Now for some thoughts about bars and bartending, which I did for 25 years. BIG disclaimer: these are my opinion. They're opinions based on a ton of experience on both sides of the bar. But please don't take them as fact.
Within the hierarchy of the restaurant, the bartender is right behind the chef at the very top. Both the chef and the bartender are responsible for creating things. Both should be expertly skilled. And both are the reasons that guests come to the restaurant.
I got my first bartending gig in 1998. I attended a bartending school which the BIGGEST waste of time and money. I'll explain why shortly. My first gig was at the Angus Barn. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I had never bartended a day in my life. But their hiring philosophy was to hire good people (which they couldn't train) and then train those good people to do what they needed to do. I was there for two years. I got better with each shift. Looking back I realize that I was awful. Actually, not awful. Just green. Very green.
So what makes a great bartender? My opinion on this evolved over the years until I finally knew what it was. And I believe I was a good example of it. And to that end, I look at all the people I consider to be great bartenders and we all share a common trait: massive experience.
A great bartender does just that. They tend the bar. And in so doing, they are doing 20 things at the same time. And just like the chef, they are the only ones in the restaurant that are constantly juggling that many things at once. It is the very nature of the restaurant bar that makes bartending so chaotic. There is no set flow. There is no hostess to calculate when so sit people. The bar is come whenever you want and stay as long as you want. It is also the place where people are sent to wait for their tables on busy nights.
Let's dissect what happens in the bar on even given night that makes bartending so crazy. First you have your guests that you have to take care of, whether they're just drinking or they're also dining. So right there you have to be a server, though your steps of service are more abbreviated. The bartender also has to make drinks for the entire restaurant. Depending on how busy the restaurant is, that could mean a significant amount of time busting out all the tickets that are coming in. If the restaurant has private dining rooms, that could also mean making very large tickets for those parties. The bartender is also a dish washer, since the glassware from the bar needs to always stay in the bar and not get mixed up with the dining room's glassware. The bartender is also a cashier. All cash transactions go through them since the servers usually aren't required to carry banks on them. Sometimes the bartender is also the barista. But let's not forget, the bartender has their own guests they're taking care of. Do you see the juggling act that is going on every minute of the shift?
It sounds daunting. It sounds rather impossible. But it is actually quite manageable if you know how to do it. First, make every move count. Don't do anything that shouldn't be done. Every twist, every turn, every opening of a cooler, everything should be for a reason and should be done to maximize the outcome. Unlike servers, the bartender can see all their guests at the same time, can talk to their guests at the same time and can essentially work on a broader level that the servers can. Each table in a server's section are only concerned with themselves and their table. They have no idea how busy the server is because the server is away from the table for much of the meal. At the bar, the guests see how busy the bartender is. They see how many people the bartender is taking care of. This is a HUGE advantage to the bartender and should be used regularly. You can easily make drinks while telling your guests the specials and taking everyone's order. You can easily incorporate the dinks for the bar into the tickets you are busting out. And you can build several tickets at the same time, knocking them out in record speed.
In my opinion, the most important thing a bartender must do in tending the bar is to control the bar. That is something I didn't do as a young bartender and it bit me often. As an older, more experienced bartender, I never let the bar slip out of my control. But what does that mean? Well for one, the bartender see everything and hears everything. I know all my bartenders friends would agree this is true. Without you really knowing, while the bartender is working on tickets or helping other guests, they have noticed the condition of every drink and every meal at the bar. They have also hear every word you've said, your comments on what you think of your drink, what you're ordering next, everything. So with all that information at their disposal, the bartending can control the flow, the pace, and very importantly, the behavior of the bar. When you came in my bar, you better learn quickly that I expected you to act a certain way. This isn't a biker bar in Myrtle Beach. I am not going to tolerate amateurs. If you want to act the fool, go to Glenwood South. Do not forget that the bartender is not required to make your drink. There is no law that says I have to make what you order. But I do have the power to cut you off at any time and for pretty much any reason. The big reason you get cut off is because your amateur-ass is wasted. But I'd cut you off the minute you started making my other guests uncomfortable. I'd give you one warning, and after that, you're gone before you can drop another f-bomb. I'm not putting up with it. I'm controlling my bar. I'm owning my bar.
Let's talk really quickly on why bartending school is such a waste of time. I'd say the actual making of drinks is a small percentage of all the things a bartender does. And unless you're crazy enough to work in a bar with a blender, you're not going to make 95% of the drinks they teach you in bartending school. And then there's google. Every recipe can be googled. So explain to me why I should spend all that money? Oh, for the leads on getting jobs. Well, I tell you what. Go into those places and tell them you're qualified because you've got your diploma from bartending school. Do that and tell me in a week if they called you back for an interview. Like I said, the BIGGEST waste of time and money. You want to learn how to bartend? Get your ass behind a bar and do it. You're going to get your ass handed to you for a while. But you'll get it.
One last opinion before I have to go to work. Jess and I always sit at the bar when we go out. You get your drinks faster. But here's my opinion: you're also getting the best service. I truly believe that the best servers in the restaurant are the bartenders. You won't get the polished steps of service like you do in the dining room. But more than likely, you'll get the best personality and the best skill the restaurant has to offer. If you've got the chops to cut it in a restaurant bar, then that's the person I want to take care of me when I dine. And I'm not talking about Chili's are any other chain restaurant. Those places promote the poor saps who happen to hang around long enough to start working in the bar. I'm talking about the local restaurants. Those places hire bartenders. And those places never have to put out adds for bartenders. The bartending club is quite small and quite tight. We all know each other. And when the need for a bartender arises, simple word of mouth is all that is needed to fill that spot.
I have much more to say on the topic of bars and bartending, but I've run out of time. I'll be back with more thoughts soon. One of which will be my dislike for specialty cocktails menus. But we'll get into that later.........
Comments