How to Make More Money Bartending
The biggest raises in bartending don’t come from asking. They come from these moves.
Work the right rooms
The single biggest lever is the venue. A high-volume or high-end room out-earns a quiet bar by a wide margin on the same effort. If you want more money, the move is often a better bar — not more hours at the current one.
Get faster
On a busy night, speed is money — more drinks served means more tips. Tighten your well, learn your specs cold, and cut wasted motion.
Build regulars
Regulars tip better and come back for you. Remember names and drinks, and you turn one-time guests into a personal book of business that follows you between bars.
Upsell with taste
Guiding guests to a better tequila or a second round — done genuinely, not pushily — raises checks and tips. Good hospitality and good sales are the same skill.
Pick up events and private gigs
Weddings, corporate parties and pop-ups often pay a premium and fill your off-nights. They’re some of the best-paid, least-grindy work in the business.
Build a reputation venues chase
The best-paid bartenders don’t chase jobs — venues chase them. Be reliable, be known, and keep a profile that shows your work so the rooms with the best money can find and book you.
The shortcut: be seen
However you break in, the people who get the best work aren’t the ones sending the most résumés — they’re the ones venues can already see. Startender is the private network where bars, clubs and restaurants discover and book nightlife pros directly. Build a profile that works like a portfolio, and get found. Free for talent.
Find the work
- Bartender Jobs · Las Vegas
- Bartender Jobs · New York
- Bartender Jobs · Miami
- Bartender Jobs · Scottsdale
More guides
- How to Become a Bartender
- How Much Do Bartenders Make?
- How to Get a Bartending Job With No Experience
- Is Bartending School Worth It?
- Do You Need a License to Bartend?
- Barback vs Bartender
FAQ
Startender — the private network for nightlife pros. Download free →