Bartending Anyone?

[Jade Tigress]

This is the continuation from the last Ink and the Workplace post I made. In order to not hijack that thread, and to get your feedback on this suggestion that was made to me.

Ok, it was suggested that I bartend. My aquaintence at the Harley dealer said I could make good money doing that. I have never bartended before, I've never even waitressed before. All of my jobs have been warehouse (loooong time ago) or office. She was very encouraging and said it's easy to do. Said has waitressed before and she has a friend who has never bartended who found a job bartending and now, 6 months later she is the manager and making more than she did in the data entry job she worked for 12 years. And apparently this is at small hole in the wall pub. (which is actually the enviroment I prefer). I don't really want to waitress, but I wouldnt mind learning to bartend and there are tons of neighborhood bars around here.

So, how easy is it to learn to bartend? Can you get a job bartending if you have no prior experience? I NEED A JOB!!!

 

[Kacey]

I've never done it - but I have seen a few courses advertised at local community colleges, so that's where I'd suggest you try first. If it's something you're interested in, then I'd say go for it!

 

[hong kong fooey]

I have never done it but I heard it's not to hard. there are classes you can take that will help you.

 

[donna]

My daughter did it for a year as a fill in till she got a better job. She enjoyed it but the biggest drawback was the hours. Most of the work was late, till 3am on weekends then they had to clean up after the doors closed so sometimes it was more like 5 am that she was getting home. This may not be the case at the place where you are looking but it is worth asking about, especially if it interfears with your family life.
Apart from that she said the actual bartending work wasnt hard to pick up and was quite interesting.

 

[terryl965]

Official Bartender no but I was the bartender at the college dorms does that count.

 

[Kenzan]

Are you hot?
It helps tremendously if you are hot.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I did it briefly many years ago (in my early 20s) and it is not hard to learn. It is MUCH harder putting up with the increasing number of drunks as the night goes on.

Also the majority of the people generally order really complicated drinks like... BEER!!!! And occasionally a shot. Being SPM I know it will be hard not to give them an SPM shot when they ask but they are generally asking for a shot of Whiskey. My problem was after awhile I was pretty sure they were ALL asking for a shot up side the head, including my fellow bartender, he was REALLY asking or a shot. (I was TKD at the time) so I decided it just was not the part time job for me.

Buy a mixology book and study it, look up the popular drinks and there you are. If someone orders something INCREDIBLY strange it does not hurt to ask him or her what is in it and if they can't tell you they probably shouldn't be drinking anyway.

Can you get a bartending job with no experience; maybe, it depends on the bars in your area.

Also understand I am talking from my experience from over 20 years ago in Massachusetts and ever so briefly (3 hours) in NYS in my later 20s, things could be very different today and in your area.

 

[Tames D]

This is the continuation from the last Ink and the Workplace post I made. In order to not hijack that thread, and to get your feedback on this suggestion that was made to me.

Ok, it was suggested that I bartend. My aquaintence at the Harley dealer said I could make good money doing that. I have never bartended before, I've never even waitressed before. All of my jobs have been warehouse (loooong time ago) or office. She was very encouraging and said it's easy to do. Said has waitressed before and she has a friend who has never bartended who found a job bartending and now, 6 months later she is the manager and making more than she did in the data entry job she worked for 12 years. And apparently this is at small hole in the wall pub. (which is actually the enviroment I prefer). I don't really want to waitress, but I wouldnt mind learning to bartend and there are tons of neighborhood bars around here.

So, how easy is it to learn to bartend? Can you get a job bartending if you have no prior experience? I NEED A JOB!!!

Move to California. I'll hire you. Always looking for good help, with or without tats, lol. The pay is Unbelievable... But to address your question, I think bartending would be a major headache just dealing with the *******s. I guess it would depend on whether you had protection or not (bouncers).

 

[Sukerkin]

Kenzan that is not a question to ask a lady on-line ... I'm assuming you meant that in a humerous fashion (with the 'grin' smiley) and had in mind that some economic advantages might come from it (such as tips/free drinks et al). But still ...

JT if you need to get the work quickly then I can't see that it will do your career long term harm to have a stint as a bartender. Depending on the establishment it can vary in difficulty from pleasant to very hard.

