Bartender vs Bar Server

Guest experience is my number one focus on all things hospitality, host is literally in the name! Hospitality has given me all the gifts of life; personal and professional growth, financial stability, friendships and a love for what I do. My goal in life is now to share that gift with as many people as I can.

In today’s hospitality industry you come against 2 types of people working the bar, the person with the glassed eyes and autopilot conversation, or a bartender.

Within the world of the Bar Server, patrons are paychecks and their job is to process and deliver what they demand and no further. With thinking time devoted to what food they will get on their break, or how best to ask to be sent home next.

On the opposite side of the spectrum sits the bartender of old, a person who is hosting guests in the place they care for most. When they engage the conversation it will likely be with a mild insistence, that promotes the correct response:

“How are you doing today?”

“Vodka soda.”

“Though a very fashionable and flavoursome drink, I was wondering how your day is today?”

This one interaction sets the tone to the guest that they have entered into a place of care and they can expect the mythic being that is a fully-fledged bartender. It is said that a true bartender is made up of many components to list a mere few are a;

Friend, tour guide, book of knowledge on all things booze, wingman, carer of the establishment, mixologist and highly under-qualified therapist.

People may think that to become that sort of Bartender you need to have years of training and experience but the secret is much more simple, you simply need to care. Care about the experience that your guest is about to receive, care about the offering that you provide so you can talk about it and most importantly care about building micro relationships with all your guests and not about how fast the time is ticking.

I was once told, that we are not aiming to become self check out machines. Though very efficient - completely unmemorable.

With a bit of self-reflection, I’m sure that you can remember an experience that you have had at a bar, hotel, cafe or restaurant. It’s not in many professions that you can say you have the opportunity to be remembered by hundreds of people every day, for years and years to come. All it takes is a bit of care, so the memory that you are a part of is a positive one.