You wouldn't tell by looking at calm Kahlia that football season is the busiest time of the year at Bubba's Sports Bar & Grill (6225 Washington Ave). Bubba's is the official UH football bar, after all. You may even run into the 610 AM sports guys doing their radio show from here.
But whether she's dealing with crazed football fans yelling for drinks or waitresses trying to turn around orders quickly, Kahlia will always be behind the bar with a smile. Last Saturday was no exception. Even with the Big 12 Championship games, the Rockets playing, and a broken credit card machine, she quickly filled tons of drink orders while chatting with us.
Kahlia has been a bartender for the past two years, the last seven months at Bubba's. "I like working at a bar better than in fine dining or hospitality," she says. "You make more money at bars because you don't have to tip out as many people at the end of the night." That's assuming she gets a tip.
"The worst customers are those that come in with a big group, order a bunch of fancy drinks for everyone, and then only tip 10 percent," she says. The classic over-ordering under-tipper - a bartender's worst nightmare. The night we visited, Kahlia had to deal with another kind of difficult customer. He ordered a cosmopolitan, didn't like it and sent it back twice. "We only have two martini glasses in the whole bar," she laughs. "Why would you order a martini at Bubba's anyway? We have holes in our floors."
As a cute, young bartender at a sports bar, Kahlia must get hit on a lot. So, what's the worst pick-up line she's heard? "Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?" Sounds more like a horror movie than a line.
