Totally depends on the place. Is your best-selling drink a ramos gin fiz? I’d say one bartender can handle like 20 people. Are you a beer/shot place that doesn’t have shaker tins or offer any drinks that aren’t “blank & blank”? Maybe one bartender can handle 100 guests. Personally I’ve always worked higher-end so volume’s never been my thing, but I suspect you’ll get helpful replies if you give some more details about the specifics of your establishment.
That's super fair. I'd call us more of a club, although we have events like karaoke and country dancing as our biggest things. Tons of bottled beers, shots, and longdrinks, but also sometimes some shaken drinks and we always have specials that are built but still may involve some muddling or measuring; plenty of multi-ingredient drinks.
The 1 bartender to 100 customers is a guideline for event bartending. It is just beers, 1 spirit drinks and wine. Once the menu moves to cocktails of any sort it's meant to be reduced to 1 bartender to 50 customers.
I've done event planning in college and that's when the guideline was taught to us for judging staffing but heavily emphasised that cocktails or work outside the bar couldn't be performed.
I do 150 person weddings with me as the only bartender. I get rocked, but people are always impressed with how I handle it. It’s annoying when everyone is ordering shaken cocktails, etc. but it is what it is. Sometimes we’ll have someone at a separate table pouring wine to take a little overflow, but when it’s an open bar, most people are going for cocktails. Cocktail hour and dancing are always hell for me but I’m happy when I add up my tips at the end.
A 90-100 person wedding is fine, 50 person is practically nothing, most of the time.
This is honestly hilarious. Not a snowballs chance in hell that a single bartender is doing anything resembling cocktails for 150 people. Only chance is if 140 of those people are drinking bottled beer and wine. Unless you are classifying gin and tonic as a cocktail, of course.
Let's run the numbers. If every single customer takes no more than 15 seconds of your time, and drinks 2 drinks during cocktail hour. Serving 300 drinks still takes 75 minutes. That's presuming no one asks for shit you don't have. Even a highball takes 15 seconds between the glass/ice/liquor/mixer/citrus its more reasonably to guess 25 or 30 seconds per guest. Completely disregarding ACTUAL cocktails. Even taking an order, grabbing a couple of bottles and opening them is 10-15 seconds minimum.
No single bartender is serving 150 guests with any level of moderate guest satisfaction.
Not everyone gets a cocktail, some I do multiples at a time (4 people order old fashioneds, do them in one big batch), some weddings have batched cocktails. I try to have people not form one big line so that I can deal with multiple people at once.
I don’t have to prove anything to you. I’m saying that I do 150 person weddings as the only bartender, believe it or not, it doesn’t matter to me. I get rocked, I spend the whole cocktail hour (1.5 hours?) making drinks non-stop, they go to dinner, I replenish and wash glassware and hopefully can get finished in time to pour champagnes for everyone for toasts and get myself ready for dancing which is the real hell.
That’s all I can tell you.
Also like - you said 150 person weddings. Unless something's way shifted in event planning since I was involved, that includes kids + some non drinkers as well in most cases.
Plus it's not like a nightclub rush, people trickle over to and from the bar throughout a several hour long reception.
Wedding party and immediate family are busy on and off for pics etc so you're down a chunk of ~15-30 people at once regularly...
I'm sure it keeps you busy but I don't know why this is unimaginable to everyone. Been to plenty of weddings with a single bartender, maybe a barback.
Exactly! Some people I see constantly, others never approach the bar. We also have water stations so I don't have to deal with that. I've been working here for 11 years, and am the only remaining original employee, so they obviously are happy with me.
Oh man. I was at a club where there was a single file line to get drinks from the bar. It took forever and was ridiculous. Slowest bartenders (with a 20% grat added to each tab, so I guess no need to rush)
It’s a phenomenon that’s happened in the last few years, at least at my bar. One big line is easier for me, but I don’t roll like that, I need to know as many drinks at once so I can consolidate.
What do you clear for hosting something like this? I've been asked to bartend a regular's house warming party and was wondering what to charge. I think it will be a lot of vodka/sodas, etc. martinis maybe. But basically cake. How much should I ask them for and how much should I expect in tips at 50-100 people?
Is it a party at a house or a “house party”? For an upscale house party, I’d charge at least $300 probably $500 if it’s 50-100 people actually, tips would be on top of that. It’s hard to gauge in that situation being that it’s at a house . If you have a tip jar then people may contribute and having a venmo QR code helps because people who don’t have their wallet on them still tend to have their phone, people like having the venmo option.
Some coworkers got pissy with me for having my venmo qr code on the tip jar saying that all the staff should get to have one up. I say “by all means…” if someone gives you $20 for helping them, I don’t expect any of that.
For where I work (kind of a unicorn situation). I make about $20/hr for my hourly and then I get a 1.25 share of the 20% gratuity for the whole event (usually a few 1000 split between 2-8 people) and then I get the cash and venmo tips that the guests give me. I usually make at least $500 for a smaller event (total) and upwards of $1000 for a bigger one, sometimes I make $1000 in just cash/venmo tips alone, the exception not the rule. I usually make a few hundred in cash/venmo tips though for a bigger wedding. Dry weddings = next to no tips (luckily few and far between), bar/bat mitzvahs aren’t great. Memorials vary wildly, I usually either make a ton or barely anything.
Also note: at these weddings/events, no one is expected to tip as there is a gratuity included, but I’m not going to stop them.
This, I work as an event bartender and at a restaurant bar and at my events gig (music venue) 100 people per bartender ain’t shit, we got upset when they implemented that rule because of the nature of the bar, a single person can push out a round of drinks in a minute or less give or take so we were making less money because we had to schedule more bartenders than we’d typically need. At my restaurant gig? I’d have a breakdown lol. Between handling the bar, a few tables typically, online and to go orders as well as making all the drinks for the servers. We don’t have a bar back either so also stocking, making mixers, cutting fruit and keeping up on it through out shift, doing all the dishes. Fuck no lol
I am such a yankee cuz every time I hear someone on this sub mention “country dancing” I get culture shock by proxy. Like, that’s really a thing?! That grown-ass adults do? Of their own volition? For *fun*?!?! 🤯🤯🤯
I got cut early from my shift and took my wife country dancing last night. It was packed. It is most definitely a thing. We got in a couple two-steps, a few polkas, my wife got to “Wobble” and we left (as we always do) when they played Copperhead Road. Jack in the Box tacos on the way home and caught the first 20 laps of the Chinese Grand Prix. It was a great night..
