How Bartending Works

Does bartending sound like fun?

You have seen bartenders at work and think to yourself that it looks like fun. It can be a very enjoyable job, but on the other hand, it can also make you miserable at times.

Choosing to be a bartender could turn out not to be what you are looking for if you are expecting fun all the time. Bartending requires many skills other than making drinks!

I have compiled a list of things that bartenders do from my own experience. These things will vary depending on the bar that you end up working in. I will list the other "occupations" that you may have to use when bartending, as well as an explanation of how this can happen.

These are the things that you could end up being, as well as a bartender:

• Waitress
• Bouncer
• Cook
• Counselor
• Decorator
• Cleaning Crew
• Dish Washer
• Best Friend
• Errand Runner

What do bartenders do?

Waitress - Unless you are working on weekend nights, you will have a lot of people come in and sit at tables and you will be the only one working. Most of these people will want you to come out from behind the bar and wait on them, even if the bar is full. If they have to come up and get their drinks from you at the bar, kiss a tip from them goodbye. You will be the waitress, as well as the bartender.

Bouncer - Again, unless you are working weekend nights, you will be the only one working and you will not have a bouncer there to stop any trouble that starts between patrons. You will have to learn how to stop fights because calling the police when working at a bar is absolutely a last resort. You will be the waitress and the bouncer, as well as the bartender.

Cook - Many bars serve food, but they do not hire cooks. Guess what? In those places, the bartender is the cook. If you work in a place such as this, then you have to keep the people at the bar happy, as well as make sure to take food and drink orders at the tables, then serve them to the table after you cook the food. You are now the waitress, bouncer and cook, as well as the bartender.

Counselor - Everyone tells their troubles to the bartender. It has been that way forever. They want you, as the bartender, to solve their life problems. Listening and nodding will get you good tips. A word of caution....NEVER give advice! The reason for this is that if the advice that you give makes things turn out badly, you will be blamed by the customer and you will see a decrease in tips, not only from that customer, but from their friends that they tell. Just be a good listener! You are now the counselor, waitress, bouncer and cook, as well as the bartender.

Decorator - There is going to be a big party and decorations need to be put up. Guess who gets that job, the bartender. If you are one of those people who does not decorate your house for any reason, you may not like being the decorator at work. It's all in a days work and since you are the one there, you get the pleasure of hanging all of these pretty decorations! You are now the decorator, counselor, waitress, bouncer and cook, as well as the bartender.

Cleaning Crew - Remember those pretty decorations that someone had to put up. Now they need someone to take them down because the party is over and that someone will be you. People made a mess of the floor with all that confetti that you put out for them and now you have to clean it all up. The toilet is stopped up and running all over the bathroom floor. Yep, you have to take care of that too! You are now the cleaning crew, decorator, counselor, waitress, bouncer and cook, as well as the bartender.

Dish Washer - Many places are still living in the dark ages and do not have dishwashers. This means that you have to do all the things above and below this one and wash dishes too! You are now the dish washer, cleaning crew, decorator, counselor, waitress, bouncer and cook, as well as the bartender.

Best Friend - Imagine someone that you really do not care to know that will visit you on a daily basis and introduce you to others as their good friend. They will hover wherever you are, not paying attention to the fact that you never answer anything they say and try to keep as busy as possible when they are around. Mind you, you can not just say to the "customer", I do not like you, go away. You are now their best friend, the dish washer, cleaning crew, decorator, counselor, waitress, bouncer and cook, as well as the bartender.

Errand Runner - There are always things that the boss forgets to get or take care of. You get the job or running around for the boss. Sometimes this is a wanted break and sometimes it can be a bad thing because while you are out doing this stuff, you are losing tips and the boss is making a mess of the bar that you will have to clean up when you return. You are now the errand runner, best friend, the dish washer, cleaning crew, decorator, counselor, waitress, bouncer and cook, as well as the bartender.

Bartending requires many talents and can be very rewarding as long as you are aware of the many hats that you may need to wear at any given time. Since the bar business is unpredictable, there are sure to be unexpected things that come up and you may just find another occupation to add to this list. This is how bartending works.

Good Luck and Happy Bartending!