In a normal pub, I can imagine that it is not bad work as the pace will be more leisurely and the clientel will in part become known to you. For a little real-world XP, my niece has recently started doing a bit of barmaid work at a local pub and seems to find it okay but, because she is pretty, has a bit of a problem with lechers who can't keep their opinions to themselves when they're 'in their cups'.

In a nightclub tho' ... .

The trick, as I'm sure those who've done it rather than just observed is to be able to hold more in your head than is usually required of us, maintain social contact with the customer and 'queue' who is next at the bar.

 

[Drac]

Depending on the establishment it can vary in difficulty from pleasant to very hard.

I don't know about the pubs over there but over here it's easy..Most places have a few speciality drinks that might require a blender and a little practice...Other than that it's beer and basic mixed drinks..Don't waste your money on bartending schools..Over here the head bartender trains our new hires..The most difficult task was learning the prices..My 2 cents..

 

[HKphooey]

Depends on the bar. Some places are better than others.

 

[Brian King]

Hey JT
Being a Bartender is a decent job with decent pay. The tips are in cash and that has benefits just remember that many bars automatically report your earning to the IRS from the bar receipts and you will likely have to share the tips with a few of the other employees. In fact the money is usually so good that the job is a bit of a trap for younger ladies. You can make more right away bartending than you can most entry level and even mid level ‘office type’ of jobs but then after awhile the office type of work catches up and passes what all but the best bartenders make. Most bartending jobs have no benefits (as in insurance, paid holidays etc.) and lousy hours at least until you get some pull. You have to like people while at the same time are willing to let them spend way more than they can afford on both booze and gambling, and able to watch them as they make silly and perhaps harmful decisions. You have to be willing to sympathetically listen to all of the sob stories, and the drunks that constantly repeat themselves, and learn to understand the angry people. Now days you will get home smelling of booze but many places are now smoke free (out here all but the Indian reservations are by law) so at least you will not be breathing all the smoke anymore. You will meet many sweet and nice people but you will also see people at their worst and you may see violence as well, and that bothers many people. If a larger bar with live music your hearing will suffer and the life style can be addictive.

I only worked at four or five bars regularly and as security never as a bartender, but NONE of the places would hire anybody that went to one of those bartending schools preferring to teach them themselves. In fact they used to laugh pretty hard at the way those schools taught and how much they charged. If you can read you can mix drinks. Even better if you can mix drinks and accept cash and give out change at the same time and not have a short till. You will be slow at first but it gets easier.

If it is a small local bar/tavern/pub you will likely have to waitress a bit and also cook (short order) as well but like pouring booze, it is easy once you get the hang of it.

I hope that you are a sports fan and good at making conversation, all handy skills for a bartender. You should also have a thick skin and be a bit of a cynic although not necessary to have as if you stay in the business long both will develop. A good and healthy sense of humor is necessary and you can not be afraid of hearing dirty jokes, it seems to go with the job. A lot of lifes lessons can be viewed while being the only sober person is a room full of drunks.

Good luck
Brian King

 

[Jade Tigress]

Move to California. I'll hire you. Always looking for good help, with or without tats, lol. The pay is Unbelievable...

Damn! Why don't I live in your neck of the woods? Between what you and Flying Crane have told me, I'm thinking a move to California is sounding better and better all the time. *sigh*

Thanks for the fantastic feedback everyone. There are TONS of small neighborhood pubs/taverns/bars around here, and TONS of nightclubs and restaurant bars. My preference is to work in one of the small neighborhood taverns.

I can handle the drunks rude behavior and dirty jokes. I like music and the party atmosphere. In fact my friends and I frequent our own neighborhood bar, which unfortunately, is well staffed. But I'll ask if they need more help anyway.

It's good to know that bartending schools are a waste of money. I guess my next step is to get out there and start asking if any of them need help. Wish me luck.

 

[Drac]

Hey JT
I only worked at four or five bars regularly and as security never as a bartender, but NONE of the places would hire anybody that went to one of those bartending schools preferring to teach them themselves. In fact they used to laugh pretty hard at the way those schools taught and how much they charged. If you can read you can mix drinks. Even better if you can mix drinks and accept cash and give out change at the same time and not have a short till. You will be slow at first but it gets easier.

