Pub-goers warned of hidden '86' code bartenders use as it spells bad news

29 August 2023 , 14:36

824     0

Bartenders apparently use a hidden code (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

Waiting at the bar can be one of life's great annoyances, and how you handle the sometimes lengthy wait can lead you to getting a certain nickname by those serving you. Through the realms of a busy shift, staff will often speak in code which will be in reference to either drinks, cocktail ingredients or customers. Some codes are completely harmless and, at times, can be complementing those in the bar, but if you hear one code then you're night could be about to take a turn.

A lot of the codes are in numerical form if a customer is waiting and still needs to be served - according to the pros, the shortcut code to use is '200'. It's '700' if you're referring to a particularly attractive customer and number '50' is also apparently code for 'catch'. The next time things get a little bit rowdy in your local pub, listen out for '86'. While the term 'to be 86ed' as been used in many settings, it is most often used primarily in restaurants and bars.

It is effectively used to describe customers who need to be kicked out for bad behaviour. Within the bartending industry, certain ingredients can get '86'd' which basically means when a staff member has run out of something or wants it rid off - they will 86 it. Danilo Božović, bartender and author of Barkeep: The Art of Mixology, Bar and Cocktails, told VinePair: "It's very hard to be 86'd. It all depends on the establishment, but usually when you are 86'd, that means you’ve really, really done it."

That could mean anything from being too drunk and acting violent to disturbing other customers and generally just misbehaving Danilo added: "And when you are 86ed, 86 usually lasts for a year. If that person tries to come back, they tell them, 'Sorry, you're not allowed in this establishment for the next year'."

Catherine Murphy