Working in a busy pub (help needed)

Camster 123

Hey guys, I recently got offered a job in a pub in Dublin for the Heineken Cup.
Basically it's my first time doing any of this sort of thing, I've no experience of working behind a bar, dealing with drunk people professionally, concentrating on costs and orders..I'll be overwhelmed..

What I'm kinda of worried about it not understanding what drinks they'll be wanting. Of course i know the basics, and surely this event won't call for complicated cocktails, but i'm just wondering what drinks MAINLY will they be ordering?

And tips and advise in general too??
I'm a 20 year old male if that makes any difference :P

*edit - It's only a 2 day work job sorta thing, Blastabars events are the ones running it, they just hire anyone! I didnt lie about anything!

Herb Powell

I'm really surprised they haven't given you any training, did you lie about having experience or something?

It'll be predominantly beer. You'll need to find the "right" angle to pour the beer at, which tbh is trial and error, but you should get it in 2 or 3 pours. Be confident, and polite. Keep your head up. When handing the pint over to the customer, always hold the glass by the bottom third, and don't get it all greasy with your mucky hands. If you're not pouring out drinks, there's always something else to do-loading glasses into the dishwasher, etc.

It's not too bad, you get used to it very quickly, but be prepared to be busy.

hefferboi

To be honest, I reckon you'll only be collecting glasses for the day/night.


Unless you lied and said you've experience.

coylemj

First of all the Heineken Cup is between two French teams so it will not be like a normal rugby final where typically one of the teams is Irish and there will be a big turnout of locals.

The French typically don't travel in big numbers to club matches abroad, the profile of the average French rugby supporter is different to his Irish counterpart - read less spending power and therefore less likely to go to away matches.

It's unlikely you'll have to deal with difficult customers and anyway the place where you're working in will probably have door staff to keep order on things so if you're working behind the counter you probably won't have to worry about any messing about.

Make sure you're familiar with the cash register system before things start to get busy because you don't want your fellow staff standing behind you waiting to input transactions while you're still trying to figure out the menus. I find it surprising that you got a job working on a busy day if it's your first bar job. By any chance is it a bar in Temple Bar?

Sky King

If the bar is busy don't keep going back to the same corner to serve the people in it - that wrecks my head! Spread the love around.

BenShermin

Sky King wrote: »

If the bar is busy don't keep going back to the same corner to serve the people in it - that wrecks my head! Spread the love around.

It only wrecks my head if I'm in the wrong corner

minidazzler

1. If it's just for the Heineken Cup and it's in a real bar (not at a stadium or such) then you'll likely not even be near the bar. But in case you are.

2. Ask one of the bar staff already there to show you how to pull a pint.

3. When collecting glasses don't stack actual glass more than a few high, being new to it, you will cause breakages. You'd be best off to just hold 3 with your fingers inside the glass than stacking at all, but your choice.

4. You won't be making cocktails, period. They'll have someone for that, or else they are a joke of a bar if they expect a newbie to do it.

5. The main orders will depend on the bar. But Heineken, Budweiser, Carlsberg, Coors Light, Bulmers and Guinness are the main 6 in a normal Dublin pub.

6. If you are working the bar, however unlikely unless you lied, then get one of the regular staff to point out your area of operation, and from there work from left to right before starting again at the left. Don't go back and forth, just a clean sweep and back to the start.

7. Cleaning puke, before you start find out where the blue roll, latex gloves, brush and pan, scented spray cleaner (I like Mr Muscle window and glass) and puke mop are. If you come across puke that needs cleaning, don't go looking for someone else to do it, gather the supplies and just do it.

• Place blue roll lightly over the affected area
• Use brush off of the dust pan or your foot to move around the blue roll
• Sweep up blue roll, check for more large amounts of puke
• If none, spray area with scented cleaner wipe with Blue Roll
• Spray more scented cleaner and drop some water from a glass onto the floor and mop area until dry enough
• Go wash hands

8. If bringing glasses to the bar for cleaning, find the absolute shortest route to the washing machine and back, don't walk along the whole bar, whether you think you are or not, you ARE in the way.

9. Use a measure when pouring spirits, even if noone else there does. You're not able to count, don't pretend you can.

10. Smile, be happy and enjoy it. Working a bar can be the most fun of any job in the world. It's a laugh, if you're the type who is suited to it.

Degag

Good advice above. Also, dont take multiple orders. Nothing annoys me more in a pub when a barman takes an order for a Guinness and waits for it to settle and give it to the customer before taking another order. I know thats what they are probably told to do but after working in local bars and having 7 or 8 orders on the go at any time, it irks me. Would advise you not to do this though starting out.

minidazzler

Degag wrote: »

Good advice above. Also, dont take multiple orders. Nothing annoys me more in a pub when a barman takes an order for a Guinness and waits for it to settle and give it to the customer before taking another order. I know thats what they are probably told to do but after working in local bars and having 7 or 8 orders on the go at any time, it irks me. Would advise you not to do this though starting out.

I'd agree with this for a different reason, Murphys law..... Basically you'll get the order for a Guinness, when letting it settle take another order and it's some bollix with an 8 drink round and wants Bud in a Heineken glass and some other sh1t thing to remember.... then the original Guinness goes out of your mind.

Nothing more embarrassing, especially when just starting and every mistake seems like a huge deal....

Best bet OP is that for the first day or 3 when you get a Guinness order, pull it, clean bar counter while it settles (taking no orders), by the time you're done clearing glasses and wiping the counter it'll be settled. Next order.

Stone Deaf 4evr

This just blows me away, hiring a lad who hasn't a notion and not giving any training to him and expecting him to cope in a busy bar situation.

Also- on the not taking multiple orders thing, are ye mad? Fair enough for a newbie, but any semi skilled barman should be able to have 2 to 3 orders on the go between everything. Nothing gets on my tits more than being at an event and some youngster is behing the bar pulling one pint at a time and taking an eternity to make change. Also - make eye contact with customers, keeping your head down when only serving one person at a time infuriates people.

All that said and done, its not a terribly difficult job, relax and enjoy it!