Why do so many choose to work at McDonalds(or any other horrible job) for example rather than bartend? It isn't an incredibly difficult job, one of those jobs anyone can do really, and it seems so much better than waiter/fast food/busboy etc etc...I hear it pays better as well. Is there some catch?
2006-07-05 10:42:37 · 13 answers · asked by Questions 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
Most clubs and stand alone bars (no restaurant) either want bartenders w/ experience or that have gone to bartending school. In restaurant bars, if you don't have bartending experience or haven't gone to school, you have to start out as a server and work your way to being a bartender.
2006-07-05 10:46:29 · answer #1 · answered by jfinatown 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was a bartender for 7 years. At first I loved it. I asked other bartenders why they quit. They all told me the same thing. They just got burnt out. I couldn't understand it at the time.
As time went on. I understood. When you're drunk too, you can put up with other drunks. When you're sober and they are all drunk, it gets old real fast. I've had so many drunks swear I didn't give them back enough change(like they could even count it). They swear there's no alcohol in their drink and you're cheating them. The longer you drink, the less alcohol you can taste.
I personally don't smoke and almost everyone at the bar smokes. My eyes would burn and I'd go home barely able to breathe.
I used to train new bartenders and everyone thought it was fun and games. When they actually started working they found out different. Bartending looks easy and fun, but there is a lot of work to it. Standing on your feet for sometimes 14 hours at a time is not fun. If you have to restock your own bar, running to get beer and bending over putting beer in the cooler can really make your back and body start hurting. I could actually tell you how much we ran each weekend by how much my body hurt.
When you cut someone off they of course get obnoxious. But, if someone leaves and gets in a wreck and kills someone or themselves, you could be held responsible.
Some bartenders only get paid what waiters and waitresses make. Where I got paid, I made more than minimum wage. But, I knew people working at McDonald's making more money than I did. You do get tips, but not everyone believes in tipping.
Bartending can be fun, but I like the other people I talked to got burnt out.
2006-07-07 08:28:24 · answer #2 · answered by Karen H 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am a server/bartender, and have been for a few years now....The hardest part of the job is either having to listen to some drunken idiots or have them trying to feel you up with a hand full of drinks....Its hard knowing your hands are full and you can't even defend yourself, but the good news is you can cut them off of the alcohol consumption for the night....but then you more than likel have to call security to have them taken out of the place, for safety reasons (more for yourself). Making the drinks is the fun part! Its a nice feeling having people compliment your drinks! So i would have to say Bartending isn't hard at all, its the B****S**** you have to deal with the odd time that's hard, but the next day is always new, and more than likely the drunken idiot you cut off or got thrown out won't remember you! hahaha Oh and yes if your good at being a bartender, the money can be very rewarding at the end of the day when your counting your tips!!!!! ;)
2006-07-06 22:19:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can be rude and sloppy and lippy and not good at your job at a fast food joint. People keep coming back anyway. If you do that as a bartender, you will likely get punched (and then fired).
If you can be fast, polite, genuinely friendly, remember what everyone is drinking, remember the difference between "Sex on the Beach" and a "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster", and be mindful of your customers' needs as a bartender you can make $30-$50/hour, depending on where you are. I think if you work real hard at a burger joint you can pull down $7 maybe $8/hour.
2006-07-05 20:02:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many good reason here but remember what you are dealing with here is an art really. It is more than just say pour this and this into a glass and someone will drink it. It is like cooking the instructions only give you the basic but it is really on craftsmanship and then depends on locations style.
I guess you just have to have done both and find that bar tending isn't an easy gig unless it is at a beer bar with only bottles to open. But you don't make the cash as others.
Plus think people are inherently lazy and why bust your **** when you can slack off at a fast food chain.
2006-07-05 20:40:31 · answer #5 · answered by corygkb1 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bar tending is an art.
Product knowledge, soft skills and a flair for showmanship go into the making of a good bartender.
the moment you classify it as a job, you end up looking like another money hungry mongrel who's into it more for the money than treating it like a genuine interest.
bar tending is all professions combined into one.... A bartender needs to be a great salesman, good at product knowledge, thorough with sports and news updates, an avid reader, a friend and a philosopher and also a marriage counsellor!!!
Bottom line is.... Bar tending is a lifestyle more than anything else.... and i will vouch for that on any given day.... coz i am a bartender too....
Cheers!!!
2006-07-06 03:40:16 · answer #6 · answered by Roan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What makes the job hard is the occupational hazards
1) you're dealing with drunks all day
2) you could become one yourself- people don't like drinking with a bartender that doesn't drink . They will take their business else where
3) liability laws - if you serve a drink to a drunk person and that person goes out and wraps themselves around a tree - guess who is partly responsible -you. They can sue you PERSONALLY
2006-07-05 18:01:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Speed and patience. And learning to control your temper. Most people can relate to a bad experience working in customer service, but when your customers are drunk too, it can be trying. I find just smiling, nodding agreeing to everything and speaking calmly in every situation. Not the easiest job. Remember babysitting in high school?? Imagine if the kids were allowed to drink!!
2006-07-06 03:11:50 · answer #8 · answered by Red. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was a hard four weeks for me... Memory and speed are the keys... No Catch just school, training, and lots of practice. You also have to obey the laws because liability falls on the person pouring the drinks.
2006-07-05 19:58:37 · answer #9 · answered by star_star1972 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It definately pays better, but you are still dealing with the public and any customer service job sucks!
2006-07-06 01:48:12 · answer #10 · answered by lovesjayden 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