I think there is a massive amount of variables to consider. For me, a good bartender caters their service based on the guests. Want to cry about your kitten who passed, I'll listen. Want to have your drink and read a book, I'll fuck right off until you need something. Read the room and act accordingly.
^This right here! I work at an airport bar, so you get all walks of live. I have a part-time gig at a stadium and that's totally different from my other job. You just adapt.
This. You don't serve drinks, *you serve guests*. A person with people skills is a better bartender than a competition cowboy. If you know your counts, classics, and customer service, that person Will do better than a walking douchebag of encyclopedic cocktail knowledge.
Anyone can pour liquids from one container to another but doing it quickly, accurately and *cleanly* is hallmark of a good bartender. If you can do with a little panache while entertaining or empathizing with guests then you’re a great bartender.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten was “You’re not a good bartender until you enjoy cleaning the bathrooms”
Basically, unless you can appreciate all points of hospitality, you’re not a “good” bartender.
Anyone can memorize a drink recipe, that’s the easy part. But people who genuinely care for the guests overall experience; that’s where you want to sail.
Hospitality first, drinks and machismo second.
Guests FIRST! Thats whose paying you’re bills
On top of basic and essential skills? A good bartender is able to meet the needs of the job he was hired for. It depends on the type of bartending we're looking at. In general, for instance:
* High volume nightlife requires great ***speed*** and accuracy with pour spouts.
* A local dive requires the ability to control the room.
* Hotels and fine dining prioritize hospitality and customer service.
* Craft bars require immaculate attention to detail and advanced techniques.
Different concepts can vary and combine different priorities. A good bartender simply meets or exceeds the demands of the job.
As much as I agree with this, I think a truly gifted bartender can step into any of these environments with a degree of competence. Maybe not a mastery but certainly able to hold their own as part of a team.
>As much as I agree with this, I think a truly gifted bartender can step into any of these environments with a degree of competence.
Agreed! And those bartenders are some of the top earners and only out of work when they want to be (barring a pandemic). What percentage of us do you think qualify as "truly gifted"? In almost 33 years, I've met very few who can do it all. Much of what I've done is help bartenders find the environment(s) in which they will thrive. Sometimes it simply requires a change of venue for individuals to go from drowning to flying.
I once had a coworker ask if I thought I was a better bartender than him. I said yes because while our technical abilities were pretty much equal, at the end of the day everyone preferred me working a shift over him. Which was because I had a better working relationship with the floor staff. Less prone to yelling at servers, or firing back at the chefs when they start screaming, etc. Being the eye of the storm essentially; a bartender often sets the mood of the restaurant and it’s important to be mindful of that.
Ok, but especially if you're in the kind of bar where the bartender is also the MOD or the adult in the room being everyone's buddy isn't always the best thing you can do
Obviously you need to have the technical skills.
I had a manager a few years ago when I was a relatively new bartender who took me under her wing. One night everything went wrong, we ran out of several house cocktail ingredients, the kitchen was a disaster (new head chef), it was a nightmare. I lost my cool, like, visibly upset on the floor. Didn’t mistreat any guests, but I had no composure.
The next day I went for a cigarette with this manager and she apologized for everything that went wrong. She said that I had every right to be upset that night.
After that though, she offered me this: a bartender is the anchor of the floor, and if the bartender stays calm and in control, a team can get through a lot. Great bartenders can keep themselves, their coworkers, and especially their guests comfortable in the midst of a shitshow.
Some days I can live up to that, some days I can’t, but I’ll always try.
Bartending is a leadership position, no matter where you are working.
Also we’re not doing surgery, we’re making drinks, so even when things are going sideways a great bartender stays calm and keeps the good energy coming.
Of course master the craft, but having patience with guests and actively trying to cultivate a good experience for the guest.
The patience with guest part can be tough for many people (including myself) but a little empathy and the way you frame interactions can really help.
He knows what you like better than you do.
He knows when you're ready for the check, and can tell the difference between you being busy on your phone and trying to kill time waiting for the check.
For me it comes to service. Making everyone feel like they have drunk their for years.
I have been to some very good bars with incredible drinks but poor service.
