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A Bartender Anomaly: How could this happen?

There is 1 and a half hours left of my birthday and I have taken the ENTIRE week off to celebrate, reflect and relax…

…but the strangest thing happened while on this hiatus of mine…

On September 18th, I loaded a VIDEO to Metacafe of me fooling around doing some “flair” and magic (NO! I am neither a flair bartender nor a magician!) anyway, I hadn’t checked it until Today(Sept 24th), and guess what…

…I had OVER 19,000 views!

Think about that for a second, in less than 6 days, I had close to 3,200 people A DAY watch my 36 second little video!! Crazy huh?

How did this happen?!

I have really have NO IDEA how this many people could have seen my video soo quickly!! I am so stoked right now! So…I might as well keep that number growing, right? You can click the link below, or watch the video on this page:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1756105/learn_flair_bar_magic_increse_your_tips/

Learn Flair & Bar Magic Increse Your Tips! – Watch the top videos of the week here

Frankly, I think this video shows that I simply have TOO MUCH time on my hands! (Haha!)

Help Me Out!

So, I would LOVE to see this video hit 25,000 hits, that would kick ass! If you click he link above, it will take you to Metacafe to view the video. PLEASE help me out and do so!! You know what would be even better, throwing in a comment (like how I have funny facial expressions whenever I toss a bottle) or BOOKMARK the page on Digg (DIGG IT!)

Thank you so much for the support I really, REALLY appreciate it! You guys rock!

Dedicated to Getting ya drunk,

James Wedmore
Bloggin’ Bartender

P.S. Check the video out here: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1756105/learn_flair_bar_magic_increse_your_tips/

The 80/20 Rule & Bartending

Have you ever heard of the 80/20 Rule? Also known as Pareto Principle, or the Law of a Vital Few, it states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. This simple, yet powerful Rule can apply to almost every aspect of your life. Today we are going to apply it to Bartending.

80/20 Bartending

This takes me back to last Saturday night’s bartending gig at a clients home. The event was actually a charity auction that took place on their tennis court. (Yes, they had a tennis court and a HUGE home!) Over 200 guests showed up to get drunk and bid on some ridiculous stuff-one LIVE auction item included Mike Eisner’s old Mighty Ducks Box seats and another was an Andy Warhol original.

I had a tip jar out and I was working my butt of to keep these thirsty guests happy. I was “in the zone” as I like to call it. Just as you finish pouring those last cocktails, another guest has given you a big order. You just have enough time to wipe your brow, clean your shaker and keep moving! The music is blasting behind you and everyone gathers to watch your hands move like lightening. I love it!

The tips were coming in pretty steady, but nothing to be too excited about. I would say every other guest put in a dollar or two guaranteeing me a $100-200 for the night (not bad, right!) Well…then something happened!

80% of Your Income comes from 20% of your Clients

The 80/20 was in Full Effect! A gentleman came to the bar who I had been serving all night. This was his 4th glass of Chardonnay for the evening and he opened up his wallet to dig for a tip.

“Looks like this is your lucky night,” the patron said as he dropped a Fat Hundy ($100 dollar Bill) into my bar! Lucky night, indeed!! I was stoked!

But wait, it gets better…

Two minutes later another gentleman comes up to the bar. He actually asked, “How you doing on tips tonight?” as he peered into my jar. That’s when his eyes caught sight of the $100 bill! “100! Mike (name’s have been changed) gave you this, didn’t he?!”

“Yep!” I said.

“Well, I can’t let Mike show me up like that.” This guy whipped out his wallet and threw in another hundred dollar bill!! WOOHOO! $200 in less than 5 minutes!

The Lesson Here:

So Why am I telling you this? If you think it’s to brag about how much money I make…you are Dead Wrong!! It is the 80/20 Rule. 80% of my tips came from 20% of my customers (or just 2 guests!) Every other guest there didn’t tip over a dollar or two, but these two guys happened to give me a combined total of $200! The 80/20 Rule is all around you in every aspect of your life, you just need to be aware of it!

So…next time you are bartending, keep in mind, there are a few potential guests out there who will make the different between an “average night” and a fantastically-successfull evening!” Keep an eye out for these individuals. They are your VIP’s!

VIP Hunting: Finding that 20%

VIPS are extroverted, wealthy drinkers. They usually are males with loud, tacky shirts (this is just from my personal experience). They frequent the bar often and want to know your name. The VIP of the party is THAT guy who would be the FIRST one to jump in behind the bar if you were to suddenly vanish or something. The VIP of the party is an ALPHA MALE. Treat him so.

If you want to get on the good side of a VIP, treat him (or her-sometimes) like royalty! Make their drink EXACTLY how they want it with plenty of liquor. They are the life of the party, help propel them even more so! Use their name often, point them out in the crowd, and become their best friend!

