Mixologist behind bar, but not tending it, unavailable for orders

Since the January Patch, my Sims can't order bar drinks anymore at different venues like bars, lounges and clubs. The bug seems to work like this:

1. My sim goes to a community lot with a bar
2. There’s a mixologist on the lot when my sim arrives
3. Order food or drink option is available
4. Sim won't go over to the bar, the action just queues up and then dissappears
5. Mixologist stays behind the bar and ignores all other Sims as well. Eventually leaves the bar and does something else.

Funnily enough, the bug is solves when my Sim gets behind the bar and starts tending it. Then suddenly the mixologist seems to think "hey, that's my job."

resetSim is not a workaround for this is issue.

I saw the same issue reported from a year ago and it's marked as fixed, but I didn't encounter this bug a year ago.

I don't use mods or CC.

I was testing something else without mods on a new game after the Feb 3 patch, after repairing and removing the localthumbcache file, and noticed that this bartender issue is still happening for me. This is what I see clicking on the bar while the bartender is doing an idle animation:

The game registers that Sara is tending the bar ("Object is already in use") but doesn't give an option to order.

An obvious workaround is to wait until in between idle animations to order, and that works, but it's annoying and sometimes takes a long time.

I've followed the above instructions for clearing/removing, although all i have is some clothes cc and a tiny mod for the blur, and tested again -- it's still happening. Details:

I'm on Windows 10, playing through Steam.
My packs tend towards countryside/supernatural and if they intersect at all with what an above poster said, it's strictly in the stuff/kits we got for free.

What i do in all my saves is go to the Village Fair (CoL) every Saturday, and since L&D to the Family Day earlier in the day. This means 2 things: i only get to the Gnome's Arms later in the day, and the bartender is always Sara, there's no shift change.

What happens: i check the market stalls quickly before they close and then make/submit the competition entries, meaning i can't catch the first moments of bar service. When i finally get there, i may or may not sneak in an order, depending on how many people are in. Sara always gets back to her duties after a while, and sometimes she serves what i'd had time to order, other times she taxes me again (haven't figured out when/why). The time of day is relevant because sometimes it takes so long for her to get back, that whatever holiday was in progress involving drinks (Night on the Town, NYE etc.) ends before i can get an order and end up having water from the tap in the last minute. There's an umbrella rack i placed at the door, but this also happens in the testing/noCC save i've just made.

My impression is that it ties in with the excessive socialization mentioned in other threads, and that she stays at the bar talking when it's a group conversation, but walks away when there is only 1 person talking to her. At least she doesn't go skating like the grocer, that one's hopeless if it happens.

No lastException file has appeared in the meantime. Lmk what other details would be useful.

This is not fixed in my game as of today. The bartender is usually at their post but they are constantly performing bar tricks instead of tending the bar. Sometimes my sim can order a drink but the bartender never fills the order because they stop to start practicing tricks and sometimes my sim simply can't order at all.

I know its boring but if a sim marked as a bartender for an event could simply "walk to bar, stand behind bar, tend bar" from the time a lot becomes "active" (due to a played sim showing up) or a social event with a hired mixologist is running on any lot that would be amazing. No "shift changes" during played sim visits (another old problem that I haven't seen as much these days but its annoying) and no showing off with bar tricks.

Bartenders just do your job please - thank you 😊

Bartender perform tricks but you cannot order anything. Reseting the bartender does not work. I am on console so I dont have mods or anything and it still is not fixed even though it was promised to be fixed. 
I have had this issue for a while and it’s so annoying. Bars and nightclubs don’t give the same vibe anymore. 

• Options to order not on bar or bartender/bartender just doing idle interactions --> Fixed issue. Reported in OP. Please test without mods/cc if you still see this
  
  this is NOT fixed for me at all, it is even worse. I am on console so I don’t have mods or anything. Resetting sim does not work either. 

Bartender perform tricks but you cannot order anything. Reseting the bartender does not work. I am on console so I dont have mods or anything and it still is not fixed even though it was promised to be fixed. 
I have had this issue for a while and it’s so annoying. Bars and nightclubs don’t give the same vibe anymore. 

Bartenders does not make drinks if sim orders them. It’s hard to get orders in too. I’ve had this issue like 2 months now and I have been trying fixing game too and nothing happens if sim orders a drink.

The option to order for me is available less than half of the time. Including playing today. I had to make my sim make his own drink. 

Almost a year has passed, and the Mixologist still doesn't work correctly. Even though you say they return to work after "some time," the issue is they're still getting distracted and not doing their job. You have to wait an AWFUL lot just to manage to place a single order over 6 in-game hours.