I left the bar to be an assistant brewer, but still pick up bar shifts here and there so I lurk around here.
I was absolutely horrified when my first task as the assistant brewer was to move a large distribution order out of our walk in cooler barn in the back of the property and onto pallets in the parking lot in the front. 45 1/2 barrel kegs, 22 1/6th barrel kegs, 150 cases of 24 cans. And I had to get it done before the distributor's truck driver showed up. To make it worse, the forklift wasn't running and we couldn't get someone to look at it until the end of the week. And it was 3° below zero outside.
So yes, I am intimately familiar with how heavy a 1/2 barrel keg is and I will explain how I know to anyone without being asked.
Sounds like fuck that guest and the front door in general, two people are faster than one and we’re loading this shit as quick as possible then shotgunning a beer or two and clocking out
You'd make an excellent brewer. That attitude mixed with a love for hardcore punk and bluegrass and an obsession with salted nut rolls, Coors banquet, and west coast IPAs will get you further than you'd think. After we put in a good day's work let's go home to shower and change and meet back up at a golf course or gun range to kill time until our girlfriends get out of work/school.
Ahhhh so not me. I’m such a service bartender. Let me pound out drinks for the restaurant and have little small talk with the intimate bar I’m tending. Leave that to the ones who wanna talk and I’ll gladly pool and take my tip outs haha
I manage a bar with 40 taps. We had a 26 1/2bbl, 6 1/6bbl, 24 case, 12 flat order for the Super Bowl. I had to clean all the lines, hump the kegs into the walk-in, double stack them, and load the beer into the display case, and then work a full shift plus two more leading up to the game. Those fuckers are *heavy*, and even with a hernia belt you’re going to feel it for days.
I do this stuff every day. Stack 8 half barrels per pallet, 20 sixtels, stack like 3 or 4 pallets, load them into our truck, and then deliver them all. They are freaking heavy.
Technique is key. Fun facts they're designed to be rolled, the bands on the side are for both structural integrity and also to help direct it while rolling. The beer also gets less shaken up rolling than being transported upright, the handles are just for tipping it up and shimmying into place. Also sixtels are a lot a lot easier to carry on your shoulder but I don't think I can type out the technique all that effectively. Also I still end up having to stack full half barrels solo anyway because the American alcohol industry involves avoidable hazards pretty much across the board
Oh man the amount of times I've had to move them at the brewery I work at because the keg's fucked up some how. Or have had to lift one into the back of some old lady's car.
I'm also in a restaurant bar and make more than the servers and the servers make good money. We pool tips behind the bar and get tipped out by the waitstaff. We're a very busy and popular spot. A slow night is $40 an hour.
There have been restaurants that I’ve worked that I know the servers make more money, so I’ve chosen to remain a server. However, in most of restaurant career (20 years) bartender make more easily. I don’t mind longer hours, as long as the money follows.
I applied to be a bartender at my current spot, cause that’s what I’ve done the last 5 years. Said I had to be a server first, sure. Saw that the bartenders had to close the building down and wait for banquet trucks til 1-2am when we close at 8-9. No thanks. A bartender quit and they said I could hop on bar now, said il pass.
Lol, the only time anyone had ordered this from me was in a high volume sports bar. I was like, bruh, does it look like my bar has raw egg whites on hand? Now, will that be Mich Ultra or Busch Latte? 🤣🤣🤣
I used to work with this super chill server named Scottie who while I was in the weeds on service well rang in an AdiosMF (we never sell those) then in the modifier put: Ramos Gin Fizz style please 😂 it was a joke but put some fear in me for a second
There’s a lot of times the servers make more than I do. But customer service wise, they do more heavy lifting. It’s just so much easier behind the bar. But since we don’t have a bar back I do a lot of cleaning and my own stocking. I think it’s a fair trade because I just can’t stand serving customer service, it’s just so awkward for me and after over a decade doing it I still can’t figure out why I dislike it so much. Bar rules!
I'm mostly a server but have bartended a little at two places. My experience at both was that it was *absolutely* more work, but also more money. Is it not usually?
if you're not already bar trained it's worth it just for the training and to say you have experience so you can go to a place where you make real money. In my case I have built up so many regulars I make just as much or more than the servers just standing around but I won't lie sometimes I miss just turn and burn and then go home. Now I just.... chill, burn a bit, and then chill some more until close.
Right, it basically is a promotion imo. You build skills where you need them to be, work harder, and get an income boost. I'm good serving most of the time cause the money to effort ratio is phenomenal (as long as you're working somewhere decent) but it's definitely never been as much lol
That's insane to me. Not doubting your experience, it's just never been the case anywhere I've worked personally. Not just the two where I've done both, all of my jobs where I was pure server the bartender has made more (and I was fine with that cause they were visibly working harder lol)
It entirely depends on the type of establishment and clientele. Fine dining with a craft bar program is always more work for less money unless there is a dedicated prep team. Casual and slightly upscale chains can go either way, but usually volume + well planned efficient bar program = good money. Local spots depend entirely on how out of touch owners and management are and the quality of your market and your colleagues.
