“Will Stay With Me Forever”: 30 Wild Things Bartenders Won’t Be Able To Delete From Their Memories

Bored Panda reached out to Rihards Gudzs, a bartender from Riga, Latvia, to get a glimpse into the highs and lows of the industry. He started out at 17, and now, at 25, he’s spent nearly a decade mastering the craft. These days, he shares his experiences and skills with the world through TikTok and Instagram.

“I got into this profession during my summer break between 11th and 12th grade. I was looking for a job to save up for my first car and the academy I wanted to attend,” he told us. “I ended up working at one of the most popular nightclubs in Riga, LaRocca, as a coatroom attendant. From there, I was offered a job as a barback, then became a waiter, then a bartender, then a senior bartender, and eventually a bar manager.”

“I’ve been behind the bar for eight years now,” Rihards shared. “How would I describe this job? It’s for people who want to start making money right away, without needing any theoretical training beforehand.”

According to Rihards, learning the basics and getting a quick rundown of the bar is enough to start working in low-end places within two or three days. “That’s all it takes to learn how to make the standard drinks from the menu and start serving guests for tips without worrying about quality, skill, or experience.”

At that level, he explains, you could walk into a small neighborhood bar with a six-drink menu, spend a day or two figuring out where everything is, and start pouring. But no matter where you work, Rihards said the most important part of bartending isn’t just making drinks—it’s charisma and communication.

“You can completely mess up a drink order or serve something totally different from what was requested, and it won’t even matter—as long as you know how to talk to people. If you communicate well, you can sell anything.”

It’s no secret that bartending, or any service job, for that matter, is exhausting. But many people don’t realize just how demanding it really is.

“Being a bartender means coming into work every day without knowing what’s ahead,” Rihards said. “You have no idea what you’ll have to deal with, when you’ll get a break, or what time you’ll actually finish your shift. Some nights you’ll be on your feet running around nonstop, others you’ll be standing there doing nothing. And most importantly, you never know how much you’ll walk away with in tips at the end of the night.”

The job takes a toll both physically and emotionally. “It’s unpredictable in ways that can be both good and bad,” he added. “But despite all the challenges, all the stress, and everything this job puts you through, the financial reward at the end of the night usually makes up for it.”

And then there’s the wildcard—customers. You never know who’s going to walk through the door or how they’ll affect the rest of your shift. “You constantly have to handle situations that have nothing to do with your actual job. There’s financial responsibility, the pressure to keep up, and a ton of other things that pile up over time,” explained Rihards.

“But even though bartending can be a high-stress job, after a while, you start to see it differently. The chaos becomes just another part of the workday, and eventually, you don’t even think about it anymore, it just is what it is,” he said.

Of course, being a bartender means witnessing some pretty bizarre human behavior. Rihards shared a few stories—though, between us, these were the more PG ones. So you can imagine how wild it really gets.

“One night, when I was 20, I was working at a prestigious venue that, at the time, attracted both local businesspeople and celebrities. A guest sat at the bar all night, drinking and constantly trying to start a conversation with me,” Rihards recalled.

“He was persistent, but I kept it professional. At the end of my shift, I asked him to settle his bill since we were closing. Instead of paying, he grabbed my arm and said, ‘Come to my hotel room.’ I refused, but then he followed up with, ‘€2,000.’ After repeatedly telling him no, security had to remove him from the premises for harassment.”