The Do’s and Don’ts of New Year’s Eve in a Restaurant

For better or for worse, we’ve made it through another year. In just a few short days, the dumpster fire of 2022 will be in our collective rearview mirrors and we’ll have a shiny new year ahead of us. Twelve months from now we’ll call 2023 a dumpster fire too, but for now it still has potential. If you’re someone who wants to ring in the new year at a bar or restaurant, here are a few things to keep in mind.

DO pace yourself. The pinnacle of the evening happens at midnight, so make sure to utilize your time management skills. If you begin celebrating early make sure you know what kind of space you want to be in six hours later, especially if there’s alcohol involved.

DON’T throw up. If you can’t handle your liquor, maybe frozen margaritas, whiskey flights and belly shots are not for you. There’s a reason restaurant workers call December 31st “amateur night.” If you feel like you’re about to pray to the porcelain gods, do everything in your power to make it not happen. Hold your breath, drink water, say a prayer to Baby New Year. If it’s definitely going to happen, run outside or puke in your purse. No restaurant worker should have to mop up your bad decisions.

DO keep track of the time. The ball has dropped, Auld Lang Syne has been sung with gusto, and the Champale toast has been given. Now read the room and see how much longer you should stay. Does this place close at 4:00AM? Then by all means, order another round and start looking for your first mistake of 2023. Do they close at 1:00AM? Okay, you’ve got an hour left, so pay attention.

DON’T feel obligated to do anything you don’t want to do. This is your night. If your friends or family want to go out and party until their genitals fall off, but you want to watch a black and white movie with some cheddar popcorn while under a blanket, well happy new year to you! We all ring in the new year the way we want to and some of us ring it in at home on the couch or in bed. Alcohol is everywhere on New Year’s Eve but if you’d rather have a Topo Chico, happy new year to you too!

DO be safe. If you’re going out to drink, please have a designated driver or get a freakin’ Uber. No bartender wants to be accused of over-serving someone who hides their drunkenness until they get behind the wheel of a car.

DON’T BYOB. Really, don’t try to be slick and carry bourbon in a flask that you bought at Urban Outfitters a few years ago. Restaurants and bars are open on New Year’s Eve to make money. If you can’t afford to pay for the things you want at a restaurant, you should be at a house party instead where bringing your own booze is highly appreciated.

DO tip your servers and bartenders. And tip them well. New Year’s Eve is not an easy night to work in a restaurant. The hours are long, it’s always busy, and there’s an extra layer of craziness in the air. Make it worth their while by tipping generously. They’re working so you can have a good time, so let them know you appreciate it.

DON’T bring confetti. Just don’t.

New Year’s Eve is a fresh new start for pretty much everyone in the world; a hopefulness that the new year will bring us exactly what we want from it, even if we don’t know what we’re hoping for. Start the year off being as decent of a person as you can possibly be by being a good restaurant customer. Or start it off at home in deep sleep and dreaming about flying biscuits because your ass went to bed at 9:30. Happy New Year!