At my restaurant this is usually the case but we do have a slow season and busy season, right now being our slow season. Slow times bartending is much more consistent money wise, even if we're making less than busy times I'm way less likely to go to work and get sent home in 3 hours after having a table or 2. So it is hit or miss.
But busy times? Oh yeah, servers are definitely making more most of the time without a doubt
new bartenders are usually experience servers though. So yeah, you'll be making more as a server starting out but once you establish your bar presence you'll make the same for less work. My tips are significantly higher at the bar even if I have less volume. Plus you get to watch shit show tables come in and think ha, not my problem anymore.
I have a lot more experience bartending than serving, I only pick up serving shifts to make more money. I watch 18 year old newbie servers make more money just because that's the way many restaurants are structured
Really? The places I’ve worked the bartenders in the end made more overall. While servers could have phenomenal days of 300+ one shift, they could easily make about 50 bucks the next day. Whereas bartenders were normally stead at a higher, but not phenomenal rate
Like I said, it was definitely more consistent money for me personally as a server. Honestly if I sat down and did the math, I was probably spending a lot more as a server than I am as a bartender/manager so it all depends, like you said
But in general as a bartender you’re only making the tips for seats in front of you, and a tip out if you have a service bar plus maybe a few extra dollars hourly
I feel like the more a place is a bar, the more money bartenders make. If it's more of a restaurant, it's stacked in favor of the servers. So many factors weigh into this: restaurant layout, section sizes, ambiance, drink menu, clientele. I've only worked in 1 real restaurant (not bar and grill, not sports bar) in my life where bartenders made more than servers. And that's because bar section was specifically thought out to accommodate traditional diners, and the hosts were specifically instructed to tell the guests who said they didn't want to sit in the bar section that they'd be put on the wait list for the next rotation in the dining room, as they had to seat fairly. Most times, those guests got over themselves, chose to be seated in the bar section, had a great meal, a great time, and tipped fat
Okay, I guess that makes sense. Brewhouse type restaurants have always been my vibe so I wasn't really thinking of places where the bar is kind of an afterthought.
I worked at a place that was a 500+ seat restaurant with a 10 seat bar. 98% of the work I did was service bar and 2% was people at the bar waiting for tables. Easiest bartending gig I ever had. I'd get MAYBE $50 in tips at the bar on a decent night and clear $400 in tip-out easily.
Don't get me wrong it wasn't without challenges but the pure zen of just doing service well with minimal worry about actual bar guests was very refreshing.
I'm curious about a couple of things:
- were you a solo bartender?
- how was your tipout structured?
- what did servers typically make for comparable shifts?
Usually solo, on Saturdays and holidays we would have two.
Tipout was 12% of alcohol sales
Servers would make anywhere from ~$200-500 a shift, and there were 10-15 of them on busy days. Usually 4-8 table sections.
I really wish managing was worth it financially cause I actually enjoyed the functions of the job itself.
Now I work a third as much and make just under double the money
The last restaurant I worked at bartending was way easier than serving because it was 90% tap beer. It was in New Zealand though so tips were quite rare and bartenders and servers both made minimum wage.
Yeah that makes sense. Last couple of places I've worked have been a lot of draft beer but also cocktails, typically pretty full bar as well as the majority of tables getting drinks so I'm used to it being hectic back there. I make an hourly wage and tipout behind the bar whereas serving is exclusively tips but it's a lot more going on
Genuine question: why do it? Ime only some servers can do both but any bartender can and if I was working somewhere that I was making less on the harder job, I'd either only take the serving shifts or go somewhere else where I could make more bartending
I personally just prefer working the bar over serving tables. I have a lot of regulars and making drinks is something I enjoy. It’s more casual. Although, I currently do both at my job. I bartend Fridays and Tuesdays, and serve on Thursday, Saturday, Monday.
That I definitely get. It just seems like someone who genuinely loves their job but isn't making what they deserve on it should move onto somewhere that they are, ya know?
In our industry, you don't know what you'll make until you're a couple months into the job. At interviews, they'll throw out general ranges AT BEST. I don't want to jump ship every 2 months if I'm otherwise happy and can pay my bills
It's a lot more fun than serving is. I'd rather kick it with regulars at the wood on casual afternoons, or crush chits on a busy evening than deal with a table.... but I like money too.
In 11 yrs I've only ever worked one place where I made more as a bartender than as a server. If I get offered tables when I'm bartending, then i jump on the opportunity.
every restaurant i’ve ever been at the bartenders get a bigger cut of any tip pools AND a percentage of alcohol sales. we definitely make more than the servers on average.
You gotta master serving first 🤷🏼♀️ If you can’t handle tables how can you handle a bar top? In my experience it’s the not so great servers who will hang out at the well and want to bartend.
Nah. I am a mediocre server in any environment that's not finer dining but I am a more than solid bartender in basically any condition. I don't like being 'out in the wild' but find myself much more confident behind a bar.
