Is Working in a Pub Hard?
Bar work…it’s easy right? Pulling a few pints, cleaning glasses, how hard can that be?
In fact there is a lot more to working in a pub than meets the eye. From talking through daily specials to mixing cocktails and serving a long line of customers during a busy shift, there’s much to be learnt–and many skills you’ll need if you’re going to thrive in a pub setting.
Let’s take a look at what might make working in a pub hard, and the qualities you’ll need to shine…
👉What skills do you need to work in a pub?
👉What happens when it’s busy?
👉Is it hard to learn bar work?
What skills do you need to work in a pub?
To work in a pub, first and foremost you need to be a sociable person with great communication skills. Whether you’re working front of house behind the bar or waiting table, or in the thick of it all in the kitchen, chatting with either customers, colleagues or both will be a big part of your day.
If your role is customer facing, it’s in your hands to make sure the customer has the best possible experience during their visit to your pub. No matter what sort of day they’ve had, or what’s going on in their lives, you need to be upbeat and give them as positive an experience as possible. Sometimes you may get a challenging customer. If this happens, you need to remain polite and keep smiling. They say patience is a virtue and this is particularly true if you work in a pub but it’s just a case of staying calm and reasonable until they move on.
What happens when it’s busy?
Working in a pub can get very busy and when that happens, it can be stressful. This means you need to prioritise and be able to stay calm under pressure. You need to feel confident you can do your job at speed without making mistakes, although your colleagues will always be there to back you up. Part of the pleasure of working in a pub is the feeling of being part of a team with your colleagues around you all working together to achieve the same goal.
The hours can be long and go on late into the night, depending on which shift you’ve signed up for. One of the positives of working a busy shift is that time will absolutely fly by and you’ll be locking the door behind the last customer before you know it. You’ll be on your feet a lot and it can be tiring but your team and interactions with customers more than make up for it.
Things do occasionally go wrong in pubs, inevitably when it’s busy. The beer taps might stop working or you might run out of clean glasses. If this happens, stay calm and work together as a team to put things right.
Is it hard to learn bar work?
You might think it’s just pulling pints or serving meals but in fact there is a lot more to working in a pub than this. Go into it with an open mind and be ready to learn, listen to your new colleagues who know what they’re talking about and will be keen to share their expertise with you. You can learn how to serve drinks but communication and people skills come naturally to many people–although you can develop them with time.
Take some time before you do your first shift to learn as much as you can, whether that’s all the products available at the bar or dishes on the menu and where everything is that you’ll need so you don’t hold people up. If, when you’re doing your first shift, you find there’s something you don’t know, just ask. Your team will be happy to answer questions and they’d rather you ask and get it right, than guess and do something wrong.
You’ll pick up knowledge and skills along the way, whether that’s describing the dishes on the menu, knowing what goes into cocktails, or knowing which dry white wine or craft beer to recommend, if you’re asked.
Are you interested to find out more about the benefits of working in a pub? Check out our overview for the full rundown.
From Apprenticeships to management, from the north of Scotland to the far west of Cornwall, if you’re looking for a role in a hospitality, the huge range of opportunities that Greene King have are definitely worth a look.👀
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