Principal-Agent, on the Rocks

I'm a bartender at a conference center that is affiliated with the University.  Many companies, couples, and individuals throw parties at the ballrooms where I work, and I bar tend these event.  We are (supposedly) a four star establishment, and we charge four-star prices; the bar is the biggest money maker in my company.  Thus, we bartenders must be constantly conscious of things like inventory, over pouring drinks, and especially customer interaction.  This last one is most important because the bartender is one of the few staff at an event that one directly interacts with.

When I'm behind the bar, I answer to two principals, the customer and the company.  There is a University policy that dictates how much alcohol per drink we can pour, and oftentimes the customer does not see this as an adequate amount.  I am constantly being asked to "add a little more" or "top it off!"  I almost always  begrudgingly give more to the customer than I am supposed to.  Because monitoring the bars is so hard for my company, I knew there is almost no harm to me if I indulge the customer's request.  When you're the one who is face-to-face with the customer, it is harder to keep with policies that are set by the center.

One reason that I am willing to pour more for the customer is to save my self some hassle.  I have had multiple occasions where belligerent customers have raised their voices towards me, and a manager has had to get involved.  These times were really difficult situations to deal with, and I have no desire to have a situation escalate that much again.  Instead, I take the easy path and just hurt the company.  It's just easier.

The one time that I difficulty dealing with the situation, a manager had to step in.  Someone was angry that he was not getting served more, and he was making a scene.  To complicate things more, he was, not only the best man, but also the son of someone who works in the company.  This put both me and my manager in an awkward position; this was the first time that both of the principals were able to both monitor my actions at the same time.  We ended up telling the father of the groom to remove the man.  It was a lose-lose situation for the company and for the customer, and it reflected badly on me.