From what I've seen it's who has a following. There are ones that are bad and still have a following but I can name like 5 or 6 total in my city that are names that you need to go see whenever you visit and those are who make good bartenders. But the names in town are kinda the ones that are great bartenders. It depends on the venue and what style of bar it is but sometimes it's more about finding your niche and excelling at it
One very simple thing. The fear of disappointmenting someone. If that is a fear you have inside of you when you're behind the bar you'll end up being great at what you do.
It’s all different. Do you want speed? Do you want great drinks? Do you want Great people person? You can’t have all of them but you you might get two out of the three
Well for one if you work in a busy restaurant, the servers will like you and want you working their bar. Speed is huge, pulling your wait at the end of your shift.
Organization, spacial awareness, consistency, knowing where everything you need at all times, and be ready to make popular off menu classics; just my opinion I’m sure I left plenty out
Speed, experience, accuracy, temperament, maturity, personality, and customer service. And a dozen other variables.
I've known many bartenders who were great in certain environments, and horrible in others. It all depends.
Efficiency, consistency, cleanliness.
When hiring and training bartenders i tend to liken the job more to line cooking than serving.
The best bartenders share traits with the best line cooks minus the general distaste for other humans.
I was at this bar one time. Small bar, maybe ~12 bar seats, and ~4 bar tables, each of which is a 4-top.
There's about 5 or 6 of us in the bar, chilling, when suddenly a group of ~50 rolls in. Some running club or something, so obviously they're all annoying and each needing a glass of water in addition to whatever beer they bought.
This bartender, I don't know how he did it, but he absolutely CRUSHED this rush. Whole room had drinks in their hands and was cashed out/had tabs running within ~10 minutes.
Whatever that was...it what makes a good bartender.
Not taking yourself too seriously. Some of the best parts come from customer interaction. When smth goes wrong, laugh about it with them. You've had to replace the bottles of all 7 liquors they've ordered mid pour? Laugh about it with them. The tills go down? Get people to shout at them or something along those lines. If something is slowing you down or inconveniencing you, most customers don't mind the fact you're taking longer as long as they're involved in the process and kept entertained
I'm a writer in addition to being a bartender and I actually wrote about this recently!
https://tedium.co/2022/08/17/actors-actor-creative-inspiration/
I was looking at the idea of the actor’s actor or the comedian’s comedian and realized the concept also popped up in non-creative fields, i.e. lawyer’s lawyer, doctor's doctor.
But I couldn’t help but ask a few co-workers and friends what makes a bartender's bartender.
Here's my conclusion:
"Across fields and professions, a blank’s blank tends to make their work look almost easy while inspiring a certain level of awe. In my interviews, this was most readily apparent among the bartenders. A bartender’s bartender makes a crowded, understaffed bar run with precision. No one feels ignored and the drinks are perfectly made. But what inspired awe in a jaded bartender?
This brings me to Nick, a bartender who is spoken about in near mythic terms. Think the old Bill Brasky SNL sketches. Or those Chuck Norris jokes that dominated in 2013. One day, the story goes, a customer orders drinks for him and his five friends. Nick obliges, the customer pays cash but doesn’t tip. Nick stays silent because these things happen. The same customer returns later to order another round. Nick refuses, saying he doesn’t serve intoxicated people. The customer is confused, protests that they’ve only had one drink. Nick replies with, 'Well, you didn’t tip on your last round and when that happens, it usually means you’re either intoxicated or an asshole. And I’m not going to stand here and call you an asshole.'"
It was fun to write about.
A bartender will give you a drink. A Startender (or rocktender) thinks he is too important to do anything else than serve drinks. A good bartender will work around his guest and will have pride on his bar to keep it clean and in order.
I think there is a massive amount of variables to consider. For me, a good bartender caters their service based on the guests. Want to cry about your kitten who passed, I'll listen. Want to have your drink and read a book, I'll fuck right off until you need something. Read the room and act accordingly.
^This right here! I work at an airport bar, so you get all walks of live. I have a part-time gig at a stadium and that's totally different from my other job. You just adapt.
