Episode 374 "Bartenders & Waitresses"

They get a little They called me broadcasting live from Atlanta, Georgia. Welcome to the ball Alert Show. I go by and then Ferrari as soon as all you know BT is out being famous today. I have two good friends of mine, Amina in the building. How you doing, Jordan, what's up? Come a little closer to the mic, my friend. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're shooting content now, you know. And you ladies, you lovely ladies are bartender, waitress, bottle girl, kind of army swift, army Swiss snipers.

Yeah.

Now I'll start with you. Do you where did you start in this whole area? Do you still bartend?

And so I will say I started younger, but it was like strip club energy, you know, waitress in the strip club. Then I branched off to twists. If you remember twist at Phipps.

I remember that dam that was the move, bro. I remember that line outside too.

I did twist and then after that Twist closed and then I went to.

Eleven forty five, my eleving forty five part my opera, Pottingam, my agent, entertainment party partner. We were locked in for a long time, say over ten years. Yeah, yeah, that's crazy, And go ahead.

It was crazy how I started.

I started at Tongue and Groove actually after doing like a black bottle Girl thing, So I started there and then I was doing like Opera antugn Groove, and then it was just opera because it was day parties, it.

Was the week, it was everything.

Then I got into ag World, started doing Compound, pre Ve, Gold Room, Soho Mondays, and then ended at Opium.

That's crazy. I mean, I know I start I was hosting around your time, but that was DJ more so when I started seeing you. Okay, first question, man, you kind of already know, like I'm gonna ask because we're trending right now on the radio station page. Who makes the most money in the club? It was like the on a Saturday, on a.

Popping Saturday night, I did see this.

Who makes the most money in the club The owner, the bottle girl, the waitress, the DJ. To that, you gotta say who.

I definitely would say the owner because all the money is funneling going through them, you know, but the waitress definitely makes a killing. Then you can't really be account of your your money can't be accounted for it because it's like unlimited, so you are making money here here, here, here, here, You're gonna see your friends. So I would say the owner, and then that waitress.

I'm gonna say the waitress, the waitress. I want to.

Say the waitress and then the owner. I say that because when we're getting urgratuity, yeah, we.

Take and that is.

Yeah, well at least it used to be. Now what they do nowadays, I don't know what that breakdown is, but yeah, getting your money off top, like she said, like you're gonna have friends or like people that like you or whatever want to give you some more, so like you make it more off of your twenty percent and then that's just that table.

Now.

Granted, if you get a table that want more bottles than you're, you're overdoing what you expected to do anyways, So I would definitely say I would say us. I would say the bottles, bottle girls, and then the owner gonna get his at the end of the night.

What's the most you've seen someone make or you've made at the end of the night, M don't sugarcoat friends, what's the most you've seen?

The most I've seen is probably like somebody make like eleven grand.

God damn one night.

Yeah, was that at the strip club. No, this is regular. Oh we Jordan.

Uh.

Personally, I'd say four to five thousand and one night. Yeah, take me back right, I made.

Eight gran in one night where I got a five thousand dollars tip and then they also tipped me in cash. Yeah, and then it was like the rest of the night. And that's as a service waitress.

Wow. Okay, So how do you what made you guys want to get into the service industry, because we're gonna I'm gonna lead to another question, but what made you want to get into this industry?

I was low key throwing into it.

Yeah, I had been I had been around, Like I said, I started doing stuff for black bottle girls anyway, So I was already walking around with a bottle serving people. And then I knew people. So then it was just like, well, we're gonna do this Monday night. Why don't you just come serve with us on Monday. So really it just started from there and it just it just grew like it. I don't know, I was not.

Just flew.

I just flew in there, and then opportunities just kept going. I'm like, I mean I'm making money anyways, it is what it is I don't got a clock in no nine to five.

I'm with it, fast money, cash, like, let's go. I'm in my twenties, why not?

And mines came about like I'll say younger, but my friends were already doing it. So they're like, Amina, I work at the strip club. You know, when you're young, it's like, oh, she worked at the strip club.

