So many bartenders say that memorizing recipes isn’t important, but that people skills are (of COURSE people skills are – that doesn’t require genius to figure out). So memorizing everyone’s name is important. Memorizing — strictly speaking REMEMBERING, aka “knowing”, aka “learning” everyone’s names IS a very important people skill.
Along with this people name remembering skill, eventually it gets really busy behind the bar and people ask for all kinds of precise information: What’s this place’s address (street name, street number, zip code, telephone number…) names and numbers! What are the prices of products X, Y, and Z?? (With and without tax). … and if being super fast is part of good customer service people skills – what are everyone’s check numbers? Can YOU look up and down the bar where every seat is full and confidently know you have each individual’s POS check number memorized? Yes? I can; that’s a people skill too! How about your bar’s wine list? Are they ordered by number in your inventory system? How about memorizing every inventory item number without having to look anything up. How much more time will you have to complete customer service higher quality people skill work to sell more, faster, and keep everyone happy?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9kKb54gSDUE%3Ft%3D50
Harry Lorayne is the world’s foremost memory-training specialist. Author of “The Page-a-Minute Memory Book” and other books about how to improve the memory, he has appeared on many talk shows and has given many lectures on the subject.
Site Author, David J. Curtis: David Curtis, a seasoned professional with decades of bartending and bar management experience began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife club scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in iconic Midtown clubs and tended bar briefly in the Wall Street area, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa in Exclusive Platinum Service Awards Clubs, 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.
