In a viral TikTok video, bartender Taylar (@tayla.ar) shared a baffling encounter with a couple that left her shaking her head. The lesson? Good customer service doesn’t mean your bartender is flirting with your partner.
The drama began when a couple walked in and plopped themselves directly in front of Taylar at the bar well. “There are other places they could have sat. They sat right in front of me, right where I’m doing my little thing. Right where I have my little mats,” she said. Nevertheless, Taylar approached professionally, gave them menus, and asked, “Can I get you something to drink to get started?”
The man immediately replied, “Nothing.” Taylar stepped back and let them peruse the menu, returning later to take their order. The man eventually said, “We’ll have two shots of Don Julio.” Taylar listed the options: Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, the 70th edition, and the 1942, gesturing to the shelf behind her. “The Don Julio,” he said, settling on the Blanco—the least expensive option. Drinks delivered, she asked if they were ready for food.
The man kept answering for his date
Taylar then asked the woman what kind of fajitas she wanted, but her partner kept answering for her. “Would you like chicken, steak, or shrimp?” she asked. The man repeated, “Would you like chicken, steak, or shrimp?” The woman finally said, “Steak,” which he relayed back: “She’ll have steak.” The same confusion played out with her tortilla choice.
When the meal was over, Taylar brought the check—and was met with an unusual message on the tip line. In all caps, it read: “Stop looking.”
“Looking at what? Your cul de sac having toad of a man,” Taylar said. “I’m sorry. That’s disrespectful to toads. Stop looking at you not looking at me. And you’re dumba—, because you can’t speak to me as an adult. Stop looking at what? Nobody’s looking. You are sitting right in front of me. You chose to sit right in front of me. I’m not looking at you. I’m trying to serve you. Stop looking at what?”
“Bartenders are not there to flirt with your partner”
The passive-aggressive note, aimed at Taylar, caused her to set the record straight: bartenders are not there to flirt with your partner—they’re there to do their job. “I think the most obvious reason being I want you to tip me,” Taylar explained in a follow-up video. “Not only do I want you to tip me, I want you both to have such a great time, you come back and tip me again.”
Taylar also reminded viewers that this applies to other service professionals, including servers, baristas, and anyone whose job is to be friendly for a living. If a server makes you feel uncomfortable by flirting with your man, she added, “you’re not gonna have a good time. Not only are you not gonna tip me, neither one of you are ever gonna come back. And that’s not good for anyone.”
