I've got a job interview tomorrow.

[ace]

Finally getting another bartending job. I handed my resume and cover letter into a really popular bar near my house a short while back. I kind of forgot about it, until the owner called me tonight and asked if I could come in for an interview at 4:15 p.m. tomorrow.

One of my old neighbours works at this place, and apparently on a good night he clears $400-500 a night.

[MulletMan13]

Hey ace,

Just wondering how you first got into bartending... it seems around here it's nearly impossible to get a job with no experience, and I would love to find out how/where to start out.

Thanks!

[|darc|]

That's awesome; sounds like good money. I was gonna say I could come up to Canada one day and make you make me an illegal drink, but I just remembered that Canada isn't fucking nuts and I'm legal there anyway...

[ace]

Hey ace,

Just wondering how you first got into bartending... it seems around here it's nearly impossible to get a job with no experience, and I would love to find out how/where to start out.

Thanks!

I worked for quite some time as a dishwasher at a Mexican restaurant. From there I moved over to serving and did that for about a year. Then I got moved to cook, then chef, and eventually assistant kitchen manager (which basically meant that I had to pick up the slack when the real manager was drunk - which was every shift).

If you've worked in a restaurant already, you're half-way there. If not, you can still get in, but it's easy if you have experience in the hospitality industry.

Next, I had my SmartServe licence, which is basicically a certificate you get when you take a course on safe-serving of alcohol, prevention of intoxication, and stuff of that nature. I'm not sure if your state requires it, but if they do you should take it right away. It'll probably cost you roughly $30, but it makes you far more attractive to employers in the hospitality industry, because they don't have to pay for you to take it.

Finally, I took a bartending course through my college. I think it cost me between $150 and $200, but it was worth every penny. For starters, the liquor the supply you with (and require you to drink during class) to mix drinks is worth at least double or even triple what you pay for the course. Secondly, it counts as experience in the industry. It's essentially the easiest way to get yourself the experience necessary for employers to be interested in you.

From there, you just need to blanket apply. Try not to apply to ultra-chic clubs and bars unless

a.) you look the part

Unfortunately, you're employer will want you to be able to dress to impress and look like you belong on the floor with the patrons, as well as being a competent bartender. You can circumvent this criteria by being well experienced though.

b.)

You can handle the stress of working there. Having worked a few shifts as a favour to the owner of a night club, I know first hand how stressful it can be. When people are yelling orders at you, and both drunk and sweaty girls and guys are trying to pick you and your co-workers out, it's hell. Again, experience can go a long way.

Try to get into chain restaurants that have active bars, as well as sports bars, pubs, and other similar establishments. Odds are in a chain restuarant, you'll be tip sharing, but if they have a large volume of customers, you'll still make tons of money.

After a few months, you should easily be able to move on and up to more chic and pricey bars and clubs.

The best thing about being a bartender in a nice bar, is that other managers and bar owners often frequent bars in proximity to their own. So if they are in the bar you are working at and are impressed by you, be prepared to be offered a position at their place, even if it's only for pickup shifts.

edit:

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'll be on irc tonight if you want to talk any further, and I'll add more if I can think of it.

That's awesome; sounds like good money. I was gonna say I could come up to Canada one day and make you make me an illegal drink, but I just remembered that Canada isn't fucking nuts and I'm legal there anyway...

Yeah, the legal age is 19 here. I can make you free drinks though . I made so many free drinks for friends at the last bar I worked at.

[curt_grymala]

Hey ace,

Just wondering how you first got into bartending... it seems around here it's nearly impossible to get a job with no experience, and I would love to find out how/where to start out.

Thanks!

Ace answered that question pretty well, but I thought I would back it up with some information from the US.

If you want to bartend around here, you have two options:
1) Go to work at a small club (around here, there are "private" clubs on every corner - state law requires them to have member lists and buzzers on the door, but basically anyone can come in and drink whenever they want), so you can usually find a good part-time job at a place like that to get experience.

2) Start out as a waiter, dishwasher, cook, etc. at a sit-down restaurant (in my case it was Ruby Tuesday) where they have a bar. If you work there long enough, they'll start to cross-train you, and eventually you'll end up being worked into the bar.

[Thomas]

I've been thinking of taking some bartending classes once I turn 21. One of my friends bartends on the weekends and makes some pretty good money. I've also dreamed of opening my own bar and grille (seems weird), but it runs in my family as my great grandparents used to own one back in the day.

Congrats ace, I hope you get the job. I'll come visit for sure if you do.

[ace]

I've also dreamed of opening my own bar and grille (seems weird), but it runs in my family as my great grandparents used to own one back in the day.

I've wanted to own my own bar for years. I love split level bars with different music, crowds, drinks, etc. That's my dream.

