Restaurant Job Board Blog

Many things when showed on TV or in movies are not realistic to life and a good example of this are many hospitality jobs and careers. They tend to only show the rosey side of things to make the viewer think it is glamorous and rewarding and not grueling and stressful like their jobs may really be on certain days.

A good example of this false portrayal by the media is bartending.  Bartending is just a small part of a big picture in the restaurant business. A bartender is a person who makes drinks and obviously it does require skill to do this.  Different types of establishments require different levels of interactions with the public as well.

An elegant type restaurant employs a bartender who will probably not have much contact with the customers. A casual type setting employs a bartender that may interact fully with the customers.  Restaurants and clubs have different focuses, one being food and one being drinks.  If a bartender does deal with the public directly he/she can make great tips by giving his/her best customer service which is required when working in the service industry.

The way media portrays a bartender makes them a type of person who can give legal, religious and psychiatric advice to their customers.  If this were really true they wouldn’t be tending bar, they’d be in a different profession. There are courses to enroll in to learn how to be a bartender to help them find a job in that field. It can be fun but can also be a very busy job that requires excellent customer service skills.  Men and women both make great bartenders.

A bartender is a good job if that is what you want to do.  It won’t make you into a superhero or make you who everyone wants to depend on for sound advice.  The media lures us in by portraying characters and their every day lives as way too perfect and gratifying.

Bartending is more than just pouring drinks and flirting with customers. It is a highly skilled vocational trade that requires professional certification and some degree of training. Many bartending schools exist to provide this. What should you look for when seeking a bartending school?

The first thing you need to do is make sure you only look for bartending schools that are properly licensed and have the proper credentials. A reputable school can provide this information to you, and will not put pressure on you to sign up for a course. They will have affliliations with hospitality industry organizations. Treat your search for a bartending school like you would treat choosing a college or university. Visit the establishment, meet with the staff, ask to see the schedule of their training course and inquire about what other kinds of services they can provide. Remember, serving alcohol professionally carries legal risks and obligations, so it is crucial that you train through a reputable program.

The most important task of a bartending school is to teach students how to make basic and more advanced drinks and cocktails, what is known as the fine art of mixology. Students must learn proper form and techniques, as well as speed and efficiency—not unlike culinary training. A proper bartending school will be set up like a real bar, to to give as close an approximation as possible to an actual working bar environment. check out the facilities. Is the classroom and bar area clean? Do they have the appropriate layout to replicate a real bar? There should be a proper bar sink, an ice machine, soda dispensers, blenders. It should be stocked with a wide range of glassware that would be used in all different types of bars and clubs.

Are the instructors professional, knowledgable, friendly and helpful? Does the school have proper bartending textbooks? What do they offer students other than the requisite training in drink-making? Most schools will provide students training in the way the hospitality industry operates, and the different areas you can enter (such as hotels, resorts and cruise ships). If someone is serious about the hospitality industry they may be interested in restaurant management and learning how to run a small business. A good school can provide training in this. Ask the staff what other opportunities they provide, such as financial assistance packages. Does the school have a job placement program? A proper school should be able to make your job search process go a lot more smoothly.

Whether you are new to the hospitality industry or are already working in the industry, a quality bartending school can be of value to you as you seek to acquire new skills or build on existing ones. Hospitality is an exciting industry with the possiblility to not only make a lot of money, but to move forward and possibly become a manager or even an owner. Finding the best bartending school will make you a better-equipped, more marketable employee.

Bartending 101 is don’t do this:

If you want to be a flair bartender, be sure that you know what you are doing and practice, practice, practice before bringing it to work.

As someone who’s worked in a restaurant and taken a bartending course from arguably the best bartender in Montreal where I grew up, here are some tips for you:

1. Add more theory – most of the people I know in the restaurant industry have their training limited to what they were taught when they hired and what they learned on the job. While the school of life is a great school, it’s not always effective. On the other hand, training courses aren’t always well-adapted to real life. Distinguish yourself by doing both, showing your seriousness to employers while opening doors to the better jobs and prepping you for other ways to get ahead in the industry.

