Bartender Salary

Bartender Salary : Are You Getting Paid Enough? Find Out Now

Are You Getting The Right Amount Of Pay?

Probably not, Let's take a look at the issue of Bartender Salary.

Let's face it, sometimes its hard work and sometimes it's easy work. When it is hard work though, having the best bartender salary available to you makes everything that little bit more worthwhile.

You know the moment that you are cleaning up something that you shouldn't be cleaning up unless you have a newborn. And the slightly intoxicated guy asks you if you "get paid enough money for doing that?" Well now you can finally answer them.

There are probably questions that you have all the time about your pay such as;

How much does my bartender salary compare to everyone else's?

Should I really be putting this insane amount of effort in for these guys?

Am I getting paid what I deserve?

So, how much SHOULD you be earning?

What we are going to do for you is to take a look at Australia, USA and The UK and the current bartender salary stats that will give you a better understanding of where you are at financially at the moment, why do some of us do this job if it isn't for the money? And, perhaps most importantly, how to increase your bartender salary if you need to.

Bartender Salary: Australia

Australia with its big cities and long beaches really does have a treasure trove of cocktail bars and pubs that are not only incredibly cool but are expertly run in most cases. With Melbourne just been voted once again the most liveable city in the world and Adelaide taking the number 5 spot there is no reason for a bartender not to settle here and have the time of their lives. Lets take a look at what Australia pays it's bartenders.

Bartender Salary - Australia

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Now as we can see above. Australian bartender salary on a whole sits at an average wage of around $19ph. It doesn't matter how experienced you are as a bartender, if you take the bartender position you will be earning around the same amount as the newcomer.

Bummer we know, but there as to be a reason for us to want to do it when the average wage of a full time Australian earner in any profession stands at a little over $75k a year as you can see in the image below.

Bartender Salary

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Okay so we know that the average wage of a bartender on a whole here is grossly less than the national average but what happens to that bartender salary when you get the promotion and become a bar manager?

We both know that because you are following this site you will all hopefully get a promotion at one point and step closer to a pay that matches your talents and commitment.

Bartender Salary

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Australian Bar Managers have an average national salary of $49K AUS still short of the overall national average.

Remember that this amount is spread out across the whole country so lets take a look at which regions have a higher pay difference from the $49K AUS.

bar salary

 

So as you can see here being a Bar Manager in Perth is going to reward you with 7% more overall than the national average which equates to around $52.5K AUS. Sydney at around $50K AUS. And Brisbane $49.5K AUD

Whilst Melbourne sits on the national average

So if Melbourne hits the national average bar manager salary how does it sit on the average bartender salary? Well let's take a look below.

Melbourne

Bartender salary Melbourne

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Even though we would argue that Melbourne's bar scene is one of the best in the world we can see from the stats that the average bartender salary is less that that of the national average bartender salary of $19.28ph AUD

Does the average #Melbourne #bartender really only get $18 p/h? Click To Tweet

Bartender Salary: USA

Bartending in USA is for many the holy grail, a chance to earn a great wage from tips and move up very quickly within the industry.

There was a time when being a bartender was considered a stepping-stone career. “I was behind the bar, and people would ask me, ‘So what do you want to do eventually?’” - “Now, we’ve come to a place where bartending is respected and a chosen profession.”  

This is all according to Julie Reiner who is the beverage director and co-owner of the Clover Club in Brooklyn, New York, and founder of the consulting firm Mixtress Consulting.

So it seems that the USA is a great place to learn the trade and become the bartender you want to be. But how does the bartender salary stack up across the board?

Bartender Salary

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We can see here that the hourly rates differ so much throughout the country dependent on your geographical location. But one constant stays the same no matter where about you choose to work and ply your trade, that is that your wage will be heavily supplemented by tips.

In fact more than half of the average American bartender salary is made up by Tips alone.

But what does this equate to when we look at it as a yearly salary?

bartender salary

That's an average of around $25,000 USD for a bartender per year. But the difference between bottom and top learners is so large compared to that of the Australian and UK Bartender.

