re: Was I wrong - Bartender/Credit Card

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I sit down and order the beer and hand the bartender my credit card and ask her to close the tab ... I get up and use the restroom real quickly.

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I never leave the table/bar while the bartender/server has my card unless someone is with me who stays there while I'm in the restroom. Not that anything would necessarily happen either way, and if someone wanted to steal your card info, he/she could do it with or without you being present, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable leaving the room while a stranger was in possession of my card without someone I know staying seated.

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I come back and my credit card and receipt is laying there next to the beer.

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Yeah, she shouldn't have done that. Back when I was bartending in college, something like this was a reason for termination, or at least a write-up. Even now, I've noticed in smaller "mom & pop" bars or hotel lounges, bartenders & servers have bad habits like this - way too lax. ... These days, with the existence of smart phones, restaurant & bar employees need to be much more cautious with customers' credit cards. If the customer isn't in his barstool or at his table after his credit card is processed & it's ready to be returned to him, the bartender, NOT the server, should keep it behind the bar by the register, paper clipped to the ticket or receipt, face down in a separate ticket tray. A bartender or server should never keep a customer's card in his pocket for safe keeping, either - another reason for termination.

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Someone could have easily snatched the card and ran off while I was in the restroom or have taken a picture of the card on their cellphone.

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True, but the staff can take pics of customers' cards very easily these days. Honestly, that's one reason I check my cc & debit card accounts, a lot, particularly when I've eaten out. Since they can get the security codes from the cards, it's much easier for them to be able to use the card online. If they need a billing address, they can find that out online, as well, since they've got your name. ... That being said, I don't believe that happens a lot because it would be pretty easy to catch, and I don't believe most restaurant employees are thieves. I would have been more upset with the bartender in your case for leaving my card out where another customer could've swiped it, easily.

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I looked at the bartender and gave her a "What the hell are you thinking look". She easily picked up on how dissatisfied I was. Was I in the wrong in doing so?

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I understand your frustration and basically, your shock at her unprofessional behavior and thoughtless, & cavalier attitude - nowadays, I feel this way the vast majority of the time I go out to eat - but instead of just giving a "look," maybe you should have said something to her about it. There is no reason customers should not give honest feedback, good and bad, to an establishment they are paying for their product & service. If something is wrong with either, it could & should be brought to their attention. You should be civil about it - in your case, you could've brought it to the bartender's attention that in the future, if someone isn't in his seat when she's bringing back his card, she might want to keep it at the register instead of out in the open on the table/bar where it could be taken by anyone very easily. Then maybe take some of the responsibility, yourself, by saying you should have told her you were going to the restroom, which, btw, you should have, imo.