2. Learn to be professional – the more educated you are about your profession, the better chance you have to be professional at it. Professionalism is something everyone appreciates but service industries are where the pros can really stand out. From bigger tips to VIPs personally requesting you to job offers coming out of nowhere, distinguish yourself by being a pro at everything you do. Being a pro means knowing your job and its tools, always leaving customers satisfied, tracking your progress and following related industry news for opportunities to improve yourself.

3. Grow your network – one advantage people have in service industries is the ability to grow their networks fairly easily while meeting people from all walks of life. By being a pro and collecting business cards and other contact information when you can get it, you’ll insure always having a place to work. Be everyone’s favorite and they’ll keep coming back for more or better yet, they’ll look for ways to have you around when they need your talents.

Some other quick tips:

4) Learn to listen- success in any business is about finding out what people want and getting it to them.

5) Improve your memory- a better memory will help you succeed faster while making connections other people have missed because you were listening.
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Jacob Share is our guest for writer for this post.  Jacob is a ‘Job Search Expert & Professional Blogging Consultant’ and he can be found at:
http://jobmob.co.il/ or follow him at: http://twitter.com/jacobshare

Welcome to December! The GREATEST month you will EVER see as a Mobile Bartender. If you have properly marketed yourself and your business, you will have clients kicking down your door on their hands and knees PLEADING with you to book ‘em. Your Fridays, Saturdays and even some weekdays will all be booked with corporate parties and Holiday get-togethers. And of course, it all ends on New Year’s with a BANG

With the economy the way it is right now, I want to give you an Insurance Policy that will GUARANTEE you a financially successful December that will fatten your pockets with some extra dough that you can spend on some Christmas Shopping!

Christmas-time always puts people in a mood of nostalgia and love. You must evoke these feelings in your guests and work for those tips! Below are SEVEN of the powerful tips and tricks I implement in all of my Christmas Parties!

1. Get in the Mood: It’s Christmas! Let’s get excited about it! I want you to try this: Give your guest their drink, look them in the eye and say, “Merry Christmas.” …and mean it! Because we don’t say it anymore! Everyone is worried about being “P.C.” But take the time to say some kind, genuine words to your clients and spread that Christmas Cheer!
2. Charge More: Do you remember your High School Economics? As the Demand increases (more parties in December) so do your prices! Do NOT be afraid to charge more for your services this December. If you are a client looking for a bartender this December, it is going to be hard! Everyone is booked! So take advantage of that and hold out for the highest bidder! On a side note, you should be increasing your prices as you get closer and closer to the 25th and of course, charge AT LEAST TRIPLE on New Year’s Eve!!
3. Dress Up: This Christmas, I am dressing up for a Tropical X-Mas Theme as well as a Tacky Sweater Party. For my other events, I will be wearing AT LEAST a Santa Hat! What will you be doing to make you stand out?!
4. Decorate your Tip Jar: This Christmas, my tip jar will actually be decorated to look like a stocking! Instead of candy and gifts, this stocking will have tons of cash! Even better! How can you decorate your tip jar to make it look more festive? Try wrapping it in a small wreath or adding christmas lights.
5. Decorate Your Bar: You can also add some Christmas decorations to your bar. Some wreathing and lights will go along way and help everyone get in the mood!
6. Give Gifts/Treats: ‘Tis the Season! Take the time to put up a bowl of candy(like Candy Canes!), some Christmas cookies or even little gifts. What if you had a small little tree on the bar, with little mini presents. Each present was a wrapped up mini bottle of liquor that the guest could open and keep!
7. Customized Drinks/drink menu: You MUST have some Holiday Cocktails for your guests. Check out my other Blog Post for some great Christmas Cocktails that your guests will LOVE!