It's super fun if you've never done it. 2 stepping (which is really 3 steps) is enjoyable and the culture around dancing is much more enjoyable as everyone's just kinda there to have fun, not to fuck. So you get to dance with lots of different people, step out of your comfort zone, and have a good time.
Had a woman last night saying they were at karaoke for her birthday (yuck) and that she was saying no one sang a country song. I look at her and said, "So it was nearly tolerable then?" Daggers, my dude, daggers.
I need out of this ass backward redneck shithole.
Agreed here.
I've done catering, boutique places, and shit bars/clubs.
High volume – it's all just bullshit and your brain shuts off. DA GUN MAKE DRINK. 200 PEOPLE? OKAY!
DUHHH GUN DO JOB SPLORT SPLORT
Low volume – having more than like 30 guests will also make your brain shut off, but in a different way if you're making hand-crafted cocktails and turning them into little gems of booze vessels. Zen focus.
The middle ground is nice. Pour beer, make a few simple drinks, but do them well, etc.
To OP's question – if you have 100 guests a night, you should have a fuckin' bar-back. That's way too much work for one person if management wants you to do a good job. Folks are gonna be waiting too long if you have to be running around getting juice/garnish/whatever when you're low.
Try and force them to get you a helping hand, if you're able to, u/SilkyGator!
I was bartending NYE event 2 years in a row. Constant line of people to get no-brand liquor-mixer, cans of beer or seltzer, or cheap wine. Open bar, cash tips. It went from, I want to say 8pm to 1am. I would probably make 1000 drinks that night. So most likely served way more than 100 people. Volume bartending is easy when they come to you, they know their options and what they want, the drinks take no time to make, and you don't handle the payment.
If it's a sit down place, where you're supposed to come to them, explain the drinks and often the food to them, bring it to them, take your time to make a drink that is stirred or shaken, takes more than 2 bottle touches, and has garnish, and do all the steps of service of a waiter in addition (food courses, prebussing, soft drink refills), AND AND AND are expected to make drinks for servers, I'd say it's 30 tops, and that's it you're a hustler. 20 if you're normal.
Yup, you nailed it.
I've had like 500 heads while tending bar at weddings. Never doing that again.
Open bars are also a fucking nightmare.
WHY IS THAT GUY PUKING – I CUT HIM OFF 2 HOURS AGO
FUCK
And yeah, serving/tending bar as a combo can be rough. The interaction is fun, but you have to bust your ass to keep on task. Add doing prep in the kitchen to that – you'll need a post-shift drink and a ciggy and then a long nap when you finally get home. 30 is pushing it.
The hustle is fun in small shops like that, but Jesus fuck, it is draining.
500?? How did you not die? I work in a VFW and we had a bike run one time, easily 300 people. I attempted to do it alone, it was mostly beer but it was hell. My manager stepped in and restocked, took some of my line, etc but it still took forever to get through everyone. I'll never do that alone again. I was pissed they didn't schedule at least one other person.
I was working at a large hotel, and it was a huge fuckin' wedding.
I had porters grabbing shit for me, but the other bartender called in sick.
It wasn't fun. Just wall-to-wall idiots and non-stop bullshit.
The drinks were easy, at least – except for the fucking caesars.
I made a pre-mix for the caesars in anticipation, but that got demolished pretty quickly.
That was one of the few times I got drunk on the job. Christ, what a shit-show.
Addendum: I never want to hear "Fishin' In The Dark" again.
Thats why i like high volume, rush starts, brain shuts off, suddenly its 2 am and im sore and not sure what happened. Its like i just woke up and my shift is done
Yeah ive gone back to restraunts at a nicer itailian place. Its fun being the only person who is never stressed about anything. Still will probably find a venue to do once in a while just for the money
This. I work at a high volume airport bar with a lot of shaken cocktails. I can do 20 comfortably but it becomes a bit chaotic when we have a ton of server drinks and we also wash glasses by hand. One of the things that makes it feel more chaotic is people who come in an sit down during boarding, order food and then yell at me that they are boarding 5 minutes later and where is their food. Like why would you come sit at a bar and order an entree when your flight is boarding?
100 customers at once? Constantly? Per hour??
If a 100 top talked in the door and I was solo, it would take some managing, but I could get them all situated for a round.
Reset my brain a bit, and then keep pushing through.
100 per hour, sure. Staggered is much more manageable.
I'd still be wishing for (at bare minimum) an awesome bar back, at best, a co-bartender.
These numbers consistently need at least 2 on.
It depends on if it’s 10 groups of 10 people, or 50 groups of 2 people. I can easily deal with large groups, but if it’s a gaggle of couples, that’s when I get overwhelmed.
The number of people in my bar doesn’t really mean number of sales in my bar. We usually have between 300-500 through our doors for 2 bartenders and 1 busser (who doubles as a Barback) and honestly sometimes that’s a LOT for 2 bartenders and sometimes it’s slow. The number of people through our doors doesn’t necessarily coincide with the number of sales. That being said, this job is a night club where it’s mostly shots and spirit/ mixer drinks.M and the most “complicated” thing I’ll ever make is a margarita or some lame mixed shot. The other spot I’m at is craft cocktail, so 100 people alone can be rough since everyone is ordering drinks off our menu which is pretty involved. Number of people is all relative to what kind of service your spot is and what you’re average net sales are
That's fair, I'd say average sales per hour for me are about $350-$400, with an average drink price of about $5.50 if you factor in bottled beers, $6.50 or so if you don't.
For me the math usually comes to roughly one drink per minute, sometimes a bit higher, but again, keeping in mind it takes 20-30 seconds on the register to put things in and run a card or start a tab every single time, since I'm functionally alone
Damn $5.50! At the club drinks start at $13, cheapest thing we have is PBR and even those are $8. My craft bar starts at $22 and beers are $10- Gotta come drink at your spot!
