Career Advice by Randy

A lot of people out there ask me how to go about becoming a bartender. The answer is simple, learn how to make some drinks and learn how to be efficient. Now that may not sound like a lot, but in realize that being a bartender is a very big responsibility. As easy as it sounds, not many people are willing to take the time out of their busy schedules to look over some bartender recipes. This to me is insane. When you go out to a club or your local bar, you trust that when you order a drink it is properly made and won’t taste awful ( If it does who do you think will get blamed first?). That’s right! The Bartender!

Being a bartender is as I mentioned before, a big responsibility. We are in charge of the bottom line for the establishment. It is a solid fact that almost 60% of the revenue for any club or restaurant comes from liquor sales. 60%! So when we are doing our job, the company is putting their trust (and revenue) on our shoulders. No other person has as much freedom as the bartender. We are seldom watched, we have the authority over many of the patrons of the club, we can cut off or kick out unruly people, we can give away free drinks, we make the party happen.

Sounds great doesn’t it? Well there is a catch. Bartending is hard work. Yes you heard me, bartending is hard on the body and on the mind as well. We work very awkward hours sometimes with some very unruly people. I have had bottles thrown at me, punches swung, been screamed at, slapped, and thrown up on. Not fun. Getting to work early in the morning or late at night, or both, setting up the bar and standing for hours on end can be physically exhausting. Cutting yourself on bottles happens frequently as well as slamming your hands in various coolers tends to make the job less than fun at times.

So why do I do it? The answer is simple, the money and the prestige. The average male bartender can make around two hundred dollars a night in a busy club environment. For about six hours worth of work, you are walking away with upwards of two hundred smackers, wow. If you are a woman you are looking at (sorry guys) almost double. There is also the added benefit of being the “man” or “woman”. Nobody disrespects the bartender, why would you? They are the person making your drinks and if they like you, you may get a free one.

Still want to be a bartender? Good! Then you need to concentrate on learning some bartender recipes. The best way to do this is experience. Now if you are young and just starting out, the surefire way to go is to become a bar back. A bar back’s main responsibility is to help the bartender, think of them as the Nurse and the bartender is the doctor. Their job is to help with drinks, stock the ice, stock the cooler, keep glassware clean, and other sorts of odds and ends keeping the bartender making drinks frequently thus making more money. A bar back is paid out 20% of the bartenders tips and usually makes a higher hourly wage than the bartender (usually minimum). But the experience they gain will benefit them immensely on their path to becoming a professional bartender. When it is slow the bartender will usually show them bartender recipes, tricks of the trade, and other useful information.

What about bartending schools? Do not sign up for any bartending school. It is a scam. It sounds promising with the aspect of job placement or “hands on training”, but rest assured it will get you nowhere. You will end up paying upwards of five hundred dollars for the experience that you could have gotten as a bar back just as easily. Contrary to popular belief, companies do not want to hire someone with training from a bartending school. They want real experience. Now personal training is more than ok, and there are various resources out there like the American Bartending Association that offers Free DVD’s and resources for finding jobs (bar backing and bartending).

This is good because it can be very difficult finding a bartending job. Now not to be all doom and gloom, if you have experience working with people, you are social, and can learn quickly, many companies will hire you on as a bartender. But just like any other job, a resume counts big time. People just want to know that you are responsible and comfortable in a position of power and not going to drink away their bottom line. It’s as simple as that.

For more on bartending head to Bartender Recipes

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