No one goes to a bar because they are out of alcohol.
There is beer/wine/soju in the fridge. It’s cheaper, and we don’t have to put on shoes.
People buying clothes are usually not naked. So no one is buying clothes because they are in dire need of clothes.
So, what are they actually buying?
They are buying the story to tell themselves about who they are. Most of all, they are buying connection. If I buy office clothes then I am part of the office gang. If I am buying a punk rock jacket, then I am part of the punk movement.
In the bar, it is easy to think your job is to cut limes, and shake drinks.
That is mechanical labor. One day, the limes will come packaged sliced and a robot will be able to mix drinks faster than you. Its not interesting to talk about mechanical labor.
Emotional labor is seeing the person in front of you and doing so is a form of art.
The low-stakes interaction exchange across the counter is a blank canvas.
We have a choice to follow the script: “Good evening. How can I help you? Here is your receipt.”
Or we can look a stranger in the eye and be curious about who they are.
It is the generous labor of not following our script to make someone feel slightly less lonely, and slightly better about their day than they were five minutes ago. That makes it worth, putting on shoes and coming down to the bar.
The cocktail, The picture of the cocktail, The picture at the bar? Aren't the product. Those are souvenirs of the product.
If we can provide a brief moment of real humanity in an otherwise transactional world, we aren’t just serving a customer. We are making art, because art is not about making money, its about making people feel seen.
People need art more than money. If they actually cared about money, they'd stay home and drink naked.