Professional Bartending School Of Nashville Job Placement Assistance my A** Nashville Tennessee

I typed my rebuttal last night in a hurry and didn't proof read it (excuse the typos. In the first paragraph, the word 'claim' should be plural; in the third to last paragraph 'owner OF manager should say 'owner OR manager; the plural of n**i is Nazis, no apostrophe needed; etc.  There are probably more) and I left out something that I want to be clear.  My response to Todd's charges were not encouraged by the Professional Bartending School, and are not intended to be a defense of that entity.  The Professional Bartending School's response was written by the director, which you've already probably read.  My defense is a personal response to a very personal attack of my character. 

Randy 

This is Randy, the alleged n**i and main subject/victim of Todd's written assault.  Since he attacked my character in a public forum, I'll respond in kind.  I'll refrain from name-calling; I'll just address each of Todd's claim as I see it.

Todd's resume is irrelevant.  He worked at a casino table, not as a bartender.  He says "Not to run on about my resume."  Too late. And he says I'm the one with the ego.  I don't care what customer service awards he's won, it's pretty obvious from his report what his personality is like. Working around bartenders does not qualify you as a bartending expert anymore than hanging out in bars does. 

I don't have the first and last word in job placement assistance.  The prospective employers do.  I can't make anyone hire anyone. 

I never said that bartenders never over serve.  I said that according to the law they shouldn't.  Todd didn't mention that he started this debate during a 5-hour state-mandated responsible alcohol service class.  I mean, the name of the class is ServSafe.  The basic focus of the class is to not serve intoxicated people and to not serve people under the age of 21, and what can happen if you do so.  With this in mind, Todd, in the middle of the class in front of 30-35 people taking their,and I repeat, responsible alcohol service class, started the arguement that it's ok to serve people who are obviously drunk as long as they are tipping you well, prefacing it like everything else with "That's what they do in Vegas." To attempt to disrupt a responsible alcohol service class with this type of arguement is stupid almost beyond belief.  I of course was not going to waste the time of the other students by engaging him in a debate, so I stated abruptly that over serving is illegal in Tennessee and continued on with the class.  He apparently didn't like the shortness of my response, but his comments warranted nothing more.  He also states in this context "Remember where I'm from."  I don't know what that means.  I guess he's again implying that because he's from Vegas he knows better than anyone who isn't.  And I have an ego problem.

The girls he refers to as "train wrecks" were no such thing.  They scored higher than Todd because they did better, and he didn't like it.  They both are in fact pretty, smart, and fun. Both are in their mid-30's, not quite the kids that Todd is implying. They both also would have nothing to do with Todd in class, and there was an obvious mutual dislike, which Todd can't refute since he resorted to calling them names in his rant that anyone can now read.  I did like both girls, and still do.  Not in the way Todd suggests though.  I get along and have fun with the majority of my students, and it's really a fun two weeks here for most people.  Todd, however, didn't seem to have a lot of fun.  In fact, people in class requested to not have to work with him.  The main complaint was that he was trying to boss them, and was trying to correct them when they were actually doing things right.  I observed this happening  myself, and had the group exchange partners.  As far as the speed test goes, no one works with the timer off.  When I asked Todd what he was doing at the start of his speed test, I stopped the timer because he was messing up.  I don't just run the timer for 8 minutes while people fail.  There isn't time for that.  If the timer is stopped, it starts immediately when the test resumes.  The girls did not get any extra time to do their tests any more than Todd did.  Todd doesn't like them or me, and in his zeal to paint me as a cheater, he makes a totally unrealistic and virtually impossible claim: that I added 6 extra minutes to an 8 minute test.   There's no way that could happen without it being completely obvious to the entire class.  It doesn't even make sense to give someone 6 extra minutes to make 2 more drinks than necessary.  You either make 12 and pass, or less than 12 and don't pass.  Why would anyone let someone have that much extra time after they had already passed? Nobody would. 

Todd is leaving out a pretty important fact.  He didn't, as he claims, pass his speed test on his second try, which is all anyone is supposed to get.  He did worse the second time, and he should have had to come back the next week to try again, but I felt sorry for him and gave him an extra try, which he passed.  So the person who received special treatment actually was Todd.  That pretty much defines irony.

I am not, nor have I ever been, associated in any way with the n**i party.

I have never worked in a bowling alley bar.  I would not be opposed to it though, and I certainly don't think I'm too good to work in one.  Todd obviously thinks he is though.  Again, I have the ego problem.

Todd uses the original and well thought out cliche "Those who can, do, and those who can't, teach."  What if I do both?  I by no means think I'm anything special, but I did manage to keep the same bartending job for 5 years while also working here at the school.  I reason from that that my boss thinks I'm ok.  But since Todd prefaced his statement with "Trust me,' it must be so.  If you say so, Todd.

I also never called Todd's prospective employers to "talk him down."  It would not benefit me in any way.  Todd not getting a job would just mean more time spent dealing him.  It would be to my benefit to have Todd employed.  It's pretty obvious that Todd doesn't really mean this statement.  After all, he goes on and on about every other perceived injustice, yet of this one, which would seem to be the biggest injustice of all, he only says "I found out."  That's it?  "I found out?"  No ranting and name calling?  That's completely out of character.  If he really believed that had happened, he would be screaming about it.

