Why We Reject Some Gigs Even When We're Available

Why We Reject Some Gigs Even When We're Available

Turning down paying work isn't something most businesses like admitting to, but it happens more often than you'd think — and we think it's worth being honest about why. Being open on the calendar doesn't automatically mean we'll say yes. Here are the four reasons we've walked away from bookings, even when we had nothing else on that day.

1. They Prefer Inferior Products, Passed Off as Cocktails

As much as we'd love the business, we don't shortchange our guests. Using sweetened lime juice instead of authentic lime juice in a Margarita is something that genuinely doesn't sit well with us. Sure, some guests might notice the difference, and some might not — but between the easier, cheaper route and the harder, right one, we'll choose the one that protects the business's longevity every time.

This isn't about being precious over ingredients for the sake of it. It's that a cocktail built on shortcuts eventually shows — in flavour, in guest satisfaction, and in whether people remember the bar fondly or not at all. If a client is asking us to substitute quality for margin, that's a conversation that usually ends the booking before it starts.

2. Too Last-Minute a Notice

Supplies run short, and manpower needs to be planned properly. Even when staff availability isn't the issue, sourcing the supplies an event actually needs can be genuinely difficult on a moment's notice — cocktail-quality ingredients, specific spirits, or enough ice and glassware for the guest count don't just materialise on demand. Our general guideline is to give us 2 weeks' heads up. Anything tighter than that puts both the quality of the event and our ability to deliver it properly at real risk.

3. Constantly Badgering Us for Discounts or Longer Hours at the Same Price

We have no ill will toward our clients — but we learned this lesson the hard way, back when we were starting out and wanted the business badly enough to say yes to almost anything. It was a mere $30 discount. The client could clearly afford it; they just wanted to negotiate because they could.

It was a gender reveal party, and the balloons containing the coloured confetti burst prematurely — twice. The whole element of surprise was gone before the moment even happened. The party ended with everyone having a hard time, except us, since by that point no one was in the mood to drink anymore anyway.

What baffled us most, looking back, wasn't the discount request itself — it was that the same client didn't mind spending significantly more on premium spirits, but wanted to scrimp on manpower and expertise. That mismatch is often a warning sign: a client who values the bottle on the shelf more than the person pouring it tends to also be the client who pushes hardest for concessions elsewhere.

4. Your Way or the Highway

Expecting 1 bartender with 2 cocktails to serve 100 guests? We're good, thanks. The sheer labour required to run that kind of service properly is dreadful to even imagine — long queues, rushed pours, and a bartender who's physically unable to keep up no matter how skilled they are.

We understand that cost adds up, and we're always willing to work within a genuine budget. But there's a difference between a lean, sensible setup and a request that simply isn't staffed to succeed. When a client insists on running the numbers their way regardless of what the event actually needs, we'll require the necessary resources where they're needed — or we'll pass on the booking entirely.

Why We're Telling You This

None of these four reasons are about being difficult to work with. If anything, they're the opposite — they're the standards that let us consistently deliver events we're proud of, rather than events we're quietly hoping no one remembers too clearly. A client who respects the ingredients, the timeline, the pricing, and the staffing a good bar actually requires is a client we're genuinely excited to work with.

What This Looks Like From the Client Side

If you're booking a bar team and want to avoid running into any of the four issues above, the fix is fairly simple: ask for authentic ingredients by name if it matters to you, book with real lead time, negotiate in good faith rather than testing how far a discount can be pushed, and staff the event based on guest count rather than budget alone. Any bar team worth hiring will be upfront if something you're asking for doesn't add up — and that honesty, even when it's inconvenient, is usually a sign you're working with people who care about getting your event right.

Looking for bartenders for hire who'll be straight with you about what your event actually needs? Get in touch, and let's build something that works for everyone.