What It's Like To Work At A Bar During TBOX

By Mae Rice in Food on Dec 14, 2015 8:31PM

Wrigleyville is still standing after TBOX this weekend, a testament to the sturdiness of buildings and the unheralded professionals who man the event.

For the uninitiated, TBOX is an annual Wrigleyville drinking marathon. Its name is an acronym for “Twelve Bars Of Xmas,” in honor of its roots: in 1996, when it was first founded, it was a 12-bar bar crawl. Now, it’s a giant party/morass that spans 40+ bars, in which everyone dresses up in holiday costumes and drinks for 12 hours—from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m—while engaging in occasional “cereal shots.” This is when someone pours an entire box of cereal all over someone else’s face.

This year, thousands of people turned out for the event, which has been known to get crazy. We talked with Shane Rak, general manager at Duffy’s, about what it was like to work his fourth TBOX (albeit a couple of blocks from the heart of the party).

What did you do to prepare for TBOX?

Basically just got a lot of sleep, advised our employees not to go out the night before.

What’s the best advice you’ve gotten or given about working TBOX?

The best advice you can give is to the security and door staff, and the bartenders as well—just don’t be afraid to refuse service. People tend to drink a little bit on that day.

What was the best costume you saw this year?

There was a character that looked like it was from a Dr. Seuss book. It wasn’t the Grinch, but it was some big white thing. I don’t know what it was. That was probably the best one I saw.

Did you see anyone cry?

I did not see anyone cry. No.

Did you see anyone puke?

I saw pictures of puke, but I don’t know if it was from TBOX or if it was just somebody posting something on the internet.

Did you have to break up any fights?

No.

How many boxes of cereal did you go through?

People brought out their own cereal, but the bar was pretty messy with cereal. Cereal shots—I pretty much saw that nonstop all day long. The floor had trampled cereal all over it by the end of the day.

Is there a cereal that’s especially popular to do shots of?

Froot Loops. The bar smelled like Froot Loops.

Do you know why cereal shots are a thing? Like, where did that come from?

I have no idea! I wish I knew.

How long did cleanup take after TBOX?

Get a couple brooms, me and a couple door guys knocked it out in like 10 minutes.

Did you do anything to relax after TBOX?

I went to TBOX! I went to the rest of the bars after I got off work.