With the semester’s end approaching, students are on the prowl for a summer gig. If you’re considering bartending, but you’re not sure if you should do it or how to get the job, The Scoop is here to help.
I spoke with Eboni Bunch, a senior at the University of Oklahoma and Coyote of the Month at Coyote Ugly Saloon in Oklahoma City, about five of the most common questions she gets as a bartender at the famous bar.
1. What made you want to become a bartender?
“I wanted to become a bartender because I heard they make good money,” Bunch says. “I also needed a job that would fit around school.”
Bartending can be a lucrative job. If you’re lucky, you could make $96,000 a year, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2012, the median pay for bartenders is about $19,000 annually. Pay depends on the institution you work for, and tips are a big part of your earnings, but bartending beats out serving jobs by a median earning of 21 cents an hour. These hourly rates may include federal minimum wage, but as a tipped worker, you can be paid less than the mandated $7.50.
According to the bureau:
States may have exceptions to the minimum wage laws in specific circumstances for tipped employees. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are those who regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages. The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor maintains a website with minimum wages for tipped employees, by state.
2. How did you become a bartender? Is there any training or certification required?
One of my friends from school used to work at Coyote Ugly and told me I would probably like it and it’s a fun job. For the Coyote Ugly in Oklahoma, you don’t have to have bartending experience, but you have to be able to get the crowd pumped and dance. They teach you to bartend. Anyone handling liquor in Oklahoma has to get an ABLE license, which is very easy to obtain with a payment and no felonies on your record.
3. Is it easy being a bartender?
“The job is fun,” Bunch says. “I wouldn’t say easy.” Coyote Ugly bartenders don’t just pour drinks; they entertain. They are required to dance on the bar in the signature cowboy boots and exude fun.
Watch as the girls of Coyote Ugly NYC show off skills ranging from karaoke to Irish river dance:
If you’re not going the Coyote route, you might get away with not dancing, but you’ll still have to pour good drinks quickly, clean the bar and glasses, have knowledge about alcohol, keep up with tabs, and have a good attitude, just to name a few.
4. What are the cons of working in a bar?
5. How did you become Coyote of the Month?
“My manager put me up for Coyote of the Month due to my energy on the bar, my positivity … and my work ethic,” Bunch says.
That’s not all. After being nominated, Coyote Ugly puts it up to a vote , which anyone can participate in and the winner is put on the site.
The Coyote Ugly website says of Bunch:
Eboni always comes in a great mood and ready to motivate the other girls. She has a ton of energy and goes full out, 100% no matter what day it is or how she feels. She is in ridiculous shape and also juggles school and her sorority. Everyone loves working with Eboni!
