Responsibilities of the Bartender

The bartender is often thought of as a person who simply makes drinks. In reality, there is much more to the job than meets the eye. In the majority of cases, the bartending job title entails many duties and responsibilities. It is believed to be the second oldest profession behind politics.

There are even schools to teach bartending techniques and terminology, mixed drink recipes, the different types of alcohol, and many other things that most folks do not really stop and think about when the person behind the bar is taking their drink order.

Quite often, the ambiance within any establishment will be dependent upon the personality of the individual, or individuals who are tending the bar, since they are often part of the entertainment. This is particularly true in the case of flair bartenders. A feisty and fun guy or gal behind the bar tends to be infectious and rub of on patrons in the bar making them happy and in high spirits.

It is obvious therefore, that as well as having to learn bartending skills this profession also demands that you are a people person as well. You will likely have to listen to confessions as well as being an agony aunt to your customers. In addition, you will have to entertain as well as serving as an age patroller since it is your responsibility to ensure that everybody you serve is of legal drinking age. As you can see barkeeping duties are definitely not limited to mixing drinks.

In addition to basic bartending and dependent upon the type of establishment, the bartender will also likely to be responsible for maintaining the supplies for the bar. This can include all the usual bar paraphernalia including the liquor, the glassware, napkins, ingredients needed to mix cocktails along with anything else that may be required or used behind the bar. In a restaurant bar, there may even be appetizers or other food items, and an updated inventory must be kept.

In the majority of these environments, irrespective of where it is, the individual tending the bar is usually responsible for collecting the money. Once again, depending on the establishment, the customers may be allowed to run a tab, which means that the server will be responsible for keeping the tab and collecting payment at the end of the evening. This is a big responsibility since many patrons order more than one drink each.

The next time you order a drink at a bar, think about everything that a bartender has to do. Not only does he or she have to cater to your wishes, but they also have many other customers and responsibilities. It may seem like they have a very simple job, but remember that you are only one of perhaps hundreds of folks that the bartender has to cater to on any given night. Remember that the next time a bartender is a little slow making your drink order.