It comes down to two major aspects that effect a bartenders salary in the USA - The aspects are Location and Experience and it heavily changes how much you get paid. But in what way? First lets take a look at experience and how that can effect your bartender salary.

Experience:

Bartender Salary

Bartender Salary

 

But why are we seeing this trend in America but not elsewhere?

We believe it to be based on the attitude that others have towards bartenders in general. As Steven Poland says on abarabove.com, the difference between British bartending and American bartending is "Being able to tell people you are a bartender".

He argues that outside of America working 60 - 70 hours a week 5 days a week as a bar manager or bartender isn't seen as a valid profession.

Whereas within the American system bartenders have an opportunity the reach there full potential through experience and further training.

It's this great attitude towards the profession in The USA that allows bartenders to flourish therefore making experienced ones more valuable to a company or independent bar and in turn they are paid more for their services.

However in other countries where this attitude towards the profession isn't shared you will see a lot less make it to this level of experience and pay before dropping out of the profession.

Bartender Salary

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Location:

So a bartender salary changes from state to state, but why? Rob Doherty believes there are a few giant reasons for this to be the case.

Minimum wages: The laws differ from state to state. Some employers in some states have to offer a fixed wage next to the tips that the bartender already earns whereas some states the bartenders can work just for tips.

bartender salary

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Whereas in the traditional conservative regions bartenders can earn considerably less than the more liberal states.

Lower minimum wages: Most employers in areas compared to the big cities pay less because they make less

Lower population density: This ultimately leads to lower tips due to less custom

This image below shows the average wage of a bartender throughout the USA. Put simply, the darker the blue the more the average bartender salary is.

bartender salary

We can take a look at this in another way here below. Let's take a look at the Top paying Metropolitan and NonMetropolitan areas within the USA. Are you working in one of these areas? If so are you earning at least the average?

bartender salary

bartender salary

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Comparison to national average:

Fox Business took a look at some of the average salaries in the USA that you can see in the image below. We know already that the average bartender salary (the whole of the USA) is around $25,000 USD. So where does this fit in on the scale? Well we can see that a bartender with limited experience can make more than an experienced cashier, as well as keeping up with all the other professions in terms of a competitive salary when you take into account that you do not need a university degree to bartend and so you can spend that time building experience to ultimately make you same amount of money as a fresh graduate who as taken a course in Business Administration.

Bartender Salary

 

Interestingly enough as well we found some differences in how much different companies actually pay on average for their bartenders. Take a look at the graph below to see where your employers sit on the generosity scale when it comes to your salary.

Bartender Salary

Bartender Salary: UK

Let's jump straight in with a look at how much the average wage is.

Bartender Salary

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And as a yearly Bartender Salary:

Bartender Salary

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Now as we can see above. The UK bartender salary on a whole sits at an average wage of around 6.35GBP per hour or around 14k per year with the median hitting nearer the 14.5k per year mark.  

Experience doesn't play a huge part in determining how much you get as we can see here on this image below;

Bartender Salary

In fact it has an opposite correlation between experience and pay to what everyone would expect. A mid career bartender actually earns more than the experienced bartender.

But what does play a huge part is;

  • Age (not to be confused with experience when it comes to the UK)
  • Location 

Age:

The age of the employee plays a huge role in a bartenders starting salary in the UK. We also know that experience doesn't change the wage structure by very much so we can presume that a lot of the bartenders working today in the UK are in there first jobs or at least in the first stages of their working lives. Lets see below exactly what is the minimum wages based on age alone for any industry

Bartender Salary

And when we take a look at the levels of experience on average in the bartending industry we can see that it is true that most bartenders, in fact a whopping 78% of all of them are in the first stages of their working lives.

Which means that the Minimum Wage will play a large part in how much people are being paid.

bartender salary

If the minimum wage for 21 and over is 6.70 GBP and over 18 - 20 is 5.30 GBP

and you have to be over 18 to be a bartender in the UK.

Then the average wage for a 50/50 mix of these two ages is  6.00 GBP per hour. The average wage for the UK as we know is 6.35 GBP per hour (though these figures are pushed higher with the average London wage). And we know that most employees are in there first jobs where minimum wage is most likely the pay they receive.

