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Any bartenders here?

A

Arkitech

Diamond Member
I've been toying with the idea of working as a bartender but I would like to hear experiences from people who've actually done that kind of thing.

How is the pay? tips?
Did you like the work?
Did you have experience when you got started?
Did you go to bartending school/classes?
 
From my experience, watching the movie "Cocktail", there are girls, money and fast times and it all ends with a happy family; go for it.
 
If you're good at it, you can make a fair amount! But you work hard and fast!

I had a really good bartender a few weeks ago. I had four beers at the bar across four hours. The bar had...probably 75 people. He remembered me, my beer, and the room number to bill it to every time. I was impressed.
 
Everything I've ever heard is that you'll be hard pressed to walk into a place and start as a bartender. Usually you have to start out as a barback, working on cleaning and the stuff that goes on in the background (getting kegs, replacing glasses, cleaning up vomit, etc).

I've also heard from several people that bartending school is a waste of money and won't give you any advantage. You'll still start out where everyone else does.
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
If you're good at it, you can make a fair amount! But you work hard and fast!

I had a really good bartender a few weeks ago. I had four beers at the bar across four hours. The bar had...probably 75 people. He remembered me, my beer, and the room number to bill it to every time. I was impressed.
Click to expand...

did he get a good tip for that? 🙂
 
I bartended in college. You *can* have fun and make a lot of money, but don't bet on it. How much you make depends on the bar and the shift. You're not going to walk into a great bar and get a great shift when the place is filled with hot girls and guys throwing $20 tips at you to impress them. You're probably going to start with scut work and then maybe at a restaurant service bar filling waitress orders rather than dealing directly with customers. You need GREAT connections to get the kind of job you're dreaming of.
 
I've been bartending for 6 years now. Bartending school is a complete waste of money. You will probably need to start out at a hole in the wall or barback to get experience and move up. If you are a guy, you have to be fast to make money. If you're a girl, just flirt and invest in some fake boobs. Seriously.

I've done it for a while now so there's not really much that suprises me anymore. It also totally depends on the type of place you bartend. Hotel, Nightclub, Biker Bar, Restaurant, etc. I've always worked at a club so I deal with douches, lots and lots of douches. You just have to try and not let it get to you, because it probably will at first. People treat you like crap if you're in the service industry a lot of times.

That said, there are a ton of great aspects. You HAVE to work with cool people, if I didn't have that I would've quit a long time ago. Over time you will get your "regulars". The people that consistently come in help you pass the time and tip you very well.

Think about it and realize you will probably have to give up the vast majority of your weekends. If that doesn't bother you then by all means start looking and get your bar card. I work two nights a week and probably clear $20 K a year. That's not especially high either, the girls clear a lot more than that and don't have to be very good.

Good luck.
 
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