Pittsburgh

Watching the World Cup in Pittsburgh Bars

June 9th, 2010

The World Cup is right around the corner.  Its the most popular sporting event in the entire world.  Okay….its not the most popular sports event in Pittsburgh…but its still exciting and it offers a whole different twist.

The exciting and different thing is when you are watching a match with natives, ardent fans, and followers of one of the competing nations.  If they are true fans the place will resonate with yells, cheers, songs, and all sorts of fun reactions as they reflect the fandom of their favorite national team.   Its one of the most excting packages of fan excitement you might find anywhere.

So where are those folks hanging out in Pittsburgh? 

We know that  The Pipers Pub on East Carson Street has a rep as a soccer bar and English pub….but I can’t believe that the rabid fans from around the world all want to be caught in an English pub during this event.

American TV is showing the world cup through ESPN this year…so soccer (football) fans can find it everywhere. Where will the Dutch, the South Africans, the Brazilians, and Mexicans and others in Pittsburgh be congregating, celebrating, hoping, and rooting for their native teams?

We searched around ….and dang didn’t find an answer…but we did find this cool article where a Pittsburgh resident who is a native of every competing World Cup team spoke about their national team and experiences. Its from the Pittsburgh Trib and its worth a read.

If you can find a local bar where the native fans are congregating and rooting for their home team arrange to watch it at the same time.

But, let us know. We want to take in the excitement.

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Pittsburgh Bartending School Cost

May 20th, 2010

We operate several bartending schools.  People always ask about the cost.  Its one of the first questions that comes up.  We are happy to discuss it.

When people ask the cost, they should always consider the payback that a bartending school can provide.  Its actually fantastic and far better and faster than any kind of trade school anywhere.

State regulated bartending schools typically cost somewhere between $300 and $1000 depending on the city and the market.  Our school falls somewhere in the middle of that range.  At a state regulated school you should get the following:

• hands on training behind a real bar
• learn a lot of recipes that are popular in all kinds of bars
• learn about alcohol, tastes, colors, mixers, etc. so you can start creating  drinks surprisingly fast
• alcohol management training
• VERY IMPORTANTLY an active local job placement program with real leads/contacts and a system to land bartender jobs.

We feature that kind of job placement program.  Its the critical step in earning back the cost of the 40 hour program.  We can’t guarantee jobs.  That is against the law.  It would be stupid for us to guarantee jobs to anyone.  We don’t do the hiring. 

But our Pittsburgh bartending school has incorporated a bartending job placement program that was developed elsewhere and in early 2010 alone helped grads land over 350 jobs by Mid May.  Not another bartending school in the nation is wiling to show that kind of information.   We will.  We want you to be able to earn that money back and more and do it quickly!! 

Meanwhile a graduating bartender can often land a job quickly, often within a week or two, and start making money back fast.   Here is exactly what we see from our grads in Pittsburgh and other cities where we have operated bartending schools.

A beginning bartender who isn’t fully skilled yet, might find him or herself earning somewhere in a range of $100/night in tips, give or take about $50/night.   Not bad.  That’s about $500 in one’s first week.  That alone pretty much pays for bartending school.

Once you get more comfortable and more efficient we see graduate bartenders in Pittsburgh earning in the $200-$400 range on solid evenings.  These can be weekdays or weekends and it depends on the bar and the type of bar.  It could be a club, it could be a fancy restaurant.  Its got to be busy and popular for you to make good money.

At that rate its easy to see how a good full time bartender can earn $30-$60,000/year.  Imagine that after a 40 hour program that can be finished in one or two weeks depending on scheduling and costs far less than $1,000.   That is incredible.  No other type of trade school training offers the same opportunities.

If you are bartending part time its also easy to make that investment in bartending school payoff.  Imagine making it your fun extra part time job.  You work one or two nights/week possibly making about $300/week and you only do it about 40 weeks of the year.  That is an extra $12,000 in a fun job.  Again you are making it from an investment of far less than $1,000 and investing it in yourself and your skills.

One nice thing about a state regulated bartending school like us is that we help all our grads all the time.  Say you take the course, graduate and don’t bartend for a period and then decide now is the time.   Come back to the school.  Take a FREE refresher class(es).   Get updated job leads and start working.  The investment in yourself still works.

Enough of this talk about money though.  Bartending is fun.  Its like being at the party, having fun…..AND GETTING PAID.  Nothing beats that.

