Posted on: October 31, 2024

How Many Hours Do Bartenders Work?

How Many Hours Do Bartenders Work?

The world of bartending is often romanticized – creating cocktails, chatting with patrons, and the allure of fast-paced nights. But what lies beneath the surface is a schedule that can often be unpredictable. Unlike the typical 9-to-5, a bartender's workweek is a kaleidoscope of hours dictated by the establishment, clientele, and even the day of the week. Let's delve into the world of bartender scheduling, exploring how it varies and the factors that influence it.

What Are Bartenders' Work Responsibilities?

A bartender’s responsibilities involve much more managing than what the casual observer would expect. Their primary responsibility is to manage and serve drinks, which includes mixing cocktails, decanting and pouring wine, opening beers, and making personal recommendations to customers.

However, bartenders are also responsible for maintaining tabs, processing payments, verifying customers’ ages, and building rapport with customers. Bartenders need to know how to make drinks as well as make suggestions depending on what kind of drink the customer wants. Customer service is a must in this position. So, the next question is, are you prepared for the hours?

How Many Hours Do Bartenders Work?

As a bartender, how many hours you log a week will largely depend on how you are employed. Whether it is full-time, part-time, or freelance, there are certain things you can generally expect.

Full-time bartenders work roughly 40 hours a week, with an average shift, day or night, lasting between 10 to 12 hours. This includes set-up or breakdown time and often does not include breaks. Part-time bartenders, on the other hand, can work anywhere from a few hours to 30 hours. Because evenings and night shifts are the busiest times for alcohol sales at restaurants, bars, clubs, and other venues, more bartenders work night shifts than day hours.

Maybe you have never heard of freelance bartenders, but they are fairly common. Freelance bartenders are not tied to a specific location, allowing them to travel and work at private parties while also running their own business. Their hours may fluctuate depending on the number of days or weeks they work, as they work based on their own schedule. Freelance bartenders have more control over what their work looks like but are also more at the will of hosting customers or venues.

What Are Bartender Shift Patterns?

A shift pattern simply describes how shifts are fulfilled at an establishment or venue. Some locations have multiple bartenders for most of the day and night, whereas others may have one that is only present late at night until early in the morning. Your work schedule as a bartender will mostly depend on where you work, although day bartenders often start between 9 and 10 a.m. and conclude between 4 and 6 p.m.  The typical workday for night bartenders is from 4 to 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.  Clubs and other establishments will work hours that begin later and end between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

Some bartenders are able to work split shifts, which entails starting their job early in the morning or around midday and returning to work later in the evening for the second half of the shift. Some bartenders even put on graveyard shifts, which begin past midnight.

What Is a Bartender’s Average Salary?

Bartenders’ income works a bit differently than most people. On paper, it might seem that bartenders make little, but that is because their income is split between their base pay and tips. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) only reports base pay as wages, with the average (median) wage for a bartender in the United States as of May 2022 being $14.12 per hour. They reported that the bottom 10% of bartenders earned, in wages, less than $9.18 per hour ($19,100 per year), while the top 10% earned more than $27.51/hour ($57,220 per year). But it’s important to include tipped income.

Tips are important in the service industry, so much so that there are special laws in certain jurisdictions that allow for employers to pay less than the regular minimum wage, but this actually ends up being more beneficial for servers and bartenders. Including tips, the average bartender earns $60,787 per year, compared to $34,490 before tips.

How Do I Become a Bartender?

Entry-level bartenders are often trained on the job by the employer, but online alcohol safety training can be a great jumping-off point to better positions and types of bartending. Beyond this, many people start working for a restaurant in another position and move into a bartending position later on. Previous experience becomes important as you look at more upscale establishments that can provide a better base pay and may look for candidates who have completed a voluntary bartending course.

Requirements are generally minimal, but it is important to consult your state's laws before starting bartending. For some states, the age at which someone can sell or serve alcohol is 18, but in others, it is 21. This is important because the liability of an underage bartender is as severe or worse than serving someone underage. Criminal penalties and fines can accompany any of these and can even include the bad behavior of customers who have been served.

Start Your Bartending Journey With TIPS

One common requirement of bartenders is that they take alcohol safety training. This ensures that those who serve alcohol are aware of their legal obligations when they serve, go over scenarios that are likely to occur, and what consequences can come if the law has been violated.

If you think you have what it takes to be a bartender, try our online courses. We provide training for serving and selling alcohol that is recognized by the law in many jurisdictions. All of our trainings are online and self-paced. Visit our catalog for more information.