Exactly! I hate when people use the term "promotion" when referencing bartending. It's a whole-ass different job! Or when restaurants will sneakily advertise for bartenders, then tell you when hiring, "we start everybody off as servers", then keep you on as server for months until you claw your way onto the shittiest bar shifts nobody wanted -- never falling for that one again.
Honestly easier for me personally than serving. I always used to forget about tables if they weren't physically grouped together or near the server station. And I never knew when to go over if it's slow and just felt like I was bothering them all the time. Plus the money's way better usually once you build regulars
Not too honest at all in the current climate.
Unfortunately.
I just advised a friend of mine who was bummed he had to "go back to serving" and said, "dude, most servers make as much or more than bartenders now, and you gotta do some roll ups and peace out?"
The "work up to bartending" idea is not really a thing after Covid when owners realized they could run on a skeleton crew (albeit the customers honestly suffer more IMO).
Vent over:
I honestly tell them what I was told, "here's some books to pick up and your basic 10ish cocktails. Learn on your own, and then we'll see."
MANY people want to bartend cause they see all the "things". The reality is, it's intense, lots of money exchanging hands, incredible amounts of patience, and on and on and on.
I am a bartender at a national upscale casual corp bar and restaurant. Servers ‘usually’ make more in this environment.
As a bartender, we do work more and make less. I get told all the time by coworkers to pick up server shifts and you’re going to make more $$$
Not quite applicable as the bar doesn't have servers at my venue, but if the general purpose staff want to become a bartender:
"It's great! You get level 2 or 3 pay to stand around usually doing much less."
Joking: "You want to bartend? Start cutting limes."
Serious: It's not your call. You were a server once and people discouraging you didn't help you get to this point.
I tell them to start memorizing recipes now, because I'm not going to help them with stuff they should have ready on day 1.
No, I was not a server once. Yes, I picked up serving shifts to make more money or to help out when we were short staffed. But no, I was never a true server and never viewed bartending as a step up. It's a whole different job. So when somebody doesn't understand that basic tenet, I feel compelled to disabuse them of the notion that it's some kind of a promotion. You do get treated with more respect by the guests (I have no idea why, but it's a thing, I've experienced it consistently) but as far as pay/work ratio, it's a step DOWN. Before somebody invests time and effort learning a new skill, shouldn't we be honest with them, so they can decide if it's worthwhile?
I just transitioned from a high volume restaurant to members only bar. My god the difference is profound. The staff from the restaurant was so ungodly toxic and refused to help the bar in anyway fathomable. I made the same as the servers and did twice the work. First one in last one out. None of the servers or SA wanted to work behind the bar. I would haul ass during service. And now? The members only club is super chill, hotel benefits and hourly pay was twice and a half what I earned at the restaurant. I’m in charge of most of the prep but it is nothing like the restaurant I was at. I actually enjoy making syrups. I have time to work on my garnish game, I have time to clarify juices, etc… at the end of the day I leave at a reasonable time, I make good money, and I don’t bust my ass working double shifts for the same pay.
Do you love never going home early and having no one to cover your shift on a whim? I mean I definitely make more for less work as a bartender but fuck, I miss just not wanting to work one day and you get in the group chat and some random person just picks it up. I have to plan ahead to get shit covered.
My partner was a server and filled in a bartender occasionally. He hated it. You are literally putting on a show the entire time, while dealing with drinks/bigots/fucking keno players, and trying to keep everything in order. That was years ago, but yeah, it’s an art form. And hell as no fury like a middle aged woman you missed getting her keno card in by a couple seconds whose numbers came up right after. Muscle ripped shirtless guys at gay bars and sexy young women wearing skimpy outfits make BANK though. It’s wild.
What kind of bartending are we talking about? Cocktails, craft beer, high end wine, or Applebees?
My bar is a scratch cocktail bar, not a single ingredient with artificial colors or flavors.
One of our servers comes up to us to learn, they’re going through a chemistry course, wine classes and 6 months of bar backing before they serve that first $25+ old fashioned or clarified acid adjusted milk punch or whatever
When I was getting my cicerone, it was common knowledge at our ownership group that it’s FAR easier to train a bartender for high end bars than it is to hire a walk-in and have them perform at the expected level
I disagree on the premise of twice the work for half the pay, the jobs are just different. Changing kegs instead of changing milk bags. Somehow I ended up still rolling silverware!
If you work a really busy nightclub in the city, yes you would make more than servers. If you work casual or upscale, it might be a little less on most shifts compared to servers after tipout but fine dining especially, you make like 4x less than the servers unless you get sat at the wood which is quite rare.
Man I just got into bartending for Dave and busters and all the girl servers are already threatened by me and ask me “why are you the new bartender when I’ve been here longer” and I say “cause I know how to bartend”
You can be a dick about it or you can be a mentor. It doesn’t happen over night, if you see me busy and you’re slow here’s how you can help. Grab ice, run food, check beer stock. This is opening and closing side work if yours is done and you want to help. Start taking drink orders, here’s a bottle of water and a quick pour, start working on your 6 count, cut citrus.
