What is the most important skill for a bartender?

[mattfontenot]

Hello, my name is Matt. I am currently taking a bar-tending course at my local community college and I need some help on an assignment. For the assignment I am supposed to write about what the most important skill is for a bartender, is it mixing drinks, customer service or sanitation. I personally think it is customer service, but since I have not worked in a bar yet, I would like to get your professional opinions. Thank you in advance for your time and opinions. :)

[mattfontenot]

um...hello...... is anyone going to respond?????

[shawnchin]

i have already vote for mixing drink

[damienfilth]

a combination of the 3 is important.

[mKey]

Yea thats kind of a weird question. Of course you must know how to mix drinks, you must have a positive attitude, you must provide great customer service, and by law you must practice excellent sanitation habits. I would say no 1 is more important than the other.

But, this is a textbook question...so its gotta be mixing drinks....??

[Linda]

It depends on the bar you end up working at. Neighborhood bars are totally different than tendy bars and that is different than chain bars/restaurants. Where I work it is speed. I have a lot of regulars that expect their drink to always be full. Their orders are simple (crown and cokes or beer) and to keep them happy all I have to do is keep a drink in front of them. Bartenders that come in and try to be entertaining, nice, or flashy and up being replaced if they can't keep the drinks full.

[Darragh]

If your ever get a chance jump on the bar and recite a poem about alcohol. Just be Tom Cruse in Cocktail and you'll be fine! :P

[jewson]

My bartending instructors taught me that the most important thing about being a bartender is to bring back customers. The more people you can bring back regularly the more money you can make.

[Bikebird]

I think Matt was looking to to know which element of bartending is the key to doing so. I'd say it's a combination of providing exceptional service backed up by an exceptional product. Actually, the service is part of the product, if you look at the big picture. Good sanitation is a gimme--I don't think the average drinker is going to pay attention to cleanliness unless it's obviously a problem (lipstick on glasses, sticky stems, etc.).

[RPGgrenade]

I'd have to say customer service mixed together with mixing drinks... I'm more of the drink perfecting type, but i haven't worked in a bar at all so i just don't have experience with customers

[jcsites]

I think a combination of the 3 is more likely the best. Mixing drinks that would catch the costumer's taste of drinks;the superb costumer service and also the ambiance of the place..

[smnjms]

"Knowledge, knowledge and personality. in that order. without the first 2, the last is of very little use."

[Anderson Vanessa]

The first and foremost important quality of a bar tender is his humbleness and smiling face. As he has to deal with every kind of people, he must always keep a good smile on his face and should behave well in every condition. This is the only specialty which make a bar tender different from others.

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