24+ Pros and Cons of Being a Bartender (Explained)

A Bartender is a person who makes drinks in restaurants, bars, and other venues and either serve them directly to customers or passes them on to wait for staff.

This job often appeals to people who lack formal education or who want part-time or evening and weekend work that coincides with another full-time day job.

Advantages of Being a Bartender	Disadvantages of Being a Bartender
Work and exercise at the same time	Hard Work
Delight	Need to be in the boundary
Being creative	Job with Risk
Every day is payday	Sleep Schedule Might Change
Meeting people from all walks of life	Expected to Know Every Drink That Exists
Travel the world	Low Pay
Boost self-confidence	Pressure
No Degree Required	Tedious Work

Advantages of being a Bartender

Work and exercise at same time

If one cannot bear the thought of sitting at a desk every day from 9am to 5pm, he will definitely enjoy this work.

Bartending will have him working many different shifts (mostly nights), and most definitely will not be sitting down. This lifestyle makes the body stronger and removes negative energy.

Delight

One can easily make the day of someone with just one cocktail, a few minutes of listening or with a compliment. Usually, when someone walks into a bar, it’s to have a good time.

Whether they are in a good or bad mood, they know they’re going to leave the bar with a smile from ear to ear and a bartender is part of that.

Being creative

As a creative person, one will understand the incredible feeling he gets when he creates something beautiful.

Creating cocktails is an art and watching our hand-crafted cocktail sitting in front of guests who are in awe of the beauty that is before their eyes, is just a fantastic feeling. Imagine the color of the cocktail, the glassware, and the garnish, and how he can use it all when creating a new drink.

Every day is payday

A bar opens daily. The bartender will have a wage where he gets money paid into a bank account for each day.

On top of that, the tips bartenders receive could add to their earnings. Working behind a bar is a line of work that has correlation – the greater effort put into serving guests and their experience, the possibility of greater financial benefit increases.

Meeting people from all walks of life

A bar is a place where all are welcome and anyone can walk through those barn doors, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age (over 18) or gender.

The conversations the bartender has and the people they meet will change from day to day or even hour to hour. The acquaintance usually lasts for years.

Travel the world

The biggest perk of being a bartender is that one is not bound to one specific location for their job. Bartending allows them to travel the world and go on adventures.

Bar personnel is always needed in locations people usually spend their vacations at.

Boost self-confidence

Working at a bar is like being on the stage: He is the center of attention. The first thing people do when they enter a pub or lounge is head to the bar.

Remember: Bartender represents the establishment he works at with their appearance. During his career, his self-confidence will get boosted.

No Degree Required

No degree is required to be a bartender. Bartenders are not required to have college degrees, and though some companies offer training programs for bartenders, few employers require it. Employers are more interested in skills and experience.

Bartenders learn on the job, teach themselves to mix drinks from a recipe book or work their way up from other jobs at their establishment.

Disadvantages of being a Bartender

Hard Work

Bartending is hard work, both mentally and physically. They will be on their feet all day, will be dealing with a lot of people who all want attention, and will constantly be on the go. When bars get busy, bartending becomes stressful.

The ability to multitask without forgetting things is a must. Make sure that this is something that you are cut out for before you start bartending.

Need to be in boundary

Bartenders need to be nice to people. They need to be careful not to be too nice. People frequently insult bartenders, and getting romantically involved with customers is almost always a bad idea.

Also becoming a drunken one cannot control his or her behavior. Here the responsibility of the bartender increases.

Job with Risk

A bartender can actually get into quite a bit of legal trouble if not careful.

If one serves too many drinks to someone who is already drunk and then they leave the bar, get in their car, and get into an accident, there’s a chance the bartender will be in legal trouble.

Sleep Schedule Might Change

Bartenders work all night and sleep all day. Most traditional bars remain open until around two in the morning, which usually means the bartender will be there closing until at least three.

Expected to Know Every Drink That Exists

People will get irritated really quickly if the bartender doesn’t know how to make the hottest new drink that everyone suddenly wants.

It’s crucial that one has got a good memory for a lot of cocktail recipes.

Low Pay

Although bartending is somewhat flexible and may lead to tips in some work settings, the pay is typically not high enough to provide a high quality of life. Surveys available online indicate that the median annual pay for bartenders was USD 20000 in 2020.

Working evening or weekend shifts in busy establishments may lead to higher wages and tips, but overall pay is still modest compared to other professions.

The limited educational requirements and a large pool of candidates contribute to limited pay.

Pressure

Bartending is high-pressure work in most cases. If one works in a busy restaurant or fast-paced bar, he may face constant stress to get drinks mixed and delivered quickly to patrons.

Additionally, bartenders must often ask younger customers to show identification to prove they are of legal drinking age. Some bartenders do not enjoy asking for identity proofs and may face backlash from underage patrons who get defensive when asked.

Tedious Work

Some people see bartenders mixing drinks on TV and in movies and view it as a fun, exciting, and glamorous job. While it can be fun, the work is often tedious for many bartenders.

Mixing drinks for eight consecutive hours several days a week can quickly lose its luster additionally, many bars have automated equipment that measures drinks. Bartenders simply turn on the fountain and set the cup under the tap.

Filling peanut containers and placing napkins, toothpicks, and garnishes on counters are also among routine tasks.