Message 13996 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

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> I just started bartending at a strip club.  My 1st shift was last 
> Friday (of the holiday weekend) and I only made $115 (10$ of that was 
> from commission of selling one champange).  This past Saturday night 
> I made $125 (and that's doing 2 dances worth $20/each for me: other 
> $20 goes to the house).  Is this normal???

Aren't you getting paid hourly too?  I understand it wouldn't be very much, 
but when you get that monthly paycheck and it has a least a little extra 
money, it will help.

> The General mgr. said for the 1st month bartenders don't make that 
> much because they don't have their regulars yet - she said to stick 
> it out for three months!!

This is one of the things that has been talked about a great deal on these 
forums, that regulars are the biggest part of a bartender's business in a lot 
of venues.  Strip clubs are the best example of this, because they do have so 
many regulars.

I've told this story a couple of times, so I'm going to skip the details...But 
when I first started my first regular shift in the nightclub at our place, I 
walked out with $34 that night.  I was basically standing in a nearly empty 
room and had a couple of friends occassionally come back to sit and chat with 
me.  2 months later I was pulling about $70-$80.  When I quit, even my slow 
nights were $100.  Obviously this sounds poor considering you're starting at 
$100 (so stop complaining :), but that area is an economic mess thanks to the 
Bush administration, so there is a lot to be said for taking time to build 
your regulars.

Here's some advice, if you're willing to stick it out for a while.  Learn to 
play the game.  Find a dancer who works a lot of the same shifts, and make 
friends with her...then get her to talk customers into getting drinks (using 
the famous "buy me a drink" line works pretty well).  Also pick out the people 
who are always in there...find ways to get them up to the bar.  It'll quickly 
turn into valuable regulars.

-- 
Cody