When everyone is competing for the bartender's attention, you'll need a strong strategy to get served first. Behavioral researchers have studied the best and worst tactics to use when ordering a drink.


The researchers, from Bielefeld University in Germany, analyzed 105 customer attempts to order drinks in nightclubs in Germany and Scotland. They looked at what the customers were doing in the 35 seconds before being served. Their conclusion: The most effective strategy is to stand squarely to the bar and look directly at the bartender as he/she moved around. You need to do both to communicate you're "bidding for attention."

While that might not be mind-blowing news, it is interesting the tactics that didn't work. That includes squeezing in between other customers (you might end up waiting even longer), leaning on the bar, looking at a menu or the drinks available, or looking at money. The Telegraph also reports that waving money is a surefire way of not getting served. This is not a strip club, people.


How to use body language to get served first at a bar | The Telegraph via The Week