Bar Manager

A bar manager runs a pub or a club which has a licence to sell alcohol, or manages the bars in a hotel.

The Work

You could be:

• buying in food and drink, setting the prices and controlling the stock


• keeping the accounts and meeting sales targets


• hiring and supervising the staff and arranging staff training


• helping to serve drinks, cleaning up the bar area, collecting and washing glasses


• organising evening entertainment on the premises


• intervening to deal with any problems, such as rowdy or difficult customers


• in the case of trouble, deciding when to call the police


• taking overall responsibility for health, safety, hygiene and the security of staff and customers


• writing reports for the brewery company or landlord.

• an employee of a chain of pubs


• a tenant renting a pub from a brewer


• a freehold trader owning and running an independent pub


• the manager of the food and drinks department of a big hotel.

Conditions

• You work long and unsocial hours, often in the evenings and at weekends.


• You might have to lift heavy crates of beer or wine.


• Busy periods can be stressful as many people make demands on you at the same time.


• Conditions can be crowded and noisy.

Getting In

• A good general education is useful.


• The most usual way in is by gaining experience as bar staff and then applying for promotion.


• To run a licensed premises you will require the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders.


• Students on the Higher National Certificate (HNC) Licensed House Operations at Glasgow Metropolitan College will be able to take the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders.


• You must be over 18 to serve behind a bar.


• You should be strong enough for heavy lifting.

What Does It Take?

You need:

• a smart appearance


• a polite manner


• the ability to chat easily to a wide range of people


• tact and assertiveness for dealing with trouble


• business skills and the ability to work within a budget


• a good sense of humour


• motivational and team leading skills


• calm behaviour under pressure


• organisational skills


• speed and accuracy in number skills.

Training

• Most bar training is on the job. There are Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) Level 2 Hospitality: Food and Drink Service. SVQs at Level 3 cover supervisory and management skills.


• The BII awards the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders.


• Under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 all staff serving or selling alcohol must receive at least two hours of basic training before they can sell or serve alcohol. Employers are expected to provide the training.
• ServeWise, part of the national alcohol charity Alcohol Focus Scotland, runs various courses for the licensed trade. This includes courses that meet the staff training requirements of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and a course leading to the Certificate for Personal Licence Holders.


• The Wine and Spirit Education Trust also offer a range of relevant courses.

Getting On

• You usually start off as assistant bar manager and then move on to general bar manager.


• After gaining experience and qualifications you can move on into jobs offering more independence: from bar manager to pub tenant, pub free trader or hotel manager.


• Alternatively you could work up within a large chain of pubs to area manager and regional manager.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work


• the size of the company or organisation you work for


• the demand for the job.

More Information

Addresses

The following organisation(s) may be able to provide further information.