By NICOLE DENIFLEE
STAFF WRITER
Ever since he was 12 years old, Jim Schneider has wanted to be a bartender.
A sophomore at Rutgers University, Schneider is a state-certified bartender at the Florentine Gardens, a reception hall, in River Vale, N.J.
Schneider’s inspiration for wanting to become a bartender came from his father, who was a bartender during his childhood.
“I always enjoyed talking to people and learning about them, so when my dad told me stories about all the interesting people he met and being in the party atmosphere and getting paid, I knew that I wanted to be a bartender,” he said.
Schneider, who considers himself to be “personable,” enjoys the atmosphere of working in a bar. “You are able to interact and talk about a common interest with the customer without having known anything about them,” he said.
“You meet a lot of interesting people,” he said.
Another reason why bartending interested him from an early age was because he was fascinated by the mixology, the art of preparing mixed drinks, that is involved, he said. “I always enjoyed looking at the bottles behind the bar because I thought they looked really cool. I always would ask my dad what was in them,” he said.
While the legal drinking age is 21, Schneider, who is 19, is able to bartend because New Jersey law allows those eighteen and older to serve in bars and liquor stores.
Before receiving his Techniques of Alcohol Management Certification, Schneider took the five-week Pure Bartending course at Rutgers University, he said. Even though there are no formal requirements to become a bartender, having a bartending certificate is an “unwritten rule,” because it is important to have a basic understanding of mixology.
Before taking the course, Schneider was already familiar with recipes and mixology. “I would say the most interesting thing I learned in the course was the legality of bartending,” he said.
One of Schneider’s favorite parts of the course was learning about the anti-discrimination act, which prevents bartenders from refusing to serve alcohol to pregnant women. “You may suggest that she not drink alcohol, but if she wants a drink, you may not deny her service because you may be sued,” he said.
Even though bartenders are known to earn large tips, the business is very dependent on customers, he said. “I believe that [bartending] is quite lucrative but it is very hit or miss. It depends on the crowd and the time of year, the occasion and so on and so forth,” he said.
“It has a lot of potential to be extremely profitable or the ability to be very unprofitable as well,” he said.
“If [someone enjoys] a party atmosphere, love to make money and like being able to meet new people every day, then bartending is the job for [them],” Schneider said.
Even though Schneider is taking the school year off from bartending to focus on his studies, he will be returning to his job at the Florentine Gardens next summer. |
