Bartender: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a bartender?

Bartenders work in pubs, bars, event spaces, or hotels and are experts at attracting customers by offering quality cocktails. Bartenders are the face of your company as they interact directly with guests and can help them have a pleasant experience.

Contributions of a great bartender:

• collecting payments from customers
• training staff
• maintaining the cleanliness of the bar and ensuring safety protocols are met
• monitoring inventory of the bar

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance bartender

Bartenders can either work full-time or part-time at one establishment or work independently, being hired for events. For most places like bars or pubs, it’s more advantageous to hire both full-time and part-time bartenders as you want staff members who will get to know the customers, as this will establish repeat patronage. Also, having a permanent bartender is advantageous to these establishments as they will be able to help manage the bar and train staff.

Places that are geared towards throwing events are more likely to hire bartenders for individual events, as it means they don’t have them on staff during the low season or when they have events that don’t require a bartender. This can also be a handy situation if you allow your patrons to hire their own bartender in exchange for a lower rental price.

What are the different types of bartender?

Bartenders are sometimes given other titles that help distinguish their duties from other bar staff. In a busy nightclub, for example, you might need to establish different roles for your bartenders so that they can serve the clients quickly, meaning customers stay happy. The following is a list of different types of bartenders or related titles that can be seen behind the bar.

• Bar Manager or Assistant Bar Manager: The person who organizes the bar and other staff members to make sure the bar operates efficiently.
• Barista: Though most think of baristas as working in coffee shops, some might work in restaurants where specialty coffees are on the menu.
• Server: Some establishments will get servers to make their own drinks for the customers, meaning the bartender has more time to attend to other duties.
• Sommelier: This is someone whose expertise is in wine and tends to work in more expensive restaurants or wine bars.

Where to find a bartender

To find the right bartender for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Events staffing website: There are numerous event staffing websites that specialize in hiring event staff such as bartenders, servers, and kitchen staff. By placing an ad on one of these websites, you will be able to narrow down your search to those who already work in the industry.
• Accredited bartending school: When looking for a bartender, you can always approach an accredited bartending school and ask them if they have any new grads that are looking for a job. Make sure that the school has the appropriate licensing so that you avoid trying to hire a bartender who has only taken a weekend course in how to mix drinks.
• Referrals: Having a network of other pub or bar owners that you can get referrals from can be a great and cheap way of finding a quality bartender for your staff. Having a referral means that you already know that the quality of work is high so that the bartender that you hire will be efficient at their job with minimal training.
• Bartender association: If you need to hire a good bartender, a great place to start your search is the bartender association in your local area. This will allow you to find people who are already in the industry and have proven they have what it takes to be a successful bartender.

Post your job online: Try posting your bartender job on Indeed to find and attract quality bartender candidates.

Skills to look for in a great bartender

A great bartender candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Exceptional customer service skills
• Basic math skills and the ability to keep track of tabs
• Ability to mix classic cocktails and create new ones
• Knowledge of public safety laws and local liquor license laws
• Food safety skills
• Written and oral communication skills

Writing a bartender job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified bartender candidates. A bartender job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your bartender job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on bartender jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Bartender
• Server
• Bartender server
• Restaurant
• Waitress
• Bar
• Hospitality

Interviewing bartender candidates

Strong candidates for bartender positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Mixology and how to create new drinks
• How to handle difficult/drunk customers
• Training staff
• Cleaning protocols
• Maintaining inventory of ingredients for the bar
• Local liquor laws and public safety measures

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of interview questions for examples (with sample answers).