Boston bartender serves couple beer and vodka soda. Then the man starts yelling at his girl after seeing the $30 bill: ‘In front of everyone?’

If there's one demographic that sees the ugliest sides of humanity, it's bartenders. Seeing people under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol adds to the experience. People really show others who they are when drunk.

One bartender is going viral for witnessing an extremely uncomfortable relationship dynamic, brought forward by a single check.

‘My boyfriend would never, ever say that to me'

In a TikTok that has more than 189,000 views, Boston bartender Val Pucino (@vpucino on TikTok) asked for “other people's opinion.” A couple had just come into her bar who raised concerns for her. She started her video with a potentially controversial take.

“When a couple orders for me, I get the order through the woman. And then I look to the man to pay,” Pucino said. “‘Cause who the [expletive] else would be paying other than you, the man?”

Pucino recalled that the woman ordered a vodka soda for herself. Then she ordered a beer for her significant other. Pucino, not thinking much of it, told him the total was $30. That's when things got messy.

“He's like, ‘$30?'” Pucino said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, $10 for the beer, $20 for the vodka soda.' Looks at his girlfriend and goes, ‘What the [expletive] is wrong with you, ordering a $20 drink? What kind of vodka did you [expletive] get?'”

Pucino said she interjected at this point. She explained that she'd used the cheapest house vodka available, and the amount was still $20. The man insisted his lady “shouldn't have [expletive] ordered that” and continued “going off on her.”

“Maybe I'm spoiled, but my boyfriend would never, ever say that to me,” Pucino said. “Even if I ordered something that was like too expensive, he would be like, ‘Baby, come on, next time don't order that,' in private. What are you doing that in front of a million people for?”

Pucino said if she were in a similar position, she would've immediately turned to the people around her and “been like, ‘Who's buying me ten vodka sodas right now.'” She called the encounter “mortifying.”

“You should dump that man,” Pucino said, finishing her video. “And you should never bring out a woman and ever do that. Literally ever.”

Response to Buzz News

In an email to Buzz News, Pucino said that the couple has not yet returned to her establishment—but that she sees these kinds of arguments “pretty often,” and has some words of advice for any couples finding themselves in a similar relationship.

“She seemed really embarrassed and taken aback when he started yelling,” Pucino wrote. “Definitely not a good look for either of them … You shouldn't call someone out like that publicly over something small, especially when you're already out. I think it gives people the opportunity to comment on relationships (ie my video) … Just chill out and talk about it later if it's that serious to your relationship.”

When is arguing healthy or unhealthy in a relationship?

Pucino's video is emblematic of an ongoing bit of relationship discourse that's been litigated online and by experts for years. Namely, whether arguing is healthy for couples. Pucino's viewers in her comment section seemed to overwhelmingly share her opinion on the argument. Many pointed out that the situation wasn't about who should have paid, or whether the drink was priced fairly. It was about the way the man treated his significant other.

“Immediate divorce,” one commenter said. Another echoed, “Maybe I'm dramatic but that's a relationship ending situation for me idc. So disrespectful.”

“My opinion is that that vodka soda should have been $10… The beer. should have been five bucks…. never would my husband though or my boyfriend ever embarrass me like that,” another viewer commented. “That would be the first and last time. my husband would literally just be like yo. maybe let's do beers tonight. or he would simply ask me quietly if we could do beers instead since the prices are ridiculous.”

As far as experts are concerned, there appears to be a general consensus that “arguments can help strengthen a relationship”—depending on how they're executed. Sex therapist Rosara Torrisi told Vice that disagreements are necessary, but as soon as one person starts being mean to the other, they're crossing into unhealthy territory. She said that “whether or not it's “healthy” to argue in front of other people is entirely cultural … and depends in large part on other people's comfort levels.”

All in all, it's important to be communicative in a relationship, even if that means some healthy conflict. But it's probably not a good idea to demean a significant other, especially in public.

@vpucino pls share any and all opinions #fyp #bartender #boston ♬ original sound – val