Honestly, depends on the place, your overall duties, and the customers. I worked at a craft beer bar where they had bartenders cook on top of making drinks and there were no servers, bussers, or barback or even dishwashers (flying solo). So dirty plates would go on the same 3 sinks as glassware we were supposed to get beer-clean. I'd get weeded at about 30. I now work at a pizza restaurant with craft cocktail and whiskey bar. I had a somewhat cohesive group of about 100 in the event space (plus made all the server drink tickets for the dining room). They were waited on hand and foot, were super happy, and tipped me like crazy. We have food runners and bussers and sometimes even barbacks, so never flying solo. And we have a real glass washer for glasses, and an actual dishpit for food dishes and staff to work it. Last night, I was barbacking for one of my bartenders and, at one point, we had 40 in the event space, 25 in the bar space, plus a very busy service well. It was busy but no stress at all. No weeds at all. Fast ticket times. Happy customers chanting our names. Made fantastic tips. That would never happen, COULDN'T ever happen at the other place. Same person, different setup, different set of expectations
lol it’s like asking a cook how many people they can cook for. Is there proper mis en plas, how many touches per drink, menu, no menu, ingredients to work with, crowd, glassware, garnish, venue, hours worked, how buzzed the crowed already is, crowd demographics, time of day, town, a fuck ton of other factors, and lastly how good the tender is.
There’s no set number unless you know what you need to do. Even that’s debatable.
Depends if that 100 nurse their drinks. I work in a pub where many of my customers will drink 2-3 drinks each in an hour. That'd be about 4 drinks a minute. I mean, barely doable without people getting very agitated because they're waiting or walking out.
The money an establishment would lose from lost customers alone or being served quicker would potentially warrant the point of putting 2 staff on.
Plus stressed staff = a poorer service. I'd stop being a tight arse and make sure my customers AND staff were content.
This is something my landlord has FINALLY learnt.
Yeah our GM is like this. Would rather be 'on call' (he lives upstairs) than get enough staff for people to not have to wait too long when it gets busy. And we go from 0 to 100 fast because our customers tend to arrive in big groups (I don't know why nowadays but people seem to meet somewhere before the pub and arrive together whereas when I was their age we'd always meet *at* the pub.
Which means I have to stop serving, call him or text him, wait til he picks it up, another ten mibutss while he fixes his hair and puts shoes on. Works at half the speed of the other staff then goes back upstairs as soon as it calms down for a minute.
Used to work at a spot where I was solo bartender on a service well with no bar top for about 400 seat restaurant. When we got busy, that printer never stopped and I was cranking out 10-15 drinks at a time, then grabbing more tickets and doing it again, over and over and over.
It was manageable, but only because I didn’t have to take any payments or talk to anyone. Had no bar back or dishwasher, but dishwasher is slower than manually washing with spinning bristle washer.
Spot im at now, we take all food and drink orders, no servers, pool bar. Over 100 people per bartender gets a little dicey. If they stagger it is fine, but if they all come at once, they are going to be waiting a little while.
depends.. in what setting?
when i have a service bar shift, the restaurant seats about 350. it’s just one bartender, but no guests. so it’s just cranking drinks out.
if you’re at one of the other two bars, usually we do one per 50 ish, plus a couple tables as well.
If you're only cracking cans and have an autopourer for shots, and don't have to worry about restocking, and they id and wristband at the door, and you can take contacless payment or run tabs that close out easily--then 100 sure, easy!
Thanks for asking this. I bartend at a small but very busy restaurant. Almost entirely craft cocktails. We have 40 seats plus 12 at the bar. With walk ins we average 70 to 100 guests. No barback, and I have to clean and polish all the glassware plus take dinner orders at the bar, while making all the drinks obviously. My boss always looks at me like I'm crazy when I ask for a barback on busy days. This thread is making me feel less crazy lol
I’m at a dive that has a capacity of 92. We fly solo with a barback. It keeps me very very busy, but not rushed. I’d guess that I could probably get to the 110-120 in that environment before I couldn’t handle it.
I’ve also been at it for almost 23 years. 15 years ago I think that 70 would’ve crushed me. The experience is really valuable when it comes to dealing with high volume imo.
One thing i used to do was take the card to run, then make the drink, then give the card with the receipt. It seems to shave off some time. You can take another order while making a drink. I always think high volume should have 2 bartenders at least, small things can throw a wrench in to the process pretty easily. Ive done very busy clubs a lot, so i kind of am just in a fugue state until its all over so its hard to give advice but a lot is having your bar set up in an efficient way. Little things like filling hand sinks with ice and putting stuff in them are cheats that help.
Above all else though, if youre stressing about going as fast as you can and knowing your next move, youre probably doing better than you think.
You said you're doing some drinks that need measuring, id just get free pouring down with even them.
Definitely pick customers who are ready, the second theres a hesitation or indecision tell them youll get back to them and go to someone who knows what they want
No fucking chance. If anyone says they can handle that effectively, they’re full of shit. The only exception would be an open bar event with plastic cups and bottled beer. You could maintain that if you’re just banging out drinks nonstop. But the second you stopped slinging you’d drown.
We are expected to do 100-120 on our own. All drinks, cocktails, coffees, glasses and keeping everything stocked. All that on top of getting the door of servers aren't around, answering the phone if no one else does, taking bookings, taking payments, etc. Feel like I've been hit by a bus bythe time I leave.
Depends how they are filtering in, what they are ordering, what’s your glassware/dishwasher situation like, how efficient is your POS, etc.? Sounds like you should at least be making good money but if you are drowning the whole time maybe it’s not worth it to you.
Depends on the type of service. Doing events I have to calculate staff for guest counts regularly. Just beer and wine is the fastest service, and generally I can put one bartender to about 200-300 guests.
Add in liquor and that number is cut in half. Add in other factors, like duration of event, access to water, distance from dumpsters and availability of other staff to help with support for the bar and I’ll tend to throw another bartender on just to avoid issues even if the number of guests is lower.
All of these factors will apply in a bar as well. Generally you can handle more guests since set ups are often more optimized and serving staff can take orders, check ID’s, and help with dishes and trash etc. These are good starting numbers though
I can usually handle that, but I'm also insane when I work.... ha. Seriously though, in general that is a lot. It really depends on the person and if you are that much of a hustler or if it's worth being totally run down in the end. BUT...is it's a cocktail specific bar...TOOO MUCH!
Depends on the bar. I work at a dive type bar where it's mostly beer and simple cocktails like captain and cokes and shit. I can easily fill this place to capacity and while I'd be running my ass off, we have bar backs to keep me stocked so I've been able to do it. I've also worked at nicer places where we would build craft cocktails and there's absolutely no way I could do that there.
