SOULSTRUT...PLEASE HELP!!! (job related)
spivy
866 Posts
once upon a time there was a guy named B****. he was a semi-normal guy. he was constantly between jobs, busy hustling records and trying to satisfy his lady friend. his quest to find a quality job was always eluding him, until one day he stumbled upon a friendly cafe in the village while eating lunch with an ex-lady friend. upon completing his meal he inquired about a job with one of the hipster types who worked there and found they were looking for help. within a few minutes he had found a job that looked like the right fit for him and so he embarked on his new quest. he began working there and started the process of learning the menu, work load, fellow employees names etc. all seemed rosy until one late april afternoon when he received a phone call from a cafe he had applied to months earlier. they were requesting his services to bartend immediately. he had always wanted the opportunity to bartend and here was his chance. they liked him and offered him the job. all of a sudden he felt confused..." what the fuck do i do?" he thought. he was torn between the current place he worked waiting tables with its cute counter girls, excellent food and beer benefits, relaxed/casual workplace attitude and attire, chill staff, decent money etc. and his new-found chance to be a bartender at one of the few redsox friendly bars in all of nyc. and so here he is at this pivotal crossroad, trying to weigh his options without making a hasty and possibly ill-fated decision. what advice would you give this poor confused fella? 
Comments
sounds like you like it and are happy there.
can you work at the bar one or two nights and
still keep the other job?
Lotta work but big $$$ and best of both worlds.
Anything must seem nice after working for A. Day
If you are thinking long term, where do you see growth and the possibility for advancement?
Is there truly no way to work both, or can you take a part time/weekend gig at one of them?
Good luck!
In some cases servers make more than bartenders and in some the other way around.
Bartending is fun and you can make a lot of money, but there is a lot more to it than just learning how to make a great Long Island. You've gotta know when to cut someone off and be ready to be responsible for them once you do. You have to have eyes and ears in the back of your head and be ready to deal with people in various states of drunkfoolery. A lot is common sense, of course, but you definately take on a big responsibility stepping behind the bar. In most cases it is worth it, especially if you are working with people who all have the bar in mind rather than juicing customers for an extra $2 tip, but i just throw this out there because it seems like people don't look at this side of the job when they want to tend bar.
The way you describe the cafe makes it sound like a good one. i say weigh the options and think it over, in the end the decision that feels right is most often a good one.
Can't you work at both? Like days one spot, nights the other?
Ive been working in bars for over 10 years now, from Bartending to serving to bouncing, (sometimes all at the same time) in my humble opinion bartending is a great gig, but like my man says, it is a lot more than it seems at first, so be prepared to work hard in order to get where you want to be. I would think long and hard about switching up at this point though as it seems that you are digging your job right now, try to swing a few nights at the bar and see if it is what you want, you never know, maybe the place is great but the staff arent, or a myriad of other possibilities that would make you regret leaving what sounds like a job you enjoy.
A great bartender is worth his/her weight in gold as it is so much more than filling containers with liquid. it is a skill you can travel with and make some fucking great bank with.
one more thing in closing. If you do decide to take up a job at the bar, dont ever try any of those fucking tom cruise cocktail juggling moves. Strictly for poseurs and the B&T crowd. Bartenders pour drinks, clowns juggle.
choose wisely young padwan...
Best advice I can give to someone who wants to become a bartender is do NOT go to one of those cheesy Bartending Schools......get a job as a "bar back" slinging ice and washing glasses and learn on the job. The worst bartenders I've ever worked with went to these schools.....even worse than going to DJ school!!!!