By Anonymous212 May 15, 2012
Do not use this company! I booked a limousine at this company over a month ago for my prom on May, 19, 2012. On Monday May 14, 2012, the company called to ask where to send the money back for the deposit because they booked the limo with someone else, leaving me scrambling to find another limo company days before my prom. ...read more
Bartenders, smartender – Anyone can do this job right? You just gotta make some drinks, smile and you make CASH so I can do it. The fact of the matter that bartending is a both a science and an art I am not saying anyone could not do it… but I am saying everyone shouldn’t do it. Bartending takes finesse, charm, quick wit, ability to multi task, and confidence. There is agility, training, studying and lots of responsibility that comes with this position. The end result of doing your job well can be on the upside a GOOD Tip night on the downside someone resulting in a DUI or death. There is a lot of glory related to bartenders from the movies ‘Cocktails to Coyote Ugly’ but it is a serious position not for the faint of heart. So I will give you a small glimpse of the life of a bartender and how to become a bartender. There are so many different bars you can work at so there are many different bartender experiences that you can have. If you are wondering how I can speak on being a bartender let me tell you. I started my bartending career at a busy local bar that did 12k in revenue a night- just bar revenue. I worked there as a bartender and was promoted to head bartender then assistant manager. I also worked in fine dining in Washington DC at the St. Regis Hotel as a bartender. I worked at many sports bar throughout the DMV region, I have taught at bartending academy, I have been a certified bartender trainer, I am TIPs certified, and I have worked at several night clubs a piano bar and finally opened my own private bartending company. Over thirteen years of experience, my old bar regulars are my best friends and fellow bartenders are my family. Bartending is a major vein of my life and I can speak to it honestly. Ok so I am first gonna talk to all the people thinking that they want to become a bartender: So you wanna be a bartender… ok so you will need the following basic skills before I would recommend a bartender life for you: A good personality – you have to talk to people- personality helps Memory – you will need it to remember all the recipies Teamwork- bartending is a team sport! No I in TEAM Responsibility- you will have to take responsibility for the actions of others – comes with the territory get ready A backbone – You can’t be a softy, if you need to tell someone No or cut them off they A heart – you gotta have a heart to do this, you gotta care about others. All of these things are required to become a basic bartender, more skills will be required to work in different settings and to have access to make more money some of these skills will be: Common sense – this will come in handy when trying to decide if you should serve a drunken person another drink. Alcohol Certification – this little thing can be the thing to get you a job over someone else. Speed – An important tool for a bartender, this can only get better with time. Specialized Training – Mixology, Flair or other training to get you a leg up over other bartenders in the area. Bartending Experience – you can only get this by bartending, different venues for long periods of time. Ok, so you’re looking at these lists and saying “this is all I have to do to become a bartender?” It’s the combination of these skills which enlies the beauty of bartending. You can have a few of the core skills and be a bartender but you might have problems with your co-workers or management, bartending is not always a solo sport you will need additional support from a team. Without the support of your team it makes a very broke bartender. So how do you become a bartender? There is a couple of ways to do this I will tell you the quick way, the long way and the pro’s and con’s with each. Quick way: Find a bartending school and pay the money for a bartending certification. This is a fun way to jump into bartending. For about $400 to $600 and about a week to two weeks of your time you can become a certified bartender. The training class will encompass basic skills to become a bartender this is filled with the basic drinks that each bartender should know. This will have how to set up your bar, tear down your bar, bar lingo, drinks and teach you flair and speed. The final exam will have a written test full of drink preparation knowledge and a speed test making several drinks in about five minutes. The better bartender academy will include the alcohol awareness certification (nationwide program would be TIPs, local – Maryland MAPA) and offer you job placement assistance. The reason you would prefer a bartending school with job placement is because if you’re straight out of Bartending School – NO ONE WANTS TO HIRE YOU! You have no active knowledge of bar experience. The fun one to two week school is nothing compared to running your own bar and expected to make drinks, take food orders, run a cash register and monitor liquor consumption for more than your instructor. You will need to have a restaurant or bar that is willing to work with you and not just feed you to the wolves. Long way: Work your way up to a bartender. This way requires you to find a restaurant or bar and start at the bottom and have your skills propel you to the bartending world. Now I said at the beginning this is the long way for this can take a month to forever depending with your skill set and the need of a bartender at your location. The difference with this is that you will receive the knowledge head on if serving customers is what you want to do for a living, because serving drunken people takes love of your job to want to continue. Learning to bartend the long way will allow you to learn the basic service skills, allow for you to understand the computer, know the rush times for your restaurant or bar, know the in’s and outs of the bar before you get behind the bar. But the downside that this can take forever. My suggestion would be a combination of the two. Get in to a restaurant you enjoy work as a server and get to know the menu, the computers ECT… Once you are in then take a bartender class. Have the bartenders you work with help you- your cool with them right! Then after you have made it through the class now ask the bar manager if you can shadow a bartender on a slow shift – free help! Then when a position becomes available you are ready Togo! Well that is all I have for this issue of how to become a bartender. Thank you for reading my Bar Blog next issue is about Customer Service – since you’re a bartender now you need to know how to provide excellent customer service. Also check out my website www.barsensation.com for more information about me and my company Bar Sensation LLC as well as private bartending services that we provide. ...read more
By Bar Sensation LLC May 29, 2013
Corporate events are an excellent way to build loyalty among your current customers, suppliers, vendors and others within the community. These type of events range from catered luncheons to evening black-tie galas. Making your next corporate event stand out will require proper planning, an excellent v... ...read more
Event planning is a business that requires attention to detail, customer service, problem solving skills, and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. Event planners execute every detail of corporate meetings, weddings, reunions, parties and other events. Event Planning can develop into a v... ...read more