This is a story about espresso martinis, and managing expectations ☕️
A few years ago, I was a guest at a wedding and asked the bartender if they could make an espresso martini. I was only going to have one drink, and that’s the one I wanted.
They explained that they couldn’t at the present moment, but they planned to when dessert and the coffee bar was brought out.
After dinner and some dancing, dessert was set, and I walked up to the bar and confidently asked for an espresso martini.
The same bartender explained that, in order to make me one, I would have to obtain some hot coffee from the coffee bar and bring it back to him. Then, he said, he could use that to make my martini.
Trying to hide my visible confusion, I said “ok thank you” and walked away, sans espresso martini 🍸
A few things about this interaction:
1. I appreciate the bartender’s willingness to try and make the closest thing to what I requested. That’s an excellent quality to have in event staff.
2. My expectations were high because I had been made to believe that I could, in fact, receive what I requested in the first place
3. I was let down and confused when I realized that the drink could not be made to standard, even during the designated time
4. If the bartender had simply said either “I’m so sorry we don’t have an espresso machine” OR “I can make a coffee martini, but it may not be exactly the same,” my expectations would have been properly managed.
The ultimate lessons?
Attendee experience is all about managing expectations.
The hospitality professional urge to give guests what they want cannot outweigh the reality of the tools at your disposal when executing an event.
Make sure all hospitality staff know what is and what isn’t included in bar packages…
And, maybe the place to order an espresso martini wasn’t this event in the first place! As an attendee, if something like this happens, it’s best to say “thank you” and move on.
#eventplanning #attendees #bartending
I must say you make a great Espresso Martini!