What's she in here doing?

But we was literally just waitresses, so we was making money in it started to go from dis place to this place to this place. And once you were in the industry, all you're going to do is meet somebody else that owns the club. They'll say you don't want to work there, or come up and work over here. So now you're at this place, this place, this place, and this place.

So I like the industry, okay, which leads me to my next word of the episode, customer service. Yeah, I've had my share of seeing really dope. This is me Ferrari. Whenever I go djil club or djail party, I find one way, one bottle girl that I just get tight with. Yeah, yeah, you know, yes, you know what I'm saying. I just found one person, so I don't got to communicate with five different people, you know what I'm saying, and I find, but I always found the person that gives the best

Got to know how to make drinks.

Yeah.

In the industry that I came from, I was trained. So at Twist, I was trained.

Like customer service service.

And now that I work at m c K, Mitch is there. So it's like yeah, so it's literally full circle. And so now we're training the people. But I'll say in this you will kind of like start a certain way because a lot of people do it for the money. But what's crazy is I do it to make friends, make friends that will pay me. Yeah, it's like make

So I train people for that.

I'll be like, listen, have a personality, look nice, you know what I mean, Get in their business. Ask them questions, not about how was your day?

You know what I mean?

But if you see them, I like your hair, who did your hair? You know? Start a conversation and I get everybody's name, and I do not know how I remember it, but.

I don't forget it.

That's great for one encounter.

If I remember glowing up, I'd be like, oh, Jordan, hey again, and everybody'd be like you know her.

I'm like, no, I'm married the last time. It's kind of weird. Yeah, it is.

When you go into waitressing, like at a club. I don't personally think customer service is taught.

It's you get.

You get what the customer acts, and you go like, make your rounds is what it is. Collect my money, not you personally as the waitress, but collect my money from the club because we did used to when they took you to a section. I need that money up front, blah blah blah blah. I gotta take it. To the back before you even get your bottles. Now they do it at the door, thankfully. But no, customer service was not taught. But lucky for me, I was in retail first.

So it's you.

Know, courtesy, like thank you, how you doing by black? Like just small talk, getting to know them, like you said, creating that, creating that bond, and when they come back, they're gonna ask for you. Just do good by other and they're gonna do good to you, and then they're gonna come back and may your cup runs over.

In the industry where it's always you know, good, it's the good and the bad. And I feel in all industries, right, what have you guys seen like bad? Like bad customer service, bad waitresses? Bad? Do those people tend to not last long? Like is it like drama or is it you know, I be clod I mean, I mean seen a lot.

Add customer service is timing, like I was taught, check back every two minutes, Like you check back so much you annoy the customer.

But they never supposed to look for you like that.

They're never supposed to ask somebody, hey, yeah, and if they did, like even in the two minutes they need something, if they asks that server, that server gets it. That server doesn't come say hey, a meana, your table needs No it's our table. It's no just thing, regardless if I'm getting the money from it or not. They're not supposed to even know what they server is, to be honest.

They're supposed to get it.

Get the whatever the person asks, or they ask for a couple of ice. Don't come find me and say they get your type a couple of ice and then I'm already doing something.

They gave you the tesk do it, you know what I mean.

So that's how I learned even but that's kind of like in the household, if you see the dishes, do them. Don't complain about my sister didn't do the dishes. You know, No, do the dishes. If you see something, you do it. So that's what I was kind of taught, like, don't let somebody else do the task that was given to you. I think that's how you determine like who's on the team and who's herself. Like, granted, your table is your what you're making and We're not split depending on what

We're here, we spend these hours together. We're becoming friends with becoming family.

So yeah, like if my table is looking for something that's not a bottle, please go get it for them or tell me or whatever.

But I do feel like.

Sometimes they will keep a waitress with a bad attitude and they're just like, oh, it's okay, like she'll go get it, But like that's a nasty attitude.

I don't want her back personally.

