The Best Place To Start Your Career As A Bartender: Pub Or Bar?

Bartending is one of the most rewarding careers today. Apart from the monetary gains, they're usually given a chance to work in high-end restaurants and cruises, allowing them to travel around the globe. Because of this, many people aspire to become one. However, the road to being a high-paid bartender isn't a bed of roses.

In many cases, bartending requires a person to become patient and hardworking. Aside from these attitudes, they need to develop skills and earn certificates to fit the job. Generally, bartenders start their careers in pubs and bars before working their way up and after attending a bartending school.

If you're having difficulty choosing between the two, here's an article that may help you. Keep reading to identify the pros and cons of each option to help you decide better. So, read on!

Breaking Down The Bars

Bars are establishments that offer a variety of alcoholic drinks, albeit with a limited menu. They cater to a wide range of clientele and can often be found in cities. Also, bars have different versions, including sports bars, biker bars, and topless bars.

After taking a bartending course, you may apply in bars. You may consider choosing a school with a job placement program for better hiring chances. For more ideas of the pros and cons of working in bars, you may check the following:

Pros

Vast Drink Knowledge

Since bartenders serve different beverages in bars, they may need to learn more than the basics of beverages. They may need to prepare liqueur and similar bar drinks from the distillation of fruits, veggies, and cereals and may learn to set up spirit drinks or ethanol-based beverages. 

In addition, bartenders can learn about wines from the cheapest to the most expensive types; plus, be acquainted with other drinks, such as brandies, whiskeys, rum, and beer. Bartenders are also expected to learn how to serve beverages, such as on the rocks and shaken. 

While the fundamentals in bartending may have been taught in bartending schools, the newbies may learn more of the various bartending techniques, including:

• shaking
• stirring
• throwing
• mixing
• dry shaking
• floating
• Improved Social Skills

Apart from beverage knowledge, bartenders may enhance their skills in interacting with customers. Since they can be exposed to different personalities, they may improve their character by improving their sense of humor and communication. This way, they can improve their customer service and make their bartending more fun, leading to more tips and rewards.

Time Management

Bartending can be exhaustive, so newbies may need to manage their time well by maximizing the time spent on their work while having breaks in between. They may sometimes be required for long hours, especially in peak season. To keep everything properly placed, bartenders need better organization by planning early and using a time and priority list.

Cons

Not An Ideal Place To Learn Cooking

Since bars focus on offering alcoholic drinks, they could not be the perfect place to learn to cook various dishes. A short-order menu such as pizza and light appetizers is the only one you may gain knowledge in preparing.

Generally Busy And Loud Customers

Since most of the bar’s customers go to the establishment to drink, they’re often rowdy and may prompt you to become more patient. Moreover, you may need an amazing set of social skills to do so.

Check The Pubs

Aside from bars, you may apply in pubs. Most pubs offer beer. But some also provide wine and cider variations. In addition, pubs have more and better food choices than bars. They're often quiet and private and have a more casual ambiance than bars.

For better ideas, you may consider the following:

Pros

Specific Drink Knowledge

Since pubs are usually specific to beer, wine, and cider, the drink knowledge of pub bartenders is more limited. However, this specificity allows bartenders to research and know more about the different types of beer that could satiate every beer lover's palate. These types may include lager, ale, pilsner, pale ale, and wheat beer.

Besides these, pubs can help bartenders start to know and adequately use various brewing utensils and equipment, such as growlers, wort chillers, and fermenters.

Casual People Skills

Since most pubs offer a more comprehensive menu, bartenders may need to learn to deal with adults and children. They may also need to deal with the same and different sexes.

Better Training In Cooking

Because of the availability of dishes, newbies may need to learn more about cooking snacks, such as pizza and bread. They may cook specialties that could complement rice meals or liquor. That way, this need may develop cooking skills to satisfy customer needs.

Cons

May Be Limited To Beer And Wine

Since pubs offer both drinks and food, they usually have a minimal list of alcoholic drinks. If you’re trying to have a more diverse set of beverage knowledge, this may not be a good start for you.

May Require Extensive Cooking Skills

On the other hand, since pubs generally offer different meals, including salads and soups, hiring someone with a good background in cooking can be an extensive task for the hiring officer and the management. Because of that, it could be challenging for those with limited knowledge of cooking to be hired.

Wrapping Up

Suppose you've just finished your bartending school and earned a certificate of proof. Your next action will be to pick the best place to start bartending. Depending on your skill set, experience, and preferences, you may choose between a bar or pub.

You may consider pubs if you're looking for ways to learn how to cook and choose drinks simultaneously. On the other hand, you may choose bars if you’re looking for ways to have more, such as special liquor mixes. Either way, attending a bartending school could be the best start before choosing between the two.