What’s Expected of a Bartender?
“. . . the average bartender, despite the slanders of professional moralists, is a man of self-respect and self-possession; a man who excels at a difficult art and is well aware of it; a man who shrinks from ruffianism as he does from uncleanliness; in short, a gentleman . . . the bartender is one of the most dignified, law abiding, and ascetic of men. He is girt about by a rigid code of professional ethics; his work demands a clear head and a steady hand; he must have sound and fluent conversation; he cannot be drunken or dirty; the slightest dubiousness is quick to exile him to the police force, journalism, the oyster boats or some other Siberia of the broken.” – H.L. Mencken, May 11th, 1911
The image of the bartender chops and changes but this quote is a real hammer into the inner mind of the bartender. Imagine your self in your favourite bar. What is it that makes it so good? The decor? the drinks? the music? probably a combination of a lot of little things come together and create your perfect watering hole. you never quite put your finger on why, you just feel more at home there over other similar places that your mates might enjoy more. The truth is that without the right type of bartender who tends to the decor, makes the drinks and has power over the music you would most likely hate that bar. what would happen if you went in one day and the bar staff had all been turned into vending machines (an interesting concept, leave a comment if you want to invest…). It just wouldn’t feel right to not have that human interaction.
Most complaints aren’t about the products or the state of the toilets, they are about the human input. Bad bartender, bad bar.
In a restaurant the customer effectively rents the table from the proprietor. It is the waiter/waitresses role to simply provide a service to their guests whilst they are in the dining room, being careful not to intrude into the guests’ space, whilst still providing a high level of service.
In bars however it is a different story. The guest and the bartender share the bar. It is therefore down to the bartender to welcome customers into the bar, work with the customer to not only provide great quality drinks, but also conversation, banter, education on drinks, and sometimes even counselling. To ensure every customer has a fantastic experience the bartender must ensure they provide all of the above for each and every customer who comes into their workplace. The environment set by the bartender must feel completely comfortable to the customer, which may mean having to clean up any unpleasant messes in the customer area, ensuring toilets are kept to the highest standards (even on the busiest of holidays) and management having to deal with any unruly customers who may be impeding on the other guests’ experience.
It is left to the bartender to not only dispense great drinks, educate customers in the wonderful world of alcohol, turn difficult customers into long time regulars but also entertain and wow each and every guest who comes through our doors.
To become a truly great bartender, the person must not only make great drinks, but be able to do so with a smile whilst reading each guest they serve… do they just want a quick beer undisturbed, are they unsure as to what to drink (is this the first time they’ve tried a cocktail, what cocktail would they therefore enjoy??), are they seasoned drinkers who are looking for a different cocktail to experience their spirit of choice in, or do they just want to sit at the bar and enjoy some light conversation with another human being.
Remember the bar is a stage – YOU ARE ON SHOW AT ALL TIMES – make sure you are doing something people want to watch!!!
Bartending is not just a part time job – it is a PROFESSION. With this in mind employees should always act in a professional manner, be dressed smartly, well groomed (nobody wants a cocktail made by someone with dirty fingernails) – represent yourself and your bar to the highest standards.
The idea of the bar being a stage and stage being your office is something that we are going to really look at through these posts. Your mind is geared to be you and how you are, it is no different from becoming better at another job. All you need is a few tricks to catapult yourself higher and truly be the best you can be and now is the time to be better. So follow these posts and share with your friends.