One Final Thing…

I first learned of the 80/20 Rule in Tim Ferris’ book The 4-Hour WorkWeek. I LOVE that book and have read it 3 times! I highly, recommend you pick up a copy and read through it. I only bartend a few gigs a week, so I have the 12 hour work week, not four…but I’m working on it!

Your Bartending Tools: Don’t leave home without ‘em!

Whether you re a mobile bartender or you work in a bar or restaurant (or both!) you need to learn this valuable lesson that my dad taught me as a small boy:

“Take care of your tools, and your tools will take care of you!”

Even though he was refering to his old woodworking tools, the principle still rings true to bartenders. To be fast, efficient, and effective, you MUST have the proper tools!!

Guest author Jeremy Shirk, author of Make Money Bartending, presents us with all of the tools us bartenders need This is a GREAT article, please read through it carefully…enjoy!!

13 Crucial Tools Every Successful Bartender Must Have

“A man is only as good as his tools�” is a phrase I’m sure you’ve heard before and it applies to bartending as much as anything else.

You’ll only ever be as good as your tools, so make sure you’re not without them. The quality of your tools can make or break your experience behind the bar so it’s important you take this lesson seriously.

There are countless bartending tools out there. Will you use them all? No. But there are certain tools that every bartender must have. In this first lesson, we’ll be taking a look at those “must-have” tools so pay close attention.

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Bottle Opener
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Now whether you’re working in a low or high volume bar, a bottle opener is not only crucial to your speed, but also your hands!

Imagine opening every bottle of beer ordered with your bare hands� you wouldn’t last the night without seriously doing damage to your palms.

There are many different types of bottle openers out there on the market� everything from a simple “key-chain opener” all the way to a “butterfly bottle opener”, you know, like a butterfly knife? Pretty cool.

Find out what works for you. I’ve used the same stainless steel “speed opener” for years now, it does the job (with style) everytime so I�ve had no reason to switch.

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Wine Opener/Corkscrew
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The best, most versatile wine opener is known as the waiter’s wine opener. It’ll always do the job, even on the most difficult and the most stubborn corks. Compare this to many others out there that often break the cork or have you struggling in front of the customer to get the damn thing open.

A waiter’s wine opener includes a corkscrew (worm), a sharp blade to cut the seal of the wine and also a bottle opener device if you’re desperate for one.

I recommend a “two-level” lever on your opener as well, that’s what I personally use. Mine has never failed me in opening a bottle of wine.

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Cocktail Shaker
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This is the stainless steel thingy you see bartenders pour ingredients into for a martini or shooter and shake vigorously. This is a must-have for all bartenders.

A good rule of thumb for cocktails is, the colder it is, the better it tastes. Why else would bartenders concoct a drink by pouring pre-chilled ingredients into a shaker with ice, shaking like crazy and then serving it in a chilled glass? Because you want every part of the process to be “chilling” to prevent any “warming” of the cocktail.

There are two types of shakers out there:

1) Standard Shaker

This is a three-piece stainless steel shaker that has the strainer built into it. I find the Standard Shaker is not as common among professional, working bartenders.

It consists of the shaker tin, lid with strainer and cap. Perhaps it’s more complicated design with smaller parts discourages working bartenders from using this more often. But it will do the job just as well as the�

2) Boston Shaker

From my experience, the Boston Shaker is actually more standard among professional bartenders. This one is simply a shaker tin with a separate mixing glass that’s slightly smaller in size. It�s a two-piece device that you simply seal together to shake the cocktail.

The tendency is seal it as tight as you can and proceed to shake, although this is not necessary as you can often seal it too tight, and then not be able to open it when you�re done shaking and ready to pour the concoction.

If you’re ever in this situation, use the edge of the bar and clip the overlapping metal lip (which will always be on the outside, as the glass is always smaller and fits inside) against the edge of the bar. You can also “twist” them apart, that will often break the seal too.

But avoid all that by fitting them together nice and snug instead of as tight as you can.

You can purchase shaker sets in all types of different sizes and styles, but they pretty much fall into one of the two types listed above.

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Strainer
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Again, you’ll find many different types of strainers on the market. But the only kind I’ve ever used and would want to use is the Hawthorn Strainer.

You know, it�s that real funny looking stainless steel thing with the handle and the spring coil. The purpose behind the spring coil on the strainer is so you can fit it into all types of different shaped glasses. So it�s a very versatile tool.

I should mention that when using a shaker I often do not use a strainer. I use the Boston Shaker and simply crack a tiny opening in the seal between the two and pour out the concoction “cracked egg” style.

If you’re more of a visual learner like me, Tom Cruise does this when pouring his “Turquoise Blue” Martini for Gina Gershon in the two floor NYC nightclub in the movie Cocktail.

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Coasters
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Not every bar uses coasters. But it�s a good thing to have. They�ll prevent a lot of unnecessary wet spots or rings on the bar from moisture off the side of the glass.

