2/7/25 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott

Photo Caption: A big thank you to the Catholic Foundation for its generous gift of $9,000 for added security cameras both inside and outside our school as well as one facing our church doors. We now have 25 cameras that can be monitored 24 hours a day.

Dear Our Lady of Peace Family,

Here are ten lessons I learned from being a bartender for many years that have helped me in my present profession as a principal:

1) Every day is different. When you step behind the bar to start your shift, you never know who is going to come through the door. Is it going to be a busy day full of surprises and angry patrons or is it going to be a mellow day where life is good. 

2) A full moon really does bring the “wolf” out in people. Ask any bartender, police officer, emergency room nurse. Be ready for misbehavior when the full moon comes. 

3) Customers like bartenders who have confidence in what they are doing. Pour your shot smoothly. Tip your beer glass slightly to achieve the right amount of foam on the top of the beer. Know your drinks and keep up with the latest fads. 

4) Just because you are having a bad day, there is no reason to spread your gloom and doom on others: your fellow workers, your customers, your boss. Smile. Smile. Smile. On bad days grit your teeth, bite your tongue and smile. 

5) Listen to your customers. Take an interest in their lives. There is a great power in knowing the names of those who come through the door. Even better is to know their drink and have it ready for them before they sit down at the bar. 

6) See trouble before it happens. Don’t overserve the customer. It is better to anger someone by cutting them off than it is to deal with them once they are over the top. 

7) The louder they yell, the softer your voice should be. 

8) Following a routine at work makes your shift go by more quickly. Keep your glasses washed, your bar wiped, your inventory stocked. There is great satisfaction in wiping the dust off the bottles on the back bar. Patrons like to see you are busy, but they appreciate it when you stop what you are doing to serve them. 

9) Keep your politics to yourself. Let them spout their views. Smile and listen only. 

10) The customer is always right, even when they are wrong. Disputing his perception of the facts does no good. Instead, acknowledge his frustration, pain, anger or other displeasing emotions and I try to find common ground to come to a solution where he doesn’t feel humiliated or embarrassed. 

Although I don’t cocktails at Our Lady of Peace and I have never served anyone a beer here (except of course at our parish festival) the lessons I have learned by being a bartender at varied locations such as Deibels, Max and Erma’s, DaVinci’s, cocktail parties, wedding receptions and various other locations have helped me to appreciate that every person is a unique individual who wants to be respected, appreciated and served in a timely fashion. This is what I strive to do as a principal I don’t always achieve the mark, but at the beginning of every shift I keep these goals in mind. 



Oh, and unlike my bartending days you won’t find a tip jar on the top of my desk. 

Jim Silcott