Bartending is one of the most popular gigs, especially for college students working for an extra buck while schooling. Bartending also attracts a range of thrill-seekers, owing to the fun environment, and at times, the perception that it is an easy job. Bartending, however, is a promising position that could satisfy your needs if you know how to navigate the field.
Finding ideal positions won’t be such a hassle, especially with online tools. With a simple search engine query, such as Edizeven, you’ll enjoy an extensive pool of available positions. Finding a job is easy, but keeping it is the real challenge. As you endeavor to keep the position and be a good bartender, here are a few tips that can dramatically help.
Bartending School isn’t worth the money
Accumulating skills in any field through schooling is always a good start, but not as you consider bartending. What you’ll learn from the course might affect your progress, noting that each bar has its unique operating standards. Getting such habits out of your system might take longer than your employer is willing to wait, meaning that you could lose the job. Most bars offer training to get you onboard, and that’s enough to set your bartending quests on the right path.
The basics are the foundation stone
Regardless of the bar you visit, common cocktails are likely served. Understanding those cocktails makes it easier to advance our bartending skills. From Margarita, Martini, and Woo Woo, to mention a few, you need to ensure that you are comfortable around them before you can start working on other combinations.
Customers can be mean
Bartending requires a strong heart. Even when you are not wrong, you’ll encounter harsh treatment now and then. Such situations require you to remain calm and firm. Treat the customer with respect, even if they seem too wasted to avoid escalating the situation. If it gets out of hand, remember that the bouncers are your friend. You should also know when it is time to let your manager handle the situation.
Bartending is a learning curve
Cuts and broken bottles/glasses will characterize the first weeks; don’t let that get in your way. Getting every order right might also take time, but that shouldn’t demoralize you. Getting the hang of it might take a few tries, and the secret is to treat your mistakes as a learning curve, not a failure. Suck it up, try again, clean the mess, and tend to any cuts; it will set you up for better, more cautious, and successful bartending quests. With time, you’ll comfortably prepare fancy drinks you didn’t even know existed.
Excellent bartenders are walking encyclopedias of drinks. It takes time and effort to get to such heights. Your learning curve, however, should be restricted to what you do in your work station. Spread your wings, visit breweries, wineries, and distilleries whenever you can. This gives you a chance to interact with experienced staff, learn more about the drinks, and how you can expand your servings to impress your customers. If you are passionate about a certain line, you can start with it and grow from there. Other resources, such as online research, could also help you know more about specific products. This way, you can even up-sell a product and score more sales and tips without breaking a sweat.
Expanding Your Horizons with Scholarships and Education
While hands-on experience is invaluable in bartending, seeking further education and opportunities can significantly enhance your skills and career prospects. An excellent example of such an opportunity is the Tahona Society Bartender Scholarship. This scholarship, offered by the Tahona Society, is designed for bartenders who are passionate about expanding their knowledge and expertise, particularly in the field of tequila and agave spirits. By participating in such programs, you not only gain deeper insights into specific spirits but also get to connect with a global network of professionals, which can open up new avenues in your bartending career. Embracing such educational opportunities demonstrates a commitment to your craft and can set you apart in the competitive world of bartending.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Bartending isn’t a solo quest; sure, you’ll be taking orders and working on your station, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a helping hand. Your colleagues are more than happy to lend a hand, especially during chaotic times, such as during the pick seasons. Bouncers can handle most of the annoyances; you only have to ask. Other bartenders can help you deal with the rapid orders. The secret is developing a healthy relationship with your colleagues to ensure that they’ll be there when you need their help.
Manners make a bartender
How would you like to swell your tip jar to the brim before the night is through? With good manners, you can comfortably achieve such a milestone, but that’s not all. Good manners and etiquette could help you impress the right people, opening a range of opportunities that you could utilize to grow your bartending career to levels you didn’t think existed. It won’t cost you a thing to maintain good manners, yet it can considerably supercharge your bartending quests. Being cocky and rude will only push more customers away, leaving you with almost, if not empty tip jar and ruin what could be an excellent opportunity.
Know your customers
Serving your regular customers might be a breeze, but how can you expand your reach? One proven hack that can quickly give you an edge is calling the customer by name. Customers want to feel more like they aren’t just another number in your serving list. For example, you can read the name on the credit card instead of quickly swiping it when opening the tab. Calling your customer by name makes them feel appreciated and comfortable, allowing you to foster better relationships. Knowing your customers isn’t all about recommending drinks based on what you can deduce from their personality; calling them by name could supercharge your quests as they’d feel more like VIPs.
Be fair
Your attention can easily be focused on your regulars or old friends. It is only natural, but you should do your best to treat each customer fairly as a bartender. This is especially challenging if you fixate on prior relationships on tips. For instance, a poor tip might make you feel bad and treat a customer harshly, affecting your overall performance as other customers notice it and dislike such personality. Professionalism and maintaining the right attitude regardless of who you are serving can’t be stressed enough as you strive to scale your bartending quests.
Singing along to the music, smiling at customers, and having a good time as you bartend can dramatically improve your progress. It might be a demanding job, but having fun is a part of the job, and with the above tips, your quests to become the best bartender is a lot more manageable.