How is it possible for you guys to push for more pay if you are earning more than the national average?

Is this the reason why people feel as though this isn't a feasible career option? employers can't 'reward' their staff with monetary incentives like they can in other countries because the wage they recieve will periodically go up over time with their age

Does the minimum wage mean that employers are only employing inexperienced 18 year olds? just so they can save money?

As the minimum wage actually made it harder to move up further within the industry? or at least removed the intensity? 

Location:

As you would expect the average wage of a bartender in the capital is higher than elsewhere. In fact the average bartender salary in London is largely responsible for pushing up the national average. But are you getting paid enough if you live there? Let's take a look

Bartender Salary

Okay so you should expect to earn 7% more than the national average. Better illustrated in the image below;

Bartender Salary

Bartender Salary

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But does this average actually mean you are earning less than other bartenders in other cities? This is a question of the average living costs and London falls pretty highly on that ladder.

London's living wage is a incredible 9.40 GPB per hour on average which leaves the average bartender salary falling very short of making a comfortable wage.

The Secret Bartender as gone even further and argued that the Bartending wage is actually a lot lower than what it seems on the face of it.Bartender Salary

When you look at it that way, are you really happy with how much you are being paid? If you are interested in what the Secret Bartender's solution is to this problem, then see here .

Where abouts on the monetary level do you sit?

if the average living wage in #London is 9.40 then are we getting paid enough? Click To Tweet

Conclusion

Use the data as a tool in order to be more clued up on pay within your region and ultimately country. Its not all about the money in the end.

But now you know how much statistically you should be getting.

Always remember that you are only worth how good you are and more importantly how hard you try.

So what drives people to work if it isn't the money?

Why every week do millions of bartenders start their jobs when others are starting their nights out? 

We can only speculate - So we held a small poll and these are the top 4 results that came in.

  1. Social aspects
  2. Feeling of no way out / scared of change
  3. Love for the job and a passion for service
  4. At a loss on the job front (transferable skills etc..)

 

Some of these are quite interesting and also quite surprising in their own way.

Social aspects

There is a very fine line between work life and social life when you are a bartender and in most cases you have the amazing opportunity to work with your friends and your weekend isn't on the weekend so you don't know what it is like to queue at a bar

We have all worked those awkward corporate Christmas parties where a group of non-people get together and excruciatingly engage in small talk for 4 hours.

Be thankful that's not you

Feeling of no way out - Scared of change

We really did not expect this to feature so highly in the poll. But it is a serious issue that we could do a whole post on and shouldn't be taken lightly so in light of that we will link to some further reading;

How to let some one know that you are feeling this way

Some on the job strategies to help you deal with the feelings

Burnout Behind the Bar: Why It Happens and How to Avoid It

Forbes Take on How To Find A Job Whilst You Are Already Employed

Love for the job and a passion for service

We believed that this would rate higher in the poll. It is also worth noting that this passion cannot be taught.

There is a direct correlation between this passion and the bartenders that make it into stars within the industry and also ultimately make the money.

At a loss on the jobs front

These are the people who are actively looking for new jobs or they may be studying and plying the bartending trade just as an in-between job until they have finished their studies.

In short these are the people that don't see it as a career and so are doing it for the money that it is bringing in at the moment.

Nothing wrong with this - Our bars wouldn't run without these people.

In fact there are many transferable skills that you can take into any industry after being a bartender

What we want to know is why you guys go to work?

Do you have any pay horror stories that you wish you could of avoided?

We're also interested in knowing if you are being paid correctly or not, stats are great but they can’t rival real life first hand experience.

This is where you guys come in...

 


mastic greek liqueur

Mastic - The Greek Liqueur You Need To Know About

There are many little known liqueurs from around the globe which have a place within the heart of their country of origin. Now's our chance to learn from Greece and some of it's best bartenders all about the magical Mastic, a Greek Liqueur. So take it away lads.

Every summer the residents of the Mastic villages of Chios, known as Mastichiades, carve the branches of their trees from the Schinias region with an iron tool. What drops from these lesions is known as Mastic.  

