Questions to Ask in a Bartender Interview as the Candidate
Questions to ask in a bartender interview when you are the one applying, put to the manager or owner across the bar. They are grouped by what you are trying to find out: the job and the room, drinks and training, money, hours, safety and house rules, and the team and what happens next. Each has a note on what a full or a thin answer tells you and, often, what to ask after it. No interview has room for all of them, and the guide below covers which to pick. A manager who is hiring a bartender needs a different list from this one.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The job
What does a typical shift look like from clock-in to close?
Why ask it
Bars differ in how much of a shift is prep and how much is service. If the answer is only about pouring drinks, you have not heard about juicing, batching, stocking or breakdown, and those can fill hours of the night.
What are you looking for in the bartender you hire for this spot?
Why ask it
Speed, cocktail knowledge, a following of regulars and someone who simply turns up are four different hires. Once you know which one they want, you can speak to it before you leave, or admit to yourself that it is not you.
Who is coming through the door on a normal night?
Why ask it
Regulars who sit for three hours, an after-work rush that clears by eight, and a late weekend crowd are three different jobs. The crowd usually tells you more about the tips than the price list does.
How many bartenders are on during your busiest night, and is there a barback?
Why ask it
One bartender and no barback on a Friday means you will be hauling ice and kegs while guests stand three deep. Get the number that worked last Friday, which is not always the number on the staffing plan.
What are the drinks you sell the most of?
Why ask it
In plenty of bars the honest answer is draft beer, a well spirit with a mixer and one or two house cocktails. A manager who answers with an elaborate cocktail program may be describing the bar they want rather than the one you would work.
Is this a new position, or would I be replacing someone?
Why ask it
A bartender who moved up to lead or went back to school is an ordinary answer, and so is a new position at a bar that is getting busier. Two people gone since spring is the answer to follow up: what did they say on the way out?
How much of the cleaning and prep falls to bartenders rather than other staff?
Why ask it
In a small operation the bartender may also be the glass washer, the floor mopper and the one who checks the bathrooms. None of that is a reason to walk away, but it belongs in your picture of the job before you weigh the pay.
Who handles inventory and ordering, and would that fall to me?
Why ask it
A weekly stock count and the liquor order take time, so the thing to pin down is whether they are done on the clock. Taken on with pay, it is useful experience: it is the part of a bar manager's job you cannot learn from the well.
Do guests eat at the bar, and how much of the food menu would I need to know?
Why ask it
Full dinner service across the bar top is closer to waiting tables than to making drinks, and it changes what you carry, ring in and get tipped on. Ask who runs the plates out and whether you would be the one answering allergy questions.
Do you host private events or large parties, and who works those?
Why ask it
Events can be the best money in the building or a flat fee for twice the work. Find out whether they are shared around or go to the same two people every time, and whether the service charge on the contract reaches the bar.
What is the dress code, and is there anything I would have to buy?
Why ask it
A black shirt and non-slip shoes is a small cost. A branded uniform or your own set of bar tools is a larger one, and who pays for required clothing is handled differently from place to place, so ask how it works here.
Drinks and training
Am I expected to know the classics from memory, or is there a spec book behind the bar?
Why ask it
The answer tells you whether they train to a house standard or expect you to arrive fluent. Where there is no spec book and no training, every bartender makes the same drink a different way, and each of them will correct you.
What does training look like for a new bartender in the first couple of weeks?
Why ask it
A plan sounds like named shifts, a named trainer and a menu test at the end. 'You'll shadow someone' can be good or useless depending on who the someone is, so find out who it would be and whether they have trained anyone before.
How long before a new bartender works a shift alone?
Why ask it
Three shadow shifts and then a quiet Tuesday is a plan. 'You'll pick it up' on a Friday is not. If you are newer to the trade, say so here, because an honest timeline protects you as much as it protects them.
What would you want a new bartender to have down by the end of the first month?
Why ask it
A manager with a clear answer, such as the full menu from memory, the closing checklist and the regulars' names, has a standard you can work toward. It also shows what they will be watching in your first weeks, which may not be the thing you planned to show off.
Do you free pour here, or does every drink get measured?
Why ask it
Neither is better, but a jigger house will feel slow if you have always counted, and a free-pour house may test your count before it trusts you with the well. Ask what the standard pour is as well, because it differs from bar to bar.
How often does the menu change, and do bartenders get a say in it?
