Some people might believe a bartending job is a walk in the park, to some, they think “is it not just to pour drinks into a cup?” but it goes beyond that. Bartenders impress you with their gimmick of hand and drink recipe.
Bartending is not just about the fun part, it is quite a demanding role that charges you to have a serious skillset and be good at multitasking. You get to make small talks, with attending to customers, or underage patrons.
We know bartenders for the drinks they can concoct up using minimal ingredients and making special cocktails that keep loyal customers coming for more. Asides from that, here are some interesting things to know about the act of bartending.
Bartending Is A Full Professional Service
Yes, you read that right. Just like you train to be a chef, professional bartenders learn the art of mixology, pouring, or creating a fresh drink and according to mybartender, the career of a bartender is a well-grown professional service that goes beyond mixing and pouring drinks but creating a haven for customers to enjoy their drink.
Bartenders read the mood and body language of whoever they are serving to know when they either need company or want to be left alone to enjoy their drink. As a service provider, bartenders know how to manage the crowd by deftly concocting drinks, handing out house specialties, douse rising tension among customers, and still being professional while at it.
They learn how to be a better conversationalist to complement the act of mixology and pouring drinks because that is the way to keep customers at their table and to keep ordering more drinks.
Bartending Makes You Legally Responsible For Your Guests
As bartenders are serving guests and having fun doing the job, they must also ensure that they pay attention to the guests. Alcohol service is quite a serious job that requires you to pay attention to details like how many guests are consuming and how fast they are doing it, what their drinks contain, how strong the drinks are if they are eating while at it or not, note underage customers
Bartenders read situations and have expert eyes for details because they scan through the crowd now and then to see what is happening around them.
Bartending Involves Multitasking
Bartenders will always have something to do behind the bar, taking care of their guests comes first but cleaning the bar is something that continually happens. Bartenders have to clean up after closing hours, take inventory, organize and stock the bar.
No bar in the world runs without bartenders, they have to continually clean, restock and organize while also thinking about what to serve customers to keep them ringing up their drink tab.
It Encourages Keeping Late Hours
A bartending job thrives on odd hours of fun and drinking, hence, bartenders can work 10-12 hours straight. A bartending job starts around mid-noon till the early hours of the morning, yet it does not end when the last customer leaves the bar.
The staff has to balance the day’s account, clean and arrange tables, sweep up the establishment and make sure they restock the bar before locking up.
It Is A High-Pressure Industry
Bartending is founded in a high-pressure industry fueled by managers and customers. Everyone that comes into the bar has high expectations of having fun drinking the perfect blend of Molotov cocktail and the pressure piles up more during busy or happy hours.
Opening a bar means you want to cater to varieties of clientele and be the best at mixing and pouring the best drinks but this comes at an enormous price as you have to continually be at the top of your game and the industry. However, there is pressure to perform filters to the staff who have to work under serious scrutiny from the manager.
Bartending Can Be Boring
Yes, it can! Sometimes people do not patronize your establishment leading to a downturn in the business. When there is downtime, bartenders are left to serve the few customers available, engaging them in conversations to keep busy till closing time.
Also, bartenders and other staff have to get comfortable repeating routine tasks like cleaning glasses and checking inventory as the only major highlight of their day.
As you already know now, bartending goes beyond what you see on the surface, so when your bartender passes you that tall glass of wine or the gin and tonic drink, make sure you appreciate it more.