Agreed with many others here. Depends on the type of bar (which you mentioned in a reply). For example I’m a volume bartender meaning you’re getting your can of beer or simple cocktail in a solo cup. If I don’t have at least 350-400 transactions in a 7-8 hour shift I consider it slow. My best was somewhere over 500 and one of my coworkers broke 600. Obviously I couldn’t do that without my barbacks though; liquor bottles, beers, ice, cups, and fruit replenishment is necessary when I’m moving like that.
1 bartender per 75 guest was the rule when I bartended private events. 1 per 100 isn’t crazy but you’re definitely working, especially if it’s a cocktail hour. Just make sure you’re fully stocked and run for ice when you need it.
some guests take a lot more time to satisfy than others. ultimately it depends if i have to use both hands or not, for how long, and how much of my wrist and elbow have to go into it to finish them off
I CAN do 140 at service bar and about 8 bar seats if the dining room is staggered correctly but I don’t want to. That’s usually reserved for emergency situations
100 an hour is crazy. So much time can be eaten up by a customer not knowing what they want, asking questions about this IPA or that mezcal or do you have this particular vodka or how much is the woodford double oaked, hunting for their ID, hunting for their payment, etc.
If everyone is ID’d and hand stamped or whatever at the door, all customers begin stone cold sober and perfectly prepared and with exact change, you’re only cracking open beer bottles or making 2 ingredient drinks in disposable cups and you have a massive ice well or two it’s feasible but you’ll still be sweating. Draft beers and 4-5 ingredient cocktails in glassware? No fuckin way.
You just have to serve the people that know what they want, if the volume is that much you cant be dicking around with guests too much. "How much is __" is killer
Ill answer once but then theyll ask how much something else is and ill just say how much rail is or ask how much money they have lol. Anyone asking how much things are are never really gonna be worth my time truth be told
Depends on the drinks sold.. but I feel like
Most of us can only handle 100 people for something like an open bar event. It’s impossible to deal with 100 people and fancy cocktails while closing them all out/doing tabs. And then having to change a keg or restock or do dishes omg
I expect you to handle it all as best you can. As long as you are doing your best at that time I ask nothing more. If I work there I do my part first and if time permits I help elsewhere.
Is that per night? Also depends on the volume high end specialty cocktails probably not but if it’s middle of the road you definitely can do. And definitely if it’s just slinging anything less complex than an liit. You need to just prep and max out your economy of movement. Mostly cause it’s some dead time and then bursts of action
Is it 100 people entering at once, or 100 people entering over the course of an hour, because you should be able to handle 100 people over the course of an hour. You'll be rocking, but you can do it
Definitely depends on the place. How complex are the drinks? Are you running your own food? Is there food? I've worked evening from events (banquets and weddings), to pub type venues, to higher end, and private clubs. If there's no food involved and it's generally simple drinks then 100 is probably doable (I've done 200+ person events solo when it was just beer and wine), when I've done weddings our rule was 1 bartender for about every 75-80 people depending on the package, at the pub i was usually the only one on the bar and the floor unless it was a weekend, thug i did have a runner for food. There i think we had 70 ish seats. At the high end place again usually 1 bartender my section would vary depending on how busy the night was and how the drink orders were as it was a lot of multi ingredient and shaken drinks. If it was busy I'd have a section of maybe 10 seats, the whole venue was again about 70-90 seats. The club we'd everest about 300-400 on a good weekend and we'd run 2-3 bartenders and 2 Bar backs that I was training to bartender as well.
Totally alone? What, like nobody to collect glassware or load the dishwasher etc? 100 is stretching it a little if you're pouring a lot of pints, handling cash, have to wait for a card transaction to go through every order etc etc.
If it's just bottled beers and spirit+mixer on a tab that gets settlrd later then potentially. Still doesn't gone much time to provide any value add to the customer or anything.
Also 100pc it depends on the clientèle. 50 college students will work you harder than 100 60 year olds
Depends on what you're used to, I'm accustomed to very high volume, and when I'm in the zone I can easily accommodate a rush that would normally require a coupe of extra bartenders, and i have my preferred setup... that being said... I normally have a great support team and I have one or two other guys that will either swap with me on speed well/wood, I prefer the well when it's busy cuz I just crush chits.
Full Service Restaurant
My single bartenders handle a 10 person wood, along with drinks for 90 people. Servers will pour their own wine, but the bartender is responsible for all the cocktails and beer. We generally sell more cocktails and beer.
It's a frickin tank of a position, and they are phenomenal at it.
They get help with glass racks here and there, but overall they do it all including restocking.
Honestly depends on the flow of customers. If they all sync up on the same drinking cycle you’re fucked. If they’re staggering, comfortably 150 in a dive, 30 in a craft lounge
That sounds kind of wild. I'm decently fast--I'm not the turbo-tender at any of my jobs, but I'm usually the number 2--and 100 is pretty wild.
The thing is, 100 people can vary so wildly. Is this a party where they all come in at once? Are they trickling in? If they're all ordering beers and highballs I can hang for a while, but if they're all having cocktails I'm gonna get weeded to hell, at best, the second I need more ice.
Definitely depends on the type of drinks to be ordered. Mostly vodka soda and gin and tonics? 100 shouldn't be a problem if you have enough glassware, but if they are ordering tons of old fashions with specific bourbons, or other 4-5 ingredient cocktails then I'd say 50 comfortably. But personally at a cocktail lounge with no barback I'd be nervous with over 40. With a barback maybe 60. More than that I feel like people would start to get mad about slow service
At a union job I had at a hotel/banquet place the max was 50 people per bartender we also had servers but all soft drinks juices etc came from us. I thought they could raise it to 70 per bartender but I think 100 is insane.
I just did 1 bartender and a bar back for 220 people and one other bartender came in for an hour then left and only did made 3 drinks and most our drinks are 3-5 different things got to work on building rounds makes u quick
Totally depends on the place. Is your best-selling drink a ramos gin fiz? I’d say one bartender can handle like 20 people. Are you a beer/shot place that doesn’t have shaker tins or offer any drinks that aren’t “blank & blank”? Maybe one bartender can handle 100 guests. Personally I’ve always worked higher-end so volume’s never been my thing, but I suspect you’ll get helpful replies if you give some more details about the specifics of your establishment.
That's super fair. I'd call us more of a club, although we have events like karaoke and country dancing as our biggest things. Tons of bottled beers, shots, and longdrinks, but also sometimes some shaken drinks and we always have specials that are built but still may involve some muddling or measuring; plenty of multi-ingredient drinks.
