Bartending

[matt2778]

Who has done it, how did you get started, does it really pay well? Looking for a second job thinking about trying bartending

[Mental]

I did it for a short while at a Keno bar in Nebraska. That one was easy. Beer, both kinds, Bud and Bud Light. Then occasionally (and this a a Nebraska thing) they'd get a red beer. Tomoato juice in a beer. I never got that.

Like any service job, it's all about tips. So you have to smile and endure peaple you may not actually like, other time you'll bust you ass and get stiffed.

If you are looking for a steady low stress gig, best bet is a neighborhood joint. Get to know your regulars, especially if its a blue collar kind of place, treat them well and they'll take care of you. Those jobs are usually hard to get, and you need to know someone to get in the door. Usually it will be one or two nights a week when the regular person wants off. My wife did this at he neighborhood dive back in Nebraska working one night a week. It was a bar that they guys coming in to drink went and washed their hands first. If you were looking for trouble, it would take you about 6 seconds to find it, but if you just wanted to hang out, there were few better places.

My wife would be there from around 4 until 2:30 or so (bars in Nebraska close at 1). She knew her regulars, called them by name and started their order before they sat down. She sat and talked with them, every 4th of 5th shot she'd pay for. My wife is an awesome person, but she isn't a bimbo, and didn't dress that way. She'd make $300-$450 one night a week. But she didn't start that way, and made it a piont to know these folks really well. Most of them threatened to kill me when we started dating if I broke her heart. Not kill me as in beat me up, I mean no shit bury me in a shallow grave out by the railroad tracks. Thats how loyal they were. These were hardworking dudes and when they were shown respect, they returned it, thats why she made so much money. If you want a good part time job that pays well, thats the kinda bar you want.

Big bucks are of course clubs, but kiss your weekends goodbye and expect to be getting off at sunrise smelling like stale beer. Those also require some serious knowledge and skill, as well as a hustle. You don't step into that job, you start at bar back. Effectively its bitch work, but if you have a cool set of tenders and work hard, they'll teach you the tricks and you'll learn the rythm of bar you work. Sometimes they split their tips, other times they don't. It pays shit. Bar backs have a huge turnover, so don't expect the bartenders to warm up to you until you prove you're willing to work.

The next option is bs your way into an Applbee's or Chili's kinda gig. Again, no more weekends. You can make decent money on weekends, and maybe the wait staff tips you out as well (I don't know how each place does it). It's a decent training ground if you find the right head bartender woking there.

In the end, I am not sure most of most these jobs are 2nd job type employment. For the ones that pay well, you earn it. And you earn it humping and you had better know your drinks and customer service. The local bar is probably your best bet, but will be slow to start.

Regardless, good luck, I hope this helps.

[awilbur77]

I used to bartend at a huge nightclub for a while back in the day when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale. I got my foot in the door as a barback and eventually ( 6 months later) ended up bartending. The $ you can make really depends on where you work and when you work. I would work 6pm through 4am on Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon. On Fridays and Saturdays I would make about $250 - $400 each night in tips. On Sundays about $150 and on Mondays (our club was packed on Mondays since ladies drank for free all night long) I would make about $300 - $400.

This was a club that used to have about 2500 people in it on an average Saturday night. We had 15 bartenders and the place was huge. If you are going to work as a bartender... a nightclub is your best bet for the most $.

It is hard work though. I literally would bust my ass for 10 hours staight and then I would go partying after work until about 10am or noon the next day....only to have to do it all over again the next day.

I eventually quit the job and moved out of FL, but part of me misses those days of making $1000 + a week working 4 days. But I don't miss all the days waking up in places I had no idea how I got there, drunks with attitude problems, spring break (cheap losers), getting a face-full of pepper spray when breaking up fights.

[Sortarican]

Don't bother doing the whole Bartending Academy Degree in Mixology thing.
All the hospitality service industry workers (aka: tip whores) I've known
have said they basically laugh at anyone who has that on their job app.
Good luck.:drink:

[matt2778]

Not worried about not having weekends off. What if you arent the greatest with people? Do you still have a chance?

[xxuxx]

I used to bartend in Cartegena. The guys tip well, but the girls tip better. Lot's of tempting offers from customers, soon you get immune. Many are not pleasant but those rare few good ones make it bearable. Hint: Make them come to you (in other words, don't be too eager).