My name is Julia Valler. I am the CEO of Julia Valler Staffing & Event — the event staffing agency in NYC. I have been engaged in the event staffing industry of 10 years and I want to share valuable information about how to hire a good bartending company.
Where to Find a Bartender for Hire?
Online. For an efficient search include your location. For instance, if you live in New York, type “bartender for hire NYC” or “hire a bartender near me” into Google. This will generate a list of local bartending services for your consideration and is a great place to start.
Ask your friends. If you have friends who have thrown successful events in the past, find out which bartending company or staffing company they had used.
How to Identify a Good Bartending Event Company?
Hiring Rate. A good agency will be selective about their hires, which means that they will, on average, hire of 5-10% of applications. Questions about the experience, behavior, and prior training should also be included in the agency’s interview process.
Additional Training. You want an agency that monitors bartenders’ performance and provides ongoing training for their staff.
Insurance. Not every bartending event company caries insurance; companies that insure their employees help take the liability off your hands.
Accessibility. You should be able to contact the agency easily by phone, chat, or by filling out the form on the website, and get professional and clear consultation. If an agency is difficult to reach in the beginning, the same will happen on the day of your event!
Portfolio. The agency has a good online bartenders’ portfolio and uniform options.
Pricing a Bartender for Hire NYC
When it comes to hiring a quality bartender in NYC, you should expect to pay $40-$55 per hour for a professional bartender. While some companies offer services for less, it’s important to understand that a company that charges less is doing so for a reason; they are either new or unable to provide high caliber staff.
Independent bartenders, who are not working with an agency, may offer to work for $30.00 per hour. However, these individuals should be hired with caution. A professional bartender has a year of experience under their belt, which means that bartenders who are just out of school may be learning on the go. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you do have the risk of those individuals being poorly trained or irresponsible. If you do decide to hire someone independent, we recommend interviewing the individual and asking for a reference list. Keep in mind that this is all done for you when you work with a reliable agency.
You have plenty of choices when it comes to hiring a bartender and following these steps will help you choose the best candidates for your event.
At Julia Valler Staffing, we are proud to provide premium event staffing services in the NYC area. Whether you need a bartender, servers, or promotional models, we are happy to help fulfill your staffing needs for any event.
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