This process has been repeated in the south of Chios for the last 2500 years.  But, what is Mastic?

mastic

What is Mastic?

Mastic is the resin from the Schinias region tree, a member of the tree family which also includes Pistachio and Terebinth trees.  Resin is the hard crystal shaped tree drops from various Flion trees.  The most well known resin is frankincense and myrrh, gifts the three wise men gave to humanity, along with gold.  This indicates their great worth and value.

People in antiquity recognized these resins’ worth and used them in the making of balsams, medicines, embalming, in disinfecting and in incense burning.  

Though the Schinias trees can be found throughout the Mediterranean, it is only in the south of Chios that Mastic is produced.   

This is attributed to the region’s microclimate, of the selective and systematic cultivation which led to a new type of Schinias tree which is more durable and productive.  It is also due to Chios’ commercial resourcefulness from ancient times when Mastic became identified with the island.  

Mastic has the title of Protected Designation of Origin and its cultivation is listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage Catalogue.  

History Of Mastic

From the 5th century BC, when the first reference of it is made in Orpheus’ Hymns, Mastic traveled to all of the Mediterranean.  It was the first gum in ancient Greece and used in Roman orgiastic feasts.

It made its way into Alexandrian and Arabic doctors’ recipes, to Franciscan monks’ monasteries, to English noblemen’s drinks, to Christian and Muslim incense rituals, to Andalusian cooks’ recipes, to Ottoman sultans’ harems, to spoons of the Greek coffee shops, Kafeneion, and is now found in the finest bars worldwide.  

One of the greatest legends surrounding Mastic is how Christopher Columbus, knowing full well the value of it, presented a Mastic tree, as well as rare spices and exotic fruits, as part of his findings in Cuba, to guarantee continued funding for his trip.  The Genoese Columbus knew of the Schinias trees well and had visited Chios, which was under the governance of Genoa at the time.  With this ploy, he attempted to prove that his journey, fruitless until then, was actually worthwhile.  

The symbolic daughter and noblewoman of Chios, named Mastic by the locals, was first found on distilleries from the early 18th century.  Before that there were numerous recipes in which mastic oil was mixed with balsam or spices for therapeutic and even decorative purposes.  

Modern Day Mastic

The great difference in distilling has been made by the Skinos Company, turning the mastic liqueur into a recognized Mediterranean ingredient and putting Mastic in the finest bars of Europe and the world.  With clever and persistent marketing, as well as an exceptional product, Skinos has substantially opened Mastic to the international market and has made it a recognized brand since 2010.    

The next stage comes from the Plomariou distillery in Mitilini.  There, at a privately owned distillery, a new mastic extract is produced from bronze distillers and 100% Chios mastic.  The creation of M Dry Mastiha, which departs from the well-established liqueurs, is where the dry spirit category in Greece begins.

Masticmastic   

What Cocktails Can I Make With Mastic Liqueur?

Aperitif M

50ml M Mastiha dry

120 Prosecco wine

Rosalie flower

Funky m

50 ml Mastiha dry

25ml Woodford Reserve Bourbon chamomile infused

25ml lime

25ml pineapple unsweetened

12.5 ml cinnamon syrup

2 dashes angostura

Sweet and sour

50ml Mastiha dry

25 ml lime

25ml honey syrup

4 pieces green apple muddle in the shaker

Wanna learn more about Mastic? Check this out! Click To Tweet

Written and edited by:

Yannis Petros Petris (Bartender - Athens, Greece)

Dionysis Polatos (Bartender - Athens, Greece)

John Stavroulakis (Bartender - Athens, Greece)

 

Have we come across this Liqueur before? Know of any other cocktails it would work perfectly in?

 


facts about alcohol

7 Amazing Facts About Alcohol That You Don't Know

Hopefully these facts about alcohol are all new to you...

