A guide for bartenders

Are you up for bartending?

Bartending in a nightclub requires you to be on your feet constantly and stay awake until the early hours of the morning. If you prefer more comfortable hours you could be a bartender at a restaurant or local bar/pub/tavern.

Bartending is usually temporary

Many students and young people do bartending and go on to something else. Venues generally need more bartenders during summer, so it could be a job between studies.

It is worth the sacrifice?

Your friends could be partying while you're working. Sometimes you can take nights off. If you want time off for a party ensure that you tell the manager well in advanced so they can adjust the shifts.

If tips are important to you then taking busy nights off could work against your interest due to getting fewer tips on slower nights.

Communication skills and acting social

You need to have great communication skills in noisy situations. You need to understand what people say when loud music is playing and state prices.

If the bar isn't constantly busy you will probably be required to engage with the customers and listen to their problems.

If the bar is busy it's a good idea to let customers near the front of the queue know you seen them and you will be with them soon.

You will be required to be pleasant to the customers. This could be difficult at 2AM but this is an essential part of your job.

Bartenders can be busy people so you should learn to tactfully have short conversations and work simultaneously. In a busy nightclub you will be working constantly and would socialize on your breaks if you wanted to do so.

Getting along with your co-workers will help you in the job too.

Customers may flirt with you. You can just say "no thanks" or "I have a partner".

Memory

You should probably have a decent memory as you need to remember the recipes for cocktails and different lingo used in bars.

Tips

A venue with staff behind the scenes such as a backbar and/or chef will usually ask you to share your tips with them. If the venue you're working in has one barback you could share 20% of your tips with them.

Legally you're required to pay taxes on your tips. Putting 30% of your tips aside for this purpose could save you problems.

Learn to sell

You might be required to suggest drinks to customers to earn the bar more money. For example if a customer orders Vodka you might ask if a customer wants to try a premium brand of Vodka.

If you see a customer with an empty glass and they're not too intoxicated you might want to ask if they want another drink.

Look your best

You will probably need to look good while serving people so ensure that you take care of your physical appearance.

Physical labor involved

Sometimes you would need to bring cases of drinks in from the back unless you have a barback to do it for you. Barbacks are common in busy bars.

You regularly have to bend down to get ingredients. This can hurt your back but bending your knees can help.

Conditions such as tennis elbow are common in bartenders, tendinitis, and carpal tunnel according to an article in the New York Times about bartending injuries.

Wearing comfortable shoes, taking breaks to stretch your muscles and practicing proper shaking form will help your body cope with the job.

Drinks

You should learn how to make most popular drinks. You need to make them quickly without much spillage.

Spillage and over pouring will cost your venue money. You need to reduce these things as much as possible. Failure to do so could lead to your termination.

You will need to learn about the tools and equipment that bartenders use to create drinks. Click here for our guide on bar tools and equipment.

The same goes for free drinks; don't give drinks away or put extra shots in glasses without permission from the manager.

Some venues will have a "comp drinks" list which allows bartenders to give away free drinks. You will have to record which drink you gave away. You will have to pay for the drink unless there's an agreement prior.

If you're clumsy and believe that you would drop glasses frequently then this job may not be for you.

Handling money

You might be required to handle money as part of your job.

Generally you should handle one order at a time and make a mental note of what people give you. Customers may get confused and accuse you of giving them the wrong change and doing these things will help resolve these situations.

Cleaning

For bars without a barback you may be required to do cleaning duties including cleaning the glasses.

Understanding people's orders

Nightclubs have louder music than restaurants which make it more challenging to hear orders.

Verifying a person can purchase alcohol

If someone looks young it's probably good to ask them if they're at least 21 or the minimum age that a person can purchase alcohol. In many international areas this number is 18.

You could be liable if you serve underage people. Some doormen can be irresponsible and let in underage people.

If you suspect the venue's staff are not as responsible as they should be then you may need to adopt additional measures. For more information see our guide on how to check IDs properly.

Nightclubs vs. Restaurants

Nightclubs generally don't serve food. You're more likely to handle food in a restaurant as opposed to a nightclub.

Nightclubs would also have more drunken people but also more security. Nightclubs generally have more people and you could be busier.

Cutting people off

In many cities you're not supposed to serve people who are too intoxicated. Luckily they're typically easy to spot. If they give you problems notify security.

Dealing with problematic customers

You not only have to deal with intoxicated people but also rude people and people who may get touchy. Call security as soon as people step over the line.

Drinking on the job

You will have to work this out with your manager but bartenders sometimes take a shot just before it gets busy to relieve stress.

After work drinks

Some places allow staff members to have a drink after a busy shift to thank them.

Legal requirements

In some areas there's a certification you must pass. This might be an online course.

There's typically an age requirement too which typically ranges from 18-21.

Do you need courses or education?

In some areas you will have pass a certification before you get behind a bar. If you don't you might consider a course but this may not be the only path.

Many venues would hire barbacks which help behind the bar but do not pour drinks. This will give you some of the experience and will signal to your manager that you're a hard worker.

Starting out as a barback is considered the traditional route to bartending. Alternatively starting out as a server could be an option.

During this time I would learn recipes of popular cocktails and practice making these at home/house parties.

After a few months you will be allowed to be a bartender if you are legally allowed to do so.

How to get a job

First you should do create a resume. This should be one or two pages. It's best to include any significant education, skills and experience you have.

You can drop the resume off to local venues when they're not busy. When you're at a venue ask to speak to the manager and introduce yourself to them.

Shake their hand, smile and say that you're looking for work. If they say that they don't need anybody ask to be called when that changes.

Alternatively you can search job sites such as Craigslist.

Starting out as a bartender

At first you should have a supervisor; ask the person questions frequently so you learn what you need.

You don't need to know the recipe of every cocktail that the bar serves at first, but learning these fairly quickly should be a priority.

Many venues would give you a chance on a trial shift. It's important that you keep busy during this to show that you're a hard worker. Show up 10 minutes early to give the impression that you're keen.

If you can't think of anything that you need to do, just ask what you should do.

Peak employment times

Bartenders are usually needed during the summer, especially weekends. This is because more people are out during this time.

What bartenders wear

Some venues require a uniform to be worn displaying their logo.

You'd want non-slip footwear as the floor can get wet.

If you have long hair you would probably have your hair up for hygienic reasons.

Bartending lingo

Here are three basic bartending terms.

On the rocks: Put some ice cubes in a cup then pour the customer's drink of choice.

Dash: a couple of drops or an otherwise small amount of an ingredient.

Dirty: A Dirty Martini would have Olive Juice in it, a regular Martini wouldn't. You can make a Martini dirtier by adding more Olive juice to it.

View more bartending terms

How much do bartenders make?

In 2019 the average salary of a bartender for most states in the U.S.A. ranges from $20,000-$27,000 according to ZipRecruiter. This excludes tips which can add up to 50% of your salary.

Thanks for reading

If you're new to bartending you may want to add this page to your favorites so you can refer to it often.

If you manage a nightclub and value this guide you may want to send it to new employees so they can benefit from it.