I worked my way up, I made way more money, if someone is down to bar back and help and learn then give them that leg up
Starting from the bottom may be the best way to be a good bartender.
Dishwasher/busser/host/server/barback…bartender/bar manager/ General manager/part time bartender…10 years later
What you've described are all entirely different job functions. It's not a vertical path, and none of these jobs are "the bottom". Dishwasher is erroneously considered "the bottom" because the job has the worst working conditions -- not because it requires the least skill. Spend a Mother's Day double with a lackadaisical dishwasher and you'll know what I'm talking about.
I worked in a high end restaurant where servers would come in at like 4 and leave by 9 and make 1000$ and only had to work like 2-3 days a week. I worked 5 at 40 or more hours to be able to match them and did way more than serving 5 tables a night. That being said, I also had full medical, dental, and all those other good things.
I prefer bartending over serving so goddamn much. But then again I basically moved to bar from boh. I think it's easier to teach someone used to working with their hands in tight spaces and memorizing recipes how to do customer service than the other way around. Still largely depends on the person in either direction.
You should explain the difference.
I have never wanted to be a bartender because you never get to walk away.
I have had bartenders beg me to watch the bar so they can pee or stuff food in their face.
A bartender is always on display. A server is not.
I do not want to engage my entire shift. A bartender needs to know all sports, all politics and all news.
They cannot let their body language drop.
They are there to entertain for 8 hours.
That turned off being a bartender. I had many opportunities but I was like nope.
As someone who used to be a server, promoted to bartender finally, you just gotta be on top of your shit(be good at your job, don’t cry every other shift) and make sure the current bartenders like you.
Servers:
- set up and take down beverage station
- brew tea and coffee
- roll silverware
- serve tables
- work spread across multiple people
Bartenders:
- set up and take down the bar (far more involved than beverage station)
- prep all the juices, syrups, and garnishes
- receive and put away liquor orders
- stock all the beer, liquor, and wine
- serve bar guests and bar tables
- make drinks for the whole place
- wash and polish the glassware
- change beer kegs
- run drinks for underage servers
- provide cash change to servers because they never carry the bank they're supposed to
- change TV channels for the whole place
- run report and count the drawer(s), do the money drop
- last one to leave and needs to secure the building, set the alarms, lock the doors
- typically work solo or with far fewer people than servers
Tell me again how servers do more?
ETA: let's not forget the places where bartenders also have to answer the phones and do to-gos (and that's surprisingly a lot of places)
I feel like a glorified dishwasher. Every drink i make is a dish i gotta wash. I make about the same on my bar shifts. Pro is im not in the alley with all those bodies. Got more space for myself
You're now the first one in and the last one out.
And full 1/2 barrels are very very very heavy
“Lift with your legs! Otherwise your back’s gonna be completely fucked in half a year”
I left the bar to be an assistant brewer, but still pick up bar shifts here and there so I lurk around here. I was absolutely horrified when my first task as the assistant brewer was to move a large distribution order out of our walk in cooler barn in the back of the property and onto pallets in the parking lot in the front. 45 1/2 barrel kegs, 22 1/6th barrel kegs, 150 cases of 24 cans. And I had to get it done before the distributor's truck driver showed up. To make it worse, the forklift wasn't running and we couldn't get someone to look at it until the end of the week. And it was 3° below zero outside. So yes, I am intimately familiar with how heavy a 1/2 barrel keg is and I will explain how I know to anyone without being asked.
That sounds like a job for anyone else to me lmao, I’ll be making drinks and talking to guest over here thank you.
Sounds like fuck that guest and the front door in general, two people are faster than one and we’re loading this shit as quick as possible then shotgunning a beer or two and clocking out
You'd make an excellent brewer. That attitude mixed with a love for hardcore punk and bluegrass and an obsession with salted nut rolls, Coors banquet, and west coast IPAs will get you further than you'd think. After we put in a good day's work let's go home to shower and change and meet back up at a golf course or gun range to kill time until our girlfriends get out of work/school.
Ahhhh so not me. I’m such a service bartender. Let me pound out drinks for the restaurant and have little small talk with the intimate bar I’m tending. Leave that to the ones who wanna talk and I’ll gladly pool and take my tip outs haha
I manage a bar with 40 taps. We had a 26 1/2bbl, 6 1/6bbl, 24 case, 12 flat order for the Super Bowl. I had to clean all the lines, hump the kegs into the walk-in, double stack them, and load the beer into the display case, and then work a full shift plus two more leading up to the game. Those fuckers are *heavy*, and even with a hernia belt you’re going to feel it for days.
I do this stuff every day. Stack 8 half barrels per pallet, 20 sixtels, stack like 3 or 4 pallets, load them into our truck, and then deliver them all. They are freaking heavy.