Congrats ace, I hope you get the job. I'll come visit for sure if you do.

Thanks

[GratefulDead]

Sounds like a fruitful and fulfilling endeavor, sans a little stress here and there. Hopefully things go good. You seem like you can certainly play the part.

I'd enjoy the same kind of thing but I personally don't drink. I'd probably end up being out of place, but sounds like fun.

[MulletMan13]

Thanks for the writeup ace

In other news, I may have an interview at the Hyatt... filled out an app, then filled out a follow up app after they were interested, and now I got a call back from them.

I'm hoping its an interview, because this would be an amazing job for me. Front Desk at the Hyatt downtown sounds pretty easy and also pays pretty well

[Orange_Ribbon]

I've also dreamed of opening my own bar and grille (seems weird), but it runs in my family as my great grandparents used to own one back in the day.

I've wanted to own my own bar for years. I love split level bars with different music, crowds, drinks, etc. That's my dream.

Congrats ace, I hope you get the job. I'll come visit for sure if you do.

Thanks

Make a level a Irish pub and I will come up and cook. My potatoe soup is the best.

[bizzle]

Hey ace,

Just wondering how you first got into bartending... it seems around here it's nearly impossible to get a job with no experience, and I would love to find out how/where to start out.

Thanks!

Go to bar tending school.

[Roofus]

Hey ace,

Just wondering how you first got into bartending... it seems around here it's nearly impossible to get a job with no experience, and I would love to find out how/where to start out.

Thanks!

Go to bar tending school.

I think ace already told him that in a much more helpful manner.

[Smiley]

Best of Luck to ya...


While in High School, I worked at an italian restaurant. I started off as a dishwasher/biatch and was promoted to short order cook, but overall I hated the job. Its not bad, but sometimes its worse than working retail, imo.

[MulletMan13]

Yea good luck.... you'd be making a KILLING there... amazing.

In any case, I just had a phone interview (wtf) with Hyatt, and I will hear back from them within the week.

A front desk job at a hotel making $9.50 an hour for not doing much... perfectly fine by me.

[Lunchbox]

Which bar is this? YOU STILL OWE ME A BEER

[S. Thompson]

Good luck, Ace!

- Fuzmeister

[Juan]

You have some nice references, I'm sure you'll get it.

[ace]

Which bar is this? YOU STILL OWE ME A BEER

It's a bar called Charlie Roenicks. If I get the job, you're welcome to live there

Actually though, all the legal cannuks should get together over the xmas hols.

I've also dreamed of opening my own bar and grille (seems weird), but it runs in my family as my great grandparents used to own one back in the day.

I've wanted to own my own bar for years. I love split level bars with different music, crowds, drinks, etc. That's my dream.

Congrats ace, I hope you get the job. I'll come visit for sure if you do.

Thanks

Make a level a Irish pub and I will come up and cook. My potatoe soup is the best.

That's what I want to do with one of the levels. In a perfect world, the top floor would be a very chic cocktail sort of bar, the second level would be a sports bar, and the bottom level would be an irish style pub. I think any more than three levels and it would get confusing.

The way it would work, all three levels would be independant from each other, even though they'd share a common management team. Each level would have a bouncer at both the exterior entrance to the bar (with stairs for the upper levels) as well as a bouncer at the interior entrance (so you can move freely within the establishment).

There will of course be dress codes for each of the seperate bars. You're not going to get into the cocktail bar dressed in shitty jeans, sneakers, and a dirty t-shirt. I do want people travelling throughout the bars, but I also want to ensure that they match the atmosphere.

The biggest issue with split-level establishments is that it's much harder to monitor how intoxicated someone is if they can leave the bar they are currently at and just go to another one. It might be hard to get licensed for such a place, but then again, there will be at least two bouncers positioned at each door, and they should be able to tell how drunk a person is.

Yea good luck.... you'd be making a KILLING there... amazing.

In any case, I just had a phone interview (wtf) with Hyatt, and I will hear back from them within the week.

A front desk job at a hotel making $9.50 an hour for not doing much... perfectly fine by me.

Plus tips . The Hyatt is a reletively luxurious hotel chain, so you should expect REALLY nice tips.

[ace]

So I went to the interview today, and the woman who owns the bar loved me. I'm sure by now most of you know how important I feel it is to "sell yourself" when you go to a job interview.

I was dressed impeccably (as I usually am when I go out), I had my leather briefcase/shoulder bag, I was smart, smooth and funny.

I was really glad when I saw it was a woman who would be interviewing me. Interviewing with women is so easy because I can flirt my way through an interview (even if I am qualified). I find it much easier to sell myself around a woman than a man.

She said she'd call me next week, which is awesome.