The Dibs are Higher Now for New Bartenders
Bartending is a skilled profession. Many bartending schools are popping up all over the nation. Online advertising and websites announce tuition specials and elaborate on the value of bartending education. Nowadays, it is mandatory now to have a bartending diploma and an alcohol server certification. Bartending has become such a profession now, that seasoned professionals that have college degrees are now opting to change careers, going into bartending, particularly as a traveling, self-employed or independent contractor. The money is good if not better than the professionals’ former salary: It’s common for an independent contractor bartender to earn $40.00 an hour, plus tips. It’s also a good way to meet people on cruise lines, private parties, special celebrations and business meetings.
Call drinks for customers that like the best of the best
Upselling can make a bartender get a bigger tip. Offer a customer a top shelf brand name. Some drinks are call drinks, such as scotch and soda or rum and coke. The difference in your tip may depend on which scotch and which rum is chosen by the customer. On the other hand, offering a call drink to a customer that doesn’t have much money may cause the customer to become nervous. Leaving it light, and sort of off-handedly asking a customer about their preferred drink, is sure to keep the low-funds customer sitting at the bar, even if it’s just to have the buck-fifty beer special and an empty ashtray.
Making drinks that anyone would like
That’s basically what bartenders do – make drinks, right? A good bartender-personality, great jokes and nice tips insure that a pleasant time is to be had by all. But what if the bartender makes nasty, disgusting-tasting drinks? The customers will surely let their feelings be known. Some ingredients just don’t taste good mixed with other ingredients. The right balance of ingredients is imperative in getting the delicious, palatable drink.
There are literally thousands of drink recipes and variations of drink recipes. It’s impossible to memorize them all. No matter how seasoned the bartender, or how many drinks the bartender has memorized, there will always be a customer sooner or later, that will ask for a drink that the bartender never heard of. Therefore, a bartender should keep at all times, a little index card box containing recipes written on each card, in alphabetical order. When a customer orders a drink that is not immediately able to be fixed, then the cards can be referred to. That will help insure that the customer will be satisfied and will come back again and again for their favorite drink, mixed the way they like it.
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