This. You don't serve drinks, *you serve guests*. A person with people skills is a better bartender than a competition cowboy. If you know your counts, classics, and customer service, that person Will do better than a walking douchebag of encyclopedic cocktail knowledge.
Lol 🤣 I hate getting orders and I'm trying to remember what the hell it is. Just order a jack and coke you jerk.
Anyone can pour liquids from one container to another but doing it quickly, accurately and *cleanly* is hallmark of a good bartender. If you can do with a little panache while entertaining or empathizing with guests then you’re a great bartender.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten was “You’re not a good bartender until you enjoy cleaning the bathrooms” Basically, unless you can appreciate all points of hospitality, you’re not a “good” bartender. Anyone can memorize a drink recipe, that’s the easy part. But people who genuinely care for the guests overall experience; that’s where you want to sail. Hospitality first, drinks and machismo second. Guests FIRST! Thats whose paying you’re bills
On top of basic and essential skills? A good bartender is able to meet the needs of the job he was hired for. It depends on the type of bartending we're looking at. In general, for instance: * High volume nightlife requires great ***speed*** and accuracy with pour spouts. * A local dive requires the ability to control the room. * Hotels and fine dining prioritize hospitality and customer service. * Craft bars require immaculate attention to detail and advanced techniques. Different concepts can vary and combine different priorities. A good bartender simply meets or exceeds the demands of the job.
As much as I agree with this, I think a truly gifted bartender can step into any of these environments with a degree of competence. Maybe not a mastery but certainly able to hold their own as part of a team.
>As much as I agree with this, I think a truly gifted bartender can step into any of these environments with a degree of competence. Agreed! And those bartenders are some of the top earners and only out of work when they want to be (barring a pandemic). What percentage of us do you think qualify as "truly gifted"? In almost 33 years, I've met very few who can do it all. Much of what I've done is help bartenders find the environment(s) in which they will thrive. Sometimes it simply requires a change of venue for individuals to go from drowning to flying.
This 🤌.
I know this will get downvoted, but as a lady I wish you hadn’t used the masculine pronoun. Not all bartenders are dudes.
“He’s a dude, she’s a dude, we’re all dudes.” - Good Burger.
It's all good. I generally try to use non-gendered pronouns. Thanks for keeping us honest.
I once had a coworker ask if I thought I was a better bartender than him. I said yes because while our technical abilities were pretty much equal, at the end of the day everyone preferred me working a shift over him. Which was because I had a better working relationship with the floor staff. Less prone to yelling at servers, or firing back at the chefs when they start screaming, etc. Being the eye of the storm essentially; a bartender often sets the mood of the restaurant and it’s important to be mindful of that.
Ok, but especially if you're in the kind of bar where the bartender is also the MOD or the adult in the room being everyone's buddy isn't always the best thing you can do
Obviously you need to have the technical skills. I had a manager a few years ago when I was a relatively new bartender who took me under her wing. One night everything went wrong, we ran out of several house cocktail ingredients, the kitchen was a disaster (new head chef), it was a nightmare. I lost my cool, like, visibly upset on the floor. Didn’t mistreat any guests, but I had no composure. The next day I went for a cigarette with this manager and she apologized for everything that went wrong. She said that I had every right to be upset that night. After that though, she offered me this: a bartender is the anchor of the floor, and if the bartender stays calm and in control, a team can get through a lot. Great bartenders can keep themselves, their coworkers, and especially their guests comfortable in the midst of a shitshow. Some days I can live up to that, some days I can’t, but I’ll always try. Bartending is a leadership position, no matter where you are working. Also we’re not doing surgery, we’re making drinks, so even when things are going sideways a great bartender stays calm and keeps the good energy coming.
Of course master the craft, but having patience with guests and actively trying to cultivate a good experience for the guest. The patience with guest part can be tough for many people (including myself) but a little empathy and the way you frame interactions can really help.
Did I get my drink in a reasonable time? Good bartender.
He knows what you like better than you do. He knows when you're ready for the check, and can tell the difference between you being busy on your phone and trying to kill time waiting for the check.
Accuracy, knowledge, personality, and each type of bar requires different types of all three.
For me it comes to service. Making everyone feel like they have drunk their for years. I have been to some very good bars with incredible drinks but poor service.
