I worked as a bartender for two years, and I remember being struck by the fact that despite the bar’s dozens of liquors, mixers, ice bins, and garnishes, every single drink that got made had to spend time on my bar mat. The bar mat is a long skinny rectangle of rubber that holds each drink as it’s being made. In the same way a surgeon does all their work on an operating table, a bartender does all of their work on a bar mat.
Blocking burnout by holding space
Blocking burnout by holding space
Blocking burnout by holding space
I worked as a bartender for two years, and I remember being struck by the fact that despite the bar’s dozens of liquors, mixers, ice bins, and garnishes, every single drink that got made had to spend time on my bar mat. The bar mat is a long skinny rectangle of rubber that holds each drink as it’s being made. In the same way a surgeon does all their work on an operating table, a bartender does all of their work on a bar mat.