Bartending School: Article on bartending down time

Bartending Down Time: Riding Out The Slow Season

It happens in every bar, night club, tavern and watering hole. It does not matter where, or how popular the place may be. It is the inevitable slow season. It is the bane of bartending. In bartending, nobody wants to tell you about the slow season.

The Bartending Gravy Train

There is hope. With a little planning and forethought, you can ride out the slow season with little or no hassle. The most valuable tool for riding out the bartending slow season is to be prepared. Do not assume that the gravy train never ends. Put 10% of your tips away no matter what. NO MATTER WHAT. While bartending brings in great cash money, there is no safety net. Save a little bit in anticipation of the slow down. It probably wont add up to much each shift, maybe $10-20. But when it slows down and bartending just doesn’t bring in the same coin, it will be heaven sent.

The Bartending Cycle

Get to know your cycle. It may be industry wide, city wide, or confined to just your bar. Regardless, pay attention to the bartending cycle, when is it high and when is it low. When the cycle starts to dip, cut back on some of your spending, take on more shifts and be prepared to work a little bit harder to bring in the tips.

Fall Back On Your Bartending Skill Set

During these bartending down times fall back on your bartending basics. Use all the social skills you can muster. If you use all your skill set, it is possible to create a bartending oasis. That is, you can keep your head comfortably above water by really making the most of your skill set. Really, really work hard at making new regs and keeping the old one coming back. As you gain experience, you can easily wait out the storm with very little impact on your pocket book.

To learn more about making the most of the bartending cycle click the link below.

Bartending Information

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