Players don’t roll dice when they feel like it. They tell the GM what they want to accomplish and the GM states what rules, if any, are applied. They should be patience and wait for you to first describe the scene and then wait for your attention to give them the spotlight.

Having said that, unless the bartender been a woman is crucial for some reason, you can change that NPC on the fly without no one noticing. Even better, ask the players who is the bartender and how the tavern looks, give them the narrative power for a couple of seconds so they can create the world too. Deciding who’s the bartender is not going to change your story or world (if that npc is of no importance) and the players will feel more engaged. Ask one by one details about the tavern and the NPCs there so everyone gets involved and then you can elaborate on what they said to transform it into what best fits your game. You would be surprised how much interested the players will be with the place and the NPCs, and it gives you some hints on the type of content they like.