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Bartender Guidelines: Hints and Rules for Success

General Hints for Bartenders

  1. Use your common sense, think before you act or jump to any conclusions
  2. Courtesy and friendliness is very important. When a customer approaches the bar, he or she should be greeted with a sincere smile.
  3. Have a cheerful personality, and never bring your problems to work
  4. Never speak of what you heard or saw, especially gossiping about your clients.
  5. Be honest sincere and diplomatic, for example, if an intoxicated person asks for more drinks. Ask him if he/she is driving, if he is a regular customer ask him for his car keys, or offer him a taxi service, this might make him realize the reason why you made this suggestion in a polite way
  6. When taking drinks orders, always read the order back to the clients, to make sure that you took the right order.
  7. Try to have knowledge of your products, so that you will know what products can be mixed when recommending a drink to your client
  8. Keep yourself up to date with current affairs, as it will help you communicate with your clients 9. Avoid politics, religion, or other controversial topics.

 

Behind the counter

  1. Always be clean well and well groomed. Your appearance gives a first impression.
  2. Avoid a lot of jewellery, (makeup for female bartenders)
  3. Use mild after-shave lotion, (perfume) to avoid heavy smells in the bar
  4. Never smoke behind the bar or restaurant, besides being illegal, it can cause cross-contamination.
  5. Drinking behind the counter can lead to several discrepancies
  6. Keep the bar counter and the bar shelves clean, wash bar bottles with soap, and wipe under caps
  7. Cover all bins to prevent bad odour and fire hazards
  8. Unseal a new bottle in front of clients, to prove your genuine products
  9. A menu for lunch or dinner, presented to your clients can prove to be a good sales opportunity 10. Make a note of any mistakes, (pouring the wrong drink) so that you can explain them to your management.

Practical hints for bartenders

  1. When accepting, cheques and /or credit cards, always check the dates, names, signatures, and identification of the client.
  2. Never add freshly squeezed juices, with old juices, in case they are sour
  3. If you warm lemons or oranges before you squeeze them, you will extract more juice from them
  4. It is essential to have more than one cocktail shaker in case you have more than one cocktail to mix at one time
  5. Make sure you have a sufficient supply of ice
  6. Never allow a champagne cork to pop as it is bad manners, as well as being dangerous
  7. Always serve drinks from the right-hand side of the customer
  8. Acknowledging the next person in line with a gentle nod is a courteous and effective way to communicate that you are aware of their presence and that they are next in line. This simple gesture can help maintain a sense of order and politeness in various situations, such as waiting in line at a store, a restaurant, or any other place with a queue

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