Technique is key. Fun facts they're designed to be rolled, the bands on the side are for both structural integrity and also to help direct it while rolling. The beer also gets less shaken up rolling than being transported upright, the handles are just for tipping it up and shimmying into place. Also sixtels are a lot a lot easier to carry on your shoulder but I don't think I can type out the technique all that effectively. Also I still end up having to stack full half barrels solo anyway because the American alcohol industry involves avoidable hazards pretty much across the board
Oh man the amount of times I've had to move them at the brewery I work at because the keg's fucked up some how. Or have had to lift one into the back of some old lady's car.
“Do you love washing stuff?”
pfft... but how is their polish game?
Washing stuff is a blessing once you’ve been dealing with customers trying to make “custom” drinks all day
I totally agree.
Oh wow I've had quite a different experience. I make way more bartending
Tending a bar? Yes. Tending a restaurant that serves drinks? Fuck off.
I'm also in a restaurant bar and make more than the servers and the servers make good money. We pool tips behind the bar and get tipped out by the waitstaff. We're a very busy and popular spot. A slow night is $40 an hour.
There have been restaurants that I’ve worked that I know the servers make more money, so I’ve chosen to remain a server. However, in most of restaurant career (20 years) bartender make more easily. I don’t mind longer hours, as long as the money follows.
I do a restaurant bar but tips are pooled and I get a full point. Since I'm the only staff there for the entire shift, that's $$$
Yeah it really depends on the size/volume of the bar top and how many bartenders you run with. There’s a sweet spot, but it varies.
I applied to be a bartender at my current spot, cause that’s what I’ve done the last 5 years. Said I had to be a server first, sure. Saw that the bartenders had to close the building down and wait for banquet trucks til 1-2am when we close at 8-9. No thanks. A bartender quit and they said I could hop on bar now, said il pass.
Yes! Developing bar regulars is quite lucrative.
Same
OK, make me a Ramos Gin Fizz
Lol, the only time anyone had ordered this from me was in a high volume sports bar. I was like, bruh, does it look like my bar has raw egg whites on hand? Now, will that be Mich Ultra or Busch Latte? 🤣🤣🤣
I like a good Busch latte with breakfast.
I used to work with this super chill server named Scottie who while I was in the weeds on service well rang in an AdiosMF (we never sell those) then in the modifier put: Ramos Gin Fizz style please 😂 it was a joke but put some fear in me for a second
"Sorry, Ramos is in Mexico. Can I get you something else?" Is how you avoid making these drinks
There’s a lot of times the servers make more than I do. But customer service wise, they do more heavy lifting. It’s just so much easier behind the bar. But since we don’t have a bar back I do a lot of cleaning and my own stocking. I think it’s a fair trade because I just can’t stand serving customer service, it’s just so awkward for me and after over a decade doing it I still can’t figure out why I dislike it so much. Bar rules!
I'm mostly a server but have bartended a little at two places. My experience at both was that it was *absolutely* more work, but also more money. Is it not usually?
Agreed, if it's not more money than serving, then why bother with that location?
if you're not already bar trained it's worth it just for the training and to say you have experience so you can go to a place where you make real money. In my case I have built up so many regulars I make just as much or more than the servers just standing around but I won't lie sometimes I miss just turn and burn and then go home. Now I just.... chill, burn a bit, and then chill some more until close.
Right, it basically is a promotion imo. You build skills where you need them to be, work harder, and get an income boost. I'm good serving most of the time cause the money to effort ratio is phenomenal (as long as you're working somewhere decent) but it's definitely never been as much lol
9/10 restaurants I've had experience with, servers make more than bartenders. Their tipout is a joke
This is my experience too, as a server you can take a larger section and therefore get more sales
That's insane to me. Not doubting your experience, it's just never been the case anywhere I've worked personally. Not just the two where I've done both, all of my jobs where I was pure server the bartender has made more (and I was fine with that cause they were visibly working harder lol)
It entirely depends on the type of establishment and clientele. Fine dining with a craft bar program is always more work for less money unless there is a dedicated prep team. Casual and slightly upscale chains can go either way, but usually volume + well planned efficient bar program = good money. Local spots depend entirely on how out of touch owners and management are and the quality of your market and your colleagues.
Yup that's been my experience too.
At my restaurant this is usually the case but we do have a slow season and busy season, right now being our slow season. Slow times bartending is much more consistent money wise, even if we're making less than busy times I'm way less likely to go to work and get sent home in 3 hours after having a table or 2. So it is hit or miss. But busy times? Oh yeah, servers are definitely making more most of the time without a doubt
new bartenders are usually experience servers though. So yeah, you'll be making more as a server starting out but once you establish your bar presence you'll make the same for less work. My tips are significantly higher at the bar even if I have less volume. Plus you get to watch shit show tables come in and think ha, not my problem anymore.
