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ON-TRADE BAR TRAINING – Gang of Pour
“standfirst”>Professionally trained bartenders are scarce, underappreciated and an untapped source of additional sales, reports Patrick Schmitt
It’s a lot harder than you think. I’m referring to pouring a drink professionally, not dribbling some gin into a tumbler and collapsing on the sofa. I realised this on a condensed bartending course at “The Space”, IPBartenders’ training facility in west London. It’s a comforting cross between boy’s bedroom – worn armchairs, gadgets, hardback books piled high – and a fully functional bar (with the most incredible spirits collection).
As the rain beat against the skylight, we flicked first water, then vodka, across the room, trying to master a perfect pour. “Stand on your tip-toes and pour from the elbow, looking down, straight into the measure,” advises Ben Reed, IPBartender, grasping the neck of a full bottle, turning it upside down and filling a small measure right to the top without spilling a drop.
The aim of the exercise is not just to appear as Tom Cruise-like as possible, but to make a drink accurately, hygienically and safely. It may be heaving in front of the bar, but behind it things are always crowded and flailing limbs are inadvisable.
The IPBartenders course isn’t just about making cocktails; it includes detailed drinks information, role plays and written assessments that are covered under four headings – product, profit, performance and professionalism (the 4 Ps). In fact, the IPBartenders “Professional Bartending Skills Course” – to give it its official name – is so comprehensive it is accredited by the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII).
But why sit the course? Surely anyone can be a bartender? The fact is, almost anyone can work behind a bar, but very few are good bartenders. The sector is suffering from an image problem – bartending is not considered a serious career, meaning low levels of pay and little investment in staff training. Hence, IPBartenders are on a mission to raise the profile of bartending by increasing the professionalism of those working in the sector. An informed and skilled bartender can not only improve the reputation of the profession, but also the consumer’s experience in the on-trade. Well-made drinks and attentive service are key if people are to fork out for drinking in pubs and bars. Furthermore, a top bartender can encourage consumers to trade up. After all, a bartender is far more than just a drinks maker, but a salesperson.
However, “the level of knowledge and skill in the market as a whole is embarrassingly low,” explains IPBartender founder Tai Altman. “There are around 400,000 people working behind a bar or serving alcohol, and I could probably name only 40 or 50 really good bartenders in the UK. Even style bars have incompetent bartenders.
“Bartending is the lowest part of the food chain when it comes to catering,” he continues, “and a lot of alcohol is sold through restaurant bars. I want people in the industry to change their attitude.”
Apart from encouraging those within and outside the food and drinks trade to see bartending as a proper career, Altman makes the point that those serving alcohol need training in serving responsibly, because increasingly they are accountable for customers. “If you allow customers to get drunk, and there’s trouble, the police can trace it back to the bartender.” Certainly in the US and Australia, bartenders can be fined for serving people that have already had a lot to drink; while in some bars in Britain, bartenders are now made to sign contracts making them responsible for drunk customers.
“The bottom line is alcohol kills more than any other drug, so you must be responsible,” says Altman, although he does emphasise that “there are ways to still make money while serving responsibly.”
And as noted earlier, a bartender is a salesman, not just an order taker. Reed explains that there are three words IPB use to train bartenders in selling drinks to customers – coerce, control and manipulate. Apparently, as many as 43% of customers don’t know what they want to drink when the walk into a bar, and most take up to 15 seconds to decide. “You must use that window as a selling occasion,” says Reed. “Otherwise, you might as well be replaced with a drinks machine – at least they are reliable.”
He teaches bartenders to size up customers before they even reach the bar because certain cues can help one choose suitable drinks suggestions. The size of the group, whether or not it’s mixed, the average age and how the customers are dressed are all important variables when it comes to recommending drinks that will please. There are also different methods of selling: the simple up-sell – “a large measure, sir?” – or even directive selling, when you might want to encourage a customer to try a particular drink. Reed recalls an American technique called the “first and last” where one mentions the preferred product both first and last. There’s even subliminal selling, but as Reed concludes on this subject, “to have control over the selling occasion you must have the trust of the consumer”.
Overall, bartending is a demanding job, with long and often anti-social hours, and currently little financial return. At the top end, in London style bars, bartenders can expect to earn as much as £30,000 including tips, but for the most part bartenders take home the minimum wage and with little chance to earn extras. In other words, the rewards need to improve before serious people are attracted to the industry.
Nevertheless, bartending can prove a stepping stone to other roles in the drinks industry. Far be it for me to suggest that all the talent should ditch cocktail making, but the point is, it is possible to make a “proper” career in drinks from a base of bartending. Certainly the IPB boys all have an extensive background behind the bar, but they are now seeking job satisfaction training others, which although certainly demanding, is relatively lucrative and doesn’t involve working nights. Other than that, successful bartenders can act as brand ambassadors for particular products. This can ensure a regular income and certain perks that come with working for a big company. Being a bar manager may also be a good route to becoming general manager of a restaurant or hotel; while if setting up on your own is an aim, then working behind the bar gives you the chance to meet other potential business partners as well as get to grips with the what makes a successful operation.
However, with this BII-accredited course, it is hoped bartending will earn greater respect from the trade, and that should boost the rewards for those already behind the bar.
© db December 2005