How to get into bartending?
After you are 21, you can start by going to a bartending school. You can just apply for a job at a bar by walking in and asking and you’d get a job too but if you really want to make better money, take some training that can get you in the door of a better place (you can claim experience and present references). Check with your local Hospitality and Restaurant Association for training and related information they may have available. If you have some experience waitressing or working at fast food joints, then you can point that out to a future employer, It’s still the same industry.
1st thing i did was get a Mr. Boston Bartending Guide available at any decent bookstore and read it cover-to-cover, and then go apply for the job and let the customers teach you their drinks. i started in a slower place like a grill and they were only too happy to teach me. These day most places will drug test you periodically. If you are honest, and don’t drink or drug on the job; can be polite to the customers and know when to say when for your customer and how to do it without argument you can make a great deal of money.If you do it right you will get your station ready before anyone comes in because when the sh*t hits the fan it is too late to cut fruit or get ice.
I started while going to school by tending at a local lounge working for a bartender on his slower night shifts. He would normally give me half (bout $175-$200 back then)the tip so I was really happy. You will learn more in 2-3 nights then ever in BT school. Plus he sits on azz & gets paid 4 you to do his job. As a bar manager and many others that would never say this but “bartending school is a joke” and unless your really something don’t even mention you have gone. Experience, Performance$$, Looks or Very Likable and References are Everything in this Business! Good Luck!
Check how old you have to be to serve in your state, it is usually 18. After that, I went to bartending school, it was a week long course that shows all the pouring techniques and you learn all the most popular drinks. Usually, if you go the bartending school route, they will help you with job placement. If you plan to get a job in a resturaunt bartending, chances are they will hire you on as a server first and use you as a bartender when they need you.