This post about says it best, and I use to manage a couple of clubs...And YES we use to laugh at those that wasted their money and attended a bartending school...They thought it guarteed them a job..

 

[Drac]

Are you hot?
It helps tremendously if you are hot.

The girls that bartend in the "stripper" clubs do make a lot of money, the girls that worked for me in Fla did..Oh the stories I could tell..

 

[Brian King]

“In fact my friends and I frequent our own neighborhood bar, which unfortunately, is well staffed. But I'll ask if they need more help anyway.”

Hey JT that sounds perfect. Watch your bartenders as they do their job and learn from them. Letting them know you are interested and willing to work is important. Bar staff all know each other from bar to bar and they may know of openings somewhere or know of somebody getting ready to move on.

Out here Bartenders are required to have health cards and the bar usually pays for it, although if you already had it that saves them time and headache and will be a plus to perhaps counter the lack of experience. The health cards were not hard to get from what I understand just a little studying and a test and inexpensive. Ask the bartenders at your local bar.

“Wish me luck.”

Of course


Brian

 

[karatekid1975]

I used to bartend back in the day. It was ok. It wasn't hard at all learning the drinks. Well, I worked at a "redneck" hole-in-the-wall type of bar, which had its down side. They mostly ordered Bud and a shot of something or other. Some weekend customers ordered mixed drinks, but they were always the same. I got to know who ordered what and made it as soon as they walked in the door.

The downside was, rednecks don't tip well LOL. And some get rowdy when drunk. I flagged someone (which means they couldn't order anything for the rest of the night), and he got pretty angry at me. I was told by a friend that a Sambuca (sp?) bottle is a great weapon (it is very thick and doesn't break easily ... kinda like a small baseball bat LOL). Anyway, it looked like he was about to come over the bar at me, so I grabbed the Sambuca bottle and raised it at him. He got the hint He left after that.

But there are much better places to work at, though. It is a good idea to work somewhere you know or frequent. My advice would be to avoid the hole-in-the-wall type places

Thanks guys for letting me know the Bartending school is a waste of time and money. It crossed my mind that I too want to bartend again, and I thought about bartending school. Not now, though. If I decided to bartend again, I'll just have a go at it.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Hey JT that sounds perfect. Watch your bartenders as they do their job and learn from them. Letting them know you are interested and willing to work is important. Bar staff all know each other from bar to bar and they may know of openings somewhere or know of somebody getting ready to move on.

Out here Bartenders are required to have health cards and the bar usually pays for it, although if you already had it that saves them time and headache and will be a plus to perhaps counter the lack of experience. The health cards were not hard to get from what I understand just a little studying and a test and inexpensive. Ask the bartenders at your local bar.

Of course


Brian

Thanks Brian!
Uhhhhh....what's a health card? :lookie:

 

[Jade Tigress]

I used to bartend back in the day. It was ok. It wasn't hard at all learning the drinks. Well, I worked at a "redneck" hole-in-the-wall type of bar, which had its down side. They mostly ordered Bud and a shot of something or other. Some weekend customers ordered mixed drinks, but they were always the same. I got to know who ordered what and made it as soon as they walked in the door.

The downside was, rednecks don't tip well LOL. And some get rowdy when drunk. I flagged someone (which means they couldn't order anything for the rest of the night), and he got pretty angry at me. I was told by a friend that a Sambuca (sp?) bottle is a great weapon (it is very thick and doesn't break easily ... kinda like a small baseball bat LOL). Anyway, it looked like he was about to come over the bar at me, so I grabbed the Sambuca bottle and raised it at him. He got the hint He left after that.

But there are much better places to work at, though. It is a good idea to work somewhere you know or frequent. My advice would be to avoid the hole-in-the-wall type places

Thanks guys for letting me know the Bartending school is a waste of time and money. It crossed my mind that I too want to bartend again, and I thought about bartending school. Not now, though. If I decided to bartend again, I'll just have a go at it.

Good advice. I'll keep that in mind...*makes note of Sambuca bottles*

 

[Drac]

Good advice. I'll keep that in mind...*makes note of Sambuca bottles*

Also a Galiano bottle...