What it takes to be a T.G.I. Friday's bartender

According to www.wikipedia. org a , also called a barman, , , and , among other names, serves beverages behind a bar in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. This usually includes alcoholic beverages of some kind, such as beer, wine, and/or cocktails, as well as soft drinks or other non-alcoholic beverages.

Bartending is one of the popular jobs nowadays. Bartenders are in demand in hotels, bars and clubs not only here in the country but also abroad.

According to www.wikipedia.org a , also called a barman,barkeeper, barmaid, mixologist and tapster, among other names, serves beverages behind a bar in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. This usually includes alcoholic beverages of some kind, such as beer, wine, and/or cocktails, as well as soft drinks or other non-alcoholic beverages.

 In establishments that serve cocktails, bartenders are expected to know by heart hundreds of drinks, as in they have to memorize all the ingredients and mix the cocktail in the shortest time possible. There are also establishments that require their bartenders to also be entertainers and do flair bartending (juggling cocktail shakers and liquor bottles) just like in the movie Coyote Ugly.

One such establishment that requires its bartenders to also be entertainers is T.G.I. Friday’s.

Deborah Toral, T.G. I. Friday’s general manager said that when looking for bartenders, Friday’s does not really concentrate on an applicant’s knowledge on bartending. It’s the personality that counts more, she said, and how the applicant can make guests feel at home. Knowledge on bartending can easily be taught, she said, and personality cannot.

So when Friday’s opened first branch in Cebu at The Terraces at the Ayala Center Cebu, Deborah and her team went all out in looking for Mr. or Ms. Personality to join the ranks of Friday’s crew. At Friday’s Deborah shared, applicants do not undergo the usual one-on-one interviews. Instead, applicants undergo an “audition” wherein they are required to perform (as in dance, make people laugh).

“We had difficulty during the auditions because Cebuanos are reserved. Most were mahiyain. We were looking for people who can really entertain and at the same time serve food and drinks. People who are really raring to join Friday’s,” she said. Out of 600 who joined the auditions, only 90 went on to become part of the Friday’s Cebu crew. And the 90 then began their six-week Friday’s training.

One of the chosen few is bartender Lemuel Sacedon. Lemuel is a 21-year-old Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate of the University of San Carlos. Lemuel first learned about bartending in school and, after graduation, worked in one of the bars in the city.

However, when he joined Friday’s, Lemuel said he had to “go back to zero.”

“The Friday’s standard is different. All the things that I learned before I joined Friday’s no longer mattered when we started training. They had a different way of doing things,” he shared.

Lemuel said that it is a must that drinks are mixed and served in only 1 minute. Bartenders at Friday’s should learn to prepare at least 50 drinks and they also have to entertain the guests at the bar, especially those staying at the bar top. And, they also have to do some flair bartending.

“I learned to flair on my own and practiced for two years. When I joined Friday’s I underwent training on doing flair again,” he said.

Aside from being able to interact and entertain guests, another joy of bartending is the tips that they get. Lemuel shared that the crew that tends the bar get to share the tips they get from guests. And mind you, they get really, really good tips!

Bartenders and service crew at Friday’s continuously perfect their craft. Deborah said that their bartenders continue trainings and even have to go through exams once in a while to brush up on their skills. The best bartenders in every Friday’s branch also get to compete with each other, not only locally but internationally, as well.

“We hold competitions within the Friday’s family. So we get to send the best bartenders here in the Philippines to compete with their counterparts in Asia and in the U.S.,” she said, adding that in the latest competition, the prize at stake was a whopping US$5,000!

So the next time you order your favorite cocktail at Friday’s Cebu, observe the bartender serving you. It’s not easy to be one!