Don't you know who I am?
9/2/08—Special to San Francisco online, bartender Jeff Burkhart reports on the question that invariably gets the answer "no."The skinny young lad sauntered up to the bar with two friends in tow. My first guess was early 20s, certainly less than 23.
“I’ll have two Southern Comfort and cokes and a Midori sour,” he said, turning his back dismissively.
“I need to see some ID,” I said.
He turned around and eyed me up and down, then went back to talking to his friends. I realized that this was going to be difficult—I just had no idea how difficult. Moments later, he turned around and realized that his drinks had not been made.
“Hey! Where are my drinks?” he demanded.
“I still need to see some ID,” I said.
He looked me up and down again.
“Don’t you know who I am?” he asked.
“No, I don’t,” I answered as patiently as possible, having been through conversations like this before.
“I am so-and-so,” he said, which of course meant nothing to me.
Theorizing that I might be daft, he repeated his name very slowly, as if I didn’t understand English. When that didn’t help, he repeated it yet again with special emphasis placed on the last name, as if that, in and of itself, would help.
“I'm sorry, but I still need to see ID,” I answered.
My young friend now pulled out all the stops.
“Don’t you know who my father is?” he said.
“Look, all I need is some ID,” I answered. But it was too late now. His friends had started to gather around, and it now appeared as if his status, in their eyes, hung in the balance. Looking back on it, I realized that he had probably assured them that who he thought he was would be enough to secure drinks without ID.
Underage drinking is one thing that no bar tolerates. And if they do, it isn’t long before someone—either the local police or the State of California—rightly shuts them down. Most places that serve liquor have signs that say, “If you look under 30, be prepared to show ID." It doesn’t matter who you are, the law is clear; and not upholding it has consequences for the business, as well as for the bartender serving drinks. Punishments includes fines, firing, and even jail time if the offense is serious enough.
My young friend either didn’t know this or didn’t care. He was now on the spot in front of the peer group he wanted to impress, and there was no backing down.
“My father is so-and-so,” he said, pausing for dramatic impact.
After a moment, I answered him slowly, for my own dramatic effect.
“I don’t know who that is either,” I said.
People often assume that rules in restaurants are either arbitrarily instituted or applied only to other people. When mixed in with someone’s beliefs about themselves, they can spark fireworks. If you really are “somebody” who should be recognized, you will be, and the words “Don’t you know who I am?” need never be uttered.
I have three things to share after this little episode:
1. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you are under 30, be prepared to show ID.
2. Ordering sweet drinks like Southern Comfort and Midori are probably going to make you appear younger than you already are.
3. I wonder who his dad is?
Jeff Burkhart is an award-winning bartender, as well as an author and columnist. He works in a Bay Area restaurant.
Note: The above photo is not the person referred to in this story. It is, however, a photo of a young person who probably did not ask "Don't you know who I am?" when ordering the beer in his hand.
“I’ll have two Southern Comfort and cokes and a Midori sour,” he said, turning his back dismissively.
“I need to see some ID,” I said.
He turned around and eyed me up and down, then went back to talking to his friends. I realized that this was going to be difficult—I just had no idea how difficult. Moments later, he turned around and realized that his drinks had not been made.
“Hey! Where are my drinks?” he demanded.
“I still need to see some ID,” I said.
He looked me up and down again.
“Don’t you know who I am?” he asked.
“No, I don’t,” I answered as patiently as possible, having been through conversations like this before.
“I am so-and-so,” he said, which of course meant nothing to me.
Theorizing that I might be daft, he repeated his name very slowly, as if I didn’t understand English. When that didn’t help, he repeated it yet again with special emphasis placed on the last name, as if that, in and of itself, would help.
“I'm sorry, but I still need to see ID,” I answered.
My young friend now pulled out all the stops.
“Don’t you know who my father is?” he said.
“Look, all I need is some ID,” I answered. But it was too late now. His friends had started to gather around, and it now appeared as if his status, in their eyes, hung in the balance. Looking back on it, I realized that he had probably assured them that who he thought he was would be enough to secure drinks without ID.
Underage drinking is one thing that no bar tolerates. And if they do, it isn’t long before someone—either the local police or the State of California—rightly shuts them down. Most places that serve liquor have signs that say, “If you look under 30, be prepared to show ID." It doesn’t matter who you are, the law is clear; and not upholding it has consequences for the business, as well as for the bartender serving drinks. Punishments includes fines, firing, and even jail time if the offense is serious enough.
My young friend either didn’t know this or didn’t care. He was now on the spot in front of the peer group he wanted to impress, and there was no backing down.
“My father is so-and-so,” he said, pausing for dramatic impact.
After a moment, I answered him slowly, for my own dramatic effect.
“I don’t know who that is either,” I said.
People often assume that rules in restaurants are either arbitrarily instituted or applied only to other people. When mixed in with someone’s beliefs about themselves, they can spark fireworks. If you really are “somebody” who should be recognized, you will be, and the words “Don’t you know who I am?” need never be uttered.
I have three things to share after this little episode:
1. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you are under 30, be prepared to show ID.
2. Ordering sweet drinks like Southern Comfort and Midori are probably going to make you appear younger than you already are.
3. I wonder who his dad is?
Jeff Burkhart is an award-winning bartender, as well as an author and columnist. He works in a Bay Area restaurant.
Note: The above photo is not the person referred to in this story. It is, however, a photo of a young person who probably did not ask "Don't you know who I am?" when ordering the beer in his hand.
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