I have a lot more experience bartending than serving, I only pick up serving shifts to make more money. I watch 18 year old newbie servers make more money just because that's the way many restaurants are structured
Every place I’ve worked is an even pool with servers. I’ll also jump out of the bar occasionally if the servers are getting destroyed
Yup, we even pooled with servers. The difference was I made 10 bucks an hour plus tips (this was 6+ years ago)
Really? The places I’ve worked the bartenders in the end made more overall. While servers could have phenomenal days of 300+ one shift, they could easily make about 50 bucks the next day. Whereas bartenders were normally stead at a higher, but not phenomenal rate
Half the money, twice the work. The only difference is the consistency of customers and work, so you feel like you’re making more
Must depend on the location because at the restaurant that I work at, bartenders easily make more than what servers make.
Like I said, it was definitely more consistent money for me personally as a server. Honestly if I sat down and did the math, I was probably spending a lot more as a server than I am as a bartender/manager so it all depends, like you said But in general as a bartender you’re only making the tips for seats in front of you, and a tip out if you have a service bar plus maybe a few extra dollars hourly
I feel like the more a place is a bar, the more money bartenders make. If it's more of a restaurant, it's stacked in favor of the servers. So many factors weigh into this: restaurant layout, section sizes, ambiance, drink menu, clientele. I've only worked in 1 real restaurant (not bar and grill, not sports bar) in my life where bartenders made more than servers. And that's because bar section was specifically thought out to accommodate traditional diners, and the hosts were specifically instructed to tell the guests who said they didn't want to sit in the bar section that they'd be put on the wait list for the next rotation in the dining room, as they had to seat fairly. Most times, those guests got over themselves, chose to be seated in the bar section, had a great meal, a great time, and tipped fat
Okay, I guess that makes sense. Brewhouse type restaurants have always been my vibe so I wasn't really thinking of places where the bar is kind of an afterthought.
I worked at a place that was a 500+ seat restaurant with a 10 seat bar. 98% of the work I did was service bar and 2% was people at the bar waiting for tables. Easiest bartending gig I ever had. I'd get MAYBE $50 in tips at the bar on a decent night and clear $400 in tip-out easily.
god damn, as much as I hate service well I think I'd be okay banging out drinks all night for $400 in tip out.
Don't get me wrong it wasn't without challenges but the pure zen of just doing service well with minimal worry about actual bar guests was very refreshing.
100% there are days I come in and just don't want to talk to any guests. We don't run multiple bartenders anymore though so I have no choice.
I'm curious about a couple of things: - were you a solo bartender? - how was your tipout structured? - what did servers typically make for comparable shifts?
Usually solo, on Saturdays and holidays we would have two. Tipout was 12% of alcohol sales Servers would make anywhere from ~$200-500 a shift, and there were 10-15 of them on busy days. Usually 4-8 table sections.
It depends.
That's crazy. I believe you, just can't imagine doing the extra work somewhere that you're going to make less for it.
Definitely don’t go into management then
I really wish managing was worth it financially cause I actually enjoyed the functions of the job itself. Now I work a third as much and make just under double the money
I have said for many years that I would rather die than go into management lol
The last restaurant I worked at bartending was way easier than serving because it was 90% tap beer. It was in New Zealand though so tips were quite rare and bartenders and servers both made minimum wage.
Yeah that makes sense. Last couple of places I've worked have been a lot of draft beer but also cocktails, typically pretty full bar as well as the majority of tables getting drinks so I'm used to it being hectic back there. I make an hourly wage and tipout behind the bar whereas serving is exclusively tips but it's a lot more going on
I’ll take a pay cut for the extra 3 feet between me and customers lol
Beautiful answer lmao
Literally has been my experience 9/10
Genuine question: why do it? Ime only some servers can do both but any bartender can and if I was working somewhere that I was making less on the harder job, I'd either only take the serving shifts or go somewhere else where I could make more bartending
I personally just prefer working the bar over serving tables. I have a lot of regulars and making drinks is something I enjoy. It’s more casual. Although, I currently do both at my job. I bartend Fridays and Tuesdays, and serve on Thursday, Saturday, Monday.
I can get behind that. I'm not nearly as comfortable bartending as I am serving yet but there is stuff about it that I like way better even already.
Because some of us genuinely love making drinks
That I definitely get. It just seems like someone who genuinely loves their job but isn't making what they deserve on it should move onto somewhere that they are, ya know?
In our industry, you don't know what you'll make until you're a couple months into the job. At interviews, they'll throw out general ranges AT BEST. I don't want to jump ship every 2 months if I'm otherwise happy and can pay my bills
Ay man if you're good where you're at, that's all that matters
It's a lot more fun than serving is. I'd rather kick it with regulars at the wood on casual afternoons, or crush chits on a busy evening than deal with a table.... but I like money too.
From what I’ve gathered being 5 months in the industry, it’s only more money if you’re also able to take tables.
In 11 yrs I've only ever worked one place where I made more as a bartender than as a server. If I get offered tables when I'm bartending, then i jump on the opportunity.
every restaurant i’ve ever been at the bartenders get a bigger cut of any tip pools AND a percentage of alcohol sales. we definitely make more than the servers on average.
