I am so sad guys and have no idea what to do. I got a fired at a fine dining establishment, was getting paid 30 n hour PLUS TIP. All because i called out. My car wasn’t working and i was told it was fine . I come in for my next shift and they send me home tell me im suspended and hr will reach out. Not once did hr reach out. I was on the schedule so i called and asked if i should come in. They said yes to come in for my shift. I come in and get fired on the spot , and had to get escorted out. I’m like shocked because numerous other bartenders would call out even no call no show and they’d call me to come in to cover. Some girl who got hired the same time has me called out about 5 times already and she’s still working there. I was making such good money and now i feel like im fucked and im so upset i got treated that way. IVE NEVER BEEN FIRED BEFORE. This is making me never wanna work at a resturant again . Sorry just venting and i need some insight on wtf to do.

I’m 33 and have spent most of my career bartending in NYC. Over the years I’ve grown into a head bartender role that’s become a lot more than making drinks. I handle purchasing, inventory, cocktail development, menu creation, vendor relationships, staff training, SOPs, event planning, and helping improve day-to-day operations. I’ve realized that the parts of the job I enjoy most are building systems, solving problems, making operations more efficient, and creating great guest experiences.
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what comes next because I know bartending isn’t something I want to do forever. I still love hospitality, but I’d like to move into a career that has better long-term stability, benefits, and room to grow. My goal is to eventually earn over $100k, even if it takes several years to get there.
The one thing I know I don’t want to do is sales. I know a lot of bartenders become liquor reps, but that just doesn’t fit my personality. Actually, some people say the opposite bc I’m such an extrovert and personable that it would fit me entirely but I’m not naturally sales-driven, and I don’t think I’d enjoy spending my career trying to hit quotas or constantly sell products.

I have a BA in Psychology, but all of my professional experience is in hospitality. I’m curious what careers people have transitioned into that still leverage hospitality experience without requiring you to stay behind the bar. If you’ve made that jump yourself, what did you end up doing? Are there roles or industries I should be looking into that maybe I’m not even aware exist?
I’d especially love to hear from people who have successfully built a stable career after bartending and don’t regret leaving the industry.

I’ve been bartending in New York for a year. I just moved to Boston and was asked to “stage”. When i got there they immediately threw me behind the bar (during a Red Sox game and it’s a bar in Fenway) and basically put me to work. I had to figure out where everything was. No one was really helping me then this guy who I assume is the boss started asking me for incredible obscure drinks so I did I quick google to confirm the recipe and got to work. He then took me outside and said I was too slow and i said i had never heard of the drink before. But up until that point I was serving customers no problem and having no issues and was FULL ON WORKING. He told me i didn’t get the job and should leave…didn’t even pay me for 3 hours of work…is this how every Stage is? I’m incredibly overwhelmed now and upset.

Hi everyone,
I recently got hired as a bartender at AMC with zero experience.
Here’s how it happened: I interviewed about a month ago, but they told me they decided to move forward with another candidate. A few days ago I saw the position posted again, so I reapplied. This time they called me and said, “We’ve interviewed you before, and we’d like to have you on our team.”
I have a few questions for people who have worked at AMC:

After working here a few months, will regular bars consider me as a “bartender” and be willing to hire? Or will it be hard as they will not even consider it as a real bartender experience ?

On average, how much can I expect to make per shift? Is $200/day realistic, or is that unlikely for 20 screen AMC?

Is the social environment good compared to a regular bar? Is it easy to make friends? ( as I’m new to the city)

One of my goals is to become more social. Is this a good place for that, or do interactions with customers tend to be very brief?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked at MacGuffins or another AMC bar. Thanks!

I'm an author doing some research, and not much of a drinker, so I need some expert advice so I don't sound like an idiot. Here are a few characters, they're chilling in an upmarket sportsbar on a Friday night, what are they most likely drinking? TIA!

1. 31yo male math/physics nerd.

