the wait times for a drink. She says her manager left her alone to deal with the entire wedding party at 8pm.
The incredibly stressful situation led to her having a panic attack, she said, and she eventually left at 11.30pm, quitting her job despite the bar supposedly being open until 2am.
And commenters on the forum were overwhelmingly on the bartender’s side.
“You were being harassed, bullied and verbally abused. I don’t blame you for removing yourself from the situation at all,” one person wrote, while another added, “Well done you. You were being verbally abused and absolutely did the right thing. I’d have done the same, although I don’t think I’d have stuck it out as long as you.”
A third commenter wrote, “It’s not for a single member of bar staff to make up for terrible management. There’s no way it was safe or sensible to have 1 member of staff serving an entire wedding party.”
However, some commenters did suggest that the bartender ought to have let a duty manager know before quitting.
Bartenders are often forced to contend with all manner of strange and unpleasant behaviour while going about their work. Last year, the stark numbers behind the UK’s hospitality staffing shortage were laid bare. You can read more on that here.
