Bartender Interview Questions and Sample Answers

Are you getting ready to break the ice at a bartending job interview? We have six sample bartender interview questions and answers to help you out. Practice your answers before you meet your potential employer, and mix it up by also preparing for common interview questions across different industries.

6 Common Bartender Interview Questions

1. How do you manage multiple drink orders?
2. How do you prepare this drink?
3. What is your procedure for checking IDs?
4. When taking an order from a customer, she says, “Can you surprise me with a drink?” How do you respond?
5. How do you respond to an intoxicated customer ordering another drink?
6. How would you improve our bar?

Question #1: How Do You Manage Multiple Drink Orders?

Multitasking at work is key for bartenders. Juggling multiple orders is a common challenge. Here’s how to reassure potential employers that you won’t put tequila in an old fashioned or whiskey in a margarita.

• Say that you’ll prioritize making orders based on who arrived at the bar the earliest to avoid conflicts over waiting.
• You can also mention creating several similar drinks at the same time as a good time-saving strategy.
• Demonstrate that you understand the value of customer service.

How you could answer:

“I start by acknowledging customers even if I can’t take their order right away by telling them I’ll be with them soon. I take orders based on who has been waiting the longest, but sometimes make more than one order at the same time if customers are asking for the same or similar drinks. The most important thing is to stay positive and make customers feel listened to and welcomed.”

Question #2: How Do You Prepare This Drink?

Bartenders can memorize the recipes for hundreds of drinks. If you’ve worked behind a bar before, brush up on the drinks you don’t remember as well. If you’re new to the job, learn about drink-mixing processes and memorize at least a few common drink recipes. But what if one of your bartender interview questions is about a drink you don’t know the recipe to? Here’s how to answer.

• Mention what you do know, for example the basic ingredients or the drink category.
• Say that you’ll learn many more drink recipes before starting the job.

How you could answer:

“I use the Joy of Mixology as a foundation for memorizing drink recipes. A daquiri is part of the sour family, which typically means that there are two parts liquor, one part citrus, and one part sweetener. Before I start the job, I would make sure to memorize this and as many drinks as possible so I can work efficiently behind the bar.”

Question #3: What Is Your Procedure for Checking IDs?

Bars can face legal consequences if they serve underage patrons and take this responsibility seriously, which is why you’ll probably get one or more bartender interview questions about IDs. The bar may have their own requirements for checking IDs. Besides that, you’ll follow state requirements, training you’ve had, and common sense. These are some steps you can mention you’ll take:

• Check IDs for anyone who appears under a certain age (typically beyond the legal drinking age, since some people look older than their age).
• Accept only the legally allowed identifications in your state.
• Hold the ID in your hands to feel its rigidity and thickness.
• Compare the picture to the person.
• Ask a manager for help if you’re unsure the ID is authentic.
• Always memorize the correct date and year to screen for.

How you could answer:

“I take this step very seriously and check the ID of anyone who looks under 30. First I make sure that the ID is a legally allowed one for serving alcohol, for example, a foreign passport but not a foreign ID. If the ID is in a wallet or case, I ask the owner to take it out. I feel the ID for suspect bumps or ridges and other inconsistences. I verify that the picture matches the person and that the person is over the legal drinking age. If I suspect the ID is fake, I follow the law for confiscating the ID and consult with my manager.”

Question #4: When Taking an Order From a Customer, She Says, “Can You Surprise Me with a Drink?” How Do You Respond?

Once in a while, you’ll be asked to improvise a drink order on the spot. Not all bartenders enjoy these requests, but if this is one of your bartender interview questions, the interviewer is likely looking to evaluate your soft skills, such as how service-minded you are.

• Say that you’ll ask a couple of questions to determine the patron’s taste, such as if they like sweet drinks or what they typically drink.
• Have a few drinks in mind for these requests.
• Match the drink to the season and time of day (for example a flavored mojito if it’s summer or a mulled wine on a winter night).
• “Surprise me” patrons often appreciate visual elements, such as a layered drink.

How you could answer:

“I have a mental list of good cocktails to surprise a customer with that are original but not too time-consuming to make. I want the customer to be happy with the order, so I usually ask one or two questions, such as what liquor they prefer. When I give them the drink, I describe the ingredients so they learn something from it for next time.”

Question #5: How Do You Respond to an Intoxicated Customer Ordering Another Drink?

Cutting off someone who is drunk is not only a moral obligation; in some states it’s the law. If this is one of your bartender interview questions, make clear that you take this responsibility seriously.

• Mention that you watch for signs of intoxication and monitor how much customers drink.
• When a customer is visibly drunk, you don’t serve any more alcohol.
• Mention that you’ll follow the bar procedures for this, for example having your manager deliver the message or notifying security if the customer doesn’t take it well.
• Say that sometimes an indirect approach works, like offering water or suggesting they order some food.

How you could answer:

“When a customer shows signs of having had too much to drink, I don’t sell them any more alcohol, even if they only bought one beer. I know they could have been drinking before they came to our bar. I cut them off either indirectly, by offering them water or suggesting they order some food, or directly in a gentle and nonconfrontational way, and not in front of other patrons. If the customer seems aggressive, I involve the manager or security.”

Question #6: How Would You Improve Our Bar?

Chances are there are things about the venue you don’t like, like the design of the furniture or the interior’s color palette. But the key to this question is to draw attention to your personal skills or simple changes that could improve the business.

• Consider an answer that draws attention to your bartending knowledge by suggesting new products.
• You can also mention simple changes that could increase customer satisfaction or bartending efficiency, for example the way the bar is stocked and organized.
• Another option is something that would cut costs without sacrificing quality.

How you could answer:

“This area draws a lot of creative customers who work in the art district. In my experience the trend right now in this district is craft beer from smaller breweries. I think your bar would benefit from having a larger selection of local beer varieties, such as IPAs.”

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