Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Professional Bartending Duties

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

The definition of a professional bartender is someone who is behind a licensed bar serving beverages to customers. Bartenders can be found in many places, some examples of where you might find a bartender at are taverns or pubs, clubs, private parties, restaurants, basically anywhere that there is a bar and alcohol.

The majority of the drinks that a bartender will be serving contain alcohol in them. They also serve beer and wine, along with other types of alcohol. Not only do they serve alcohol they also have to serve juice, soda, water, and non alcoholic beverages to those who do not drink alcohol.

Serving and making drinks are not the only responsibility of a professional bartender now. They are also in charge of making sure that there are plenty of clean glasses and mugs, plenty of ice in the cooler, and switching out kegs on the beer that is on draft. They can also be responsible for serving food if food is offered at the bar, which in most cases it usually is.

In most of the bars that are around, the bartender will be expected to be dressed very neatly, similar to waiters and waitresses at restaurants. This will contribute to the overall appearance of the bar.

Bartenders are expected to be able to make hundreds of types of drinks to please any paying customer in a quick, accurate and non-wasteful fashion. In some establishments, such as a busy nightclub, the bartender is only expected to serve the customer a drink and nothing else. In a smaller place such as a tavern however, the bartender might be expected to be a good listener, and allow the customers to have a shoulder to cry on.

A good bartender must have excellent people skills, as communication and also a person that will listen to the customer. When people are drinking they are more to open up, and sometimes as a bartender you must be that shoulder to cry on. Knowing what your customers are going to order is also a good thing, you will learn this over time.

In the United States, mostly all bartenders are payed minimum wage. So their main source of income will be coming from tips, which is a custom in almost every country. Bartenders must also be strict when it comes to checking if that person is old enough to drink alcohol or not.

If this sounds like a lot of work, with not much reward, there is always a bright side. You are working at an establishment that serves gallons of liquor each day, and you are in charge of it. The job of bartender is management, customer service, and so much more! Even a bar tending job looks good on a resume when you present it in the right way.

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