FAQ Bartending

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Bartender and Knowledge Courses FAQs

What do I learn?
The online bartender training will cover not just drink recipes, but customer service, alcohol flavors, alcohol knowledge, wine and much more. The course has been used by thousands of students since the 1980's, and has been used by online students since 1999.

What if I need practice (in addition to the online learning)?
You can purchase practice kits at www.baremulator.com. The practice kits allow you to practice your drinks at home, with real equipment. Also, you can use the kits for private parties, such as wedding dances in spring and summer, and Christmas parties during November and December.

Is there any interaction in the bartending course?
Yes, you can use the iBar to make drinks, simulated online. The iBar allows you to make drinks, and scores your pouring skills! The iBar will time your drinks, measure your pours (for accuracy), and get you accustomed to the setup in a real bar.

Does a bartender need food safety training?
Most bars will serve food at the bar, whether it is a frozen pizza from the toaster oven, or a fine dinner, getting certified as a food handler will help you land the job you want.

Why should I upgrade to the Master's bartender package?
As a bartender, you usually receive a base salary, plus tips. The base salary (or hourly wage) is usually pretty low, such as minimum wage up to $12 per hour. Your main income is going to be from tips. Tips can range from a few bucks a night, to $20 an hour, and up. The best way to increase tips is to increase your knowledge. Great knowledge of your products, gratuity secrets will increase your income. Increasing your income also means more people are coming back to the restaurant, which makes you a more valuable employee.

Why would I want to learn responsible serving^®, when I am trying to sell more alcohol?
Responsible serving of alcohol has to do with getting your customers home safely, you want to make sure they don't get in an accident, and don't get a DUI. The best way to increase your tips is through a customer base that enjoys your service, and feels you are providing a safe environment for them to relax, and in case of over-drinking that you will be looking out for their best interests.

Can a bartender drink on the job?

In most states, it is illegal for bartenders or any servers to drink on the job. Since some states allow people to serve alcohol (not all states) before 21 years of age, they have to regulate the drinking, hence bartenders or servers cannot drink on the job. Plus, drinking on the job only reduces your tips, as you will not be providing as good of service.

Can you serve if you have a felony? Can you serve if you have a criminal record?

Washington State and Indiana have laws against bartending with Felonies or serving with felony or criminal record. To the best of our knowledge, in all other states, if you have legal problems or a felony, you can still be a bartender.

According to Indiana statute IC 7.1-3-18-9, the commission may not issue an employee's permit to an applicant while the applicant is serving a sentence for a conviction for operating while intoxicated, including any term of probation or parole. The commission may also not issue an employee's permit to an applicant who has two unrelated convictions for operating while intoxicated if: the first conviction occurred less than 10 years before the application and the applicant completed the sentence for the second conviction less than 2 years before the application. In addition the commission will also revoke a permit if: the employee is either convicted of a Class B misdemeanor for selling alcohol to an intoxicated person or the employee is convicted of operating (a vehicle) while intoxicated. You should check for updates to this law, or talk to your training provider.

Caveat: If you have an alcohol related problem, due to temptations, it may be a bad idea to become a bartender or server, also in some circumstances your judge may have given you a probation or recommendation that you not work near alcohol.

Can you really learn bartending online?
If you attend a live training school, they will either provide you with flash cards, or with recipe cards (or ask you to buy recipe cards). The flash cards or recipe cards are for memorizing the drinks, you will be asked to write the drink on one side, then the recipe on the other. The computer is excellent for memorization of recipes, as you can review the material over and over, until you have all the recipes memorized.

How do I learn to make drinks?
The training course has our proprietary iBar (Interactive Bartender) software, which is set up just like a real bar, you select the glassware and ingredients, and make drinks. The iBar is set up like a real bar, so you can get used to where things are stored behind the bar.

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