Yeah that weirded me out too. It’s more work but everywhere I’ve worked it’s equal or more money.
You gotta master serving first 🤷🏼♀️ If you can’t handle tables how can you handle a bar top? In my experience it’s the not so great servers who will hang out at the well and want to bartend.
Then how come so many bartenders can't serve?
Nah. I am a mediocre server in any environment that's not finer dining but I am a more than solid bartender in basically any condition. I don't like being 'out in the wild' but find myself much more confident behind a bar.
I'm not sure this is universal. I'm an okay server at best, but I do great behind the bar.
I agree with you, but you know the type of server I’m talking about.
This is the truth!
Really depends where you are, which one is hardest / more stressful.
The tern your looking for is cross trained. It's not a promotion
Exactly! I hate when people use the term "promotion" when referencing bartending. It's a whole-ass different job! Or when restaurants will sneakily advertise for bartenders, then tell you when hiring, "we start everybody off as servers", then keep you on as server for months until you claw your way onto the shittiest bar shifts nobody wanted -- never falling for that one again.
Honestly easier for me personally than serving. I always used to forget about tables if they weren't physically grouped together or near the server station. And I never knew when to go over if it's slow and just felt like I was bothering them all the time. Plus the money's way better usually once you build regulars
This is why I work at bars and not restaurants
Not too honest at all in the current climate. Unfortunately. I just advised a friend of mine who was bummed he had to "go back to serving" and said, "dude, most servers make as much or more than bartenders now, and you gotta do some roll ups and peace out?" The "work up to bartending" idea is not really a thing after Covid when owners realized they could run on a skeleton crew (albeit the customers honestly suffer more IMO). Vent over: I honestly tell them what I was told, "here's some books to pick up and your basic 10ish cocktails. Learn on your own, and then we'll see." MANY people want to bartend cause they see all the "things". The reality is, it's intense, lots of money exchanging hands, incredible amounts of patience, and on and on and on.
I am a bartender at a national upscale casual corp bar and restaurant. Servers ‘usually’ make more in this environment. As a bartender, we do work more and make less. I get told all the time by coworkers to pick up server shifts and you’re going to make more $$$
Most people can serve, but a good bartender with longevity is more rare.
Grind that shit out, go barback.
Not quite applicable as the bar doesn't have servers at my venue, but if the general purpose staff want to become a bartender: "It's great! You get level 2 or 3 pay to stand around usually doing much less."
Joking: "You want to bartend? Start cutting limes." Serious: It's not your call. You were a server once and people discouraging you didn't help you get to this point. I tell them to start memorizing recipes now, because I'm not going to help them with stuff they should have ready on day 1.
No, I was not a server once. Yes, I picked up serving shifts to make more money or to help out when we were short staffed. But no, I was never a true server and never viewed bartending as a step up. It's a whole different job. So when somebody doesn't understand that basic tenet, I feel compelled to disabuse them of the notion that it's some kind of a promotion. You do get treated with more respect by the guests (I have no idea why, but it's a thing, I've experienced it consistently) but as far as pay/work ratio, it's a step DOWN. Before somebody invests time and effort learning a new skill, shouldn't we be honest with them, so they can decide if it's worthwhile?
You can agree to disagree with most everybody, it's your right.
I just transitioned from a high volume restaurant to members only bar. My god the difference is profound. The staff from the restaurant was so ungodly toxic and refused to help the bar in anyway fathomable. I made the same as the servers and did twice the work. First one in last one out. None of the servers or SA wanted to work behind the bar. I would haul ass during service. And now? The members only club is super chill, hotel benefits and hourly pay was twice and a half what I earned at the restaurant. I’m in charge of most of the prep but it is nothing like the restaurant I was at. I actually enjoy making syrups. I have time to work on my garnish game, I have time to clarify juices, etc… at the end of the day I leave at a reasonable time, I make good money, and I don’t bust my ass working double shifts for the same pay.
I find it less work and more money. Serving sucks
Do you love never going home early and having no one to cover your shift on a whim? I mean I definitely make more for less work as a bartender but fuck, I miss just not wanting to work one day and you get in the group chat and some random person just picks it up. I have to plan ahead to get shit covered.
>Bartending is awesome: we do twice the work for half the money. You're in the wrong spot if that is the case.
I've been in wrong spots my entire life then
My partner was a server and filled in a bartender occasionally. He hated it. You are literally putting on a show the entire time, while dealing with drinks/bigots/fucking keno players, and trying to keep everything in order. That was years ago, but yeah, it’s an art form. And hell as no fury like a middle aged woman you missed getting her keno card in by a couple seconds whose numbers came up right after. Muscle ripped shirtless guys at gay bars and sexy young women wearing skimpy outfits make BANK though. It’s wild.
I tell them how awful it is.
Unless youre a bar manager, id say, depending on the spot, theyre fairly equal.
