“ Similarly, bartenders who possess product knowledge, creativity, and a positive attitude make big bucks.”
Top Earning Bartenders
Top earners can make over $200,000 per year. Similarly, bartenders who possess product knowledge, creativity, and a positive attitude make big bucks. Denver Bartending School has several graduates working in VIP lounges all around Colorado. During election years union bartenders are sought after to bartend for political candidates, constituents, and staff members. The pay is unbelievable and tips are astounding! Several top earning bartenders from Denver Bartending School have several houses, investments in stocks, retirement plans, and a career in bartending.
How is it Done
Over the decades of working in the service industry, one thing separates success from mediocrity. How is it done? Learning to bartend coupled with having a great mentor. In other words, bartending is similar to many careers in life. Finding the right person to guide you to the top is imperative to success.
Most top earning bartenders are life-long learners. With a thirst for learning and the motivation anyone may become a top earner. Equally, creativity is extremely important. Some people may think they have zero creativity. Then again, creativity may be learned. Product knowledge is a large factor in gaining creativity. Surprisingly, the more one knows the more they may cross reference in their brain to come up with creative solutions to challenges at work.
Finding a Mentor
Finding a Mentor can be a process. That is to say, picking a quality mentor is a big decision. For example, a bartender making $200K may be mentoring a couple of other bartenders. In this case, the bartender may not have the time. It does not hurt to ask but do not feel bad if the bartender declines. On the positive side, creating relationships with top earning bartenders is relatively easy.
Staying positive and networking with others is a great thing. In addition, keep learning. Denver Bartending School is top notch regarding placing graduates in jobs. As a result, we are popular and successful. Most graduates from Denver Bartending School will not be starting out making 1K per night. It has happened a few times but most graduates will not reach that goal for a period of 9 months to 3 years after graduation. In order to be a top earning bartender, one must keep studying.
What to Study After Denver Bartending School
Top notch bartenders exist in so many different genres. One could be working at the swanky whiskey bar or the Russian vodka club. For the most part, it depends on where the bartender lands a great job. Additionally, we must consider whether the bar’s genre is suited for the bartender and their motivation to work in that environment.
How Do I Know
A graduate of from our bartending school worked at a Mexican restaurant for a few months. Shortly after, she received a job at a Russian vodka club in Los Angeles. She hit the jackpot money wise. Unfortunately, she was not comfortable in that particular atmosphere. As a matter of fact, she gave a six-month run of it. Be it as it may, she had to quit. The bartending job was not for her and her job at the Mexican restaurant was waiting for her.
The point of the story is, she really loved the Mexican restaurant. Moreover, they treated her like family. After speaking with her she just was not motivated to work with uptight people and have to learn new garnishes every week.
One of the requirements of the job at the Russian vodka bar was to learn how to dry apricots, sugar them with powdered sugar, and all this while off shift at your own home. Understandably, one might have to weigh the time to money ratio. But really, she just enjoyed her time off and did not want to bother with work responsibilities. How much does one want to do off shift for $750 a night. Most people would do whatever it takes as a bartender for $750 a night. For many people, happiness at $275 a night makes sense.
Denver Bartending School, its owners, and its staff, are here to mentor our graduates. If we cannot help the graduate we will find someone who will.