And I think every woman that is at a section that has a waitress with a nasty attitude, they're gonna be like they're going to say something always because why do you have an attitude.

When I'm you're taking my money? What's your Why are you un'thappy at work? Boom?

Yeah, I started your night even though it started at ten o'clock at night. You just started your night off, and you have an attitude, you know. So I always like I'm very welcoming, so I always do everything with a smile, so you wouldn't even think that I was taking your money.

Yeah, you want to give me your money? Yeah, but like, yeah, we have a tab? What is your tap? Is this?

We have to take it up front versus saying, hey, yeah, you're not getting no bottles?

Like why are you talking to people like?

You know, like come on, Like that's how you do people even if you in a rush, you have time for them, make time for them. Don't let them know you have anything else going on.

Yeah, that's why it's called the service.

Yeah, the service.

So again, next question will be when you guys are dealing with like, you know, promoters or owners. Who hires you guys? Owners?

Mmmm, well, they'll kind of use a manager.

It will be the manager of the club that hires.

But you know what, eleven forty five, I did get hired by a promoter who I thought was an owner.

So he was doing tends to happen.

Yeah, right, so.

He was doing the hiring and shout out to Luther Okay, yeah.

Yeah, anyway, okay, So is there a criteria that you guys have to make sure you meet maintaining being a server at a nightclub, wars, strip club or lounge, meaning like physically do you have to come? Do you have to have makeup on? Do you? Because one time eleven forty five r P eleven forty five, I would see like outfits like somebody. I think one time somebody made y'all outfits.

Yes, I was doing that a time I was making that.

Y'all had some flare on the hard.

I think the criteria is beauty period. Like you are a woman. My I would say, act like you're trying to impress a boy.

Come to work somebody.

Yeah, act like you're trying to impress somebody, Like what how would you look? You know you're not rolling out the bed. You are literally selling.

No I can spend not like that, but you're you need to look nice.

You makeup, you have your hair done, your nails done, you bringing out bottles. Your hands are going to be in pictures, you know what I mean. Your outfits there are going to be fish nets. Make sure they don't have holes in it. For you know, your shoes, your shoes, and I would say everybody's shoes need to be cohesive, like everybody didn't have on the same shoes.

You know what I mean.

We need to look like we're on a dance squad.

Is there like a leader that does that?

Or well, sometimes I feel like there's like a head waitress, or they'll make themselves a head waitress.

But I don't like they made We picked our uniforms.

Okay, well not for ag entertainment, obviously, you know he gonna he gonna do what he want to do. But I would say for opium, like we shopped around ideas, was like, y'all like this, all right, cool, we're gonna get this, send us your sizes.

This is what it is.

Okay.

We definitely said like stockings, fish nets and whatnot, but like what stocking you wanted to wear with wet outfit.

It wasn't that strict. Neither were the shoes.

But I would say for me, just observing people, I was thigh high.

Boots with a heel. You're not gonna catch me in no flats. Plus everything set up better when you put some heels on it.

But I would see people like nothing against the people that wear the Balinciaga sock shoe, but that doesn't that doesn't make you set up, That doesn't make you like roll your shoulders back and strut. So I feel like you need to be in something that you're gonna strut in, but also be comfortable because don't get me wrong, my heels weren't like stiletto's. They were definitely some comfortable shoes. But my ship was barking after that. Yeah, yeah, I gotsen years.

So yeah, yes, but if you look at the girls in Vegas, they look like show girls for sure. Miami they look like show girls. So it's not no, you don't get to pick your outfits. They the club picked their outfits for them into them and you better fit, which means you better gym for sure, you know what I mean. So it was it was definitely a Crotteriria and you know, in those cities.

So yeah, I'm so glad you guys are here. Right. So, as a person that hosted the biggest parties in Atlanta and ej them as well, how important is the music, the DJ, the situation for you guys to do your job even better?

Cuge, that's huge. They're creating the vibe.

Yes, that's the biggest, like the major Yeah, if it's.

I would see before we bring such and such a.

