November 7, 2016

Top 10 Favorite TV Restaurant Managers/Bartenders

Ok I wasn’t going to tackle this one so soon, but since I already thought about it I figured why the heck not?


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I discussed waitresses or food servers last time, but what about the managers of these places? Usually they are colorful characters in their own right, from Mr.Gaines on A Different World to Han Lee on 2 Broke Girls. Even when a show isn’t based around a eatery usually if the characters spend enough time there we get to know the staff. For example, on Coach they spent a lot of time at The Touchdown Club and we got to know that manager so well he returned for the series finale. Three’s Company had The Regal Beagle which was as much a part of that show as any other character. Seinfeld is a perfect example, as we became as familiar with the owner of Monk’s named Larry, the cashier Ruthie and several recurring waitress’s as well as any other character on this show. In fact Ruthie appears in more episodes than any other recurring character, though she only spoke in one episode.


I am counting as managers anyone who runs the place even if they also cook and tend bar at the same time. Also no one timers. They have to be regulars who appeared several times in the series (sorry Soup Nazi). Finally, they do have to work in a restaurant or bar. So no housekeepers and sorry but Hawkeye serving Martini’s on MASH doesn’t count.


#10.Ike Johnson from Love & War
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Yeah oh this one is even more obscure than my “It’s a Living” choice on the last list. But I put it here for two reasons. One is that I always liked the actor, John Hancock, who sadly died just a few episodes into the series. The other reason is, I thought he was good on the show! He was the tough but lovable bartender and probably the best character on that show. This is so obscure I couldn’t even find a picture to put here (hence the cast photo above). After Hancock died the role was filled by Charlie Robinson who filled those shoes very admirably.





#9.Nat from Beverly Hills 90210
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While I didn’t watch this show religiously (well until I was married anyway) I did know a few things about it. And one of those things was who Nat was. He was the owner of The Peach Pit which was the local diner all the gang would hang out in. Sometimes they worked there too. He was a good adviser because he didn’t really meddle. He leant an ear and knew all the kids well. When the kids were out of high school The Peach Pit turned into Peach Pit After Dark, which was a swanky nightclub.


By the way, some may be surprised that Max from Saved By The Bell isn’t on here but to be honest he always felt like an unneeded character and I was actually happy when he finally disappeared. These kids didn’t live in the real world so they didn’t need an adviser and mostly Max only offered comic relief, though The Max obviously stayed after Max himself vanished.




#8.Mel from Alice
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So most, if not all, the names on this list are nice guys. Oh sure they may have their minor flaws, but they were still nice guys. Want to meet the exception? Mel was sort of like Louie in Taxi, only he ran a diner rather than a Taxi company. Rough tough and mean, especially to the women, and yet deep inside he had a heart of gold.






#7.Quark/Guinan from Star Trek TNG & DS9
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Put together because how can I choose? They both served the same role although their personalities couldn’t be more different. Guinan was the pleasant ear who would always listen and always had good advice. As I noted elsewhere I think Picard was the only character she truly respected. As for Quark, he ran the bar/casino on DS9 and was more of a huckster always looking for a scam.






#6.Isaac from The Love Boat
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Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t love Isaac? This is kind of a cheat since he didn’t own anything he was just a bartender. But how could I not have this guy on here? He was a fun loving guy is most remembered for that corny finger pointing he always did during the opening titles.





#5.Moe from The Simpsons
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This is kind of strange since it’s coming from a cartoon, but I think Moe may be one of the most realistic bartenders you’re going to find. Owned and ran Moe’s Tavern and he was a grump. He doesn’t care about people, he’s grouchy and short tempered, and yet has a generous spirit. Course his claim to fame may be those great prank calls from Bart. How do they keep coming up with these?





#4.Gunther from Friends
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Not the owner but was a manager for Central Perk, and he was kind of there to be picked on. Every show seems to have at least one character like this. But as the series progressed and Gunther got more lines, we found he was a nice guy. And of course there was his crush on Rachel, which I am still shocked they took time to resolve in the series finale.




#3.Phil from Murphy Brown
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Phil may have been the perfect lovable bartender. Not only did he listen to you, but he truly cared and gave good advise. Also he knew everything about what was going in Washington D.C., and i do mean everything! The only think I never understood is was Phil a bar or a restaurant? It looked like a Cheers-type bar and yet they gang ordered burgers and food on a regular basis. Where was the kitchen?? Oh well I guess it makes sense that an eatery in Washington D.C. would be more than it seemed.




#2.Al Delvecchio from Happy Days
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Owned and ran Arnold’s on Happy Days. Yeah I know that many people preferred Arnold played by Pat Morita but I never did. So  for me it was Al all the way. He had such a bubbly fun personality that blended so well into that show. He truly felt like he belonged there. He had a huge heart that everyone admired, especially Fonzie who was all to ready to help when Arnold’s burned down. By the way I considered putting Frank DeFazio from Laverne and Shirley on here since he did own the pizza place the gang hung out at, but the truth is that wasn’t really seen very often.






#1.Sam Malone from Cheers
Ted Danson as Sam Malone, Cheers.
What can I say about Sam Malone? Ok he was an awful pitcher, a womanizer and not the sharpest knife in the drawer. But he is just such a likable guy! Ted Danson created a great character who in someone else’s hands would not be liked as much. But for all his vice’s, he just comes off a nice guy who really cares about things. Course the thing he cares most about his the bar, and that’s why he’s #1 on this list. His bar is true love which becomes clear in the final episode.  So what about Coach and Woody? They are both opposite ends of the same spectrum, but we still love them. But this list filled up fast so I had to keep them off.




It’s no surprise to many TV shows have scenes if not entire episodes set in restaurants, diners, and bars. That is where people get together and socialize, and where you can bring in all sort of other characters to focus an episode on. And thankfully we have some fantastic characters running these places to make us want to come back! Ok I guess I may as well make it complete. Next time, Housemakers!

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