Why ask it
A list that turns over with the seasons means new specs to learn several times a year and, in a good bar, a chance to get a drink of your own onto it. A list that has not moved in years is easier to work and gives you less to show the next employer.
How do you want me to handle a guest who wants something off-menu in the middle of a rush?
Why ask it
The answer shows whether the house priority is throughput or hospitality, and whether you have permission to say no. Watch for a manager who wants both without saying which wins.
Money
What is the hourly rate, and is that a tipped wage or a full wage with tips on top?
Why ask it
Wage rules for tipped staff differ from one state or country to the next, so the same figure can mean two very different paychecks. Ask what the rate is during training too, since trainees are often kept out of the tips.
How do tips work here: pooled, individual, or shared with the servers?
Why ask it
A pool rewards a strong team and smooths out a bad night, while keeping your own tips rewards the busy well and the good shifts. Either can pay well. A manager who cannot say how the split works, or will not, is the thing to notice.
Does the bar tip out barbacks, food runners or the kitchen, and how is the amount worked out?
Why ask it
A share of sales and a share of tips come out very differently on a night when the room spends freely and tips badly. Paying the people who keep you stocked is normal. What you want is the formula, written down, before your first payout.
How are card tips paid: in cash at the end of the night, or on the paycheck?
Why ask it
Where most guests pay by card, this decides whether you walk out with money or wait for payday. Ask whether a processing fee comes off first, which is allowed in some places and not in others.
What does a bartender take home on a slow weeknight and on a good Saturday?
Why ask it
Ask for both, because the Saturday figure is the one managers remember. If they will not guess, ask what the bar rings on each of those nights and what share reaches the bartenders, then do the arithmetic at home.
Which point-of-sale system do you use, and does each bartender have their own drawer?
Why ask it
A system you already know is a small point in your favor, and one you do not is something to learn before the first shift. The drawer matters more: with one drawer between three bartenders, nobody can show that a shortage was not theirs.
What happens if a drawer comes up short at the end of the night?
Why ask it
Some bars investigate and some take it out of the bartender's pay or tips, and whether an employer may do that depends on the law where you work. Hearing the practice out loud tells you how they treat staff when money is involved.
What is the rule on comps, and am I allowed to buy a regular a drink?
Why ask it
Some houses give each bartender a nightly allowance, some want a manager's key for every free drink, and some have no rule until somebody is fired over it. A stated limit protects you. Ask how a comp gets rung in, too.
What happens when a guest walks out without paying?
Why ask it
It will happen, usually on a night when you are too busy to watch the door. The answer you are hoping for is that the house takes the loss and tells you how to prevent the next one, such as holding a card for every tab. If the answer is that it comes out of your tips, look up the local rule before you agree to it.
Are there sales targets or specials you want pushed, and does that affect pay?
Why ask it
Some bars run contests, some tie a bonus to a distributor's brand, and some just want the feature mentioned. If pushing product is compensated, that changes how the job feels on a slow night.
Is there a staff meal on shift, or a discount when I come in on a night off?
Why ask it
It is a small perk and a fair read on how the owners think about staff. Eight hours on your feet with no food in the building is a long night, so if there is no meal, ask when and where people eat.
Do bartenders here get any benefits, such as health cover, paid sick days or holiday pay?
Why ask it
What the law guarantees and what an employer adds on top differ a great deal by country and state, so ask what this bar actually provides. Where a benefit depends on hours, find out how many a week it takes and whether new hires are scheduled for that many.
Hours
How does the schedule get set, and how far ahead will I know my shifts?
Why ask it
Whether the schedule goes up a month out or the night before decides if you can hold a second job, a class, or childcare. Also listen for how new hires get slotted into the slow shifts and how long that lasts.
How many shifts a week can I count on, and is that a minimum?
Why ask it
'Full time' in a posting can turn into two shifts and an on-call Sunday. Get a number, then ask how many the newest bartender worked last week, which is the figure that will apply to you.
How do the Friday and Saturday shifts get handed out, and how long do new hires usually wait for one?
Why ask it
Seniority, sales and whoever the owner likes are the three usual systems, and only the first two can be planned around. Some wait is normal. If nobody can put a time on it, the weekends are probably not coming.
How does business change over the year, and what happens to hours in the slow months?