It only takes 6 minutes to feel the effects of alcohol

Facts about alcohol

You know on some days when you have your first beer and it hits you right away? It happens from time to time. Well we all run the risk of being called a lightweight at this point, all your friends are fine but your not. Well they aren't either! Stop worrying. it has been scientifically proven that it only takes 6 minutes for alcohol to effect your brain, so one drink really does go straight to your head.

Scientists have found that 6 minutes after drinking an amount of alcohol equivalent to three beers, or two glasses of wine, changes have already taken place in the brain cells.

#didyouknow? It only takes 6 minutes for alcohol to effect your brain Click To Tweet

 

If you have blue eyes, you can drink more... yep it's true

facts about alcohol

Now we don't don't know if this harks back to the Vikings but genetics certainly has something to do with it. Scientists have proven that people with lighter eyes and more specifically blue eyes have a higher tolerance to alcohol. They first tested 10,860 Caucasian men, while the second sample set was made up of 1.862 Caucasian women.

The results were that blue eyed people can last longer, drink harder and react better to higher levels of alcohol. On a side note, i have blue eyes. This explains a lot.

I have blue eyes and i can drink more than you #dealwithit Click To Tweet

 

Alcohol doesn't make you forget anything

facts about alcohol

Right okay bare with us here. It's not that alcohol makes you forget - what it does is it actually makes it impossible for your brain to make memories. This is when you are 'Blackout Drunk'. Let me explain a little more; but firstly, its not like what the Men In Black use.

Blackouts are caused by a neurophysiological chemical disruption in the brain’s memory formation centre – the hippocampus. In simpler terms this means that your brain loses the ability to make a memory. It doesn't mean that you are so drunk you are on the floor. You could be the funniest person in the bar but not remember it the next day. It is almost like your brain is so drunk it forgets to hit record and has fun instead.

But for clarification, You don't forget anything. It's just that your brain couldn't record what you were doing.

Next time you ask yourself what happened last night? check this out Click To Tweet

 

The Russians didn't consider beer to be an alcoholic beverage until 2013

facts about alcohol

It is unclear as to why, It could be to due to the water content in beer or that it's strength is so far below the national drink of vodka. But one thing is for certain, beer was not sold as a recognised alcoholic beverage until New Years Day 2013.

Since this shift in policy towards beer many Russians feel that it has been counterproductive with lots of people moving over to the stronger harder vodka.

Beer wasn't legally an alcohol until 2013 #ifidofbeenbroughtupthere Click To Tweet

 

The strongest beer in the world has an ABV of 67.5%

facts about alcohol

Okay, so a show of hands, who's had this? The holy grail of bucket list beers.

It's name is 'Snake Venom'. It started life as a beer called 'Armageddon' and customers complained that it wasn't strong enough... well it was only 65% after all.

It is the creation of Brew Meister a company from Scotland who have made this beer a world record holding beer. Well done guys!

‘Snake Venom’ is now the world’s most potent beer and boasts of a dizzying 67.5% alcohol content. It comes with a warning and you’d be foolish not to pay heed to it. Drinking more than 35 ml, in one sitting, is not advisable.

#didyouknow? That the strongest beer in the world is 67.5% Click To Tweet

 

In professional shooting alcohol is a performance enhancing drug...

facts about alcohol

Alcohol slows your heart rate and relaxes your body. These are desirable traits for a professional shooter. But use of it is banned by the World Anti Doping Agency

Which sport would #alcohol enhance your performance in? Click To Tweet

 

There is such a thing as hangover free beer

facts about alcohol

That's it. It's official. We now live in the future!

We need to thank the Aussie scientists who have created a beer which hydrates you and so stops a hangover from happening.

They put electrolytes in the beer and found that it was three times more hydrating. What a great day.

I've just found out about hangover free #beer! Click To Tweet

 

So there we have it, 7 facts about alcohol that i hope you didn't already know. If you have more you want to share with us then leave a comment below. Now i've got to go, I've got some beer to drink.

Take a look at more of our posts below.

 

 


bartenders infographics

The Top 9 Must See Bartenders Infographics To Ensure You Don't Lose An Argument

Use These Bartenders Infographics To Make Idiots See The Truth.

