I often refer to myself as a semi retired Bartender.
In 2001, my Mom loaned me a few hundred dollars to pay for bartending school (
Jabot Bartending) and I never looked back. I graduated with honours (seriously) and I made 44 shots in 90 seconds on my final exam. I thought it would be a great job that I could do alongside school requiring minimal hours and great pay. As time went on it really became something so much more to me as I began building a passion for beer, cocktailing, and the industry.
I've spent nearly 12 years of my life Bar-tending in pubs, nightclubs, restaurants and special events. Any position to do with running a bar, you name it, I've done it. It all started while I was attending Fanshawe College. I was actually working at Radio Shack at the time. I had sent in a resume to the Outback Shack (Fanshawe's pub) and to get a little attention, I wrote at the top of my resume:
Christopher B. Lee
(the B is for bartender)
I soon found a voicemail on my phone stating that I had made the cut so I wrote a nasty resignation calling out how terrible the company was, faxed it to Radio Shack head office, and walked off in the middle of my shift. I went in for a group interview at the Outback and when they were calling names, one of the managers stood up, pointed at me and yelled "That's the B for bartender guy!" I knew at that point that I had the job.
Even though I had a bartending certificate, I was told I had to "
work my way up" and get my hands dirty bar backing first. I took that challenge and put in my time. By bar backing, I learned how to manage inventory, setup a bar, change kegs, flush taps, carry three 24's at a time, multitask, and work exceptionally fast while being efficient. The money was decent too.
Eventually, I started getting bartending shifts at lunch time and things really started to fall into place. I had two shifts a week with mediocre paced lunch crowd. I was finally making good money and finally doing what I intended on doing. It was around this time that I started to realize that unless I was a blonde chick with big boobs, I was going to really have to wait to get the good night time shifts that paid the big bucks. It did happen eventually and the money started coming easily.
So I kept putting in my time. I'd work my way up to bartending through bar backing at nearly every place that I worked at. I worked at big venues like The Docks, small bars like The Fox & Fiddle, and even nightclubs in Scotland while I was in university. I've even designed custom cocktail menus for a few lounges. Every job was very much the same as I would lose out on a bartending position to an uncertified girl bartender that could barely make a rum and coke. So here comes the crux of my rant.
Why are guys ALWAYS overlooked for bartending gigs?
I get the whole "
pretty girls make guys spend money" and that is partially true. I'd like to think that men aren't all as stupid as that but there is some sort of method to the madness. A typical bar staff ratio is something close to 10 girls bartenders to 1 guy. This is totally a reverse sexist industry. Is this a case of natural talent for the position? I've gone to places looking for a job, been FAR more qualified then the next person, but then I don't get the position simply because I'm not a hot blonde girl. And if you honestly think I'm lying about this, ask any guy that works in the industry. The speech is usually something like "
You interview great and you have an impressive resume with a ton of experience, but we're only hiring girls." The point here is that experience just does not count for much. I'm not saying that girls are worse bartenders so don't read between the lines. If you've never worked in this industry you may find this a difficult pill to swallow.
I would think that an individual, like myself, that worked their way up and cut their teeth barbacking first, does in fact have a much deeper understanding of how to actually keep a bar functioning. Its not just a position of stocking fridges, theres so much more to it. Imagine having your license and also being a mechanic. Now that's an interesting idea. In my entire career of working in the service industry, I've never met one female barback. Do girls just not want to be barbacks or do bar managers just not encourage them to? Why don't girls have to climb the ladder like guys do? In my experience, the majority of girl bartenders never have to prove their worth much more then just showing up on time with some pseudo revealing clothing and keeping a reasonably balanced till. Have you ever had a job where you've been there for years and they hire a new boss instead of promoting internally? That feeling is just part of this industry and it sucks.
Now I'm not saying that one sex is superior to the other in this industry, that's not my point. I think this really comes down to passion for what you do. I've worked with some awesome girl bartenders and I've also worked with some crappy ones. Guys have to work for it and girls tend to have the job handed to them. The right person for any job should always be the one thats most qualified, fits best with the team, and brings something to the table that makes the entire place better. Am I wrong? Try me.
A few months ago, I was in Stamford visiting my brother. I stumbled upon a really cool place called
Plan B. While at this fine drinking establishment, I decided to go an try some local beers and have a little tasting with a good friend of mine. This is where I met Will. Now at first glance, Will appears pretty unconventional for a trendy restaurant. He has scraggly hair, a rough beard, hanging earlobes ---where some spacers used to be, and he's got tattoo's covering both arms to his fingers. If you passed this guy in the street you may think he's in a punk band or something. However, looks were vastly misleading in this case. Will is the most knowledgeable beer connoisseur that I have ever had the pleasure of serving me. His proficiency in beer was astounding. He knew the brewing process, yeast strains, meticulous factors that contribute to flavour, regions that beers came from and even recommended me some crazy stuff that blew my mind. Will gave my friends and I the best experience that any of us had ever had.
Was he a hot chick with big boobs? No. He was a guy that had a serious passion for his craft and learned about it by cutting his teeth on the little jobs to get him where he is now. If I were to open a bar tomorrow, I'd want him to be the guy that trains my staff. He was that awesome.
In conclusion, passion and expertise trumps a good pair of boobs every time...in my book anyways. So I challenge you Mr. bar owner; go out and hire people who are awesome people. Don't overlook someone just because they aren't a hot chick. Hire a Will.
As for myself, I am always available to bring my expertise in cocktail making, beer knowledge, brewing, leadership and passion to your bar if you need me. One great thing about bartending is that you can always come out of retirement for another go. If anyone wants to hire a person who's got a resume the length of their arm, 12 years of bar experience, and someone who's passionate about what they do, then give me a shout. I guarantee you'll be impressed.
Support your local bartender!