Yeah, that matters so much because certain those beats when you're drinking. Certain beats, like even if you win your car, listen to them. You may drive a little faster just because those beats have you like, oh I'm feeling myself, you know.

So you guys make more money the better the DJ.

I think so, because they said they set the vibe. So if vibing and.

Your continuous, potentially yeah.

And you're and you're like they're they're having a good time, they drinking, the bottles are going quicker. So yeah, I'm gonna get another bottle before because you running out. You don't want you don't want the vibe to end. So yeah, they're gonna keep vibing.

Yeah, Now does it Is it different? Is there a difference between you guys working and serving at a lounge versus a strip club versus a club? And I don't even know if there's any clubs left in Atlanta outside? Is there a difference between making money at these different establishments. It's all based off of that friend that you make.

Yep, it's all about customer service. Like the numbers have not changed. You can be like I used to make money back in the day. No, I'm still making money today. You know, it only gets better, you know, because now in our community, it's a lot of entrepreneurs, so we've already grown to treat ourselves a certain way. So now we're going to places that treat us a certain way. So you're going to get that waitress, you know, and I will hire somebody. I'll be like, Mitch, I got somebody,

You know what I mean?

So I have people that come solely to see me and say if I can't get to them, I'll get them the next best thing.

Like I'll be like, go get your money. This person. Tip's really good. You're gonna love to wait on them. Yeah, you know.

So the money don't change you, just you just gotta keep your personality up your you gotta want to do it.

So I love the industry, so it works for me.

Jordan, I'm gonna start with you on this next question. You guys are working clubs but you got to have a personal life. Ye got to have a relationship eventually. Yeah, and if that relationship grows, how does it grow? Does what you guys do intimidate someone that you could potentially be in a relationship with due to the fact that you're out until four or five in the morning, sometimes

My god, she's just looking great.

Ye send her a DM. That could be a little intimidating to a potential, you know, person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, right or No?

Definitely it has. I feel like it has caused problems. But that's why they ain't my problem no more. That person is not my problem no more. Like I need somebody that's confident in what I come with, And I think you also have to be confident in your partner. Like if you've been dating me and you know me, I would have a nigga from the club if I wanted one. Obviously I don't, So why are you concerned

Time.

Yeah, so I mean it has cost issues and you definitely just have You just have to make time. You have to prioritize now, like do I want to go make this money or do I want off today? But you know, you might want to take that slow day before the summer come because summer you locked in.

But I mean it's doable, absolutely doable. Though.

Well, I've managed to have a really good schedule that works for whoever I'm dating. So I've had a good run in the industry where I am.

If I am in a relationship, it works. You know, they know my schedule.

I still make time and I don't have kids, so I don't know it works it works. So I haven't had a run in where somebody.

Okay, I see you.

Wait when that guy faced it like, hey, I'm bringing home the money, so chill.

They're not.

I've never met nobody's like you. I seen you and somebody. It's working.

It's working. Yeah, I definitely.

I definitely remember, like what are my boyfriend's looking at my going through my phone? Like when I was sleep and I got a text from a customer like it was it was only for I told him, I said, you know, thank you for tonight because you always going to a book with me, so I appreciate you for tonight. You tipped you over tip and that was all it was. I might have said, you know, babe, but it wasn't like and that's all that he read and that.

I understand.

Yeah he lost it his customer service. You learned the babe because you don't know their names a lot. I did know him, but.

Yeah, that wasn't like that fan.

Yeah you said, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Now again, I've been I've been in this industry. I wanted to damn, I'm getting old, almost twenty years. I've seen some people get their bodies done to influence people to tip more. Do you guys see that too?

I don't know if I can say that they did it for people to tip more they're trying to catch some or for themselves.

I think they did it, and if they did it in the industry, they definitely did it because of what they saw they was next to.

Yeah, the other girls. Yeah, it's like a girl thing.

So is it an ever that's going to be an ever going thing?

Then yeah, it's a girl thing. They'll be like that you look a certain way, and then the club owners actually will hire you based off how.