I hope these SEVEN TIPS help you this Holiday Season! If you have additional tips, please share by submitting a comment on this post! hank you so much, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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James Wedmore is the man behind Bartender Confessions a blog that
helps bartenders all over the World increase their tips, share valuable information, and become better mixologists!  You can learn more at www.BartenderConfessions.com

Have you ever heard of the 80/20 Rule? Also known as Pareto Principle, or the Law of a Vital Few, it states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. This simple, yet powerful Rule can apply to almost every aspect of your life. Today we are going to apply it to bartending.

80/20 Bartending

This takes me back to last Saturday night’s bartending gig at a clients home. The event was actually a charity auction that took place on their tennis court. (Yes, they had a tennis court and a HUGE home!) Over 200 guests showed up to get drunk and bid on some ridiculous stuff-one LIVE auction item included Mike Eisner’s old Mighty Ducks Box seats and another was an Andy Warhol original.

I had a tip jar out and I was working my butt of to keep these thirsty guests happy. I was “in the zone” as I like to call it. Just as you finish pouring those last cocktails, another guest has given you a big order. You just have enough time to wipe your brow, clean your shaker and keep moving! The music is blasting behind you and everyone gathers to watch your hands move like lightening. I love it!

The tips were coming in pretty steady, but nothing to be too excited about. I would say every other guest put in a dollar or two guaranteeing me a $100-200 for the night (not bad, right!) Well…then something happened!

80% of Your Income comes from 20% of your Clients

The 80/20 was in Full Effect! A gentleman came to the bar who I had been serving all night. This was his 4th glass of Chardonnay for the evening and he opened up his wallet to dig for a tip.

“Looks like this is your lucky night,” the patron said as he dropped a Fat Hundy ($100 dollar Bill) into my bar! Lucky night, indeed!! I was stoked!

But wait, it gets better…

Two minutes later another gentleman comes up to the bar. He actually asked, “How you doing on tips tonight?” as he peered into my jar. That’s when his eyes caught sight of the $100 bill! “100! Mike (name’s have been changed) gave you this, didn’t he?!”

“Yep!” I said.

“Well, I can’t let Mike show me up like that.” This guy whipped out his wallet and threw in another hundred dollar bill!! WOOHOO! $200 in less than 5 minutes!

The Lesson Here:

So Why am I telling you this? If you think it’s to brag about how much money I make…you are Dead Wrong!! It is the 80/20 Rule. 80% of my tips came from 20% of my customers (or just 2 guests!) Every other guest there didn’t tip over a dollar or two, but these two guys happened to give me a combined total of $200! The 80/20 Rule is all around you in every aspect of your life, you just need to be aware of it!

So…next time you are bartending, keep in mind, there are a few potential guests out there who will make the different between an “average night” and a fantastically-successful evening!” Keep an eye out for these individuals. They are your VIP’s!

VIP Hunting: Finding that 20%

VIPS are extroverted, wealthy drinkers. They usually are males with loud, tacky shirts (this is just from my personal experience). They frequent the bar often and want to know your name. The VIP of the party is THAT guy who would be the FIRST one to jump in behind the bar if you were to suddenly vanish or something. The VIP of the party is an ALPHA MALE. Treat him so.

If you want to get on the good side of a VIP, treat him (or her-sometimes) like royalty! Make their drink EXACTLY how they want it with plenty of liquor. They are the life of the party, help propel them even more so! Use their name often, point them out in the crowd, and become their best friend!

One Final Thing…

I first learned of the 80/20 Rule in Tim Ferris’ book The 4-Hour WorkWeek. I LOVE that book and have read it 3 times! I highly, recommend you pick up a copy and read through it. I only bartend a few gigs a week, so I have the 12 hour work week, not four…but I’m working on it!

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James Wedmore is the man behind Bartender Confessions a blog that
helps bartenders all over the World increase their tips, share valuable information, and become better mixologists!  You can learn more at www.BartenderConfessions.com