Why ask it
A patio bar in midwinter and a college bar over the summer break are quieter rooms with thinner tips. Ask whether shifts are cut evenly or the newest bartender loses them first, since that would be you.
How do shift swaps and time-off requests work?
Why ask it
Look for a system: a group chat with a manager's sign-off, an app, a book by the office door. Ask about the dates nobody gets off, such as New Year's Eve or a local festival, before you book anything.
What are the closing duties, and how long do they usually take after last call?
Why ask it
The stretch between last call and locking the door can run well past an hour, and it is where a shift that ends at two on the schedule ends at half past three in real life. The follow-up is whether closers are paid until they actually clock out.
Do bartenders get a break on a long shift, and who covers the bar?
Why ask it
Break rules are set by law in some places and left to the employer in others, so ask what happens here in practice. In a one-bartender room the true answer is often that you eat standing up at the end of the well, and it is better to hear that now.
Safety and rules
Who decides when a guest has had enough, and will management back me if I cut someone off?
Why ask it
You are listening for one sentence: the bartender's call stands, and a manager will come over and say so to the guest. A manager who hesitates, or says it depends on who the guest is, has told you that you would be making that call alone.
What certification or licensing do you need me to have before my first shift?
Why ask it
Alcohol-service permits and courses are required in some places and not in others, and some employers pay for them while others expect you to arrive with one. Find out how long you have to get it, so your first shifts are not lost to paperwork.
What is the house rule on checking ID, and what do I do when a guest argues?
Why ask it
Carding everyone who looks under a set age is easier to enforce than leaving it to your judgment, because the rule takes the blame. In some places the penalty for serving someone underage lands on the bartender personally, so ask how it works locally and who steps in when a guest pushes back.
Is there door staff or security, and on which nights?
Why ask it
Without anyone on the door, the bartender ends up checking IDs, counting heads and asking people to leave, all while making drinks. Find out who is supposed to walk a guest out, and make sure the answer is not you from behind the bar.
Is a manager in the building until the last person leaves?
Why ask it
Closing alone with the night's cash is a different risk from closing with a manager counting the drawer beside you. If bartenders lock up, ask who else is on site at that hour and where the money goes.
What happens when a guest harasses or threatens someone behind the bar?
Why ask it
You want to hear that the guest is told to stop and then told to leave, whoever they are and whatever they spend. 'It comes with the job' is an answer too. Ask about the last time it happened and what was done.
How do staff get to their cars or get home after a late close?
Why ask it
Walking out in the small hours with cash tips is a moment worth planning. Some bars have staff leave together, some keep parking near the door for closers, and a few pay for a ride. A manager who has never thought about it has probably never closed.
What is the house rule on staff drinking, during a shift and after close?
Why ask it
Bars range from a strict nothing, to one drink once the doors are locked, to a shot with every regular. Know which this is before you start, because it shapes how the last hours of the night run. Local licensing rules may settle part of it, so ask.
Team and next steps
Who makes the servers' drinks: a service bartender, or whoever is on the main bar?
Why ask it
On a full night, tickets from the floor and guests at the bar top want the same pair of hands. A bar that has settled which comes first, and whether servers tip out on those drinks, has spared you a nightly argument.
How long have the current bartenders been here?
Why ask it
Turnover behind a bar is ordinary, so listen for the mix. One or two people with several years in suggests the money and the management are bearable. If everyone started this year, ask directly what happened to the last team.
Who runs the bar day to day: you, a bar manager, or the owner?
Why ask it
You are finding out who writes the schedule, who settles a dispute and who is standing behind you on a Saturday. An owner who works the floor every night can be the best boss in the trade or the reason people leave, so ask how involved they are in service.
What tends to make someone not work out here?
Why ask it
Managers tend to answer this more plainly than a question about culture, because they are picturing a particular person who left. Whether they start with lateness, the cash or speed tells you what they watch for first.
Is there room to move up here, and where have your best bartenders gone?
Why ask it
If people have been made lead in this room, or left for bar manager jobs and busier bars, the place develops its staff. If nobody has moved anywhere in years, the ceiling of the room is the ceiling of the job, which is fine if the money is what you came for.
How long have you been here, and what has kept you?
Why ask it
A manager who came up from barback in this room can tell you what the place is really like, and usually will. Someone hired from outside three months ago can only tell you the plan. Both are useful, as long as you know which one you are hearing.
Is there a working interview or a trial shift, and is it paid?
