Bartenders - Job Description, Education, & Salary

The food and beverage service industry offers plentyvery friendly manner and with ease. At service bars,
of job opportunities. The job of bartenders is to fill drinkhowever, bartenders do not directly interact with
order from customers. These drink orders can becustomers. There are a number of hotels, restaurants
taken in two ways - either at the bar itself or fromand clubs where the bars are located at some
waiters who place these orders for customers sittingdistance. In these cases, the bartenders fill drink orders
in the dinning room. The bartender has the responsibilityplaced by waiters and waitresses. At some other
to take care of both the dining room drink orders andestablishments, there are automatic machines that can
drink orders at the bar. Since beverage servicesrelease beverages at the push of a button. Even at
include serving alcohol and tobacco products, it is thethese places, the bartenders should be quick enough,
responsibility of the bartender to make sure that theas orders will be arriving in huge numbers or bulk.
customers at the bar meet the minimum ageEducation Requirement for Bartending
requirement. While doing their job at the bar, theThere is no specific training or education required for
bartenders serve customers bottled beer, preparebartending jobs. However, employers prefer high
mixed drinks for them and pour wine or other drinksschool graduates to join as bartenders. Bartending jobs
for them.prove to be an immediate source of income for most
To make their career successful, bartenders need toyouth. Employers also provide on-the-job training to
have good knowledge of beverages and drinks. Theynew joinees. There are numerous public and private
should possess excellent capabilities of mixing drinksvocational schools where short term courses in
accurately without wasting any of it. When it comes tobartending are offered. By getting enrolled in these
beverages at the bar, there are recipes as well. Thecourses, students can acquire more skills in the art of
bartenders, therefore, need to know about variousbartending. Generally, employers prefer to hire
drink recipes and be able to create new recipes tocandidates who are 25 years or above for bartenders
serve customers with the latest and attract them. It isjobs.
also the bartender's job to look after the stock ofEmployment & Salary
garnishes. These professionals need to look after theMost of the bartenders' jobs are available on a part
bar supplies as well. Besides doing these work, thetime basis. A major population of the youth is
bartenders also have the responsibility of maintainingemployed in the field of bartending. Around 551,000
and cleaning the bar area, serving food at the bar andbartender's jobs are expected by the year 2016. The
washing of utensils among others. An inventory ofmedian annual salary of bartenders is $16,350.
liquor and other bar supplies also needs to beAdditional income comes from tips given by
maintained by the bartenders.customers. Tips are greater at high end and popular
Besides having knowledge of serving and mixing ofrestaurants. Bar tenders working in large restaurant
drinks, the bartender should also possess interpersonalchains may be given the opportunity of entering the
skills. Usually, bartenders have the opportunity ofcompany's formal management training program.
directly interacting with patrons at the bar. Therefore,Depending on their expertise and skill set, bartenders
they should interact with customers at the bar in acan also be promoted to higher supervisory jobs.