I'm training a new full-time bartender today. What is the one thing you appreciate most out of a bartender? Looks, service, humor, knowledge, strong drinks??
edythe,
Kol Tregaskes,
Lindsay,
FFing Enigma,
Morton Fox,
Scoble, Alex Scoble,
Holly is Happy,
Jack Lhasa,
Lola Bean (Penguin),
and
Mathew A. Koeneker
liked this
I like attention to details.
- Ben Hanten
A low cut blouse.
- Tony C (Unrated)
Service and humor. I don't like it when a bartender's curt with me. I'm much more likely to leave a big tip if they're funny. Also, strong drinks.
- Lis
Earl, does anyone under the age of 40 wear a blouse?
- Ben Hanten
Noticing who was already waiting for a drink rather than just serving who's prettiest or the squeakiest wheel first.
- Spidra Webster
Sounds like something somebody wears when they sit on the davenport, watching their programs. :)
- Ben Hanten
Yeah service is key with drink making ability a close second. A bartender who's friendly and fast but puts too much vodka in the tonic isn't worth much, and it's also true that a surly bartender who's slow but gets the drink just right isn't worth much either.
- Scoble, Alex Scoble
Call it a low cut top then if you prefer. :D
- Tony C (Unrated)
A huge club owner once told me to line up 20 applicants and hire the biggest smartass of the group. I've found that not to be very good advice. The best bartenders at my place are the ones who can keep a solo person engaged, but knows how to stay out of other people's conversations.
- Ben Hanten
Have 'em all make the same drink and toss the half that can't make a drink to save their lives. Have the remaining half pair up and carry on a conversation while making the same drink: toss the half that can't do two tasks at once. Interview the remaining applicants and keep the one that cracks you up.
- FFing Enigma
Tina, that makes all the sense in the world... If we were blessed with that many great applicants in this town of 20,000
- Ben Hanten
Well, how many applicants do you have? You could probably do the last two steps even with just 2 applicants...
- FFing Enigma
Sure. We had about 20 applicants this round. I've already made my hire in this case -- just seeing what's most important to you guys in a bartender.
- Ben Hanten
Gotta be a conversationalist...for all of us who find ourselves alone at the bar.
- Thhfbeer_nate
Nate, I'm with you. I can teach you to pour drinks; it's much harder to teach you to be good with people.
- Ben Hanten
For me Service = Tip
- Cody Heitschmidt
Yeah, Nick I seem to remember you wanting a triple...
- Ben Hanten
It all depends on your venue, its location, and the type of your denizens as well as what moods they are in. Some bartenders will thrive in some places and wither at others. Plus, we always had Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest to weed out any that couldn't make the cut. Best time to move up from a barback slot is festy season.
- Mathew A. Koeneker
Sobriety
- Robert Kenney
knowledge and amiability
- Jack Lhasa
strong drinks.
- edythe
Thanks for all the comments. Chris, the new bartender, found my Twitter page and found this thread. I think we have a good one; maybe not the low cut blouse, but... Thanks for your thoughts
- Ben Hanten