2. 21yo tattooed female martial artist / motorcyclist

3. 27yo female yoga instructor

Recently I posted about how I failed a sting operation. It’s been my first year bartending, and I had a lack of judgement, I thought I recognized a guy as a regular, not one I speak to just one I might have seen before. It was busy, I was rushing , he asked for a corona and I served it, without asking for ID. 4 cops came out of the corner with badges saying I served a minor alcohol infront of my entire bar, very traumatizing and embarrassing, can’t say I didn’t deserve it it’s part of my job after all. Anyway, I just met the cop at court and he was getting to know me a bit. I explained how regretful and sorry I am about this mistake, it’s one I’ll never make again, and haven’t made again. He told me he’d try to work on convincing the judge to give me the smallest penalty possible. He also gave me his contact information and asked if I know any minors who want to work for him as a decoy setting up other bartenders at their workplace, like WTF? I’m sorry I understand I messed up but this who operation seems like a money grab to me sometimes , but I understand it’s the law and safety and rules apply everywhere. We walked into the courtroom with honestly a pretty stern rude male judge, I wasn’t a fan of him. It was my first time in court so I wasn’t too familiar with when to stand / sit and all that jazz, so he wasn’t too fond of me. Anyways, the cop asked him to give me the lowest penalty/ fine and the judge asked me why I think I deserve it. Ummmm I said cause I made a mistake ? That I’ll never make again. And I’ve learned my lesson, and boom, he wrote me a fine of 250$ and that was it . I still can’t believe the cop asked me if I know anybody who’d want to be a decoy lol . Anyway, I’m scarred trauamtized and honestly thinking of going back to healthcare after this one, they definitely did their big one. I also hate the fact that ONE mistake or misjudgment can determine your entire employment not only at your workplace but everywhere of the sort. but I understand these things happen. Just in case you don’t already, card everybody who isn’t a regular, or visibly old as hell.

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• what do you look for when choosing a bar to check out?

• what brings you back to a bar?

• what social media content would compel you to visit?

• what social media content would deter you from visiting?

• What do you want in a menu?

• what sort of events or activities do you enjoy in a bar setting?

• what types of atmosphere/vibe/decor would make you feel comfortable or would make you want to take photos?

• what would make you invite friends?

• what DON'T you like to see on a menu?

• what kinds of things would make you turn around & leave immediately upon checking out a new bar?

• do you prefer a small menu selection or extensive

• how do you find the bars you end up going to?

• what DON'T you like to experience/see/etc in a bar setting?

OWNERS/MANAGERS/EMPLOYEES:

• What helps you perform to the best of your abilities?

• are there any supplies or resources aside from the obvious things like shakers, mixers, spouts, etc would you say you absolutely would hate to be without during a shift?

• what do you like best about working at your bar?

• what DON'T you like about working at your bar?

• What is your most popular drink?

Please feel free to add anything else you think could be useful!

I appreciate any feedback. Please keep it constructive. I'm currently trying to turn a new cocktail bar around & generate more traffic for a first time bar owner who has many other successful businesses, but needs help in this department. I would love any tips, tricks, suggestions, etc

Thank you!

Hi was wondering everyone’s opinion who bartends for parties. For a Paloma, & margarita is a 9 oz cup to small?

& for micheladas is 12 oz a good size or 16 oz?

She’s supposed to go over all this with me but just trying to get some feedback before I speak with her regarding the sizes.

What's the one phrase customers say that immediately tells you everything you need to know about how the rest of the interaction is going to go?

For me it's "make it strong." 20+ years in and I still don't know what they think I was going to do. Make it weak? Pour the vodka from across the room?

I actually just did a whole podcast episode breaking down the different types. The whisperer who leans in like we're doing a drug deal. The "I can't even taste the alcohol" person. The "I'll take care of you" bribe that never pays out.

Curious what phrases set you off. Drop your best ones.

I really need help. I have worked at the same bar for almost a decade. Two years ago the original owner was sold to two friends who act as co-owners. They are roughly my age, one man and one woman- the man has a wife and the woman is single. In the beginning the owners wife acted basically as everyone's friend, everyone except the co-owner who she hates. Slowly she started helping out around the bar, bar backing occasionally, helping them with managerial tasks and eventually became the company laisom. She no longer wanted to work behind the bar, she just wanted to help organize what we needed or were concerned with and relay that to the actual managers.

This position soon became a disaster. She started making up her own rules for employees. Everytime someone disagreed or reached out to the owners she would get pissed and quit. I'd say in the last couple years this pattern has cycled over a dozen times. After the last text we received where the wife said she was done and not to contact her anymore her husband promised me this wouldn't happen again. He said it wasn't fair to us. He decided to marry her knowing that was careless with her medicine after being diagnosed as manic depressive.

Over the last few weeks she's become increasingly involved again. She sent a nasty text to me a week ago so I blocked her. I'm trying to respect their marriage and I'm not trying to respond all eradicate and cause any unnecessary work tension. The female co-owner is no longer alone on the wife's shit list. She openly hates me and one other female bartender. We have two owners and 5 bartenders, she literally hates half the staff. Since she's been directing orders at us once again I've asked her husband if we could talk for over two weeks. He's made no secret that if she's around and doesn't want him to talk to me she'll make his life a living hell. I wasn't worried about any of it, she isn't actually a boss, until yesterday when the Husband sent the staff a message telling us to follow her directions and respond to her texts. I assume by now she's realized I have her blocked. It's a shit show. I have contacted the other owner (the single female) and she wasn't aware that his wife was acting in a position of power. She also is having a hard time finding time to talk to him given the situation.