In an effort to make your lives easier we compiled a list of infographics that help out the bartender greatly. Little cheat sheets to pull out when arguing over a few beers with the new guy who swears on his mothers grave that the Dark 'n' Stormy was first made in meth lab just outside of Vienna. See the history of the Dark 'N' Stormy here.

In all honesty there are people out there that do this. Use these to combat the idiocracy. If you are one of those people then gather round. We won't judge you here. We can help.

So here we have it. The best bartenders infographics that help you to win an argument.

Get the best #Bartenders #infographics here! Click To Tweet

#1 "I'm telling you mate, this Budweiser is a craft beer from Nicaragua?" Erm...

 

Bartender Infographic
A lot of companies have their fingers in a lot of pies. This bartenders infographic is of course only confined to some states in U.S.A but you can get the feel of who controls what. For an Australian outlook you can see that here.

 

#2 "Lagavulin is called so because it was first made by a tiny violinist who was experimenting with lager..." okay mate, if you say so...

 

Bartender Infographic

Source: WhiskySuggest.com  (these guys have an amazing concept on how to choose your whisky)

Did you know that #Lagavulin means 'Hollow by the mill'? Click To Tweet

Related Post: All You Will Ever Need To Know About Scotch

 

#3 "I had a great bourbon once that was made inside a boat just of the coast of Scotland"... Did you? wow.

 

Bartender Infographic

Most of the flavour for a Bourbon comes from wood! Click To Tweet

Related: Classic Bourbon Cocktails

Related: Know more about Bourbon

 

#4 " So yeah, Tequila is basically just cactus juice with a kick..." [head in hands]

To a lot of new bartenders Tequila is a mind field of potential embarrassments. Hopefully this clears a few things up.

Bartender Infographic

The 1958 song 'Tequila' was the only #1 for the champs Click To Tweet

Related: Just About Everything You Will Ever Need To Know About Tequila

 

#5 The confusing world of Italian wine... not anymore

Bartender Infographic

 

#6 "This merlot would go really well with some roast rabbit ears like we had in Peru..." ...Deep breath...

 

Bartender Infographic

 

#7 "So when the Russians invented the..." Shut up!

 

Bartender Infographic

 

#8 "Yeah so, Raki, It's a type of wine" Get out! just get out!

 

Bartender Infographic

 

The most comprehensive list of how alcohols are made! Click To Tweet

 

#9 A nice fun one for getting to the end. Emojis.

 

Bartender Infographic

Using #Emoji to explain wine - so simple Click To Tweet

 

We have all been there. The constant insisting that they are right. Take no notice just go in armoured with these fact sheets and bartenders infographics and make them see the truth.

 

You have any other bartenders that really get to you with the knowledge they think they know? Let me know below.

 

 


Getting a bartender 's attention

5 ways to get a bartenders attention

 

Getting a bartenders attention in a crowded bar is one of those do or die moments for most patrons. Think about it? You can either queue for twenty minutes or you can get in an extra twenty minutes of drinking time. It's up to you. There are things you shouldn't do and things you should never do. But luckily there are some simple steps to take to ensure that you will never being annoying.

Of course, when you have a 'brilliant' bartender they will know who is next in line. The chances are though, that these tips from us will help you in other situations where the bartender may not be the best you have ever seen. Which lets face it... Is most of the time.

I know at least one bartender who needs help from Be A Better Bartender! Click To Tweet

Of course this informational post should be looked at by bartenders as well as patrons. Knowing what your customer wants, as a bartender, is central to your job role.  We also have a handy infographic at the bottom of the post for you to take a look at.

So this guide is wrote from the bartenders perspective, naturally but is aimed at the customer.

Trying to get served in a crowded bar can be frustrating. So you will need a strong strategy in order to get served sooner rather than later.

The researchers, from Bielefeld University in Germany, analysed 105 customer attempts to order drinks in nightclubs in Germany and Scotland. They looked at what the customers were doing in the 35 seconds before being served. Their conclusion: The most effective strategy is to stand squarely to the bar and look directly at the bartender as he/she moved around. You need to do both to communicate you're "bidding for attention."

