5 Reasons to Hire a Professional Bartender
When it comes to planning an event, one of the most important elements to consider is the bar. This common gathering place gets your guests in a celebratory mood. It’s important to make sure that your bar provides great service, while protecting you from liability. Hiring a professional bartender is the best way do ensure this.
Experience
Trust us, you definitely want a professional bartender with event experience. Not just someone with an ABC card. Event bartenders specialize in just that…weddings and events! They will be far more equipped to assist you in many more ways than simply serving your guests. For example, if you don’t hire a professional event bartending company, you run this risk of having not enough alcohol. If you have too little to drink your party will be ending early. If you don’t have the right things to drink, you may have too much of something that not as many guests are interested in. When you work with a professional bartending company, this is their area of expertise. Keeping your guests happy! They can calculate for you, based on your overall guest count, the amount of each item you will likely need. In some cases they can even get discounts from liquor stores. This is if they make the purchase on your behalf, of course. After all, the worst thing would be running out of drinks before the evening is out!
Safety
While it may seem like a smart idea to have that friend with an ABC card bartend your wedding, they are far more likely to over-serve your guests leaving you liable if something should go wrong. No one wants to tell their friend that they are being cut off. They certainly wouldn’t want to bother or upset you with this on your wedding day, either. This is how most bar-related problems arise. By booking a full service bartending team you will not only get professional bartenders, but they will come fully insured as well. This wmeans that you don’t hold any liability. Many of the amazing bartending companies that we work with have upwards of $2 million in liability insurance. Sometimes even more. Talk about coverage!! They definitely have your back should anything go wrong.
Liability
Did you know that as the host you are responsible for your guests’ drunken behavior? This liability does not just fall onto the shoulders of your bartender. This is where that event insurance you didn’t want to have to purchase but were required to by your venue comes in. Keep in mind, it is far more than just property damage that you may be looking at. If one of your guests was over-served and then they leave your event, committing vehicular manslaughter along the way to their next destination, you may be held accountable for their since it was your event that they were attending? This is the reason that venues now require professional bartenders. The professional bartenders are then required to submit proof of insurance as well as their ABC licenses. I know, you are likely thinking that this insurance seems like overkill. If you had gotten into an altercation of some kind with an uninsured motorist it would be a massive pain. Especially when you come to discover that in the end you are the one paying for all the damages. It is the same situation when you take your chances working with a bartender who does not carry any liability insurance. If something happens to one of your guests, you are now responsible for those expenses. It may even result in a court…talk about a honeymoon buzzkill.
Host/Hostess With The Mostess
People attend your wedding because they love you. They stay because your vendors are ensuring that they are having the best time. No one will dance if you have a bad DJ or band. People likely will not eat the food if it tastes like overcooked cardboard. Plan wisely! Have your wedding planner assist you in the selection of a great vendor team. Especially including an amazing professional bartender. After all, they are the first stop every guest makes as they enter the reception. They are the lead face of vendor team. The bartender is the one who will get that party started! Consider offering up signature drink during cocktail hour to incorporate your theme and colors. That’s a sure way to have your guests coming back for more! Keep in mind, your wedding planner, DJ or band and bartenders will be there for the entirety of your event, so be sure to select those vendor that fit your vibe!
Skill Level
Every bartender is different. Some teams offer mixologists who have experience with high craft cocktails. Others can’t even tap a keg…no really. We have actually had this happen at an event. Some bartenders have extensive event experience while others have only worked in restaurants. Be sure to hire a bartending team with extensive event experience. This is an event, after all. If one of your guests requests a cocktail that you haven’t heard of and don’t know how to make? Not a problem! A professional event bartending team is well versed in knowing how to create that drink request. Or they will be skilled enough to be able to provide a concoction that closely mimics their desired beverage. This keeps them, and you, happy. Great bartenders love getting creative with drinks behind the bar!
Another concern with not hiring a professional team is that if your bartender has only worked in restaurants they will have difficulty creating a full bar set up. All events, prior to the party itself work with a tight schedule. By hiring a professional bartending company, they can provide everything required for a smooth set up. Professional event bartenders supply their own items such as bar tools, coolers, and even a pop up bar if one is not provided by the venue. Non-event bartenders will simply show up with their ABC card and nothing else…not even a corkscrew!! (Trust us, its actually happened…and yes, we are still mystified as to how they didn’t even have a corkscrew…)
Regardless of who serves your guests on your big day, be sure to hire someone you trust.
Hiring an experienced, professional bartending company will keep your party moving. They will ensure that your guests aren’t waiting on line for too long. Not only will they keep the line moving, but they will also prevent over-serving any guests, avoiding any liability issues. This will guarantee that everyone has a fun, safe time at your event. After all, alcohol does provide a large amount of liability. You want to be sure that your bartender is well educated on all the various state laws to avoid any issue. Keep in mind, folks, you get what you pay for.
Click here for a list of our favorite professional bartending teams!
Be sure to also check out our blog: How Much Alcohol Do I Buy?
Cheers!!