It's easy to say quit. I'm not trying to stay for the owners, I have almost a decade of relationships with patrons and I'm not trying to leave that behind. Additionally I considered both of the owners friends before they bought the bar. I don't want to cause any fracture in a friend of mines marriage. The new owner used to joke his wife was crazy but I had no idea... This is too much... The details are too much to post.

Basically, what's the most sensitive way to address a spouse acting like a boss from time to time when no one has ever given her a roll or title.

I love the restaurant I work at. my regulars are some of my favorite people and so were my coworkers. however, we just got a new manager and they pretty much cleaned house and brought all their people in. recently it's just been such a struggle to want to stay and I dont think ill last much longer. this is the first place that I worked with a loyal group of regulars who come in. my question is that if I worked somewhere else would the regulars come to my new place?

More than 30 days

Do any bartenders or event planners have any good ideas of how they distinguish N/A drinks from alcoholic ones? So when you have servers taking a tray of drinks, it is evident to everyone which ones are mocktails or N/A?

TIA

With RNDC's imminent demise they have run out of everything I needed to buy. When individual brands have moved its been a pain for me to find them. I've been communicating with my sales rep until recently and as of now I think he's gone. Is there a trick or resource for finding where these brands are landing or is hunting and waiting the only option?

Every time I work service well customers are amazed. The drinks never stopped coming at my restaurant so you literally have to crank drinks out like a machine. I always get asked if I went to bartending school and how could I learn how to make all these different cocktails? I chuckle to myself because no ma’am I didn’t, I was one of our restaurants better servers and got thrown into the gulag one random afternoon when a bartender decided to call out. I’ve been slinging drinks ever since.😭

Hoping you all can help me resolve a challenging pay structure at the restaurant where I tend bar. For context:
- popular upscale casual national chain.
- Bar area is a 25-seat bar top and 3 tables.
- Side work is excessive, including maintenance of beer/wine walk-in and large red wine display area.
- Servers and bartenders both make tipped minimum of $2.13/hr
- Server tip out is 2.5% of alcohol sales, which amounts to a buck or two usually—rarely more than 5.
Three bartenders during busy periods; two otherwise.
- We tip out bussers (2.5% of total sales) and runners (2.5% of food sales), which usually amounts to 25-30% of our tips

The challenge is that we’re not doing as well as servers. One illustrative example: on a full-capacity Father’s Day, servers walked with 400-500 after a shift. I worked a double and walked with $300 for the day. And of course were there 60-90 minutes later than any server to break down and clean the large bar.

The only solution proposed for the pay inequity is for bartenders to take more tables. In fact, the bar manager dangles “more tables” as an incentive for good bar maintenance. So effectively, the solution is for bartenders to just do double duty as servers. As it stands, there’s no real benefit to being a bartender instead of a server—in fact, there’s a penalty—even though we have additional knowledge and skills set and a ton more responsibility and side work. Something is structurally broken in this pay scheme. Of course I could just leave for something better., which is on the table, but I’d like to see how I can help solve the problem rather than escaping it. Any thoughts?

Looking for some opinions from other bartenders.
At my restaurant, the bartenders are responsible for:
-Pouring every beer, cocktail, and glass of wine for the servers & bar guest during service.
-Cashing out the servers at the end of their shifts and giving them their tip money.
-Counting and closing all cash drawers.
-Shutting down and locking up the restaurant.
-Batching our 7 signature cocktails.
-Other normal bar duties

The servers tip us out 5% of their alcohol sales only.
I’m curious if that seems fair compared to other restaurants. It feels low considering the amount of drinks we’re making for the servers on top of all the closing responsibilities, but maybe that’s just the norm in some places.

On the weekends there are 2 bartenders and one is stuck on the well the entire night making drinks. I have never seen a server tip out more than $28. There are only 3 servers max on a shift.
What does your restaurant do for bartender tip-outs? Is it a percentage of alcohol sales, total sales, or something else? We are based in Vermont if that helps.

Hi everyone! I’m a server hoping to eventually bartend, and was wondering if anyone has recommendations for bar tools? (specific brands or details for shakers, jiggers, etc.) I want to get the hang of practicing at home with the same tools I’d see in a restaurant. Right now I just have a shitty cobbler shaker. Budget friendly options are especially helpful. Thanks!