How to Become a Restaurant Bartender
As a bartender, you're everyone's friend but you're also making a good living pouring drinks, socializing and helping restaurant servers. Working as a restaurant bartender is a good way to put yourself through college or support yourself financially while trying to pursue an artistic or other type of career. It can also be a rewarding career in itself. While you can learn bartending through on-the-job training, going to bartending school can get your foot in the door.
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Instructions
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Locate bartending schools near you. Some vocational schools have bartending programs, and most cities have some bartending school options. Use your telephone directory to find schools near you.
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Attend a bartending school. This program will teach you how to mix common drinks, how to organize glassware and liquor, how to chat up customers and how to handle large parties.
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Practice your drinks. In order to get a restaurant job after the class, you need good command of popular drinks. Purchase a drink guidebook to use as a reference.
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Develop a resume. Highlight any restaurant or food service experience you have, plus any job skills that translate well to bartending, like good listening skills, punctuality and customer service. Include information on your bartending classes. Most schools cover resume writing and applying for the job as part of your curriculum.
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Broaden your knowledge of spirits, wine and beer. Read trade periodicals, such as Wine Spectator (see Resources). Taste different liquors and wines to develop your palate.
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Bartend for caterers to build some experience before you apply for restaurant positions. Catering work is often part time, or on call and can be a good way to practice making drinks in a busy environment.
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Apply for restaurant job positions as a bartender or bar back, a bartender's assistant. If you're granted an interview, dress professionally and be on time. You may be asked to make drinks as part of a test. Keep applying to positions until you receive a job offer.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit beautiful wine glasses image by terex from Fotolia.com