So if you want to know more about our Pittsburgh Bartending School call us at 412-921-9227.   Arrange to visit the school.  Get the exact costs there.  Watch class in session.  Speak with our staff.  Ask questions.  Find out about our placement program.

Better bring a smile though.  Its bartending!!  Its a lot of fun!!! 

   

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Yinzers find quick bartending jobs!! Take that recession!!

March 31st, 2010

We love it when grads land jobs.  Several of them recently picked up great bartending jobs very quickly after finishing our quick forty hour hands on bartending program. 

As is always the case, they picked up bartending gigs at all kinds of places from the fancy and chic to neighborhood bars and beyond.  Check them out.

Eric landed a bartending gig at Chili’s in Butler.  That place gets very crowded on Fridays.  Good work, man.

Ebony is bartending at the very well known, very established Omni William Hotel.  Ebony:  Good work.  That is a place where you can find some great tippers!!

Denise is both managing and doing some bartending at the Coal Hill Steakhouse.  And best of all its Spring.  Definitely that is the BEST bar scene on Mt Washington.  We have already heard about some killer nights there….and on weekdays no less!!!

Chelsea landed a great gig at the Hideout.  Very Kewl!!!  You go girl!!

Alexis is bartending at the Penn Hills Liquid Lounge.  Deffo one of the best places for HipHop in the region.!!!   Gr8 job, Alexis.  Congrats!!!!

Myles is behind the bar at Zippys Saloon.   Knock em dead, Myles.  That is a great place to earn some tips.

Spring is one of the best times of the year for hiring bartenders.  Check out our grads, and above all tip them well!!!!! 

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Merry Christmas Pittsburgh Don’t drink and drive!!!

December 24th, 2009

Imagine if Santa was drinking during his trip….he’d never finish delivering presents…..

 Don’t drink and drive, Pittsburgh.  Merry Christmas

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Pittsburgh Halloween Parties

October 12th, 2009

Halloween may well be the holiday that generates the most memorable parties.  Crazy costumes, meeting people who are so well costumed you haven’t the faintest idea who they are, and outrageous behavior are all just part of the magic of halloween parties.  It brings out the “best or craziest” in all of us.

If you are going to host a halloween party, here are some ideas that may make that party a huge success.

1.  We wouldn’t be who we are if we didn’t suggest you hire a bartender to serve drinks at  your party.  LOL!!  Of course if you do…you know where to get them (hint, hint–call us at (412) 921-9227)  (hint, hint).

Seriously at a fun party with costumes and outrageous behavior a bartender frees you up to spend more and better time with your guests.  They’ll help you set up before and clean up afterwards.  They can suggest especially nifty drinks that work for Halloween.

You may want a bartender in costume like some of these characters: 

       

Better yet you might want a bartender with extraordinary skills:

Speaking of “extraordinary skills”  you may want to astonish your guests with a few magic tricks. Guests love these tricks. They are easy to master. Alternatively have your bartender perform them (you know the one you hired from our school -> hint hint).

Now for your costume. You’re the host. You’ve got to look dynamite. How about some halloween face tattoos

Of course we would be remiss if we didn’t suggest special   halloween drinks. This comprehensive list includes non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks plus halloween themed punches.

Now if you are going to take your party outdoors, what can we say. If that’s the way you feel get on over to the coolest haunted house in Pittsburgh. Its a blast.

Happy halloween Pittsburgh!!!!

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Networking in Pittsburgh–try a bartending job

April 21st, 2009

Okay, the Pittsburgh Bartender School is part of the great big blogosphere and the wide world of web networking.  Our school is a part of social media.  We network.  No kidding. 

Do you guys realize how great and easy it is to network while bartending?  It is one of the hidden benefits.  It works incredibly well.  If you are trying to expand contacts, meet new people, find new opportunities…you simply can’t believe how great bartending can be to open doors.

Here is the secret.  (shhhh…don’t tell everyone else)–and you have to be a good bartender to pull this off…you have to get customers to like you…(Its not hard at all)

Bartenders can find so many contacts in so many lines of work….its rediculous.  We have seen this happen hundreds of times.  In fact, I picked up business while bartending part time and holding down a consulting/sales job.  Its amazingly easy.