You look, which I understand that part because.

Yeah, OK, so if they see like this person is getting this table or these particular clients because they look a certain way, girls will be like, oh, I need to look like them. So it'll kind of shift their self esteem a little bit.

But you know, I don't.

I was never taught that, you know, So I was taught to get money. It was never about what it looked like. It was about who you was, how fast you were, and how efficient you were, you know what I mean. So people will say, oh, I'm getting the waitious because she got the fat ass, but they're not server. Yeah, because I had some girls I've worked with some girls and I will tell you the truth.

This is a true story.

I can't say their names, but the girl was sleeping with the guy when he came in here, he said, I want to meet him, and so she thought, oh me, he mean you suck your customer.

Customer survey, you are servicing. That's not what's happening. Like, No, you no matter what, you.

Going after hours to work. Yeah, you can't feel entitled just because of what you've done. You know, So I'm making what you could have, should have, would have just because I'm so.

It's not a good idea to sleep with the cut.

Absolutely not the customer or the boss.

But these things tend to happen in this line of words by all men, and does it. I can tell that it creates a lot of issues. Man. And then you gotta go somewhere else because you probably get fired.

Right liquor in late night do something to you your feelings.

The girls feelings are hurt.

So whatever they was performing like before they got with whoever it shifts or.

He taking them tables away, I'm gonna give you them back two seaters damn.

Yeah.

And so in my industry, I definitely worked in a way where people would be like, oh, I mean it's talking to somebody.

I'm not.

No, I'm just bubbly, you know what I mean. I'm just bubbly, and I don't.

I never had to do that, So I was taught when I work at the Strip club in two thousand and eight, like I've seen a girl that I work with sleep with a customer. Then he came back with somebody else the next week, and I was like.

She was crushed. So now she had worked with attitude.

So I swear watching her that happened to her and made me never ever want to talk to a customer. So now even now they'll say, hey, I said I don't date people that come in here, and they'll say, what, I don't got to come here.

You'll never see me again. Don't matter.

I met you in here, So you don't they anybody that you meet in that way.

No, I'm just you just know. I'd be like, look around, it's.

Where you meet somebody to Oh, I hang out, I go out and travel. I'm outside, so you have to be off the clock.

Off the clock, you get to really see the real you know. But in my job, like come on, I'm working.

To meet somebody at the job.

Nah, No, I mean I don't think.

I don't think any of us like that, at least like the real workers. I would say, because we're here, I'm here to do a job. Like you might be easy on the eyes, I'm like flur a little bit, but like it's got to be on my time. Don't you take me around this club. Don't be trying to keep me in your section because you like me. I got seven more that I need to move around to.

I'll be back. I'll catch you by the end of the night, if that's what I want.

How do you guys navigate through that? Because you I was. We did a DJ, a female DJ episode, and they mentioned that not only do we got to deal with guys, we got to deal with girls that holler at us too. I'm pretty sure you guys got and women hollering at you while you're serving, while you're and the.

Women make it feel like because they're girls, is now is it's really okay? So you tend to flirt because this is you know, or you tend to be warm, and they may take that as something else and they'll start stalking you, Like if you give out your ig you're done.

I ain't had a girl experience.

I can't say so you never had a girl two weeks ago, I'm like, hey, this girl is extremely aggressive.

I made it cool, but it's not I had a girl experience.

Yes, honey, damn I missing out. Yeah, it's like.

I ain't don'a tee you all right? So before you wrap, two more questions. Safety. Yeah, guys getting off at four in the morning, I do see I have seen in a lot of clothes. Uh, the security will walk you, guys to your car. How important is safety in your industry?

Major?

Major, because you could get somebody in the club that's creeping in the bag and they waiting for you to leave, and you got all this money. You ain't getting a transaction, you're getting cash. So by all means not by yourself have something on you for sure.

I don't know what. I don't know what the club policy is about. Safety for a waitress.

