Bar Manager, Dolcie Hughes-Penzer, gives an update on all that the bar has had to offer this term, from Frehsers Week to Oktoberfest.
John’s Bar, I hope, is a place you all know and love. It’s incredibly rare to head down into the Cellar without spotting at least a few familiar John’s faces, whether you like it or not. For me as Manager, that familiarity means one thing: running the bar is about keeping as many students happy as possible. Add the pressure of keeping College happy as well, and it can become a bit of a balancing act! That being said, I have thoroughly enjoyed the busyness Michaelmas term brings, and the experiences I have had.
We kicked off the year with a fantastic Freshers’ Week. It began with a very deep clean of the Bar (you can only imagine), a few begrudgingly made TikToks, and ended with a record number of Guinness pints sold in a single week. I seriously did not anticipate Guinness becoming the drink of choice among freshers. Of course, there is always more to the job than just serving pints; supervisors handle customer and staff welfare, keep the keg room running smoothly, and troubleshoot whatever decides to break at the worst possible moment.
Further into the term, some lucky few may have witnessed the fleeting installment of the “Bar Pyramid”, which was later taken down by members of the Bar Team after a minor graffiti incident. While it existed, I updated the Pyramid weekly based on team performance. I would hope my comparison to Abby Lee Miller ends there, although one Bar Team member did secure a top spot thanks to his Sound of Music–inspired costume and performance; perhaps dance plays a bigger role behind the bar than one might assume?
Onto the more serious stuff. From the start, I knew what I wanted to change during my time as Manager: making the Bar a welcoming social space for all to enjoy and engage in. It is an ongoing goal that cannot be measured quantifiably, so progress comes through small but intentional steps. These include increasing our alcohol-free range, encouraging full use of seating areas, strengthening relationships with John’s sports teams and societies, and creating a more transparent hiring process. A huge part of this has also been planning and hosting a broader range of events.
Old faithful Oktoberfest was a resounding success; whilst I do not have an official figure, I am fairly sure that this year had more Lederhosens than ever before! Behind the scenes, countless tasks go into making nights like that run smoothly: using existing stock to plan the drinks menu, organising staffing, creating social media posts, and liaising with College, to name just a few.
I have particularly enjoyed developing stronger connections with John’s sports teams and societies, as well as DU ones. Seeing DU Criminology and Sociology’s paint-and-sip taking place beneath framed John’s football jerseys, or a darts tournament unfolding on the same night, summed up the goal we want to achieve: making the Bar a welcoming social space for everyone. A new event this year is the 12 Drinks of Christmas, where a different festive drink is released each day, much like an advent calendar. Aside from the fun of playing mixologist, it brings a bit of nightly festive cheer, whether you are there for a quiet catch-up or the sports-related opposite.
I am lucky to rely on a fantastic Bar Team this year who make the most of the great little space we have downstairs, our community, and all the strategic and logistical demands that come with the job. If you love the Bar, have a decent sense of commercial awareness, and genuinely care about people, I would encourage you to consider applying to work at John’s Bar, or even within the Senior or Junior Bar Team. Come down and chat with the supervisor on shift, and as always – see you in the bar!
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