Tip or Treat: 7 Halloween Bartending Tips
October 15, 2008
7 Halloween Tactics to Make you MORE Money this Holiday Season while Bartending
YES! This is my favorite time of year! As a kid I had Haunted Houses in my garage. Today, I still think of the BEST possible costumes I can come up with!! But as a bartender with a Mobile Bartending Business…Expect a lot of Halloween Parties!
Below is a small list of great tips for all my fellow Mobile Bartenders that you can implement during Halloween!
Halloween Bartending Tips:
1. Dress Up! If you are NOT dressing up for Halloween parties…you’re CRAZY! Not only is it fun (and more casual, but your clients/guests will LOVE it. (Just make sure you ask if you can dress up first) Try something related to bartending or your task behind the bar. This year I am going to be a Mad Scientist mixing up some crazy concoctions! (Yes, you may steal my costume idea!)
2. Add Dry Ice: This is awesome! Every martini I make, I put in a REAL glass and add a small coin-sized piece of Dry Ice. The effect is amazing! Your guests will love it and it will keep your cocktails a bit colder!
3. Charge More: It’s basic Supply & Demand here people! When you have more party requests…up your rates. You can only be at one place at one time, bless only the highest bidder with your presence.
4. Unique Tip Jar: I love to decorate my bar with cobwebs, an ugly rat or snake, and a unique tip jar. Try something like a witch’s cauldron or one of those cheesy candy bowls with the motion-sensor hands. Let people have FUN while they give you money (yay!)
5. Include Halloween Inspired Recipes: I have include a great website that has a huge list of Halloween Drink Recipes. Click Here to check those out now: http://www.drinknation.com/theme/Halloween
6. Include a Menu: Put those fancy drink recipes on a menu of some sort and display proudly on your bar. Find one of Grandma’s ancient/gaudy picture frames, print out your recipes, and add some cob-webs to the frame. BOOM!
7. Bring a Camera: Chances are, your party will be a dress-up Halloween Party. Well, here is the BEST way to capture leads for your business: Take group pictures of guests as they approach the bar. For them to get the pictures, they must e-mail you…so make a list of their names and e-mails…and now you can promote to them! Oh, and you can also add these pictures to your website!
Got any more Tips?
Have any costume ideas, tip jar suggestions, or anything else that could help the other bartenders out there? Post a comment and let me now? Also, did my tips help, or do they suck?! Let me know your thoughts! Other than that, I hope you have all booked a lot of events for this October (and yes Nov. 1st for those Saturday party-planners)
Cheers,
James Wedmore
Mobile Mixologist
TWITTER HOW-TO TIP #77 What’s best? PHP or Javascript for your Twitter RSS feeds?
September 22, 2008
Mobile Bartending Secrets-EXPOSED!
August 25, 2008
Learning from our Mistakes!
One of my subscribers, Kathy, sent me an e-mail detailing the events of her first bartending gig. I get these all the time from clients who are just so excited, and hooked on Mobile Bartending! Unfortunately, this e-mail was a bit different…ok a whole lot different. In my opinion, Kathy’s first event was a bit of a disaster.
I have attached her e-mail along with my response in this blog. Why? So we can learn from other’s Mobile Bartending Mistakes so we can all become better bartenders and make more money (yay!).
From Kathy:
Hey Kathy!!
What a nightmare! But I guess we can chalk it up to a great learning experience here!!
So, here is EVERYTHING you can do as a mobile bartender to make sure that NEVER happens again!
Get a Mobile Bar or Have an Alternative:
- If you don’t have YOUR own bar, you need to get one ASAP.
- Until then, try finding a suitable substitute. (A portable table, etc.)
- Or, Rent one and charge your clients (plus interest)Most Importantly: Have the bar arrangement settled BEFORE you arrive at the event. Don’t try and solve the problem when you arrive.
Know The Drink Menu:
- If the host is going to throw a “curve ball” at you, with unique recipes and a menu that no one has ever heard of, make sure you get the names and recipes BEFORE the event.
- While booking, ask “What types of drinks would you like me to serve?” This way, you can look everything over and get an idea for how to make the drinks
- If necessary, make a 1 page cheat sheet and keep behind the bar
Let There Be Light!
- ALWAYS check BEFORE the party starts and make sure you have enough light. My host always asks, “Do you have everything, James?” BEFORE the guests arrive, make sure you have an adequate light source. Don’t wait until it’s dark.
- At the worst case scenario, a BUNCH of candles at the bar will do.
Bring Your Own Back Bar:
- Take more control of your bar area, provide your own mobile back bar table.
- Bring a small portable table of your own for the back bar!
- And yes, bring a stool if you must.
Charge More $$$!
I know you are just starting out in Mobile Bartending, but I would be offended if that is all I made in an evening. Change your pricing strategy.
- Charge $147 as your BASE rate
- DONT CHARGE HOURLY
- If your host is tipping you, it should be a MINIMUM of $2 per guest. I think $250 sounds a lot better to you than $100, right?
- Wait until I show you how you can make $500-600 a night.
Kathy, I hope this info helps you on your path to Mobile Bartending Success. But let me tell you…you are making all of the mistakes I made when I first started, I am actually getting “angry” and “fired up” for YOU. I feel like the host totally screwed you big time, and your biggest problem is that you are not taking control and showing him the confidence and knowledge that you have. If you want to continue learning from every bad situation, it is going to be a long and painfully bumpy road.
***************
Well, I hope everyone else can learn something from this situation. I have dealt with problems like Kathy’s before, but not anymore! The Bartend-4-Profit System is your roadmap to success as a Mobile Bartender, check it out at www.Bartend4Profit.com.
Thanks Guys!
Cheers,
James Wedmore
Mobile Bartending Business: Start Up Costs!
July 25, 2008
So…How Much?
Almost everyday I get asked this question. I open the door, pull back the curtain and expose a bit of my exciting world as a Private Party Bartender, and people say “AWESOME! Great! …How much?”
It is a great question! If you are going to take the leap (I call it a small step) from employee to entrepreneur, you are going to want to minimize as many risks as possible, and when you hear about all of the details of having a Bartending Business, most are left wondering “what’s the catch?”
Why Bartending Rocks:
Becoming a mobile bartender has more perks than I can think of, and frankly need to save for future posts. But the NUMERO UNO reason why becoming a Mobile Bartender kicks some serious butt is:
ALMOST ZERO START-UP COSTS!
I’m serious! It really does not cost you much to get you started and on your feet! Even better, you will make so much money so quickly that you can reinvest a portion of your profit into your business so that it will continue to grow.
So what are we looking at here?
What does low start-up costs mean? Well, in The Bartend-4-Profit System’s Home Study Course, I include a detailed list of everything you need and how to get it at the best price. In this post, I have given you a brief list of your most important items and their costs. Remember, in the service industry, people are paying for you…not a physical product!
(In order of importance-in my opinion)
- Business Cards ($100-150)
- A Uniform (all black, or tuxedo shirt, vest, etc…you should already have something)
- Bartending Tools (shaker, wine key, bottle opener, speed pourers, coolers, garnish tray,etc) (less than $100)
- A Portable Bar (you can do events with out one, but you can charge more if you have one…and you can get one anywhere from $50-$1500, I give you a list of all of the different bar options in the home study course of Bartend-4-Profit)
- A Website (your best marketing tool…and you can get it for under $300…don’t worry, I show you exactly how to have one made asap in the Bartend-4-Profit System)
I hope this helps give you an idea of just how EASY it is to get started! PLEASE use the comment form below to address any aditional questions you may have! THANKS GUYS!
James Wedmore
www.Bartend4Profit.com
