Do you think professional bartending is the path for you? If so, it takes savviness and charisma – and of course, an excellent knowledge of drinks – to be a successful bartender. And your success is up to your personality as well as your skills behind the bar. Read on to learn more about the skill necessary to being a better bartender with TABC Certification.
A bartender is a host of things, from serving and mixing drinks to a multi-tasking cashier to perhaps even friend and confidant. And since a lot of your money will come from tips, customer service is a top skill to master.
There are a few things you should learn if you’re looking to be the next Tom Cruise in Cocktail. Here are the top 10 habits and skills that’ll make you better at TABC certification:
- Drinks knowledge
- Keeping things clean
- Service with a smile
- Time management and memory
- Situational awareness
- TABC certification
- Communication skills
- Be organized
- Good under pressure
- Flexibility
It’s essential you know all about mixing both the popular and the not-so-common drinks, what to pair with a customer’s meal, and offer great recommendations for those wanting to try something new. Make sure you have done your homework and can impress anyone who steps up to the bar.
Every job has its tedious tasks, and cleaning the bar is a bartender’s. Although it’s not fun, it’s vital. It will help ensure your customers feel comfortable and want to return. You don’t want a bar sticky or even smelling of a dirty dishcloth. Cleanliness also runs hand in hand with the health of your customers.
No one wants to go into a bar that isn’t friendly and lively. And the bar owner wants their customers to come back again and again. It’s good customer service and being able to quickly strike up a conversation with your customer is going to ensure this happens. Your outgoing personality will help you earn regular customers and more tips.
Top tip: Always greet a new customer, remember their names, and be willing to answer questions.
Are you good at remembering names and long, complicated orders all while multitasking? You better be. That’s most of your job. Not only will you need to listen to a customer’s order and remember what is on offer (or not) at the bar on any given day, but you will also have to know the many complicated recipes and mixes while keeping track of orders and dealing with payments. Here’s hoping you are good at juggling.
Another critical aspect of the job is monitoring your customers, knowing when someone needs a drink, and if there are any potential troublemakers around. Staying relaxed and calm in all situations is critical. Often a bartender will have to deal with a bold and drunk customer or even a fight between coworkers. Keep your temper in check and work on getting unruly customers out of the bar while ensuring they pay for their orders.
Don’t forget to get certified. TABC certification gives you the knowledge and skills you need to avoid the most common alcohol service violations and gives employers peace of mind, knowing that they are helping keep Texans safe. This training is available through several TABC-approved seller training schools. Most schools offer online coursework, and you can get your certification in just a few hours. While TABC seller/server certification is not required under state law, it is strongly recommended. Many retailers require certification before employment, and TABC encourages this.
Communicating well with customers and coworkers is a skill not everyone has. But it’s an essential one for a good bartender. Using a positive and clear tone of voice, you can communicate effectively with your customer without raising your voice. And when working as a team, communication is essential for correctly passing on orders, resolving disputes, and getting support if needed. The opposite end of good communication is listening. It’s important to listen attentively to get orders right and cultivate good relationships.
There is a lot on a bartender’s plate, and we’re not just talking about cocktails. They are constantly multitasking, from serving at the bar, keeping track of orders and payments to knowing who is still in line for a drink. And there’s still more. Bartenders need to ensure the bar is stocked in an orderly manner and clean too. Being organized also means working well under pressure and making quick decisions while multitasking the workload. If you can do this well, you’re on your way to success.
As we’ve mentioned before, good bartenders are great at multitasking and making quick decisions. This comes down to being good under pressure. You have to coordinate the job at hand, have good memory recall, and stand firm. Meeting deadlines under pressure isn’t easy, and to top that with making sure every customer is satisfied, this indeed isn’t a job any person can handle.
The shifts are long and the hours are late. If you have a sick coworker, you may have to jump out of bed and report for a double shift. Learning to adapt to new and changing business and customer situations is essential. It’s also vital the bartender is flexible and skilled enough to keep things balanced on any given night, running around and helping out where needed.
If you would like to be TABC certified register for our online TABC course today! We look forward to you joining the team!