A lot of people from the North get jobs in the South.  Half of the Nashville area are transplants, many from the North.  It couldn't be Todd's charming personality that keeps people from wanting to hire him.  It must be that the whole Southern United States of America is prejudiced against him.  Perhaps we're all n**i's.  I'm from Iowa by the way.

It's job placement assistance.  As earlier stated, I can't give jobs to people, only job openings.  Todd had access to the same jobs everyone else had.  The people who get hired do so because the the bar owner of manager sees value in them as a bartender, not because they aren't Todd.

Finally (I think and hope) Todd left out what I feel is the most important fact of all.  After graduating, he got a bartending job.  His leaving this out of his ramble is, to me, the greatest indicator of his honesty and integrity.  He found the opening just by walking into the bar (many people do),  but of course without any experience he would never have been hired if he hadn't attended bartending school.  He quit his job though, without bothering to leave a notice, leaving the bar owner with no bartender.  I would say I guess that's how they do things "in Vegas," but I know better.  Todd told me that the reason he quit was because there was a fight and he had to break it up himself.  Some big-shot Vegas bartender.

In summary, Todd came to bartending school, graduated, and got a job. Now he wants his money back.  Why?  Maybe that's how life is "in..." no,  I'm not going to say it again.  I'm done. 

Randy      

Firstly, David... The boy's got some kind of beef. You've posted your contact number, but to be honest, sir, I would be far more impressed if you personally invited the complainant to contact you personally to see if an amicable solution can be reached to, if nothing else, retain what you claim to be a peerless and spotless track record of "no complaints".

I'm not supporting nor negating his story, that's not my place and I wasn't there, just to let you know I'm trying to be fair between two obviously agitated parties.. Don't worry, he'll get his turn, as you'll see...

Todd... Look man, I don't know what's the norm in L.V., but over-serving a customer alcohol is actually illegal in some places. Where I am, there's a program enforced by the government called "Serving it Right". It calls on the bartender (or any other person in charge of the flow of alcohol) allows a patron to overimbibe, they and/or the company which employs them can be held 100% liable for any mishaps to that person or performed by them. You lose your job (at the very least) and the establishment stands to lose it's liquor license and possibly wind up in court. To be brutally honest, and as much as you may not like the concept, you should have let that one go. Hell, if you *have* to look at it another way, if you want to run the risk and NOT apply what you're told in that regard outside of classroom walls/time, it's your funeral. Suck it up with a smile while saying "B.S." in your head and then do what you want. People in the service sector have been pulling that crap off for years.

As for Randy the "n**i" (lol.. Godwin's Law), I've found over the years that there's a bloody clown in EVERY workplace and teaching environment. NO EXCEPTIONS. You may have gotten a bad apple in that case, and that's something that you should bring up with David when and IF you contact him (especially that time cheating for the tittays thing).

David seems to be concerned with his company, and rightly so... it puts food on his table and a roof over his head. Also, rightly, you're concerned about your future too (aging in the job market is NO fun), so at least in that, you have some common interest and that's probably where you should both start from. it's easy to get butthurt when things don't pan out the way you'd like, believe me, I know. I'd suggest you make yourself one of those drinks you learned to make real good, make it a double, take a deep breath, RELAX, get on the blower and get this cluster sorted out. Who knows? You could come out with a placement you want, and David could assure other RipOffReport.com readers that his sterling reputation is in no peril.... Everyone wins, right?

You may still not like each other at the end of the conversation, but some sort of amicable solution may be found anyway. Hell, get David to pop a 6-pack while you have your convo, and you could wind up best buds with his rep intact and you with a good placement and a hearty handshake. Just... lose the rage, dudes.

Also, Todd... learn2paragraph, it makes reading your stuff less painful.

I am David Edwards, the Director, at the Professional Bartending School of Nashville. In 18 years of operating the school, we have never had one complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau. Half of our students a year come from referrals. Otherwise someone attends our school and gets a job and then tells their friends about us. We have won the Nationwide School of the year 11 years out of 18 years. Check out nashvillebartendingschool.com for further information.

I guess out of 10,000 past students, this is the first time I've read anything negative about our school from a past graduate. I can tell you that this guy hasn't repeatedly contacted our school or I would have dealt with him and know who he is.

Our school has Professional in the name. This guy is not professional. Read his complaint. He wanted to argue the point that bartenders should serve alcohol to drunk people because it happens all the time. That doesn't make it right. He blames everyone from cute girls getting the jobs to not being from the South as what kept him from getting a job. He hasn't got a clue! His problem is that he has a bad attitude. No one is going to hire a guy who uses words like n**i's, etc.

Our school has two missions. One is to work with each student until they graduate and two, work with every past graduate until they get a job. In the time it took this guy to mispelled this bogus report, he could have called me and I could have helped him. I appreciate all of the intelligent people who can read through this crap this guy posted and realize it's not true. Thank you! David Edwards (615) 885-5800 or 1-800-Bartend. We care about all of our students. I put my life into this school!!