A low-hanging fog of tobacco smoke hangs in the air. People are crowded together, bunched in small circles, holding colorful cocktails and bottles of beer.
The dull roar of conversation blends with the thumping of the music, usually the latest hits. The rhythm of the music penetrates a young man’s veins and he starts to rock to it, slightly off tempo.
He is fairly intoxicated, and the music has convinced him to ask the women lined up along the dark wooden bar to dance with him. With each new woman, he gets another rejection.
“You aren’t as charming as you think you are,” Dan Sigmon, a junior in textiles and apparel management, said about being drunk and trying to talk to the opposite sex.
Sigmon, a bartender at Rum Runners in downtown Raleigh, would know. He said he has seen his share of drunken people trying to communicate. Though it may be stereotypical, Sigmon said his favorite drink to make is a rum runner because it’s fruity, and people generally like tropical types of cocktails.
According to Sigmon, his PalmPilot is what keeps him together, adding “there is a definite lack of sleep” involved with the job. He cautions patrons to remember that though he loves his job, being a bartender isn’t easy.
“I have to remember hundreds of drinks and have the patience of a kindergarten teacher,” Sigmon said.
Kevin Javor, a senior in criminology, agreed with Sigmon that time management was the hardest aspect of the job.
Because of this, Javor left his job at Sammy’s and started bartending at Rockfish in Southpoint Mall. Although the commute is longer, he said he usually leaves at 11 p.m., compared to leaving at 3 a.m. when he worked at Sammy’s.
Although he took a pay cut, Javor said “I knew I couldn’t stay up until three and make a 12 o’clock class [anymore.]”
He also said once he got home, he “wouldn’t just pass out” because the excitement and adrenaline from working kept him up for at least a few more hours.
Although he is a licensed bartender, Javor said the job can be picked up without a license. He said bartending school helps people learn how to make drinks, but it can’t teach the people skills needed for the job.
The bar is a great place to meet people, according to Javor, because he met one of his really good friends at work. He said the regulars really take care of him when it comes to tips.
“[At Sammy’s,] I wouldn’t have made half the money that I did [without them,]” he said. “[But I] don’t treat regulars any different.”
Javor said one of the most important things in bartending is to make people feel welcome and to show patrons he is willing to work for them.
Being a female in a male-dominated career is tough for anyone, and according to Laura Shaughness, a bartender at Carolina Ale House, bartending is no different.
Shaughness, a senior in communication, said certain things make the difference stand out more, like when she has to change a keg but can’t lift it. As draft beer is Carolina Ale House’s number one seller, this happens fairly often, Shaughness said.
She said on occasion things might get out of hand with a customer, “[there is] always a guy bartender on, so he looks out for everyone.”
One positive side of being a girl is, according to Shaughness, bringing in more tips than the guys because male customers like seeing a girl behind the bar.
Sigmon, however, summed up the true test of bartending, “If you deal with two to three hundred intoxicated people a week, you can deal with pretty much anything.”