Isn't what you can have in your bag or not have something on you, because it could be when I mean, I think security should absolutely wait till you're in your car. Started it like lock your door automatically when you get

So for me, if I had a large lumsung, I'm not taking it home.

I'm letting them keep it.

I'm accounted, let them keep it, and then I'll pick it up in daylight, take it to the bank somewhere.

I know.

It's like nothing's on me, you know what I mean. So getting home, I tend to get home safely. Yeah, so I don't have those thoughts. That's not my thought process, Like I'm annoyed it, you know what I mean. I feel like I have a good heart, So I'm not thinking about that field, you know what I mean. So I try not to attract it. But I will say I have people that are very concerned when I do drive home or get home, you know.

And then what's crazy enough, I kind of share my location for sure. Yeah.

Yeah, my mama got that best friend. Everybody everybody that needs to have it, Yeah my location. Yeah, so it'll be like on two separate phones.

So I feel good about that, you know, But I totally understand the because I've seen girls getting ubers with money, and I've seen one girl the Uber driver set her up. The Uber driver. She used the same Uber driver every night.

I think I saw that that was a minute ago, right, Yeah.

She's the same Uber driver every night. And when she got home. Yeah, apparently somebody was like bum rushing her door. Yep, that the Uber driver set up.

Wow.

Yeah, it's not safe.

But I definitely used to go to the ATM, but I live in it's a different part of town, so ain't nobody checking for me at the ATM. But I'm definitely going to the ATM before I get home regardless. Get that up off me. I ain't got nothing when you when you want it, I ain't got it.

Yeah off.

Okay, last question, so the evolution of you as a person, You as a person like you when you're working in this industry, where do you see yourself ten years down the line? What's your plan? Oh?

I'm a fashion designer, Okay, that's my real job.

So I love the industry because first I get to meet people, you know, I get to sell my brand as well, and a lot of them already recognizing, which I'm so grateful for because I've made clothes for so many females.

So they'll be like, Amana, oh my god, I'm one of you.

Yes, and they'd be like, yes, I love this place, you know. But it just brings me like more energy and more networking. So in networks, so I'll say fashion design, You're going to see it am by Imina Jey Yeah.

Who.

I truly had no idea what my ten year goal was when I started waitressing. It just so happened that I got to a place where it was becoming slow.

And this was probably like.

Twenty seventeen eighteen ish when things were a little bit slow, that I just started in real estate, like working in different pockets of real estate until I just found what I want to do.

So I'm in real estate, I have my license.

I'm more so on developer properties than anything and I love it. But I definitely, I definitely attribute a lot of my growth and the skills that I have to working in the night life, and I think what comes with that as a woman and as somebody where that was not the goal to stay. I was not wanting to stay there. I wasn't looking for a husband there, but it was the connections that you made in the qualities that you picked up from the club that are always going to like help.

You long term, I think so.

And last last question to someone that's super young that wants to get into the service industry waitress and bartending or you know, being a potential bottle girl, what do you tell them? What's some advice you can give?

I would say, acquire the knowledge first, like make sure you are trained to learn that you are serving someone else, and that you are polite, and that you actually know drinks, food, allergies, you know, more mature questions you know, and just very very pay attention to detail. So even like if you are a hostess, you know, somebody walking in and no phones, you on your phone, you need to look up, you always need to be attentive and no back towards the door.

So I would have to say, what is your goal and know your goal and know your worth before you get in that industry because it can diminish your self worth really quick, or it can blast it through the atmosphere. So always know what your goal is and why you're there, but definitely don't make that your only income because at one day, one day, you're going to have to get out of it. I'm not going to say an age that you should be out of it, but you should

Back then. So definitely get do that and best in yourself.

Okay, tell them how to follow you.

I G A M by aj not Amber Amina okay, h.

Bouje b o u j a y y with an.

Underscore and shout out to Hungary AF my dog Chris Staineless chef Kodak file locations. My favorite location is the one in Smyrna, Kanye's location coming soon. Yeah ball alert, show peace there, young wings go crazy