
What’s The Bartending Success Factor?
Bartending is not rocket science but there is an art to being a successful bartender. Just because someone gets behind a bar and mixes a few drinks does not make them a bartender. There are many things to learn about what it takes to be a successful bartender that can be learned by attending an accredited bartending school or with many years of well rounded experience. There are really no “secrets” to being successful but there are basic things that a bartender must know and practice.
Know Your Customers
Whether in a bar or at a private party, bartenders should be able to quickly gauge their customers. Knowing your customer means interacting with them, asking and remembering their names, remembering their drink of the night and checking on them periodically. The quicker you get familiar with the crowd, the quicker you start to earn more tips and have more fun.
Put On Your Game Face
No matter how you feel while bartending, your face and attitude tells the story. The better the game face, the more successful you will be. When behind the bar, the bartender must always put on their game face. Bartenders need to be charismatic, greet guests with a smile, be personable, approachable and outgoing with patrons of their bar. This is critical to earning the bigger tips. Personality is one trait that cannot be taught and those bartenders who have a great personality are likely to earn the most and be the most successful.
Be Prepared
Always be ready for the unexpected. When working in an establishment with a bar, always anticipate the next move. For example, if the bar station is running low on fruit garnishes, refill them before they run out. The same applies for the alcohol, beer or wine. Running out of supplies or tools of the trade causes slow service and with slow service goes your tip. Mobile bartenders always need to be equipped with the right bartending supplies when bartending private parties or weddings. The more supplies you provide the better service you can offer your client. Clients will pay top dollar for a bartender who is prepared and takes some of the pressure off of them by providing things that they do not need to supply such as cocktail napkins, drink stirrers or fruit garnishes. To equip yourself with the proper bartending supplies & tools, visit http://barpros.barstore.com to purchase at a discounted rate.
Know The Bar Setting
Be comfortable in your environment and get familiar with the bar set up. The more comfortable a bartender is behind the bar, the better the service they can offer to each customer. Nothing looks worse than a bartender not knowing where things are and fumbling with the drink preparation. Confidence is a big part in making big tips so it is critical to know the bar and make it your territory.
Know Your Stuff
It takes time and experience to become a mixologist but it is very important to know a wide variety of drink recipes. Bartenders are faced with many customers who know exactly what they want to drink and those who are not sure of what they want and will ask for the bartender’s recommendation. When faced with this situation, bartenders need to know how to gauge the taste buds of the clients by asking if they want a strong drink, tropical drink, martini, etc. Knowing a wide variety of drink recipes also includes knowing what types of alcohol compliment various mixers and chasers. Know how to make a strong drinks and drinks for taste. If someone asks for a drink that you have not heard of, it’s okay to ask them what is in it. What’s not okay is looking up the recipe to the basic drinks like margaritas and dirty martinis.
Speed & Efficiency
The phrase, “work smarter not harder”, applies to the bartending industry as well. There are many ways to work quickly and efficiently and it is very important to also be accurate. This takes great listening and multi-tasking ability. One way to bartend with speed & efficiency is to use a common process when preparing drinks. Always put the coaster or napkin on the bar, grab all glassware, fill the glasses with ice, then make the drinks with common liquors together, top off the drinks, garnish and serve. This is much faster than making drinks individually since you are taking less time to turn and grab glassware, scoop ice and pick up liquor bottles multiple times.
Never Expect Tips
When tips are expected, often times bartenders get frustrated or disappointed with they don’t get the amount they expected. To prevent this frustration, bartenders should remain thankful for all tips they receive considering that tips are not mandatory and are based upon the level of service receive. If you apply these 7 principles and become a successful bartender, the tips will come!
Visit http://www.jcbartendingacademy.com for more information on how to become a successful bartender!