(Meet Your Bartender: Fishbones Grille)
Fishbones Grille bartender Denis Gingras shares his thoughts on how not to be a cringe-worthy customer
by Anna Frost
Fishbones Grille’s bartender Denis Gingras is fan of the Corona-ritas the bar serves – a miniature bottle of Corona balanced in a margarita – though he’ll gladly mix anything that isn’t a mojito. Just don’t be the fiftieth person that day to ask him where he’s from (Wilmington, Massachusetts) or if he’s here for the summer (yes). Don’t be discouraged, though. Just steer clear of those standard questions, and Gingras is open to chat when the bar isn’t too busy. The friendly Massachusetts native enjoys talking with regulars, usually locals who know to wander past the other restaurants on the harbor to get to Fishbones, and anyone else who ventures over for a drink.
What is the most popular drink here?
I would say the most popular one here, I would say that’s the frozen blueberry lemonade. It’s triple eight blueberry vodka, a little bit of triple sec, and margarita mix.
What annoys you?
We were just talking about this. When people ask me what we have to drink, and I hand them a drink menu, and they say, “No, no, no. What’s on draft?” I say, “I have the drink menu,” and they say, “I’ll just have a Bud Light.” It’s so annoying. It’s like, you don’t want to look at the menu, but you want to know, but you’re just going to pick a Bud Light anyway, so what’s the point of this conversation? So probably, those customers.
What’s your favorite beer?
Lazy Frog IPA. It’s from Offshore.
What is your least favorite drink to make?
Probably a mojito. Mojito. I hate making mojitos. It’s such a pain in the a**.
What’s the weirdest customer situation you’ve ever had?
The weirdest customer situation is definitely when, it’s happened a couple times, when some older women want to take pictures, not with me, but of me. I find that kind of really awkward. I get kind of embarrassed.
Is that after they’ve had a few drinks?
Yeah.
How do you befriend a bartender?
It’s more just asking how the day went with customers. Definitely just treat them like a person. Don’t get mad when it’s been like four minutes for a drink and the bar’s packed.