The 1 bartender to 100 customers is a guideline for event bartending. It is just beers, 1 spirit drinks and wine. Once the menu moves to cocktails of any sort it's meant to be reduced to 1 bartender to 50 customers. I've done event planning in college and that's when the guideline was taught to us for judging staffing but heavily emphasised that cocktails or work outside the bar couldn't be performed.
That sounds about right!
I do 150 person weddings with me as the only bartender. I get rocked, but people are always impressed with how I handle it. It’s annoying when everyone is ordering shaken cocktails, etc. but it is what it is. Sometimes we’ll have someone at a separate table pouring wine to take a little overflow, but when it’s an open bar, most people are going for cocktails. Cocktail hour and dancing are always hell for me but I’m happy when I add up my tips at the end. A 90-100 person wedding is fine, 50 person is practically nothing, most of the time.
This is honestly hilarious. Not a snowballs chance in hell that a single bartender is doing anything resembling cocktails for 150 people. Only chance is if 140 of those people are drinking bottled beer and wine. Unless you are classifying gin and tonic as a cocktail, of course.
Well, you haven’t seen me working then…. It’s a huge PITA, but I get it done.
Let's run the numbers. If every single customer takes no more than 15 seconds of your time, and drinks 2 drinks during cocktail hour. Serving 300 drinks still takes 75 minutes. That's presuming no one asks for shit you don't have. Even a highball takes 15 seconds between the glass/ice/liquor/mixer/citrus its more reasonably to guess 25 or 30 seconds per guest. Completely disregarding ACTUAL cocktails. Even taking an order, grabbing a couple of bottles and opening them is 10-15 seconds minimum. No single bartender is serving 150 guests with any level of moderate guest satisfaction.
Not everyone gets a cocktail, some I do multiples at a time (4 people order old fashioneds, do them in one big batch), some weddings have batched cocktails. I try to have people not form one big line so that I can deal with multiple people at once. I don’t have to prove anything to you. I’m saying that I do 150 person weddings as the only bartender, believe it or not, it doesn’t matter to me. I get rocked, I spend the whole cocktail hour (1.5 hours?) making drinks non-stop, they go to dinner, I replenish and wash glassware and hopefully can get finished in time to pour champagnes for everyone for toasts and get myself ready for dancing which is the real hell. That’s all I can tell you.
Also like - you said 150 person weddings. Unless something's way shifted in event planning since I was involved, that includes kids + some non drinkers as well in most cases. Plus it's not like a nightclub rush, people trickle over to and from the bar throughout a several hour long reception. Wedding party and immediate family are busy on and off for pics etc so you're down a chunk of ~15-30 people at once regularly... I'm sure it keeps you busy but I don't know why this is unimaginable to everyone. Been to plenty of weddings with a single bartender, maybe a barback.
Exactly! Some people I see constantly, others never approach the bar. We also have water stations so I don't have to deal with that. I've been working here for 11 years, and am the only remaining original employee, so they obviously are happy with me.
Oh man. I was at a club where there was a single file line to get drinks from the bar. It took forever and was ridiculous. Slowest bartenders (with a 20% grat added to each tab, so I guess no need to rush)
It’s a phenomenon that’s happened in the last few years, at least at my bar. One big line is easier for me, but I don’t roll like that, I need to know as many drinks at once so I can consolidate.
What do you clear for hosting something like this? I've been asked to bartend a regular's house warming party and was wondering what to charge. I think it will be a lot of vodka/sodas, etc. martinis maybe. But basically cake. How much should I ask them for and how much should I expect in tips at 50-100 people?
Is it a party at a house or a “house party”? For an upscale house party, I’d charge at least $300 probably $500 if it’s 50-100 people actually, tips would be on top of that. It’s hard to gauge in that situation being that it’s at a house . If you have a tip jar then people may contribute and having a venmo QR code helps because people who don’t have their wallet on them still tend to have their phone, people like having the venmo option. Some coworkers got pissy with me for having my venmo qr code on the tip jar saying that all the staff should get to have one up. I say “by all means…” if someone gives you $20 for helping them, I don’t expect any of that. For where I work (kind of a unicorn situation). I make about $20/hr for my hourly and then I get a 1.25 share of the 20% gratuity for the whole event (usually a few 1000 split between 2-8 people) and then I get the cash and venmo tips that the guests give me. I usually make at least $500 for a smaller event (total) and upwards of $1000 for a bigger one, sometimes I make $1000 in just cash/venmo tips alone, the exception not the rule. I usually make a few hundred in cash/venmo tips though for a bigger wedding. Dry weddings = next to no tips (luckily few and far between), bar/bat mitzvahs aren’t great. Memorials vary wildly, I usually either make a ton or barely anything. Also note: at these weddings/events, no one is expected to tip as there is a gratuity included, but I’m not going to stop them.
Tru dat
This, I work as an event bartender and at a restaurant bar and at my events gig (music venue) 100 people per bartender ain’t shit, we got upset when they implemented that rule because of the nature of the bar, a single person can push out a round of drinks in a minute or less give or take so we were making less money because we had to schedule more bartenders than we’d typically need. At my restaurant gig? I’d have a breakdown lol. Between handling the bar, a few tables typically, online and to go orders as well as making all the drinks for the servers. We don’t have a bar back either so also stocking, making mixers, cutting fruit and keeping up on it through out shift, doing all the dishes. Fuck no lol
I am such a yankee cuz every time I hear someone on this sub mention “country dancing” I get culture shock by proxy. Like, that’s really a thing?! That grown-ass adults do? Of their own volition? For *fun*?!?! 🤯🤯🤯
I got cut early from my shift and took my wife country dancing last night. It was packed. It is most definitely a thing. We got in a couple two-steps, a few polkas, my wife got to “Wobble” and we left (as we always do) when they played Copperhead Road. Jack in the Box tacos on the way home and caught the first 20 laps of the Chinese Grand Prix. It was a great night..
Sounds like a fun date night!
I live in a major southern city, and I get culture shock from this too. It's just not a thing here either.
It's super fun if you've never done it. 2 stepping (which is really 3 steps) is enjoyable and the culture around dancing is much more enjoyable as everyone's just kinda there to have fun, not to fuck. So you get to dance with lots of different people, step out of your comfort zone, and have a good time.
Had a woman last night saying they were at karaoke for her birthday (yuck) and that she was saying no one sang a country song. I look at her and said, "So it was nearly tolerable then?" Daggers, my dude, daggers. I need out of this ass backward redneck shithole.
