When you're on-stage, you're expected to perform in the bar

The words of Jon Taffer carry with them the fire of experience and the wisdom of one who has walked through both the lights of the stage and the shadows of the back rooms: “When you're on-stage, you're expected to perform in the bar business. You shake hands. You smile. You're all positive energy: you add to your environment. When you walk in the door to the back of the house, that's like a stage door. You're off-stage now.” This saying is not confined to the tavern or the bar—it speaks of life itself. For in this world, each of us wears a face before others, and each of us withdraws when the curtain falls.

To be on-stage is to embody the highest self that serves others. It is to understand that your presence is not yours alone, but a gift or burden to the environment you enter. Just as a torch bearer brings light into a cavern, so too must a host, a leader, a worker bring warmth, laughter, and dignity into the spaces where people gather. To smile, to shake hands, to radiate positive energy is no false mask—it is a conscious act of service. In this way, the stage becomes sacred ground, where the spirit gives forth what others need to thrive.

But Taffer does not stop there; he reminds us that there is a back of the house, a place behind the stage door. This is where the performer lays down his armor, where the soul may rest. For no man, no woman, can forever live beneath the blinding lights. The ancients knew this well: even kings and generals withdrew to chambers of counsel, where they shed their ceremonial robes and spoke plainly. To confuse the stage with the private realm is to invite ruin, for those who never take off their masks lose themselves. Thus, balance is the key—greatness in public, restoration in private.

Consider the tale of Winston Churchill, who stood before his people during the darkest nights of war. On stage—before the microphones, before the crowds—his words rang like thunder, stirring courage in the hearts of millions. He was light, strength, and environmental power, lifting a nation from despair. Yet behind closed doors, he was weary, prone to gloom, often silent. This contrast did not weaken him—it preserved him. By recognizing the difference between public performance and private restoration, he endured, and through his endurance, his people endured as well.

There is also a warning here. Some men carry their stage into their private lives, and they never rest. They become prisoners of their own performance, unable to remove the mask. Their smiles grow hollow, their energy depleted, until even the crowd no longer believes. Just as an actor must leave the stage to prepare for the next act, so too must every human soul find time to be “off-stage.” In this way, authenticity is preserved, and the public face does not become an empty shell.

The teaching is clear: learn to master the art of presence. When you step into the world—whether in a bar, a hall, a workplace, or a home—bring with you the force of a smile, the warmth of your spirit, and the discipline to add to your environment. But when the doors close, allow yourself to be still. Lay aside the armor, breathe freely, and remember that the vessel which pours must first be refilled.

Therefore, let the people act with wisdom. Each day, before stepping out, say to yourself: “I enter the stage.” Bring light. Shake the hand. Share the smile. But when you cross the threshold back into solitude, do not fear to rest. Cherish silence. Restore your strength. By walking both paths—the stage of service and the chamber of rest—you will find balance, and your influence will be lasting.

Carry these words like an eternal lantern: “You’re all positive energy: you add to your environment… When you walk in the door to the back of the house… you’re off-stage now.” May this be a reminder that life itself is a grand performance, but even the greatest performers must one day step behind the curtain, not to vanish, but to be renewed. Thus shall the play continue, full of power, authenticity, and enduring light.