From Labor Day to Christmas, the season flies by. As the holidays approach, bars face their toughest challenge: staffing up to handle crowds without losing service quality. Traffic jumps from November through New Year’s, so the way you plan, schedule, and support your team can be the difference between smooth shifts and chaos.

To help you get ready, we’ve compiled a 2025 holiday staffing guide with practical hiring timelines, scheduling ideas, and online alcohol training suggestions.

Holiday Bar Staffing Tips: What Actually Works?

Staffing your bar for the holidays comes down to three things: preparation, flexibility, and taking care of your team. When your staff feels supported and well-trained, they’ll bring the kind of energy that keeps guests coming back, long after the holidays are over. If you want to have a smooth season, here are some tips to follow to get ahead before the crowds arrive:

Tip # 1: When to Start Hiring Seasonal Staff for the Holidays

Start early! By hiring seasonal employees in late October or early November, you can make sure your company is more than ready for the holiday rush. No need to scramble to train new workers amid the chaos. Instead, by hiring early, you’ll have enough time to find qualified applicants that have already finished training before the year-end crowds show up. The same early-hire approach works similar to staffing in the summer, when seasonal demand ramps up.

To stand out when posting job openings, use language that is festive, enthusiastic, and easy to understand. Emphasize benefits like holiday bonuses, flexible scheduling, and employee discounts. You can rest assured that you’re attracting the right kind of candidates when you use a positive, seasonal tone.

Tip # 2: How to Forecast Staffing Needs Based on Past Sales

When the forecast calls for snow, you grab a jacket. But how do you prepare when the forecast calls for a full house? That’s where smart staffing comes in. It’s the first step towards accurately staffing during the holidays.

Reach back through your point-of-sale (POS) data or sales history to find holiday trends from 2022 to 2024. It’s a good rule of thumb to look out for hourly or daily spikes. Sales trends are likely to increase on weekends, after the workday, and major shopping days like Black Friday.

Compare your previous sales trends with local events, school breaks, and tourism data. This will help predict factors that might attract more customers this year. For example, plan to hire more staff on days when your community holds yearly winter festivals, concerts, or holiday parades. Remember, numbers don’t lie. That is why a data-driven strategy can help you find the best balance between having too many and too few employees.

Tip # 3: Create a Flexible Schedule

To create a flexible scheduling approach during the holiday season, start by requesting your employees’ availability early so you have a clear understanding of who can work and who can’t. Encourage shift swapping or trading to allow employees to manage their own schedules while maintaining necessary coverage.

Consider using a rotation system for holiday shifts to ensure that no one is always stuck working the busiest or least desirable times. This creates a sense of fairness and helps maintain a positive workplace atmosphere.

Tip # 4: Boost Employee Morale and Appreciation

The holidays can be a stressful time for staff, especially if they’re missing out on celebrations with friends and family. Show your appreciation with incentives such as bonuses, holiday pay, or small gifts for those who work challenging shifts. But don’t stop there! Celebrate milestones and recognize hard work with team events or shout-outs to foster a sense of community.

Moreover, offering perks like free meals, shorter shifts, or extra time off after the holidays can also make a big difference in employee morale and engagement, helping to reduce burnout and maintain productivity.

Tip # 5: Leverage Scheduling Technology

Modern scheduling apps like TimeForge, 7shifts, Homebase, Sling, or Deputy make hiring staff easier by letting employees swap shifts in real time, track their availability, look at past sales data, and access their schedules from their phones. This cuts down on any confusion while making your holiday planning easier, more data-driven, and accurate.

Tip # 6: Manage Stress and Prevent Burnout

Long hours and high customer volume can take a toll on your team. Help manage stress by rotating shifts and ensuring everyone gets adequate breaks. Encourage open communication, allowing staff to voice concerns or suggest improvements. Creating a supportive work environment helps keep morale high and reduces the risk of burnout.

Simple wellness initiatives, such as offering healthy snacks, providing access to hydration stations, or even organizing short team-building activities, can help maintain energy levels and reduce stress.

Tip # 7: Plan for Emergencies

Always have a backup plan for emergencies, such as sudden illnesses or no-shows. Keep a list of reliable on-call employees or part-time workers who can step in if needed. Make sure everyone knows the protocol for emergencies, so you can quickly fill gaps without disrupting service. Consider a holiday promotion that reminds guests to drink responsibly and provides a QR code to request a safe ride home.

Tip #8: Train for the Holiday Rush

No matter how experienced they are, bartenders and servers can benefit from a quick refresher before December. Brushing up on crowd management, upselling seasonal specials, ID checking, and alcohol safety helps prevent last-minute issues and keeps service running smoothly.

Prepare Your Holiday Bar Staff With TIPS

In the bar business, a successful holiday season depends on careful and effective planning. One of the best ways to plan ahead is through training. Before the holidays even hit, you can ensure your staff’s confidence and safety knowledge is up to par for dealing with any rush of customers.

Start by enrolling them in TIPS Certification Programs to sharpen their skills in responsible alcohol service, guest interactions, and risk prevention. Check out our full catalog of courses on our website today!