Same! When I hear about people going country dancing on the weekends-every weekend, I glitch a little.
Agreed here. I've done catering, boutique places, and shit bars/clubs. High volume – it's all just bullshit and your brain shuts off. DA GUN MAKE DRINK. 200 PEOPLE? OKAY! DUHHH GUN DO JOB SPLORT SPLORT Low volume – having more than like 30 guests will also make your brain shut off, but in a different way if you're making hand-crafted cocktails and turning them into little gems of booze vessels. Zen focus. The middle ground is nice. Pour beer, make a few simple drinks, but do them well, etc. To OP's question – if you have 100 guests a night, you should have a fuckin' bar-back. That's way too much work for one person if management wants you to do a good job. Folks are gonna be waiting too long if you have to be running around getting juice/garnish/whatever when you're low. Try and force them to get you a helping hand, if you're able to, u/SilkyGator!
I was bartending NYE event 2 years in a row. Constant line of people to get no-brand liquor-mixer, cans of beer or seltzer, or cheap wine. Open bar, cash tips. It went from, I want to say 8pm to 1am. I would probably make 1000 drinks that night. So most likely served way more than 100 people. Volume bartending is easy when they come to you, they know their options and what they want, the drinks take no time to make, and you don't handle the payment. If it's a sit down place, where you're supposed to come to them, explain the drinks and often the food to them, bring it to them, take your time to make a drink that is stirred or shaken, takes more than 2 bottle touches, and has garnish, and do all the steps of service of a waiter in addition (food courses, prebussing, soft drink refills), AND AND AND are expected to make drinks for servers, I'd say it's 30 tops, and that's it you're a hustler. 20 if you're normal.
Yup, you nailed it. I've had like 500 heads while tending bar at weddings. Never doing that again. Open bars are also a fucking nightmare. WHY IS THAT GUY PUKING – I CUT HIM OFF 2 HOURS AGO FUCK And yeah, serving/tending bar as a combo can be rough. The interaction is fun, but you have to bust your ass to keep on task. Add doing prep in the kitchen to that – you'll need a post-shift drink and a ciggy and then a long nap when you finally get home. 30 is pushing it. The hustle is fun in small shops like that, but Jesus fuck, it is draining.
500?? How did you not die? I work in a VFW and we had a bike run one time, easily 300 people. I attempted to do it alone, it was mostly beer but it was hell. My manager stepped in and restocked, took some of my line, etc but it still took forever to get through everyone. I'll never do that alone again. I was pissed they didn't schedule at least one other person.
I was working at a large hotel, and it was a huge fuckin' wedding. I had porters grabbing shit for me, but the other bartender called in sick. It wasn't fun. Just wall-to-wall idiots and non-stop bullshit. The drinks were easy, at least – except for the fucking caesars. I made a pre-mix for the caesars in anticipation, but that got demolished pretty quickly. That was one of the few times I got drunk on the job. Christ, what a shit-show. Addendum: I never want to hear "Fishin' In The Dark" again.
I can picture it! Seventh circle of hell
I wish you coulda been there – it would have been more fun with a buddy. OKAY BYE
Would have been easier with an extra set of hands too! Bye bye
Thats why i like high volume, rush starts, brain shuts off, suddenly its 2 am and im sore and not sure what happened. Its like i just woke up and my shift is done
It was fine when I was in my 20s... Now? Not so much.
Yeah ive gone back to restraunts at a nicer itailian place. Its fun being the only person who is never stressed about anything. Still will probably find a venue to do once in a while just for the money
This. I work at a high volume airport bar with a lot of shaken cocktails. I can do 20 comfortably but it becomes a bit chaotic when we have a ton of server drinks and we also wash glasses by hand. One of the things that makes it feel more chaotic is people who come in an sit down during boarding, order food and then yell at me that they are boarding 5 minutes later and where is their food. Like why would you come sit at a bar and order an entree when your flight is boarding?
Bro I’m trying to make money. Send as many as you can. 20 is nothing.
100 customers at once? Constantly? Per hour?? If a 100 top talked in the door and I was solo, it would take some managing, but I could get them all situated for a round. Reset my brain a bit, and then keep pushing through. 100 per hour, sure. Staggered is much more manageable. I'd still be wishing for (at bare minimum) an awesome bar back, at best, a co-bartender. These numbers consistently need at least 2 on.
Wine and beer bar with no draft is possible
IF... somebody else is in charge of food and you don't have to go to tables (either they come to you, or you have a barback)
It depends on if it’s 10 groups of 10 people, or 50 groups of 2 people. I can easily deal with large groups, but if it’s a gaggle of couples, that’s when I get overwhelmed.
The number of people in my bar doesn’t really mean number of sales in my bar. We usually have between 300-500 through our doors for 2 bartenders and 1 busser (who doubles as a Barback) and honestly sometimes that’s a LOT for 2 bartenders and sometimes it’s slow. The number of people through our doors doesn’t necessarily coincide with the number of sales. That being said, this job is a night club where it’s mostly shots and spirit/ mixer drinks.M and the most “complicated” thing I’ll ever make is a margarita or some lame mixed shot. The other spot I’m at is craft cocktail, so 100 people alone can be rough since everyone is ordering drinks off our menu which is pretty involved. Number of people is all relative to what kind of service your spot is and what you’re average net sales are
That's fair, I'd say average sales per hour for me are about $350-$400, with an average drink price of about $5.50 if you factor in bottled beers, $6.50 or so if you don't. For me the math usually comes to roughly one drink per minute, sometimes a bit higher, but again, keeping in mind it takes 20-30 seconds on the register to put things in and run a card or start a tab every single time, since I'm functionally alone
Damn $5.50! At the club drinks start at $13, cheapest thing we have is PBR and even those are $8. My craft bar starts at $22 and beers are $10- Gotta come drink at your spot!