Here goes.  Customers really get to like their bartenders.  Its astonishing.  Do a good job of pouring beer, making gin and tonics, chilling martinis and treating your customers with respect…and they just think you are the greatest.  In fact they’ll love you.  (I’ve said for a long time–bartending makes you cooler)

Say you are a young professional, trying to find more opportunities.  Get work in a sort of upscale bar/restaurant.  In the Burgh try and get work in or near downtown where the after work crowd goes for happy hour.  Land work in other heavy employment centers.  Alterternatively get a  bartending gig at a medium to upscale restaurant.  During the hours when the bar isn’t packed and your not slammed you will have plenty of time to speak with your customers;  that is the critical time when you secure relationships and develop your network.  Its the ideal time to make contacts, learn about opportunities, get your resume spread around, get introductions, and find out where to make your next move.  Its simply astonishing.  The likeability factor increases 100 fold with the ability to consistently make a good drink, make your customers feel comfortable and build a level of trust that isn’t that available anywhere else.

Here is a prime example.  Years ago, while I was a professional in sales, one of my prime clients headed the regional offices of an investment firm.  He had been a semi-star football player at a local college.  He became a bartender after school.  He made friends easily.  One of those friends got him into the stock brokerage business because he had lots of personality and was reasonably intelligent.  Better yet…he already had this huge network of potential clients from bartending.  He advanced through the ranks.  He had a ready stock of clients, in part through the many friends through tending bar and pouring beers.  He rose through the ranks becoming manager of an office than regional manager by the time I met him.

Walk into a bar with him….and everyone knew him and loved him.  He easily parlayed bartending into an excellent high paying career.  He admitted to scarcely knowing a drink recipe…but he kept his bar customers happy. 

We have written about this earlier, specifically for real estate brokers.  Gee, I can’t count the times former students mentioned how they sold homes through customers from their bar (talk about a super TIP)…but it works for anyone looking to network into almost any field.  Its simply easy…being behind that bar is an invitation to get folks to like and trust you more easily….

Now get out there and land a bartending job….and if you want our help with the job leads we have at the Pittsburgh Bartender School–call us at (412) 921-9227. 

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Bartending Jobs in Pittsburgh–Spring Hiring is kicking off

April 15th, 2009

Spring has sprung….and that is great news for bartenders, aspiring bartenders, people looking for full-time and part-time work.  Spring is normally the number one season around the nation for new bartending hires.  For many reasons, the season coincides with many existing bartenders changing their schedules.  The industry sees significant turnover….and there are more bartender jobs than at virtually any other time.

Pennsylvania is one of those states that definitely experiences this more than others.  The minimum age to bartend is 18.  Lots of bartenders are also in school.  At the end of spring their schedules change….they make changes….and all of a sudden opportunities for new bartenders explode.  We are prepared to help our students.

Already we’ve seen a couple of recent grads of the Pittsburgh Bartender School take advantage of these opportunities.  Laura landed a bartending job at Jimmy T’sang’s, one of Pittsburgh’s largest and best known Asian restaurant.  Have you been to Jimmy T’sangs?  Its got two huge bars with lots of activity.  Of course it serves some of the best Chinese and Korean food in the region.

Lierin landed a bartending job at  Olive or Twist in Downtown Pittsburgh on 6th Street. Olive or Twist is popular both for after work happy hour and as offering the best martinis in town as noted by Pittsburgh City Paper and by BarSmart.

Check these places out. If you run into Lierin or Laura, be sure to tip them.

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Economists Think Bartenders Stink. That is Great News Pittsburgh Bartenders

October 29th, 2008

About two weeks ago an amazing blog piece from a totally unexpected source entitled Why Are Bartenders so Rude? drew a huge response from its readers.

Why is this so surprising and why is it good news for Pittsburgh bartenders?

The blog is a serious economic commentary written by PHD’s (in this case a Professor of Economics). The post drove dramatically more comments than any other piece in this serious blog for weeks before or after. It seems people who like to read and comment on complex economic issues would rather speak about drinking and bartenders.

The comments were startling. The writer described how he recently spent a fair amount of time bar hopping with friends. Again and again the bartenders were rude and the bar service was lousy. He couldn’t understand it.

37 comments followed. A lot of these economic readers and commentators agreed. They discussed bartending customer service in the language of economics. Some suggested, like good economists, that the writer should “vote with his feet” and leave the places with poor customer service.

A former club owner and bartender added comments. (Who would think that club owners and bartenders are well versed in complex economic concepts?).

So what could be the good news?

Lets face it. Most bartenders forget about good customer service. They go about their business and often ignore customers, especially new customers. So many of the writers above suggested that the only time good customer service occurs is when the customers become regulars.

