Salaries for a Bartending Job
If you are talented at mixing drinks, knowledgeable of cocktail recipes, have great social skills and enjoy working in an upbeat, fast-paced work environment, you might enjoy a lucrative career as a bartender. The way you get paid as a bartender -- and how much -- may vary significantly according to your geographical location, type of establishment and specific position. But a few online resources can give you a general idea of typical salaries for a bartender.
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Broad Statistics
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The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics grouped bartenders in with "Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers" in its 2010 to 2011 Occupational Outlook Handbook. The article provides salary information based on surveys conducted in May 2008 which state that the median hourly wage for all bartenders surveyed was $8.54 including reported tips. Reported midrange salaries for 50 percent of participants was between $7.53 and $10.98 per hour. Ten percent of those bartenders earned $7 an hour or less, and the highest-earning 10 percent reported making more than $14.93. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics of May 2010 state that the mean wages for bartenders range between $7.60 and $15.14 per hour ($15,800 to $31,480 annually) with a 50 percent median of $8.98 hourly ($18,680 annually).
Tipped Employee Minimum Wage Laws
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Although some states elect to regulate higher hourly wages, as of July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. However, state and federal laws allow employers to pay tipped employees -- such as bartenders -- a considerably lower hourly pay rate providing that they receive enough tips to raise their hourly rate of pay up to local state minimum wage guidelines. By law, tipped employees are those who consistently receive more than $20 per month in tips. At the time of publication, employers are legally able to pay bartenders direct wages as low as $2.13 per hour. If a bartender does not receive enough tips to reach state regulated minimum wage laws, the employer must compensate him for the difference.
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Service Bartenders
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Service bartenders are paid in a couple of ways that vary from standard bartender compensation procedures. Though the drink preparation procedure may be identical, distinct differences exist between general bartenders and service bartenders. A regular bartender typically serves drinks to the public collecting tips throughout her entire shift. Service bartenders receive few -- if any tips -- because they prepare cocktails and beverages for other tipped employees to serve such as waiters and room service personnel. Service bartenders are usually paid increased hourly wages to make up for minimal tip earnings. It is common for non-tipped service bartenders to earn hourly rates above minimum wage -- at the time of publication about $10 to $12 hourly. Service bartenders employed in the banquet and catering industry may also receive "gratuities" on guest checks for events that they service. Such income is include in paychecks as bonuses.
Extraordinary Circumstances
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Though BLS statistics show earnings up to $31,480 for bartenders across the country in May of 2010, many bartenders in upscale or high-volume work environments earn considerably higher wages. Such establishments might include five-star hotels and resorts and trendy nightclub hot spots located in major metropolitan cities. It is not uncommon for bartenders of extremely busy urban venues, such as sports bars and celebrity hot spots, to earn more than $300 a night in tips. Hypothetically, if you work a typical bartender's schedule -- three to five shifts a week -- you might expect to make between $900 and $1,500 per week ($46,800 to $78,000 annually) in such establishments. In such extraordinary instances, employers are still paying bartenders at or below the state required minimum and the additional income is generated by excessive tipping.
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References
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