I’ve worked in slower, classier places where using them is mandatory. I’ve also worked in higher volume nightclubs where you don�t use coasters because you�re wiping the bar down every five minutes anyway, so why bother? Which leads me to�

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Bar Towel (Rag)
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A fresh, clean set of bar towels is something every bartender needs. In high volume places, the bar is constantly needing a wipe down from spilt drinks, drink rings, sticky shooter glasses, etc.

I like to have a minimum of four, strategically placed wet bar towels in my working area at all times.

One thing I teach you in Bartending Secrets Exposed is to have everything systemized. You want things as seemingly insignificant as location of your bar rag to be the same every night. You don�t want to think about where it is everytime you need it, you want it to be second nature, you want to be able to grab it without even looking!

The party can often get sloppy so you must have your bar rags close at hand.

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Ice Scoop
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Forcefully cutting through and scooping your ice with an actual glass is a very stupid thing to do. Yet I see bartenders do it all the time. I don’t even recommend you “gently and carefully” scoop the ice with the glass. There’s just too much margin for error.

If you chip the glass, and you know it, you’re spending the next ten minutes emptying and refilling your ice well. If you don’t know it, and you happen to serve a customer a drink garnished with glass shavings you could be in some serious trouble.

Using a metal ice scoop is mandatory as a bartender. It really doesn’t take more time to scoop ice with a separate scoop. You can also do some fancy tricks once you get good too.

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Jigger/Measuring Glass
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If you work in a bar that allows free pouring, you won’t be needing this handy tool. But in most regions of North America free pouring is illegal and you�re required to use some sort of measuring device, whether it’s an automatic or manual device all depends on where you work.

While I’m not a believer in the automatic devices you see nowadays, using a shot glass or jigger (manual device) to measure the amount of alcohol you pour into each drink is what I’ve always done as a bartender.

For those of you who work at places with extremely tight inventory control. I offer you an amazing “overpour fake” technique in Bartending Secrets Exposed to keep the “tip friendly” relationship with your customers while keeping your integrity with the boss. Click here to get it now!

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Garnish Picks
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Skewers, plastic swords picks, arrow picks or whatever you want to call them are for those exclusive garnishes like olives and cherries. They really add to the presentation of a drink and are a must-have for those customers you want to really impress.

Whether it’s giving the customer three olives with their martini or an orange slice and a cherry with one of my seductive martinis, I always have a supply of garnish picks close at hand.

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Pour Spouts
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Whether you free pour or not, a bar that deals with any type of volume and has any interest in inventory control should have these on all of the high moving liquor bottles. There are many different styles of pour spouts out there:

-plastic
-metal
-neon
-glow in the dark
-slow pour (3 seconds per ounce)
-fast pour
-screened
-flapped
-measured

All have some associated benefit or gimmick. But I like things simple so I use the metal slow pour spouts on all my liqueurs and the metal fast pour spouts on all my well liquor which I�m using a shot glass for anyway. Why wait three seconds when you�re measuring with a glass already?

Time truly is money in this industry.

Now at this point you might be thinking, “Jeremy, you’re talking about the kind of tools and supplies the bar should be supplying, you’re making it sound like I have a choice on what kind of pour spouts I use.”

Realize I don’t want you to go out and start buying pour spouts and garnish picks. Those expenses should be left to the bar you�re working for. But remember that YOU’RE the one working the bar, not the manager. If the bar where you work has crappy pour spouts and doesn�t even use garnish picks, it’s up to you to suggest it!

I believe it’s your choice. After all, you’re the one using it, right? Managers will always be open to suggestions if it will improve your speed and performance, thus, increase sales.

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Straws
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This is obvious, but you should always have straws close at hand. The bigger or more you give the customer, the better. You control the speed at which your customers drink by how many straws you give them. Make ‘em drink fast so you increase your sales (which equals more tips).

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Lighter/Matches & Pens
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Ask any bartender out there and they’ll agree that besides “a drink”, you’ll be asked for “a light” or a pen more than anything else.

So what’s the best thing you can do??? Have them close at hand!

Have a ton of pens to lend, because you may not always get them back and you always want to have enough. Also, always have a load of matchbooks to give to customers in need.

I also recommend you have a sleek butane lighter of your own for customers needing a light right at your bar and also when flaming drinks are necessary.

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Tip Jar
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Last, but certainly not least is to have your own tip jar.

While I go into extreme detail in Bartending Secrets Exposed on the true art and science of the tip jar, what I’ll tell you here is that having one is a must! You�re losing tips without one!

Have your own, preferably a wine carafe. The tapered neck of a wine carafe means once a tip is in the jar, it’s in. You won’t have any hands dipping in to swipe your hard earned tips, which can often happen in a busy nightclub.

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The author of this article, Jeremy Sherk, is an expert, world-class bartender who has helped
thousands of bartenders land their dream job and explode their level of cash tips. Rather than hitting your head against a brick wall trying to succeed on your own, let him take you by the hand and show you exactly how to land the bartending job of your dreams making hundreds in cash per night! 100% Guaranteed!
Click here now for all the details!!

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