If you're opening a bar, know that besides offering quality products, it's essential to provide good customer service. That's why making good hires is very important.
But do you know which professionals work in a bar?
In this article we'll list the main positions on a bar team and understand each one's roles and profile. Check it out!
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Who are the professionals who work in a bar
The bar team is made up of several professionals who need to be well trained and aligned to carry out their roles with mastery, friendliness, and efficiency. That way, they can offer a great customer experience.
For work to run smoothly, the unity and synchrony among the professionals must be constant so that everything goes as expected. Below, find out which staff members work in the bar and what their roles are:
Bar manager
The bar manager's role is to oversee the operation, coordinate the team, and make sure everything runs well — including resolving any dissatisfaction and conflicts with customers.
In addition, the manager must also handle the bar's inventory and financial control, among other administrative duties.
That's why this professional needs management, leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. They work under pressure and must be ready to make strategic decisions.
Learn more: How to manage a bar financially: 5 essential tips
Host or Hostess
This is the host, the person responsible for greeting customers at the entrance. But not only that: besides welcoming the bar's customers, the host or hostess points out where they can sit, coordinates reservations, and answers questions about the menu and payment.
In other words: it's a position that deals directly with serving the public and demands a lot of charisma and friendliness. Its main role is to welcome customers on arrival, greeting them and ensuring they'll be served promptly.
Kindness, etiquette, knowledge of the Menu, and skill in handling problems like a lack of seats and booking errors are some of these professionals' competencies.
Waiter or waitress
The waiter is generally the professional with the closest involvement with the customer. They're the reference point, the “face” of the place. That's why the waiter's role is essential in bars, restaurants, and other businesses in the industry.
The waiter's role in a bar is to greet customers, take people to an available table, take orders, and bring the drinks and snacks.
The patron won't always be satisfied, or they might have one too many and start crying on your shoulder. So one of the main qualities a waiter needs is patience, because they'll have to serve people of all kinds with courtesy and friendliness.
You need to be prepared for all of this and know how to act in the best way without compromising service or letting it interfere with the well being of the venue and the other customers.
Bartender or mixologist
This professional tends to be one of the venue's attractions, not just for the drinks and cocktails they make, but for the way they do this work.
They generally use methods and styles different from the traditional ones, with maneuvers and juggling that draw the attention of everyone present. Often they're the customer draw.
Besides aiming to increase drink sales (alcoholic or not), the bartender's goal is to liven people up, whether in traditional bars, or in hotel bars, parties, or nightclubs.
The difference between a bartender and a mixologist, is that the first is the one who makes the drinks, and the second, besides making them, also devotes themselves to studying and getting to know spirits, fermented drinks, and liqueurs better.
The mixologist has the knowledge to create signature cocktails. Their level of expertise qualifies them to create spirits with infusions, syrups, liqueurs, sugars, and other items, thus preparing drinks with their own unique style.
Learn more: Complete guide to creating a drinks menu
Bar cashier
The staff member who works as a bar cashier is the one who records goods going out, whether drinks or food.
In addition, they receive the customer who's going to pay for what they consumed. In some venues, there's the option of the waiter handling this charge, but normally the customer stops by the cashier to make the payment.
They need a lot of flexibility and composure to work in this role, because there may be cases of customers who will dispute what's on the tab, or complain about something. In those cases, having a quality POS system helps prevent errors and clear up any confusion.
What are the competencies of a bar professional?
Regardless of the position a staff member holds in a bar, they must be in line with the venue's profile.
You also need some competencies and knowledge that will contribute to the excellence of the service and care provided to the customer:
- Being cordial and helpful
- Knowing how to work as a team
- Problem-solving ability
- Understanding standards and best practices for Food safety
- Taking care of personal and venue health and hygiene;
- Knowing and studying other languages, especially the most common ones for tourists coming to Brazil, such as English, Spanish, French.
When hiring your bar team, it's essential to look for these competencies and make sure your team is qualified to provide the best customer service. Below, check out our tips for building a solid bar team.
Leia também: Gastrobar: what is it and how does it work?
7 tips for building a bar team
To build a bar team you need much more than knowing everyone's roles and competencies. To have a successful team, other actions are also important, as we'll see in the tips below.
1 – Make a careful selection
The hiring moment is decisive for the team's success. Run a careful selection process, identifying the professionals who have proven experience and the necessary competencies.
2 – Aim for a balanced team
A successful team is made up of bar professionals with different profiles who complement each other to meet every need in a balanced way. Look for diversity to gain more flexibility and delegate tasks to those who fit best.
3 – Make everyone's role clear
On a bar team it's essential that everyone is clear about their role and function. Talk to your employees, organize the processes, and distribute tasks according to each person's qualifications.
This is essential not only for the operation to flow efficiently, but also to make the most of everyone's potential, keep the team motivated, and avoid confusion and conflicts.
4 – Invest in training
Training the bar team is indispensable for service to be impeccable. It can include communication and customer service, drink preparation, organization and hygiene of the work environment, among other important bar processes.
5 – Be an exemplary leader
A team is a reflection of its leader. To earn your employees' trust and ensure they deliver their best, the secret is to lead by example. Get close to your team, communicate transparently, understand what the day-to-day work is like, and get to know each person deeply.
6 – Reinforce the importance of teamwork
Even though everyone has their own role and activities they're responsible for, it's also essential to develop teamwork. Whenever possible, stress the importance of everyone pitching in with whatever is needed so that service is fast and efficient.
7 – Give constructive feedback
Finally, give constructive feedback to each member of the bar team frequently. Recognize what the person does best and point out what can improve.
This way, you open space for continuous development, value the professionals, earn trust, and make them feel motivated to keep working at your bar.
Start preparing your bar's professionals now
Now that you understand the profile of a bar's professionals, you can start hiring and get the training ready so they provide excellent customer service. To make it easier, download our Customer Service Training Guide for free!