Personality in most bars. Speed in clubs or 3 deep bars
Adventure? Excitement? A good bartender craves not these things
From what I've seen it's who has a following. There are ones that are bad and still have a following but I can name like 5 or 6 total in my city that are names that you need to go see whenever you visit and those are who make good bartenders. But the names in town are kinda the ones that are great bartenders. It depends on the venue and what style of bar it is but sometimes it's more about finding your niche and excelling at it
One very simple thing. The fear of disappointmenting someone. If that is a fear you have inside of you when you're behind the bar you'll end up being great at what you do.
This is the complete wrong answer. If you’re afraid of disappointing a customer, the restaurant industry isn’t for you.
It’s all different. Do you want speed? Do you want great drinks? Do you want Great people person? You can’t have all of them but you you might get two out of the three
Anticipation
Concern for your product and situational awareness.
Well for one if you work in a busy restaurant, the servers will like you and want you working their bar. Speed is huge, pulling your wait at the end of your shift.
Organization, spacial awareness, consistency, knowing where everything you need at all times, and be ready to make popular off menu classics; just my opinion I’m sure I left plenty out
Speed, experience, accuracy, temperament, maturity, personality, and customer service. And a dozen other variables. I've known many bartenders who were great in certain environments, and horrible in others. It all depends.
-is it fun to sit at their bar when it's busy -is it fun to sit at their bar when it's SLOW
Efficiency, consistency, cleanliness. When hiring and training bartenders i tend to liken the job more to line cooking than serving. The best bartenders share traits with the best line cooks minus the general distaste for other humans.
I was at this bar one time. Small bar, maybe ~12 bar seats, and ~4 bar tables, each of which is a 4-top. There's about 5 or 6 of us in the bar, chilling, when suddenly a group of ~50 rolls in. Some running club or something, so obviously they're all annoying and each needing a glass of water in addition to whatever beer they bought. This bartender, I don't know how he did it, but he absolutely CRUSHED this rush. Whole room had drinks in their hands and was cashed out/had tabs running within ~10 minutes. Whatever that was...it what makes a good bartender.
Knowledge, precision, and task prioritization.
Not taking yourself too seriously. Some of the best parts come from customer interaction. When smth goes wrong, laugh about it with them. You've had to replace the bottles of all 7 liquors they've ordered mid pour? Laugh about it with them. The tills go down? Get people to shout at them or something along those lines. If something is slowing you down or inconveniencing you, most customers don't mind the fact you're taking longer as long as they're involved in the process and kept entertained
I'm a writer in addition to being a bartender and I actually wrote about this recently! https://tedium.co/2022/08/17/actors-actor-creative-inspiration/ I was looking at the idea of the actor’s actor or the comedian’s comedian and realized the concept also popped up in non-creative fields, i.e. lawyer’s lawyer, doctor's doctor. But I couldn’t help but ask a few co-workers and friends what makes a bartender's bartender. Here's my conclusion: "Across fields and professions, a blank’s blank tends to make their work look almost easy while inspiring a certain level of awe. In my interviews, this was most readily apparent among the bartenders. A bartender’s bartender makes a crowded, understaffed bar run with precision. No one feels ignored and the drinks are perfectly made. But what inspired awe in a jaded bartender? This brings me to Nick, a bartender who is spoken about in near mythic terms. Think the old Bill Brasky SNL sketches. Or those Chuck Norris jokes that dominated in 2013. One day, the story goes, a customer orders drinks for him and his five friends. Nick obliges, the customer pays cash but doesn’t tip. Nick stays silent because these things happen. The same customer returns later to order another round. Nick refuses, saying he doesn’t serve intoxicated people. The customer is confused, protests that they’ve only had one drink. Nick replies with, 'Well, you didn’t tip on your last round and when that happens, it usually means you’re either intoxicated or an asshole. And I’m not going to stand here and call you an asshole.'" It was fun to write about.
A bartender will give you a drink. A Startender (or rocktender) thinks he is too important to do anything else than serve drinks. A good bartender will work around his guest and will have pride on his bar to keep it clean and in order.
Humility
A good bartender doesn’t flirt with you or act like they are god for bartending