Bartender: What is the cost of hiring?

Why recruit a bartender

A professional bartender ideally has excellent knowledge of beverages and mixology. They will be able to guide your customers through the choices available on your premises, making your selection of drinks enticing regardless of the price tag. Therefore, a passionate and knowledgeable bartender can help drive sales up. They can also build your bar’s reputation in your local area. A bartender that is easy to get along with will help boost the morale of your front of house team. This will provide an enjoyable working atmosphere for customers and staff alike. 

Qualities of a great bartender:

– In-depth knowledge of beers, ales, spirits, wines, non-alcoholic beverages and mixology

– Knowledge of health and safety regulations, preferably with a food hygiene certificate

– Able to get customers excited about your recipes and range of beverages

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance bartender

Whether you look for a bartender on a contract or permanent basis will depend on what your current staffing situation looks like, as well as your budget. If you already have a team of experienced, well-trained bartenders but are unusually busy during holiday periods, you might hire a bartender on a contract to cover this period. For catering companies, hiring a contract bartender may also be useful if you are covering one-off events such as parties and weddings.

However, if you are looking to replace an experienced bartender who has just left the position, you might want to recruit someone with matching experience on a permanent basis. This is also a good idea if you are starting up a new bar, pub or venue, and need experienced team players who can help draw customers to your business.

What are the different types of bartender?

Which kind of bartender is right for your business will depend on the duties that need fulfilling in your workplace. It will also depend on what kind of business you have in the hospitality sector. Additionally, you may be looking for a bartender manager to help manage a bigger team and train new employees. 

• Bar manager: is involved with the running of your bar team, training new bar staff, organising budget and inventory
• Bar back: a bar back assists your bartenders with the stocking of drinks and running of drinks to the correct tables
• Mixologist/cocktail specialist: will be able to help create new cocktail recipes and traditional cocktails for your customers
• Restaurant bartender: a restaurant bartender will guide customers confidently through your drinks menu, providing them with a selection of drinks to pair with their meal
• Nightclub bartender: a nightclub bartender is organised and used to a fast-paced nightclub atmosphere, listening carefully to and memorising customer orders.

Where to find a bartender

You should aim to try and find bartenders who are local to your area. Many qualified bartenders will already be working in bars, pubs and restaurants local to you on a contract basis. Therefore, it is a good idea to network with other hospitality businesses in the area, and get to know potential recruits for your bar team. You can also network with trade associations such as the UK Bartenders Guild, and attend related industry events. Sometimes finding a bartender can be as simple as putting up a flyer in the window of your premises, or advertising on a local jobs board. Students at local colleges and universities may also be looking for their first job in bartending, so you can advertise on student jobs boards as well. 

To find the right bartender for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Flyers on your premises: advertise your role with salary and job description in the window of your premises
• Networking at industry events: attend industry events such as beer or cocktail conferences, to meet potential candidates face-to-face
• Referrals and networking with other hospitality businesses: you can learn about who is looking for a change of job by networking with other hospitality industry professionals
• Networking with members of bartender trade associations: attend bartender trade association events and get to know its members, as they may be looking for a change of job.

Post your job online: try posting your job for a bartender on Indeed to find and attract quality bartender candidates.

Skills to look for in a great bartender

A great candidate for a bartender role will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Great people skills
• Knowledge of customer service
• Previous on-the-job bar experience
• A wealth of drinks knowledge
• Resilience

Writing a bartender job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified bartender candidates. A bartender job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your  job description for a bartender, consider including some or all of the following keywords to strengthen the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms resulting in clicks on jobs for bartenders according to Indeed data:

• Bar staff
• Bartender
• Bar
• Waitress
• Hospitality
• Waiter
• Server
• Restaurant

Interviewing bartender candidates

Strong candidates for bartender positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• How to take shorthand notes of customer orders
• Organisational skills and ability to prioritise tasks
• Customer service experience, such as how they handle difficult customers
• Knowledge of health and safety
• Flexibility and ability to think on their feet

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of bartender interview questions for examples (with sample answers).