Being a bartender can be an interesting, fun, and profitable job.
It is far from any normal 9 to 5 desk job, and you never know what's going to happen each time you come into work.
Bartending has its definite advantages, and some disadvantages as well, but the disadvantages can be managed.
There is a lot of potential for profitability per bartending shift, but it's not as easy as just pouring a drink and setting in front of a bar patron.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of lazy bartenders who think that just because they pour a drink, it means that patrons should just tip them everything in their wallet, and that is far from the truth.
The single most important quality that a bartender should have is a good personality.
It does not matter if you know every single drink known to mankind, if you don't know how to talk to your bar guests and give great service, your chances of getting a good tip out of your customers is very limited, as well as keeping a job.
I've been bartending for over ten years and I don't know every single drink there is, but I do treat all my bar guests as if they were guests in my own home, and that goes a lot further to your customers than drink knowledge.
To a lot of bar customers, the bar is like a second home to them.
It's a place where they want to feel special and treated well.
Being able to strike up a conversation with your guests and helping them have a good time while they are at your bar, will not only increase your tips, it'll help in return business for you as a bartender.
Playing on your cell phone, or ignoring your customers except for when they want a drink, doesn't help make them feel welcome, and they'll leave earlier than they want, and you won't make as much in tips.
Also don't complain or vent to your customers about your problems, unless they truly want you too.
No matter what is going on in your life, at the end of the day we all have jobs to do, and as a bartender a majority of our job is to help other people feel better.
Bartending is the closest thing to become a psychologist, without having to get a PhD.
As a bartender you have to remember some of your guests aren't having the greatest day, and that may be part of the reason they are sitting at your bar having a drink.
Get to know your guests, shake their hands, ask them their name, and if they look a little down, ask them what's wrong.
You may not want to hear someone who you barely even know complain to you about their day, but just remember to listen, give some good advice, and let them vent a little.
You'll be surprised how much more money you make for being a good and attentive bartender, not a rude or uncaring one.
The bartender that everyone can relate too, enjoys talking too, and enjoys being around, will make more money than one that doesn't talk to their patrons, or doesn't do anything to make them feel like their business is appreciated.
I'm not saying to not learn as many drinks as you can, but being able to talk to people will take you a lot further in a profession as a bartender, than knowing what's in a "Grateful Dead" drink.
A good thing to know is that if you're a personable person behind the bar and are building a good report with your customers, they won't get upset with you if you don't know how to make a certain drink they order, and a lot of times they'll have the confidence in you to just make them something that you like instead.
So focus on your customers and you'll see your business increase, as well as your tips on a nightly basis.
It is far from any normal 9 to 5 desk job, and you never know what's going to happen each time you come into work.
Bartending has its definite advantages, and some disadvantages as well, but the disadvantages can be managed.
There is a lot of potential for profitability per bartending shift, but it's not as easy as just pouring a drink and setting in front of a bar patron.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of lazy bartenders who think that just because they pour a drink, it means that patrons should just tip them everything in their wallet, and that is far from the truth.
The single most important quality that a bartender should have is a good personality.
It does not matter if you know every single drink known to mankind, if you don't know how to talk to your bar guests and give great service, your chances of getting a good tip out of your customers is very limited, as well as keeping a job.
I've been bartending for over ten years and I don't know every single drink there is, but I do treat all my bar guests as if they were guests in my own home, and that goes a lot further to your customers than drink knowledge.
To a lot of bar customers, the bar is like a second home to them.
It's a place where they want to feel special and treated well.
Being able to strike up a conversation with your guests and helping them have a good time while they are at your bar, will not only increase your tips, it'll help in return business for you as a bartender.
Playing on your cell phone, or ignoring your customers except for when they want a drink, doesn't help make them feel welcome, and they'll leave earlier than they want, and you won't make as much in tips.
Also don't complain or vent to your customers about your problems, unless they truly want you too.
No matter what is going on in your life, at the end of the day we all have jobs to do, and as a bartender a majority of our job is to help other people feel better.
Bartending is the closest thing to become a psychologist, without having to get a PhD.
As a bartender you have to remember some of your guests aren't having the greatest day, and that may be part of the reason they are sitting at your bar having a drink.
Get to know your guests, shake their hands, ask them their name, and if they look a little down, ask them what's wrong.
You may not want to hear someone who you barely even know complain to you about their day, but just remember to listen, give some good advice, and let them vent a little.
You'll be surprised how much more money you make for being a good and attentive bartender, not a rude or uncaring one.
The bartender that everyone can relate too, enjoys talking too, and enjoys being around, will make more money than one that doesn't talk to their patrons, or doesn't do anything to make them feel like their business is appreciated.
I'm not saying to not learn as many drinks as you can, but being able to talk to people will take you a lot further in a profession as a bartender, than knowing what's in a "Grateful Dead" drink.
A good thing to know is that if you're a personable person behind the bar and are building a good report with your customers, they won't get upset with you if you don't know how to make a certain drink they order, and a lot of times they'll have the confidence in you to just make them something that you like instead.
So focus on your customers and you'll see your business increase, as well as your tips on a nightly basis.
SHARE