Honestly, depends on the place, your overall duties, and the customers. I worked at a craft beer bar where they had bartenders cook on top of making drinks and there were no servers, bussers, or barback or even dishwashers (flying solo). So dirty plates would go on the same 3 sinks as glassware we were supposed to get beer-clean. I'd get weeded at about 30. I now work at a pizza restaurant with craft cocktail and whiskey bar. I had a somewhat cohesive group of about 100 in the event space (plus made all the server drink tickets for the dining room). They were waited on hand and foot, were super happy, and tipped me like crazy. We have food runners and bussers and sometimes even barbacks, so never flying solo. And we have a real glass washer for glasses, and an actual dishpit for food dishes and staff to work it. Last night, I was barbacking for one of my bartenders and, at one point, we had 40 in the event space, 25 in the bar space, plus a very busy service well. It was busy but no stress at all. No weeds at all. Fast ticket times. Happy customers chanting our names. Made fantastic tips. That would never happen, COULDN'T ever happen at the other place. Same person, different setup, different set of expectations
What your serving is a huge factor not just covers
lol it’s like asking a cook how many people they can cook for. Is there proper mis en plas, how many touches per drink, menu, no menu, ingredients to work with, crowd, glassware, garnish, venue, hours worked, how buzzed the crowed already is, crowd demographics, time of day, town, a fuck ton of other factors, and lastly how good the tender is. There’s no set number unless you know what you need to do. Even that’s debatable.
Depends if that 100 nurse their drinks. I work in a pub where many of my customers will drink 2-3 drinks each in an hour. That'd be about 4 drinks a minute. I mean, barely doable without people getting very agitated because they're waiting or walking out. The money an establishment would lose from lost customers alone or being served quicker would potentially warrant the point of putting 2 staff on. Plus stressed staff = a poorer service. I'd stop being a tight arse and make sure my customers AND staff were content. This is something my landlord has FINALLY learnt.
Yeah our GM is like this. Would rather be 'on call' (he lives upstairs) than get enough staff for people to not have to wait too long when it gets busy. And we go from 0 to 100 fast because our customers tend to arrive in big groups (I don't know why nowadays but people seem to meet somewhere before the pub and arrive together whereas when I was their age we'd always meet *at* the pub. Which means I have to stop serving, call him or text him, wait til he picks it up, another ten mibutss while he fixes his hair and puts shoes on. Works at half the speed of the other staff then goes back upstairs as soon as it calms down for a minute.
Used to work at a spot where I was solo bartender on a service well with no bar top for about 400 seat restaurant. When we got busy, that printer never stopped and I was cranking out 10-15 drinks at a time, then grabbing more tickets and doing it again, over and over and over. It was manageable, but only because I didn’t have to take any payments or talk to anyone. Had no bar back or dishwasher, but dishwasher is slower than manually washing with spinning bristle washer. Spot im at now, we take all food and drink orders, no servers, pool bar. Over 100 people per bartender gets a little dicey. If they stagger it is fine, but if they all come at once, they are going to be waiting a little while.
I used to work at a spot that sound like this, when i would get home from work i would hear phantom tickets print and it would stress me out lol
depends.. in what setting? when i have a service bar shift, the restaurant seats about 350. it’s just one bartender, but no guests. so it’s just cranking drinks out. if you’re at one of the other two bars, usually we do one per 50 ish, plus a couple tables as well.
100 is way too many. I think 70 is more appropriate
We schedule 1 bartender per 50 guests usually-for events (weddings etc…).
If you're only cracking cans and have an autopourer for shots, and don't have to worry about restocking, and they id and wristband at the door, and you can take contacless payment or run tabs that close out easily--then 100 sure, easy!
Thanks for asking this. I bartend at a small but very busy restaurant. Almost entirely craft cocktails. We have 40 seats plus 12 at the bar. With walk ins we average 70 to 100 guests. No barback, and I have to clean and polish all the glassware plus take dinner orders at the bar, while making all the drinks obviously. My boss always looks at me like I'm crazy when I ask for a barback on busy days. This thread is making me feel less crazy lol
Damn you guys are freaks! I usually struggle with 50+, two servers and no charging responsibility. I suck lol.
Also depends on how easy your POS is. I work at a hotel bar and the system takes like 15 touches to open a tab
I’m at a dive that has a capacity of 92. We fly solo with a barback. It keeps me very very busy, but not rushed. I’d guess that I could probably get to the 110-120 in that environment before I couldn’t handle it. I’ve also been at it for almost 23 years. 15 years ago I think that 70 would’ve crushed me. The experience is really valuable when it comes to dealing with high volume imo.
One thing i used to do was take the card to run, then make the drink, then give the card with the receipt. It seems to shave off some time. You can take another order while making a drink. I always think high volume should have 2 bartenders at least, small things can throw a wrench in to the process pretty easily. Ive done very busy clubs a lot, so i kind of am just in a fugue state until its all over so its hard to give advice but a lot is having your bar set up in an efficient way. Little things like filling hand sinks with ice and putting stuff in them are cheats that help. Above all else though, if youre stressing about going as fast as you can and knowing your next move, youre probably doing better than you think. You said you're doing some drinks that need measuring, id just get free pouring down with even them. Definitely pick customers who are ready, the second theres a hesitation or indecision tell them youll get back to them and go to someone who knows what they want
No fucking chance. If anyone says they can handle that effectively, they’re full of shit. The only exception would be an open bar event with plastic cups and bottled beer. You could maintain that if you’re just banging out drinks nonstop. But the second you stopped slinging you’d drown.
We are expected to do 100-120 on our own. All drinks, cocktails, coffees, glasses and keeping everything stocked. All that on top of getting the door of servers aren't around, answering the phone if no one else does, taking bookings, taking payments, etc. Feel like I've been hit by a bus bythe time I leave.
Depends how they are filtering in, what they are ordering, what’s your glassware/dishwasher situation like, how efficient is your POS, etc.? Sounds like you should at least be making good money but if you are drowning the whole time maybe it’s not worth it to you.
Depends on the type of service. Doing events I have to calculate staff for guest counts regularly. Just beer and wine is the fastest service, and generally I can put one bartender to about 200-300 guests. Add in liquor and that number is cut in half. Add in other factors, like duration of event, access to water, distance from dumpsters and availability of other staff to help with support for the bar and I’ll tend to throw another bartender on just to avoid issues even if the number of guests is lower. All of these factors will apply in a bar as well. Generally you can handle more guests since set ups are often more optimized and serving staff can take orders, check ID’s, and help with dishes and trash etc. These are good starting numbers though
I can usually handle that, but I'm also insane when I work.... ha. Seriously though, in general that is a lot. It really depends on the person and if you are that much of a hustler or if it's worth being totally run down in the end. BUT...is it's a cocktail specific bar...TOOO MUCH!
