Umbria Prime and The $14 Eye Roll


One night a few weeks ago, my Special Lady and I got some real anti-service from a bartender at Umbria Prime, a moment I now call The $14 Eye Roll.

We went at the end of our Saturday night for a nightcap at the ground floor bar — just a beer each after dinner. The bar had maybe eight or ten people. Not crowded at all. The beer selection on tap was dull — Peroni, Bass, Blue Moon and Stella Artois. The beer tasted like the taps had not been cleaned out in a while.

We were not happy customers, but not about to complain. We were ready to finish our drinks and go home. Halfway through our beers, the bartender asked us, “Do you want another round?”

“No thank you,” my girlfriend replied. “We’re going to have just one.”

The bartender rolled her eyes and got our check for the two beers — $7 a pop. She then proceeds to get her cell phone nearby to attend to some more pressing matters via text message. Maybe it was to complain to a friend about how we were not tossing up $100s like confetti for being in her bar.

We left her a $20.

Later, we laughed about having paid that woman for something we can do to each other all day at home. For free. And we even have better beer in our fridge!

We could have stiffed her on the tip, but that’s not us. Plus, with service like that, I have a feeling that bartender is going to need the money.

The Beer Drinker is a writer and creator of the Beer Drinking Report. He likes fine dining, the Red Sox and long walks on the beach.