Why ask it
Plenty of bars want to see you move before they decide. Ask how long it runs, what you will be making and whether it happens during service. Whether a trial has to be paid depends on where you are, so check the local rule before you work a full Friday for nothing.
Could I talk to one of your bartenders, or sit in on part of a shift, before I decide?
Why ask it
Twenty minutes at the end of the bar on a busy night shows you the pace, the mood between staff and whether the manager's description holds up. A yes is a good sign in itself. A flat no deserves a polite 'why not'.
Is there anything about my experience that makes you hesitate?
Why ask it
Never having worked volume, craft cocktails or a late close are the usual doubts, and each can be answered once it is said out loud. Offer the fix yourself: a trial shift, a week as barback, the spec book over the weekend.
When do you need someone to start, and what happens after today?
Why ask it
Bars often hire because somebody just quit, so the timeline can be days. Find out whether a second interview, a reference call or a certificate stands between you and the schedule, and when it is reasonable to check back in.
Using these questions in a bartending interview
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
How to ask them
Choose six or seven before you go in
The list is long so that it covers a neighborhood pub, a hotel lounge and a cocktail room. No interview has time for all of it. Take one or two from each group, starting with whatever would make you turn the job down, and let the manager's own description of the bar answer the rest.
Ask while you are standing at the bar
Bartending interviews often happen at the bar itself, in the quiet stretch before open. That setting rewards short, practical questions over prepared speeches. Look at the well, the taps and the back bar while you talk, and ask about what you can actually see.
Put the money and tip questions in the middle
Tips, drawer policy and scheduling are the answers that decide whether you take the job, so do not leave them for the end when the interview is being wrapped up. Asked between questions about the work itself, they come across as practical rather than as the only thing you care about.
Ask for a number, not a description
How many bartenders on a Friday. How many covers. How many weeks before you get a weekend shift. What percentage goes to the pool. Numbers are checkable on your first shift; adjectives are not.
Take the answers about cutting people off seriously
Refusing service is one of the hardest calls a bartender makes, and the way a manager talks about it is a preview of how you will be treated when a guest pushes back. If they cannot say plainly that they will back you, weigh that as heavily as the pay.
If this would be your first job behind a bar
Lead with the training questions: who teaches you, whether there is a spec book, and how long before you are alone on a shift. Asking them does not make you look green. It shows you know what you have not learned yet, and plenty of managers would sooner train that than undo somebody else's habits.
Three short sequences
If you want to know what the work is
- 1What does a typical shift look like from clock-in to close?
- 2Who is coming through the door on a normal night?
- 3How many bartenders are on during your busiest night, and is there a barback?
- 4What are the closing duties, and how long do they usually take after last call?
If you want to know what you will take home
- 1What is the hourly rate, and is that a tipped wage or a full wage with tips on top?
- 2How do tips work here: pooled, individual, or shared with the servers?
- 3How are card tips paid: in cash at the end of the night, or on the paycheck?
- 4How many shifts a week can I count on, and is that a minimum?
- 5What happens if a drawer comes up short at the end of the night?
If the bar closes late
- 1Who decides when a guest has had enough, and will management back me if I cut someone off?
- 2Is there door staff or security, and on which nights?
- 3Is a manager in the building until the last person leaves?
- 4How do staff get to their cars or get home after a late close?
What goes wrong
Accepting an hourly rate without the tip structure
A high hourly with a heavily shared pool can pay less than a tipped minimum in a busy room. The rate alone tells you almost nothing until you know the split and the average night.
Not asking how long the staff have stayed
Turnover behind a bar is ordinary, but in a room where nobody has lasted six months you could be the senior bartender within the season, with nobody to ask. Find out how long the current staff have been there and why the last few left.
Skipping the practical test question
Many bars finish with a working interview or a set of drinks to make. Ask whether that is coming, whether it is paid, and what they will ask you to pour, so you are not improvising a Ramos Gin Fizz on the spot.
Treating a hiring manager's enthusiasm as information
Owners describe the bar they are building. Ask to speak to a bartender who works there, even for five minutes, and ask them the same questions about staffing and tips.
Leaving the money answers as a conversation
The tip split, the training wage and who pays for the certificate are easy to agree across a bar and easy to remember differently a month later. When the offer comes, ask for the rate, the tip arrangement and your first schedule in a message or an email. A manager who means it will not mind.