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 Message 3415 of 22774 in Behind the Bar
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Subject: Re: Private Parties
From: Estefon
Posted: Thu Feb 26. 2004, 09:19 UTC
Followup to: "Private Parties"  by Bob L.  (Wed Feb 25. 2004, 20:15 UTC)
Hi Bob,

Congratulations on you graduation!  Getting into private parties to use your 
new-found skills and earn some income is a great idea.  It's something I have 
done for years and find very rewarding.

I would like to add a word of warning to a new graduate.  Many bartending 
schools will push their students to persue private parties unnecessarily, 
which I believe is for any one of these reasons:  (1) If the party was booked 
through the school, they will (sometimes) get a percentage of the money (2) 
The school wants you to buy their bartending "kit", neatly displayed in a cute 
little briefcase with all the bells and whistles  and (3) Getting you a job as 
a "caterer" equals "job-placement", even if it's only one gig.

Why are you interested in catering in the first place?  Do you have another 
job that limits your availability to work a bartending gig?  I ask this 
because being new and inexperienced behind a bar is one thing.  Being new and 
inexperienced behind a fold-out table in the corner of someones living room 
pouring Coca-Cola out of two-liter bottles is another.

If your serious about doing private parties, this is what I do:  

First, make up some business cards.  Nothing fancy, just include your name and 
phone number and email.  Please don't include "mixologist" as a title, (my 
Sanitation Engineer and Domestic Homemaker find it offensive). Print them off 
on your computer if you have the ability.  It's really cheap to do that way.  
Hang them on corkboards around town if you want, but don't make an effort to 
do so.  Printing business cards isn't an investment in advertising as much as 
an expression to others that you are a professional and serious about what you 
do.

Second, I'm not sure what market you live in, but advertising services can be 
very expensive.  Putting a line in the yellow pages where I live is 
rediculously high, but check it out in your market.  When I did catering, I 
placed an ad in the "Weddings" section of out Wednesday paper.  It cost 
$75/month.  

Third, charge competitively.  Your new at this and overcharging for your 
services won't get you anywhere, but charging too little will often get you 
into a niche that is hard to get out of. I charged half what the competition 
charged when I started catering, but I soon found myself trapped by my own 
devices as the word of mouth spread.

Fourth, know the liquor laws.  Most states won't allow you to purchase the 
alcohol for a private function and your host will often ask you to do so.  I 
recommend politely telling them that purchasing alcohol for a function puts 
you at risk (that's more for later).  You can recommend what and how much to 
purchase, but don't purchase it for them.  I have developed par sheets over 
the years for such occassions that seem to be pretty accurate and would be 
happy to share them with you.  Contact me if you would like.  

Fifth, and finally.  I recommend getting your feet wet on someone elses clock. 
 If you want to persue bartending career in catering, look in your local phone 
book.  Most major markets have several catering services that provide 
bartenders.  Try to get in with them and learn the ropes.  If there are no 
catering companies, working for a hotel that performs the same services is 
also good experience.

That was way too long of a response... sorry :)

Cheers and good luck
steve
www.barspooge.com


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