POST COVID 19 BARTENDING JOBS IN AMERICA

A great title. I’m not guaranteeing it’ll be everything you want.

Based on the several large samplings I’m picking up from  Facebook bartender and server groups, there are high percentages of service industry tipped employees (primarily bartenders) leaving the service industry.

Jon Taffer (some love him, some not) has a lot to say (listen in the early 2020 videos below) AND an actual protocol on how to make changes to restaurants so they’ll be safer to operate (read in the October 2020 article excerpt below the videos).

“The innovative restaurant concept, developed by Taffer long before the COVID pandemic, features the industry’s highest safety standards for both guests and staff led by the “kitchen of the future” and the latest advancements in food prep/service technology. Always ahead of the industry curve, Taffer established Taffer’s Safe Dining System™ as a signature approach that sets new safety standards for the restaurant industry. Some of these safety and hygiene measures include hand-scanning detection technology to monitor every hand wash for contaminates, advanced glass cleaning technology for all drinkware, and reduced contact through department separation. Other elements include protocols for a no-contact, third-party order pick-up system, eliminating the need for delivery drivers to come inside the restaurant, and a unique meal preparation technology where food is minimally touched to prevent cross-contamination.”

That’s Jon Taffer’s plan. But it’s only a start. The deliveries will also need to be scrubbed down — every single one of them — and everything that’s NOT fresh meat or vegetables (canned and bottled goods) will probably have to be sprayed with Lysol.

The HVAC systems will need to have heavy atmosphere exchange. Meaning? The AC and Heating will need to pull in a lot of air from outside, and what’s inside, vented out — AND all fitted with Ultra Violet, and possibly with something like an IQ Air filtration system designed for businesses. That part I will talk about, as it regards returning back to “normal” or more like normal.

“Ultrafine particles are smaller than 0.1 microns and make up about 90% of all airborne particles, originating from combustion from vehicle exhaust, factory emissions, and cooking. They have been linked to heart attacks, strokes, asthma, and even cancer…. IQAir’s HyperHEPA filtration in the Perfect 16 is proven and certified to filter ultrafine particles down to 0.003 microns – the smallest particles that exist.”

BTW — COVID-19 virus particles are 0.1 micron in size. What that means in microns is that 0.1 microns are 100 times larger than 0.01 microns. 0.1 microns are 1,000 times larger than 0.001 microns. In other words – so much smaller than the virus, that none of it gets through — and that includes broken off partial particles of the virus. The overall name for the filtration system is termed “Hepa” filtration, but the actual name for what these P-16 systems go down to is “Hyper Hepa” filtration. 0.003 micron filtration means better than hospital quality air. It also means that the box that the filters go into have zero blow-by; AKA they’re specially side sealed so they’re tight and no air gets by.

If you’re the average bartender or waiter reading about your job prognosis — you’re probably thinking the filtration information is boring. But if you’re a business owner then you’re likely going to read this with more interest.


FOR BARTENDERS THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE… 

…We’re going to want to work in places that don’t have any outbreaks. Ultra Clean — so think total paranoia and (drum roll) kiss the department of health’s ass, reassure all nervous nelly’s… and, for the Bartenders!!!! NEW — the total head PPE so no way can you spread or get Covid-19 (or anything else known to man or beast): THIS IS IT FOLKS! Once this is perfected we’ll be able to survive anything.

This one piece of equipment should actually be standard gear with little mics and radio transmitters installed so everyone can speak and be heard. You can listen to any sports channel you want to drown out your partner’s attempts to communicate with you — or your boss trying to tell you want a shitty job you’re doing again. I think the part on top will be the fan hose that pumps in the filtered air which is sent in from a back-pack — that’ll provide cool filtered air blowing down on your head so that nothing fogs up, and assure that you don’t get sick or die from breathing in your own mask breath. You’ll also be able to drive in it, swim in it, shower in it… but I digress. Let’s get back to work again. (A hole for re-usable straw insertion will be added in a future model)

Wherever you work there will be Covid related restrictions in place — I think we’re now (Oct 30, 2020) in the second wave with Europe spiking. Social Distancing pretty much guarantees not drinking at the bar, at least not “socially” hanging out with 6′ between each of them. A 24 foot long bar will only be able to seat 3 people (four if two people are shoved directly against the far sides of the bar. You’ll need a 78 foot long bar to seat 12 people comfortably… 13 if you shove the two end people against the ends…. and if you want to have a service bar station you’ll need up to 84 feet of bar space if you still want to seat 12.

12 drinking bar customers aren’t going to make you enough to survive. There aren’t going to be many walkups. But if all the Jon Taffer protocols, plus sterilization of all incoming shipments, PLUS total air filtration — 


My prognosis as a bartender is that this whole thing SUCKS. I don’t think there’s any really good news here. It’s going to take years before bartending becomes what it was. I hope I’m wrong. 


If you love bartending that’s one thing — keep doing it. You may even find a place where you’ll make real money.


If you don’t really love bartending but you want to make money, go for another career option like real estate or car sales — whatever’s lucrative.


Beyond that I can’t say ATM but I’ll be back after I’ve looked at this for a while longer.

BartenderLife

Site Author, David Jonathan Curtis: David Jonathan Curtis, a seasoned professional in his fifth decade of bartending and bar management, began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in both iconic Midtown clubs and Wall Street bars, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa, Florida. David’s roles as a Bartending Instructor at the American Bartending School in Tampa, while maintaining a second job bartending, and his years experience of managing bars, and working as a Brand Ambassador along with his extensive professional library of over 1,000 bartending books, highlight his dedication to continually refining his craft. He holds a diploma in Bar Management and is BarSmarts certified by Pernod Ricard.