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Some perfectly serviceable Crémant d’Alsace from my corner store.
We’ve learned a ton of great stuff this month, and it’s a lot to remember. Which is why I like to do these quick tips for bartenders episodes. It’s sort of a recap of the past four episodes. And as has become tradition, I drink a bottle of wine from my corner store. This month it’s a perfectly serviceable Crémant d’Alsace.
This month, we had financial expert Sarah Brady talk about personal finance for bartenders in Episode 21. She suggested many simple changes you can make to improve you financial wellness. We also talked with counseling psychologist Brenna McHugh in Episode 22 about mental health in the bar industry. Brenna gave some excellent tips that you can use daily to improve your mental wellbeing.
In Episode 23, I got to sit down with brand ambassador Keli Rivers and learn about the ins and outs of her career and how she made the transition from behind the bar. Finally, in Episode 24, I talked about the importance of taking breaks during this busy holiday season. I offered some advice on what has helped me feel more calm and grounded during my shifts.
Be sure to check out this episode with all of these quick tips for bartenders like you in the player or wherever podcasts are found. Don’t forget to hit subscribe, as we have new episodes every week on some of the most important topics in our industry.
That’s all for this week, but be Sure to also visit our homepage for much, much more. Also, let me know what you think or if there’s anything you want to hear more of. Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a message through our contact page. I’d love to hear from you! Be sure to sign up for our mailing list as well. It’s another way to stay up to date with all of this great information. I’ll see you next time!
It’s important to take breaks, especially when it’s busy.
It’s important to take breaks while working at the bar. Our jobs can be very stressful and fast paced, especially during the busy holiday season. Marathon weeks of holiday buyouts coupled with the general holiday frenzy and our own personal end of year woes create an unpleasant cocktail of stress, exhaustion and anxiety. And because we’re so busy with work and everything else, it’s easy to let other healthy habits of eating, drinking and exercise slip to the bottom of our priority list. If we don’t give our minds and bodies time to catch up, the long term effects can be serious or even fatal. Many different studies show a significant increase of coronary related death during the holiday season.
When you do take a break, it’s important to really take a break. Standing in the walk-in and continuing to worry about what’s happening on the floor isn’t really taking a break. Your mind and body are still in a state of stress and anxiety. This is something I personally struggle with as well. For most of us, it’s really challenging to let go and truly take a break.
Although it may not feel like it, it really is ok to just stop thinking about the floor for a couple of minutes. Worrying about it isn’t going to help the situation, and it will actually make things worse for you. And honestly, stepping away for a couple minutes isn’t really going to affect service very much. Everything will still be there when you return, but you will be much better prepared to handle it because you gave yourself a chance to catch up.
Check out my advice about taking breaks in this shorter episode, in the player or wherever podcasts are found. I know this holiday season is busy, so I’m giving you some quick advice to help get you through. You can even listen to this episode on your break if you want to. Be sure to visit our homepage for much, much more, and let me know how this is working out for you. You can leave a comment or send me a message through our contact page. Thanks so much for tuning in, and I’ll see you next time.
Where do you go next in your career? It’s a scary question to ask. With so many directions to go in, it’s hard to know where to begin. It’s a question I’m also trying to figure out myself. One of the many options is to become a brand ambassador. It’s a dream that a lot of us have, and it can seem like a pretty magical career. Have you ever been to a brand sponsored event for bartenders? The brand ambassador is like a rockstar sometimes. But the job isn’t all parties and company credit cards, it’s a lot of hard work too.
My guest today Keli Rivers, she’s been in hospitality for 26 years, all over the world. She helped open many bars including Whitechapel here in the city, and she’s now the brand ambassador for Sipsmith Gin. Keli shared a ton of great advice about how she navigated the transition from behind the bar to representing a brand and category that is really important to her.
Hear what she had to say about her career and how she made the decisions that led her to where she is today. You can listen to our conversation in the player or wherever podcasts are found. Don’t forget to hit subscribe and check out our homepage for much, much more. I’ll see you next time!
We’ve talked quite a bit about mental health in the bar industry on this show recently, and I don’t think it’s a subject we’ll put to rest anytime soon. Bartending can be an incredibly taxing job. The sheer number of interactions we have with people every shift is mentally exhausting enough, not to mention all of the other challenges we face on top of that. Long, odd hours, low pay, physical labor and alcohol abuse can lead to mental health problems if we don’t take care of ourselves. But what can we do, and how do we begin to change?
My guest today is Brenna McHugh. She’s worked in the industry for more than ten years as a bartender, national spirits judge and brand ambassador. Recently, Brenna completed her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, with the specific goal of supporting mental health and career longevity in our industry. She currently works as a counselor at an inpatient substance abuse treatment center and leads talks and events about industry-wide mental health issues.
Brenna shared so much helpful advice on mental health in the bar industry. So be sure to listen to our conversation in the player, or wherever podcasts are found. Please share this with your friends and colleagues in the industry too, this is advice that can benefit everyone. Check out our homepage for much, much more and don’t forget to hit subscribe. I’ll see you next time!
Personal finance is something that many bartenders struggle with. It’s a pretty terrifying subject that many of us, myself included, don’t even want to think about. Most of us don’t make a lot of money and we live in places where everything is expensive. Our financial struggles are further complicated by an unpredictable tip-based income that is often delivered to us in cash. This all traps many of us in a seemingly inescapable paycheck to paycheck lifestyle.
It’s really difficult to save any money, and if we have some kind of emergency situation, we are forced to make difficult decisions. It’s hard to even know where to begin saving and moving towards more financial stability.
My guest today is personal finance and credit expert Sarah Brady. Sarah worked as a server in San Francisco for many years. She now works to help people in our industry improve our financial wellness. Sarah writes for Credit Karma and Lending Tree, teaches workshops and offers one on one coaching to help build budgets, improve credit and buy affordable housing.
Check out our conversation in the player or wherever podcasts are found, and challenge yourself to try out one piece of advice that Sarah suggested. I guarantee you will thank yourself in the future.
Sarah will be sharing more tips on money management for industry folks on Wed December 4th. The event will be hosted by Jigger & Dash and sponsored by Woodford Reserve. Check out jiggeranddash.com for more info and be sure to check out our homepage for much, much more. Thanks so much for tuning in, I’ll see you next time!