Speed and Efficiency in High Volume Bartending – Bottle Opening
How many times do you have to open a beer bottle during a bartending shift? If you want to increase your speed and efficiency as a bartender, you need to look at the little things you do over and over and become better at them.
Ever wonder how veteran bartenders snap caps off beer bottles with their speed openers in a fraction of a second? Opening beer bottles quickly is a skill that takes time to develop, but with a few pointers your skill will develop much faster.
1. Purchase a speed opener that is about six inches long, has a ring at one end, and the bottle opening 2 half moons at the other side. It should be long, flat, and preferably stainless steel.
2. To use this opener, put your index finger through the ring of the opener, and rest the opener in your palm with the bottle opening end sticking out under your wrist. This grip gives the opener stability, which you will need to open bottles very quickly.
3. To practice, hold one beer bottle in the other hand, and see what it feels like to slowly grab onto the cap, and then quickly snap it off with an upward flick of your wrist.
4. It will take time to develop this skill as I said before, but practice as much as possible in the bar you work at. When two bottles are to be opened, hold one with your index finger and thumb, and the second with your middle finger against your index finger. Practice snapping both caps off with two quick flicks of your wrist. At first it will take a lot of concentration.
5. Eventually try opening up to six bottles at once, with two in your hand as mentioned above – and another 4 bottles being held by your forearm up against your lower chest/ upper abdomen.
I know, it would be way easier to learn this if we showed it on video… If anyone wants to donate a video camera, send me an email! Then we will make a helpful how-to video.
Good luck!
Optimize Bartending Energy – Sleeping Tricks
My nightclub in Vancouver closes at 2am, which is early by industry standards. By the time we clean up, roll coin, submit cash, tip out etc, it’s generally about 3am. On Saturdays I will stay and have a couple of beers with the rest of the staff. Other nights we’ll all go to subway or some other late night food place, which will take us until roughly 4am. Then I commute home for about 45 minutes. All told I’m really never in bed before 4:30 am, and even then in my energy induced restless state, it can take another hour to actually fall asleep.
Human beings are biologically geared to be in bed sleeping before 11pm, and to wake up sometime around sunrise. Bartenders are just getting to sleep around sunrise, and sleeping in through a sunny morning (or trying to at least). I find that sleeping any longer than six hours in this less than optimal state is counter-productive. Regardless, to get the most out of this rest you must do a few things:
1. Have blinds/curtains that make your room completely dark.
2. Have complete silence (no music t.v. etc).
3. Have a relatively cool temperature in your room.
4. Ear plugs and a strap on eye cover work if you don’t have access to such a room.
After about six hours of sleep (for me about 10:30 – 11am) make sure you’re out of bed and beginning your productive day.
Nap time. About 4 hours before my shift starts, I will take a 45 minute nap. Some people will recommend no more than a 15 minute power nap, but I find I simply need more time for rejuvenation. This will give you the endurance you need to power you through a long shift after minimal quality sleep the night before.
After my last night of work, I follow the same procedure, waking up at about 10:30 – 11am. I skip the early evening nap, so that I can be in bed early by 9 or 10pm. Doing this allows me to switch back to a regular 9-5 schedule.
Optimize Bartending Energy – Late Night Work Outs!
Bartenders need their energy to peak between the hours of 11pm and 2am. These are the busiest hours in most nightclubs across North America. The nightclub I work at is one of Vancouver’s hottest spots, so we’re very busy Thursday – Sunday. The act of working 4 nights a week into the early morning hours at a high energy pace will train your body’s energy to peak between these hours. However, if you’re only bartending 1 or 2 nights a week, there are a few tricks I’ve learned over the years to prepare for big nights.
1. Play a late night organized sport. The guys at my nightclub meet every Wednesday night for an 11 pm game of roller hockey. Exerting yourself all out in a sport like this at this time improves your cardiovascular health, but will also make you more agile working beside several other bartenders in a cramped bar area. I also find that sports like this make it easy to maintain your abs and tone for all those nights you plan on ripping off your shirt.
2. Hit the gym an hour before it closes. My gym closes at 11pm, so more times than not, I’m in there at 9 or ten to do my late night workout, once again to get my body used to exerting energy late into the night. If this is not possible for you, just make sure you avoid early morning workouts, especially on days that you’ll be behind the bar. You’ll be so exhausted by the time rolls around to start your shift that you won’t last long in the industry.
3. Do I really need to say it? Late night sex - nothing is more fun. Have some great sex when you’re going to bed pretty much as often as you can get away with it. Make sure you do all the work. Mix up the positions, but I definitely recommend finishing with a five minute doggy style pounding, standing in front of a mirror, or kneeling on the bed. My other favourite way to finish is to have her lay with just her shoulder blades and head on the bed, and hold her up by her ass with legs over your shoulders, and do the jackhammer! If you last five minutes at any of these finishing positions, you’ll be sweating and know what I mean about sex improving your late night stamina.
Mix it up, or try two together (a workout followed by sex is great). You’ll be in ridiculous shape, and your energy will soar every night you’re behind the bar.
Optimize Bartending Energy – Are Coffee and Energy Drinks The Answer?
Coffee, energy drinks, fat burners, and 5 hour energy are the favourites of the bartenders in my nightclub. When I get to work each night, most of the other guys have a massive Starbucks coffee in their hand. One guy in particular at this point will be washing down some xenadrine EFX (potent fat burner packed with caffeine) with his massive cup of coffee. When the night gets started, this guy is a mess… his movements are sloppy, very quick and energy charged mind you – but he’s knocking over bottles and bartending in a very choppy inefficient style. Without any caffeine at all, some of us might be yawning and not show the intensity necessary to be a nightlong entertainer. I’m definitely not saying to stay away from the stuff completely.
I find with myself, if I drink coffee directly before my shift, it takes about an hour for the caffeine rush to wear down enough to the point where I can move in a smooth manner, and make all of my movements more efficient and fluid. I’ve adopted a new strategy:
1. I enjoy my favourite caffeinated beverage 2- 3 hours before I start work( massive matcha green tea latte, with 2 shots of espresso added to it, no sugar necessary as it will cause an early crash)
2. Have a brief workout of about 30-45 minutes in duration
The combination of these two energy releasing activities puts me in an endorphin enhanced state of mind. I’ve got tons of energy but am not jittery, and am in an extremely good mood. The other thing the workout does is keep me confident – considering I’ll no doubt be tearing my shirt off about a dozen times throughout the night!