Hey guys, make it your business to make all new customers feel welcome. You couldn’t do anything smarter. So many customers feel the exact same thing as the unhappy commentators in the blog piece above. They want ONE nice place in which to hang out. Make sure your bar is it.

Become the one nice place. Build your customer base. Increase your regulars. Make customers feel comfortable.

I know so many bartenders at so many unassuming bars around the country that make so much money!!!! These are not the “coolest” “hottest” clubs by any stretch of the imagination. They don’t gain press, and they aren’t the slickest places in any city. Meanwhile the good/smart bartenders in all those places with big loyal followings make more money than the cool club bartenders.

Why? They have tons of happy comfortable regulars that tip them like crazy. The bartenders were just a little bit friendlier, a little bit nicer and converted a lot of customers into regulars.

Its actually easy, as the economists explained to us earlier. Most bartenders are rude.   Make sure you turn your bartending shifts into the ones that make new customers feel comfortable.

4/18/09.  Update.  had to turn off comments due to a spammer.  sorry :D 

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Pittsburgh Realtors and Mortgage Brokers–Have you tried bartending?

October 7th, 2008

For over two decades every time we see the real estate markets crash our schools see a lot of realtors and mortgage brokers.  It makes a lot of sense.  Bartending enables you to make daily money.  It takes the place of commission income when that dries up.

Once they have taken the course and gotten bartending jobs, we invariably hear this feedback;  I sold a house (to/for) a customer at my bar.

One of the neat tricks about being a bartender is that you very quickly become “best friends” with your customers.  Okay, not necessarily BFF’s texting and talking all the time, but customers and especially regulars get to like and “trust” their bartenders very quickly.  Serve up a couple of beers, a gin and tonic, or a well aged scotch to a customer across the bar….and suddenly they like you.

Realtors know that one of the biggest hurdles is winning the trust factor from customers, whether it is buyers or sellers.  Realtors compete for this in the professional environment and look for all sorts of different ways to network and connect with potential customers.

Bartending is an easy way to do that, and “here is the kicker”…you are making money while you are networking; earning tips while getting to know your regulars.

Once realtors get comfortable behind the bar, sooner or later the conversation might turn to real estate, homes, the neighborhood or community, work, etc…..and a bartender with his realtor card available can quickly make a customer aware of your real estate expertise.

We usually suggest realtors get bartending jobs in either upscale restaurants or bars, bars frequented by young working professionals, or upscale to medium restaurants in your target communities or neighborhoods.

When push comes to shove, the best tips I ever made came from serving up a few tall cool ones to customers that later became my real estate customers.   

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Can Bartenders Contribute to Pittsburgh

September 29th, 2008

In small and larger ways bartenders contribute to the fabric of a community.  Pittsburgh bartenders are like all others.  We have our part in making Pittsburgh a better city.  This blog is an effort to (okay–we gotta be transparent)  promote our school;  describe the job of bartending, focus on bars, restaurants, clubs, etc. within the region, and reveal job opportunities for grads and potential students.  Beyond that there is a rich world in which bartenders make their contributions. 

In terms of doing this we are going to mention some of the blogs that enrich the Burgh scene.  They describe uniquely Pittsburgh activities, Burgh folks, quirks and funny aspects of our way of life, and neat events around town.  Some of them are very personal and could be written from anywhere but intertwine their perspectives with life here, and others focus on Pittsburgh.  We’ll be adding some of these and others to a blog roll that will include local blogs of interest, bartending sites, restaurant/food beverage/club/and alcohol sites, and finally an eclectic mix of other interesting sites.

So here are some of the local blogs that have caught our eye:

Have a good sandwichby one of the co founders of the Pittsburgh bloggers (of which we are members). If you want to find out about different perspectives in Pittsburgh you should start here, and you might as well include the founder’s blog.

I’m not sure what a the perspective of a a Pittsburgh mom and her baby have to do with bartending….but we think its fun to read!

A must read for locals is The burgh blog by Pittgirl. She and her blog have been around for a while and they get around. Its good reading.

If you want to get a feel from some people engrossed in the business of promoting Pittsburgh and its businesses spend time at I heart Pgh. Great reading.

It appears we will be losing a lot of activity from Pittsblog. This writer will be winding down activity on this blog while busy elsewhere…but for a review of several years from Burgh perspectives, it can’t be beat.

Hopefully we will be enriching the scene with comments by and about local and other bartenders.

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