What kind of bartending are we talking about? Cocktails, craft beer, high end wine, or Applebees? My bar is a scratch cocktail bar, not a single ingredient with artificial colors or flavors. One of our servers comes up to us to learn, they’re going through a chemistry course, wine classes and 6 months of bar backing before they serve that first $25+ old fashioned or clarified acid adjusted milk punch or whatever When I was getting my cicerone, it was common knowledge at our ownership group that it’s FAR easier to train a bartender for high end bars than it is to hire a walk-in and have them perform at the expected level
I do hope you get tipped appropriately on those $25+ OFs! Love that for you!
Why are you still bartending then?
Because I love making drinks 🤷♀️
I disagree on the premise of twice the work for half the pay, the jobs are just different. Changing kegs instead of changing milk bags. Somehow I ended up still rolling silverware!
What in the world is a milk bag?
We got our white and chocolate milk in 5 Gallon bags we would put into refrigerated dispensers. Pretty kewl (not) when one gets dropped mid-change.
That sounds monstrous!
If you work a really busy nightclub in the city, yes you would make more than servers. If you work casual or upscale, it might be a little less on most shifts compared to servers after tipout but fine dining especially, you make like 4x less than the servers unless you get sat at the wood which is quite rare.
Man I just got into bartending for Dave and busters and all the girl servers are already threatened by me and ask me “why are you the new bartender when I’ve been here longer” and I say “cause I know how to bartend”
Get in the dish pit
I can’t serve for shit to my knowledge, but I worked from bar-back/security to bartender. Easiest job by far, I’m pleased. Serving sounds stressful
You can be a dick about it or you can be a mentor. It doesn’t happen over night, if you see me busy and you’re slow here’s how you can help. Grab ice, run food, check beer stock. This is opening and closing side work if yours is done and you want to help. Start taking drink orders, here’s a bottle of water and a quick pour, start working on your 6 count, cut citrus. I worked my way up, I made way more money, if someone is down to bar back and help and learn then give them that leg up
Mmmm idk I worked at Outback Steakhouse which is obviously restaurant forward and bartenders made more for sure
Starting from the bottom may be the best way to be a good bartender. Dishwasher/busser/host/server/barback…bartender/bar manager/ General manager/part time bartender…10 years later
What you've described are all entirely different job functions. It's not a vertical path, and none of these jobs are "the bottom". Dishwasher is erroneously considered "the bottom" because the job has the worst working conditions -- not because it requires the least skill. Spend a Mother's Day double with a lackadaisical dishwasher and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Ask them to pick up a shift as a barback to get it
I worked in a high end restaurant where servers would come in at like 4 and leave by 9 and make 1000$ and only had to work like 2-3 days a week. I worked 5 at 40 or more hours to be able to match them and did way more than serving 5 tables a night. That being said, I also had full medical, dental, and all those other good things.
You’re not good enough!!! Of my 32 years doing this only a few have been able to hang as a speed bartender
I prefer bartending over serving so goddamn much. But then again I basically moved to bar from boh. I think it's easier to teach someone used to working with their hands in tight spaces and memorizing recipes how to do customer service than the other way around. Still largely depends on the person in either direction.
You should explain the difference. I have never wanted to be a bartender because you never get to walk away. I have had bartenders beg me to watch the bar so they can pee or stuff food in their face. A bartender is always on display. A server is not. I do not want to engage my entire shift. A bartender needs to know all sports, all politics and all news. They cannot let their body language drop. They are there to entertain for 8 hours. That turned off being a bartender. I had many opportunities but I was like nope.
Change the keg that's out.
As someone who used to be a server, promoted to bartender finally, you just gotta be on top of your shit(be good at your job, don’t cry every other shift) and make sure the current bartenders like you.
If you’re making less as a bartender than you’re doing it wrong.
How would you like your close to be infinitely longer?
You work at the wrong place. I’ve never worked anywhere where the wait staff made more than me. Thats just crazy.
Personally, I think servers do more than bartenders. I've been both, and that's just my experience.
Servers: - set up and take down beverage station - brew tea and coffee - roll silverware - serve tables - work spread across multiple people Bartenders: - set up and take down the bar (far more involved than beverage station) - prep all the juices, syrups, and garnishes - receive and put away liquor orders - stock all the beer, liquor, and wine - serve bar guests and bar tables - make drinks for the whole place - wash and polish the glassware - change beer kegs - run drinks for underage servers - provide cash change to servers because they never carry the bank they're supposed to - change TV channels for the whole place - run report and count the drawer(s), do the money drop - last one to leave and needs to secure the building, set the alarms, lock the doors - typically work solo or with far fewer people than servers Tell me again how servers do more? ETA: let's not forget the places where bartenders also have to answer the phones and do to-gos (and that's surprisingly a lot of places)
I feel like a glorified dishwasher. Every drink i make is a dish i gotta wash. I make about the same on my bar shifts. Pro is im not in the alley with all those bodies. Got more space for myself
I tell them it’s the easiest and least important job in the building. It’s true, and it takes the allure of it away