I've not needed to reset the bartender yet, but they do tend to get stuck more often than not. After testing for a while, it's possibly more common on PS4 than Mac, and/or at lounges than bars, but it could also just be at random. But I'd say I'm seeing it more than half the time? When my sim first arrives, sometimes they can immediately order a drink and other times not. When they can, usually the bartender doesn't deliver it right away, instead doing tricks at the bar and talking to townies for a while - ranging from maybe 20 sim minutes to three sim hours. Usually the tricks involve stacking bottles, but one bartender was repeatedly breathing fire! Then they finally serve up the drink as if nothing happened, whether your sim is still there or not. One time I had ordered three drinks over the course of their doing tricks, with no initial acknowledgement, but when they finally finished their tricks they served all three right in a row.
When they can't order a drink right away, that usually tends to be when I'll get my drink faster - because after just one or two tricks, they'll stop and stand still, and the order action will become available and then they'll fulfill it more or less immediately.
I have no packs on PS4, just base game. On Mac the only expansions I don't have are For Rent, High School, Eco Lifestyle, and Seasons (and Lovestruck is disabled). I have half the game packs.
I’d say the trick animations after your Sims orders a drink are a way of the game “showing” how the drink is made? (It would also depend on the Mixology skill of the service Sim in question.)
Drinks that are not cocktails (thus require no preparation), like nectars and beers, tend to be easier to order, but I’d say you’re onto something: after ordering a drink there’s a significant delay sometimes, specially if townies have been ordering too or if the mixologist is engaged in conversation with a large group.
My report, though, is more focused on the fact that it’s impossible to even order drinks — the mixologist is actively engaged with the bar (hence the trick animations), but clicking the bar doesn’t show any Order Drink/Food… options. As if there’s no one tending.
HALirious9k I’d say in this instance it’s different from making the drink - because it can continue for sim hours without any drinks being served, and involves building bottle towers and breathing fire rather than putting anything into a glass, and the “wait for drink” action doesn’t appear in my sim’s queue until much later, if ever. But yes, sometimes I do at least have the option to order while other times I don’t. It’s just in my experience that when I don’t, they oddly seem to finish up their tricks & chatting sooner, and when the order option finally does appear, they then serve it normally. But just like trying to decide if it’s actually more of an issue on my PS4 than on my laptop, the differences could be meaningful or could just be random variation. It does seem very similar to me.
