$1 is Not Enough
Bartender and host Steve Lunden shares real, unfiltered stories from his 20+ years working behind the bar. He talks about bad tips, terrible customers, and the things service workers think but never say out loud. The show features solo rants, interviews with guest bartenders, and conversations that only happen after last call. It offers an honest look at the service industry for both those who've worked shifts and those who just enjoy a drink.
Episodes
You Had All Day to Cut the Damn Limes!
Send us Fan MailThe day shift clocked out. The night shift got screwed. Sound familiar?There's a special kind of frustration that comes with walking into a busy Friday or Saturday night shift only to discover that the morning bartender apparently forgot they had a job to do.No cut fruit. Empty beer coolers. No backup liquor. Half-stocked supplies. And somehow, the person responsible for getti
The Service Charge Scam
Send us Fan MailEpisode Show NotesWhat exactly is a 20% service charge, and why do so many customers assume it is the tip?In this episode of $1 Is Not Enough, Steve breaks down one of the most confusing trends in restaurants right now: service charges, automatic gratuities, hospitality fees, employee wellness fees, and the growing pile of extra charges showing up on the check.From a bartender&apos
Why Good Bartenders Quit
Send us Fan MailWhy do good bartenders leave jobs they were once loyal to?Usually, it is not because bartending is too hard. It is because being dependable, experienced, and good at the job slowly turns into more work, more responsibility, and more pressure without much in return.In this episode of $1 Is Not Enough, Steve breaks down why strong bartenders burn out, why unreliable employees often c
Your Bad Day Isn't My Tip
Send us Fan MailYour Bad Day Isn't My TipWe've all had bad days.Your boss pissed you off. Your relationship is a mess. Your rent went up. Your car broke down. Maybe you're just in a terrible mood.But why does the bartender end up paying for it?In this episode of $1 Is Not Enough, Steve talks about one of the most frustrating parts of working behind the bar: customers taking their fr
You Tipped Me. Then I Tipped Everyone Else.
Send us Fan MailYou Tipped Me. Then I Tipped Everyone Else.You leave your server a $20 tip. You walk out feeling like you took care of them.But what about the bartender who made every drink for your table?In this episode of $1 Is Not Enough, Steve digs into one of the most complicated and controversial parts of the restaurant industry: tip-outs.In Minnesota, employees generally cannot simply be fo
Special Episode: "Twenty-Five Years" | A September 11th Tribute
Send us Fan MailTwenty-five years ago, the world changed in a single morning. Not gradually, not over time. In one morning.In this special episode, Steve steps away from the bar stories to do something a little different. A tribute to the people we lost, the people who ran toward it, and the way a country full of strangers became something else, even if just for a moment.This one isn't funny.
Dad + Mini-Me
Send us Fan MailThis week I brought in a very special guest -- my 11-year-old son. He asked to be on the show, so here we are. We talk about what it's actually like growing up with a bartender for a dad, what he thinks about tipping (spoiler: he gets it), and what he'd say to the customers who don't. Unfiltered, honest, and maybe the best episode yet.What We CoverWhat his friends th
The Four Most Dangerous Words at a Bar
Send us Fan MailFour words. That's all it takes to make every bartender within earshot silently lose their mind.In this episode, Steve breaks down the phrase no bartender wants to hear, who's actually saying it, why it sets off every alarm in our heads, and what it really costs the people on the other side of the bar.In this episode:The tell-tale signs that give you away immediatelyA ful
The Weekend, Double J & Dave
Send us Fan MailSome weekends are memorable for all the right reasons. This was not one of them.In Episode 9, I take you back to a weekend shift featuring Double J and their husbands, where the drinks were flowing and things got progressively stranger as the night went on.Double J got a little too comfortable with the alcohol, while Dave decided the best way to spend the evening was apparently hit
Broke in Theory
Send us Fan MailYou know the coworker. They spend every shift telling anyone who will listen how broke they are. Bills. Rent. Gas. The whole thing. But the second an actual shift opens up and you offer it to them? Gone. Silent. Left on read.In Episode 8, Steve breaks down one of the most universal phenomena in the service industry: the coworker who is broke in theory but mysteriously unavailable i
Things You Learn That Nobody Teaches You
Send us Fan MailTwenty years behind the bar teaches you things no training covers. In Episode 7 of $1 is Not Enough, Steve breaks down the unwritten rules of bartending: how to read a room before something goes wrong, the right way to cut someone off (and why "I can't serve you anymore" is the wrong phrase), how to handle the friends who push back harder than the drunk person does,
Long Weekend, Weak Paycheck
Send us Fan MailA long weekend behind the bar sounds like a recipe for good business and good money.Not this time.In this episode of $1 Is Not Enough, Steve breaks down a frustrating weekend behind the bar. Friday night looked packed, but the entire bar was essentially filled by one family. Saturday was steady, but the real fun started when the bartenders weren't getting tipped out by servers
I Don't Care If You Were Born Before 9/11, I Still Need Your ID
Send us Fan Mail"I was born before 9/11."That's nice.I still need your ID.In this episode of $1 Is Not Enough, we're talking about one of the most common arguments bartenders hear: customers who get offended about being carded, and people who think a picture of their driver's license on their phone is somehow the same as carrying the real thing.I'll explain why barten
A Dollar a Drink
Send us Fan MailI posted a TikTok about tipping and the Internet had opinions. Let's talk about the dollar-a-drink myth, the comments that proved my point, and the time someone left me thirty-seven cents on a hundred dollar tab.🌐 onedollarisnotenough.com📩 Got a story? stories@onedollarisnotenough.comSupport the show📲 Follow the ShowInstagram: @1dollarisnotenoughFacebook: 1dollarisnotenough🛒 M
Welcome to $1 is Not Enough
Send us Fan MailMeet your host, Steve Lunden. 20-plus years behind the bar, thousands of stories, and zero filter left. In this first episode, Steve breaks down what this show is, why it exists, and what you're in for. If you've ever worked in the service industry, welcome home. If you haven't, buckle up.🌐 onedollarisnotenough.com📩 Got a story? stories@onedollarisnotenough.comSuppor
Three Free Drinks
Send us Fan MailWhat happens when 700 guests show up, everyone gets three free drink coupons, two bartenders call out, and nobody tells the bar staff until an hour before the doors open?Chaos.In this episode of $1 Is Not Enough, Steve takes you behind the bar for one of the most exhausting shifts of his career. Nearly $5,000 in complimentary drinks were poured during a VIP grand opening event, lea
Make it Strong
Send us Fan Mail"Make it strong." Three words every bartender has heard a thousand times. Steve breaks down what it actually means, the types of people who say it, and why it tells your bartender everything they need to know about you before the drink even hits the glass. Plus, the "I'll take care of you" bribe, the send-back, the pour watchers, and the right way to actual