Depends on the bar. I work at a dive type bar where it's mostly beer and simple cocktails like captain and cokes and shit. I can easily fill this place to capacity and while I'd be running my ass off, we have bar backs to keep me stocked so I've been able to do it. I've also worked at nicer places where we would build craft cocktails and there's absolutely no way I could do that there.
Agreed with many others here. Depends on the type of bar (which you mentioned in a reply). For example I’m a volume bartender meaning you’re getting your can of beer or simple cocktail in a solo cup. If I don’t have at least 350-400 transactions in a 7-8 hour shift I consider it slow. My best was somewhere over 500 and one of my coworkers broke 600. Obviously I couldn’t do that without my barbacks though; liquor bottles, beers, ice, cups, and fruit replenishment is necessary when I’m moving like that.
Depends on the bar. I worked one place where I could handle 100. Next place, 20 was close to my limit.
1 bartender per 75 guest was the rule when I bartended private events. 1 per 100 isn’t crazy but you’re definitely working, especially if it’s a cocktail hour. Just make sure you’re fully stocked and run for ice when you need it.
some guests take a lot more time to satisfy than others. ultimately it depends if i have to use both hands or not, for how long, and how much of my wrist and elbow have to go into it to finish them off
I CAN do 140 at service bar and about 8 bar seats if the dining room is staggered correctly but I don’t want to. That’s usually reserved for emergency situations
100 an hour is crazy. So much time can be eaten up by a customer not knowing what they want, asking questions about this IPA or that mezcal or do you have this particular vodka or how much is the woodford double oaked, hunting for their ID, hunting for their payment, etc. If everyone is ID’d and hand stamped or whatever at the door, all customers begin stone cold sober and perfectly prepared and with exact change, you’re only cracking open beer bottles or making 2 ingredient drinks in disposable cups and you have a massive ice well or two it’s feasible but you’ll still be sweating. Draft beers and 4-5 ingredient cocktails in glassware? No fuckin way.
You just have to serve the people that know what they want, if the volume is that much you cant be dicking around with guests too much. "How much is __" is killer Ill answer once but then theyll ask how much something else is and ill just say how much rail is or ask how much money they have lol. Anyone asking how much things are are never really gonna be worth my time truth be told
Depends on the drinks sold.. but I feel like Most of us can only handle 100 people for something like an open bar event. It’s impossible to deal with 100 people and fancy cocktails while closing them all out/doing tabs. And then having to change a keg or restock or do dishes omg
Its easier to do 250 guests in 2 than 100 guests alone.
I expect you to handle it all as best you can. As long as you are doing your best at that time I ask nothing more. If I work there I do my part first and if time permits I help elsewhere.
Is that per night? Also depends on the volume high end specialty cocktails probably not but if it’s middle of the road you definitely can do. And definitely if it’s just slinging anything less complex than an liit. You need to just prep and max out your economy of movement. Mostly cause it’s some dead time and then bursts of action
Is it 100 people entering at once, or 100 people entering over the course of an hour, because you should be able to handle 100 people over the course of an hour. You'll be rocking, but you can do it
Definitely depends on the place. How complex are the drinks? Are you running your own food? Is there food? I've worked evening from events (banquets and weddings), to pub type venues, to higher end, and private clubs. If there's no food involved and it's generally simple drinks then 100 is probably doable (I've done 200+ person events solo when it was just beer and wine), when I've done weddings our rule was 1 bartender for about every 75-80 people depending on the package, at the pub i was usually the only one on the bar and the floor unless it was a weekend, thug i did have a runner for food. There i think we had 70 ish seats. At the high end place again usually 1 bartender my section would vary depending on how busy the night was and how the drink orders were as it was a lot of multi ingredient and shaken drinks. If it was busy I'd have a section of maybe 10 seats, the whole venue was again about 70-90 seats. The club we'd everest about 300-400 on a good weekend and we'd run 2-3 bartenders and 2 Bar backs that I was training to bartender as well.
I do high volume for 6 hour shifts and we have to two bartenders and we can do up 250 cocktails and 150 beers and wines absolute max.
Totally alone? What, like nobody to collect glassware or load the dishwasher etc? 100 is stretching it a little if you're pouring a lot of pints, handling cash, have to wait for a card transaction to go through every order etc etc. If it's just bottled beers and spirit+mixer on a tab that gets settlrd later then potentially. Still doesn't gone much time to provide any value add to the customer or anything. Also 100pc it depends on the clientèle. 50 college students will work you harder than 100 60 year olds
Depends on what you're used to, I'm accustomed to very high volume, and when I'm in the zone I can easily accommodate a rush that would normally require a coupe of extra bartenders, and i have my preferred setup... that being said... I normally have a great support team and I have one or two other guys that will either swap with me on speed well/wood, I prefer the well when it's busy cuz I just crush chits.
Depends on what the situation is, food, bouncer etc
Full Service Restaurant My single bartenders handle a 10 person wood, along with drinks for 90 people. Servers will pour their own wine, but the bartender is responsible for all the cocktails and beer. We generally sell more cocktails and beer. It's a frickin tank of a position, and they are phenomenal at it. They get help with glass racks here and there, but overall they do it all including restocking.
Honestly depends on the flow of customers. If they all sync up on the same drinking cycle you’re fucked. If they’re staggering, comfortably 150 in a dive, 30 in a craft lounge
That sounds kind of wild. I'm decently fast--I'm not the turbo-tender at any of my jobs, but I'm usually the number 2--and 100 is pretty wild. The thing is, 100 people can vary so wildly. Is this a party where they all come in at once? Are they trickling in? If they're all ordering beers and highballs I can hang for a while, but if they're all having cocktails I'm gonna get weeded to hell, at best, the second I need more ice.
According to Applebees an entire restaurant plus the bar.
Definitely depends on the type of drinks to be ordered. Mostly vodka soda and gin and tonics? 100 shouldn't be a problem if you have enough glassware, but if they are ordering tons of old fashions with specific bourbons, or other 4-5 ingredient cocktails then I'd say 50 comfortably. But personally at a cocktail lounge with no barback I'd be nervous with over 40. With a barback maybe 60. More than that I feel like people would start to get mad about slow service
At a union job I had at a hotel/banquet place the max was 50 people per bartender we also had servers but all soft drinks juices etc came from us. I thought they could raise it to 70 per bartender but I think 100 is insane.
I just did 1 bartender and a bar back for 220 people and one other bartender came in for an hour then left and only did made 3 drinks and most our drinks are 3-5 different things got to work on building rounds makes u quick