Summary

The face of tending bar is changing.

And they need to start thinking of the job as a marathon rather than a sprint,
says Jim Meehan, a bar operator and educator who opened the James Beard
Award-winning bar PDT in 2007.

Taking care of yourself means something different to everyone, but many

bartenders agree that their job is both physically and mentally taxing.

“Being on your feet, repetitive motions, not eating properly, dehydration—a

whole bunch of things can contribute to the deterioration of your body,” he
says.

After using himself as a guinea pig, Tello came up with a program, now
sponsored by Silencio, to help bartenders.

They can decide to stay behind the bar for decades, or shift into owning a bar,
or marketing, or being a brand ambassador, or starting their own businesses.

If not, think about what else you can do in the industry that makes you happy
and advances your career.

For the people who are saying, ‘I want to do this the rest of my life,’ some of
the insights I’ve shared is how they’re going to get to year 30 or 40.”.

Tello says being a good bartender is like a good drink: “In drinks you want
balance.
Paraphrase
The soft face has changed. And they must remember that
running a marathon rather than running fast, the bartender
and instructor Jim Mayon, who opened the 2007 James Bird
Prize for the PDT, has different meanings for everyone, but
many bartenders agree that their work is physically tiring
and mental. “Various things can be harmful to the body, such
as repeated movements in the leg, dehydration without
proper nutrition,” he said. After using his body as a guinea
pig, he developed a program supported by Silencio to help
bar renderers. They can decide to stay in the bar for decades,
become the owner of the bar, engage in the market, become
a brand ambassador or start their own business. If not, think
about something else you can do in the industry that can
make you happy and move up the ladder. “I want to do this
for the rest of my life,” to those who say I told them how they
are 30 or 40 years old. “Being a good bartender is like a good
drink,” he said.
Direct Quatation
 It was a temporary job, “until you get a ‘real’ job or get through
college,” says Kathy Sullivan

 In a speech about “responsible service” for P(our) a collective that

connects drink professionals, Meehan talked about self-care.

  “A lot of bartending is repetitive,” Meehan says. 

 Marcos Tello says bartenders can get tennis elbow and pinched sciatic
nerves, or experience changes in hearing, and even wake up with a “claw”
hand, a hand literally curled up like a claw.

 “Being on your feet, repetitive motions, not eating properly, dehydration—

a whole bunch of things can contribute to the deterioration of your
body,” Marcos Tello says.

 “Like Jim said [in his speech], we have a ton of bartenders now making this
a career,” he says. “And if you’re doing that, you have to look at each shift
as ‘I’m going into a workout.'” He adds that “physical, mental and
emotional health all are intertwined. By creating some good habits, the
other things will start to fall in line, too.”

 “There’s a lot that goes on in any given shift,” says Jacques Bezuidenhout

 Meehan likens it to Groundhog Day. “Every day isn’t the same, but that
process of starting over with childlike excitement for the next day, which
will be similar to the last day, is a mental state you need to put yourself in,”
he says. Over time, it demands more emotional and psychological
faculties.”

 “The process of figuring out which of the five to 50 things you should be
doing at that moment … and doing it accurately, requires great deal of
thought and awareness,” Meehan says. “And some of those things you
can’t teach.”

 “You’re always thinking two steps ahead,” Bezuidenhout says. “Not just on
the drinks, but making sure people are having a good time, conversations
are going, monitoring the intake of alcohol … Every night  you’re trying to
stay ahead.”
 “Learning how to diffuse a situation or how to connect people — I don’t
know that it’s hard, but it’s the part that isn’t as easily taught as how to
make a Manhattan to spec,” says Terry Williams

 “If you’re tired, hungover or having issues at home, you have to put on a
smiley face and think which of the thousands of cocktails out there will
make someone’s night,” Tello says. “When you get off shift, you can feel
drained because you’ve given so much of yourself to make people happy.”

 “Bartending takes a toll on your personal life,” Williams says. “You don’t
have off holidays and weekends, and you miss things — birthdays,
anniversaries, holidays. You don’t spend Mother’s Day with Mom
sometimes, and you hope she understands you have to celebrate a week
later.”

 “It takes a patient person to be with somebody in our profession,”

Bezuidenhout says.

 “If you are serious about the business and like the job, you can do it,”
Sullivan says. “You can find the right spot for you.”

 “If you’re a young bartender, don’t look at tomorrow or next week,” he

says. “Sit down and ask, ‘Do I see myself behind the bar in five years with a
positive attitude?’ If not, think about what else you can do in the industry
that makes you happy and advances your career. Ask other people about
their daily lives and challenges, and think if you see yourself doing those
things.”

 Meehan shared his experience in his speech because, as he put it, “I wish
someone had shared a story like mine with some insight and motivation to
be aware of these things and think about them when I was younger.” He
adds: “I didn’t have a lot of people or notable examples of career paths I
wanted to follow. Now we do. For the people who are saying, ‘I want to do
this the rest of my life,’ some of the insights I’ve shared is how they’re
going to get to year 30 or 40.”

 Tello says being a good bartender is like a good drink: “In drinks you want
balance. And you have to be balanced physically, emotionally and
mentally.”