While that might not be mind-blowing news, it is interesting the tactics that they found didn't work. That includes squeezing in between other customers (you might end up waiting even longer), leaning on the bar, looking at a menu or the drinks available, or looking at money as well as the biggest pet hate of all bartender's, the waving of money. That really makes us mad.

Customers waving their money at me makes me really mad! Click To Tweet

 

Okay so with all this in mind this is our 5 step guide to make sure that you are not hated by the bartender and of course to make it quicker for you, as a customer, to be served.

bartenders attention

1. Be Prepared

Oh why oh why do people queue up for minutes at a time without knowing what they want to order or even have their money ready?

It makes your transaction more efficient and betters your relationship with the bartender. This goes as well for adding drinks on to your order after payment... A big  do not. Now i know what you are thinking. But this is after i am already served right..? Yes but this kind of moronic behaviour now means that you will not be served quicker next time. Think about it like you have taken your groceries to the front desk and tell the clerk that you are just going to go look at the nice pair of jeans and everyone will have to wait till you been and brought them back. You wouldn't do it there or at a supermarket, so why in a bar?

So: Have your money ready, know what you want and don't add to the order after payment

 

bartenders attention

2. Choose Your Spot Wisely

Don't go too near the cash register. others are seeing the bartenders here and they are having the same idea as you. It is true that eventually the bartender will be in that position for large periods of the night but it is just out of nessecity. So be blind to the register and pick your spot another way.

When there is more than one bartender then the best place to stand is in between them. this means you are at the mercy of more than one bartender. As a general rule of thumb in high volume bars you will get served faster if you have a better bartender in front of you  which means that in essence you are doubling your chances being in between bartenders rather than focusing solely on one.

Keep in mind though that most of us as bartenders usually have a general sense of who’s been waiting the longest, and we’ll likely snag that patient soul at the other end before we get to the three people who just bellied up right in front of us. No matter how much you try and get our attention

So: make a bee line for straight in between two bartenders stations at the bar. stand square on and wait.

 

bartenders attention

3. Catch your bartenders eye as soon as possible

When you make eye contact (for what will probably be a very brief moment in time) be sure to smile and tilt your chin up. However, don't do any of the following to hasten the process; it will only annoy the bartender and delay your drink, though you will get the bartenders attention but in the wrong way:

  • Don't yell "bartender!"
  • Don't wave your money. Have it ready in your hand, but don't flash it to get the bartender's attention. This is often considered condescending.
  • Don't snap your fingers.
  • Don't say "I'm next" or "I was here first." The bartender decides who's next.

 

 

So: Smile, be polite when you get the attention and don't say any of the things that are in the video

4. Give your order to the bartender quickly, loudly and clearly while you are smiling.

This is a two way transaction here guys. If a bartender were to not smile and grunt one word answers at you while you are ordering how would you feel? A bartenders salary is really not great in most circumstances, a lot of bartenders take up the profession because they really love to do it. Believe it or not the customers make or break a bartenders night. After getting the bartenders attention please treat them as you would like to be treated yourself.

 

bartenders attention

 

5. Tip Generously

Now this is optional. On all accounts if you do not believe that a Tip is worthy then do not pay it. Tip's stands for 'To Insure Prompt Service'

Did you know that TIPS stands for 'To Insure Prompt Service' Click To Tweet

Times are hard for everyone and the service industry, though making a bounce back, as been hit just as hard. Bartenders work longer hours than ever and work harder than ever. As far as we are aware, bartending does not have a union in which they can fight for fair work hours and fair pay. Leaving some in desperate need for more cash which means putting in more hours and the cycle continues.

Tipping your bartender and thus getting the bartenders attention means that they will remember you the next time you come up to the bar. You can always expect to be served just a little faster and a little warmer than the guy that doesn't tip.

 

bartenders attention

 

Conclusion

I hope you understand now that most of what it takes to get served faster at a bar is in your hands. It is how you approach the bartender, how you position yourself at the bar and how you interact that makes you a great customer.

If you have any other ways to get served faster at the bar that you’d like to share with other readers, please leave me a comment below.