Bar Work....

gamerTM21

gamerTM21

gamerTM21

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Joined
25 Jan 2008
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1,243
Location
West Midlands
Hey guys,
Through a friend, I've managed to get a few hours on Friday working at a bar, which could turn into a permanent job.
Now I've done bar work for a catering company before, but as we done houses etc. I've never been behind an actual bar with taps and till etc. Just wondering if there's anything I should know which will be quite different from what I did? A bit anxious that I might be a bit lost :p
 
I did it at Uni.

Don't ignore people, just serve people in order. That's my 1 and only tip lol. Drives me mental if im being ignored at a bar.
 
Can echo Efour's comment, keep an eye on who was there first. It can be difficult at first but you'll be surprised at how quickly you can get the hang of it.
 
And if someone who obviously just forced themselves to the front of the bar and starts moaning and they've been waiting forever don't serve them at all. #1 rule.
 
larger top = lager then lemonade on top

someone might say lemonade goes in the bottom, say "ask for a bottom next time then"

dont charge for the splash of lemonade
 
Thanks for the advice guys, useful stuff so far :)
@Pish, is it literally just a dash of lemonade on a normal pint? I am working from midday for a few hours so I shouldn't really get many exotic orders apart from beer/cider and wine.
Just worried about the head rule on pints etc. I was bigged up by my mate to the manager so want to make a good impression :p
 
Expect some people to be rude, especially women who wear very little. They will think they're above you.
 
Be friendly, have a chat to people and if they say have one for yourself don't take it from the till, take it from their change once in your hand.

Saves accusations!

Another thing, if you're bored and it's quiet - clean! Time to lean, time to clean.

I am often disgusting by the state of sum bars I go into, especially ones which are meant to be more upmarket. A simple wipe of the bar every now and then will keep customers happy and no complaints.
I used to always make it obvious that I was checking glasses for lipstick and other marks. I send my glasses back if they're dirty, expect your customers to do it too!
 
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PwnDirect said:
look after the regulars & they look after you ;)
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This this and this. The hardest thing when i worked in a pub was remembering how much head each regular liked on his pint. Soon as i started picking that up i ended the night with 4 or 5 pints to my name :D

And they help out when the rude loudmouths are giving you stick
 
Skillmister said:
This this and this. The hardest thing when i worked in a pub was remembering how much head each regular liked on his pint. Soon as i started picking that up i ended the night with 4 or 5 pints to my name :D

And they help out when the rude loudmouths are giving you stick
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When I worked in a bar. the regulars were the rude ones that thought they should be served before everyone else waiting.

Best tip I can give is to get in with the manager / owner. Leads to some good nights after they have closed along with a lot more slack / perks than you might otherwise get.
 
There is no real way other than to learn on the job, you will pick it up pretty quickly, but the first shift is always a challenge.

I did my first ever bar work in a very busy bar and it was a nightmare trying to get all the drinks right, find things on the till etc when you had loads of people waiting.
I'm sure I had lots of wastage and I remember a few of the local gypsies were trying it on with the notes they gave me too.

Similarly I had another job in a very posh wine bar, it was quiet, but you had to know how to mix loads of cocktails and the names of all the different liquor and wines they sold. So it was trying to get it done without looking clueless and doing it with some speed.
 
fez said:
When I worked in a bar. the regulars were the rude ones that thought they should be served before everyone else waiting.

Best tip I can give is to get in with the manager / owner. Leads to some good nights after they have closed along with a lot more slack / perks than you might otherwise get.
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Well, I'm kind of seeing the girl who got me the work at the moment, and she's in good with the manager, so as long as I do well on Friday I've got a nice little head start there :p
 
Nexus said:
There is no real way other than to learn on the job, you will pick it up pretty quickly, but the first shift is always a challenge.

I did my first ever bar work in a very busy bar and it was a nightmare trying to get all the drinks right, find things on the till etc when you had loads of people waiting.
I'm sure I had lots of wastage and I remember a few of the local gypsies were trying it on with the notes they gave me too.

Similarly I had another job in a very posh wine bar, it was quiet, but you had to know how to mix loads of cocktails and the names of all the different liquor and wines they sold. So it was trying to get it done without looking clueless and doing it with some speed.
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This is what I'm expecting really, I just need to go out there with my confidence full, and then I tend to get things done, when I act unsure then I start to mess things up! Although I went in on Monday to hand my CV in, around 4pm, and outside was fairly busy with all the people eating etc. but inside was pretty much empty and there was only 1 person at the bar, so heres hoping, but it is a Friday so I expect the worst :p
 
gamerTM21 said:
Thanks for the advice guys, useful stuff so far :)
@Pish, is it literally just a dash of lemonade on a normal pint? I am working from midday for a few hours so I shouldn't really get many exotic orders apart from beer/cider and wine.
Just worried about the head rule on pints etc. I was bigged up by my mate to the manager so want to make a good impression :p
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its about 2-3cm to top up the pint, everyone has a different view on this though

If the pub has a kitchen offer drinks to the cooks (esp if this weather continues), when I did this i ended up getting bigger and better lunches than management/owner. Nothing better than sitting down with a pint (bought by the regs) and a full roast (supplied by the kitchen) and watching the management sit down with his waffer thin ham sandwich
 
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