What does angel shot mean at a bar?

An angel shot is a unique code disguised as an order for drinks that a guest can order when they need help or feel uncomfortable in a bar or restaurant. The guest simply asks for an “angel photo” to alert the waiter that they feel in danger, and the waiter can take appropriate steps to ensure that guests, especially women, feel safe without attracting the attention of other customers. An angel shot is not a shot or a drink. It's a code that sends a signal to the bar staff telling them that you need help. Basically, it's a simple and effective way to ask a waiter for help.

From a restaurateur's perspective, it's an easy way to protect your customers and make sure they feel safe. Simply put, an angel's throw is a keyword used to alert bar staff that you need help. It came to the fore with the rise of online dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble or Grindr, where the initial stages of courtship entered the digital realm and potential predators were given an online personality behind from which to hide. An angel shot is an order for drinks placed by a customer to inform a waiter that they are in an unsafe situation and that they need help.

They are one of the many methods used by waiters to improve customer safety. An angel's throw is simply a key phrase that people can use to subtly notify staff that they need help without running into greater potential danger. Often, Angel Shots are ordered with specific code names for drinks that designate the different types of help employees need. After handing out the angel's throw, waiters must notify the bar manager, call a taxi or notify the authorities, as appropriate.

If a guest asks for Angela, the waiter or bar staff will follow precise safety protocols until everything is clear to that guest. It stems from an initiative implemented in bars, in which women who feel they are at risk of sexual assault can ask bar staff if Angela was working.