How to hire a bar attendant

How to hire a bar attendant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bar attendant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a bar attendant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bar attendant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your bar attendant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a bar attendant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect bar attendant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of bar attendant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Bar Attendant	Description	Hourly rate
   Bar Attendant	Food and beverage serving and related workers perform a variety of customer service, food preparation, and cleaning duties in restaurants, cafeterias, and other eating and drinking establishments.	$8-14
   Dining Room Server	A dining room server performs various tasks to give patrons a positive dining experience. Their job usually entails greeting customers and presenting the menu, taking their orders, answering inquiries, recommending products and other services, serving drinks and food, and handling concerns professionally and courteously... Show more	$11-17
   Food Server	A Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options... Show more	$8-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cleanliness
   • Front Desk
   • Quality Standards
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Clean Tables
   • Cash Handling
   • BARS
   • Guest Inquiries
   • Wine
   • Culinary
   • Customer Service
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Customer Complaints
   • Spoons

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain cleanliness and organization of designate work areas.
   • Maintain cleanliness, sanitation and organize assigned work areas.
   • Keep records on individual pet, including daily observations and information activities perform, meals sever, and medication administer.
   • Set up the VIP area.
   • Check IDs.Security.Make judgment calls.handle bar responsibilities.greet guest in a professional respectable manner.handle and count money.

   More bar attendant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your bar attendant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A bar attendant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a bar attendant in Pennsylvania may be lower than in Maine, and an entry-level bar attendant usually earns less than a senior-level bar attendant. Additionally, a bar attendant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average bar attendant salary

   $11.68hourly

   $24,295 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level bar attendant salary

   $18,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average bar attendant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Hawaii	$29,883	$14
   2	Massachusetts	$29,179	$14
   3	New York	$28,238	$14
   4	California	$27,428	$13
   5	Colorado	$25,924	$12
   6	Arizona	$25,365	$12
   7	Michigan	$24,489	$12
   8	Maryland	$24,395	$12
   9	North Carolina	$22,897	$11
   10	Florida	$22,625	$11
   11	Georgia	$22,436	$11
   12	Nevada	$22,120	$11
   13	Illinois	$21,742	$10
   14	Arkansas	$21,509	$10
   15	Texas	$21,356	$10
   16	Louisiana	$19,292	$9
   17	Utah	$17,421	$8

   Average bar attendant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	HEI Hotels & Resorts	$30,414	$14.62	140
   2	Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants	$30,130	$14.49	230
   3	Hilton Grand Vacations	$29,399	$14.13	19
   4	Mandarin Oriental	$28,966	$13.93	7
   5	Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts	$28,907	$13.90	72
   6	Wyndham Hotels & Resorts	$28,797	$13.84	1
   7	Hyatt Hotels	$28,771	$13.83	195
   8	Arden Group	$28,367	$13.64
   9	PeopleReady	$27,632	$13.28	32
   10	Montage Hotels & Resorts	$27,308	$13.13	62
   11	Marriott International	$26,518	$12.75	504
   12	Aramark	$26,341	$12.66	72
   13	OTG Management	$25,359	$12.19	6
   14	Fontainebleau Miami Beach	$25,140	$12.09	14
   15	Tioga Downs Casino	$25,116	$12.07	4
   16	Suburban Inns	$25,110	$12.07	15
   17	Sodexo Management, Inc.	$25,050	$12.04	199
   18	Schulte Hospitality Group	$24,696	$11.87	78
   19	Hilton	$24,646	$11.85	543
   20	Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores	$24,579	$11.82	2

4. Writing a bar attendant job description

   A good bar attendant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a bar attendant job description:

   Bar attendant job description example

   At Chicago Athletic Association, we believe our guests select us because of our caring and attentive associates who are focused on providing authentic hospitality and meaningful experiences to each and every guest. CAA is a place where high expectations aren't just met-they're exceeded. It's a place of outstanding rewards, where talent opens doors to exciting challenges in the hospitality industry.
   
   The **Bar Preparation Attendant** (Bar Prep) is a back-of-house position, responsible primarily for ensuring the preparation of all batching and bottling of beverages and syrups for cocktails, prepping all garnish (including cutting produce, herbs, etc.). Working closely with managers and purchasing to insure and maintain on all par levels. Must be able to read and follow recipes to ensure quality of production, must have ability to multitask and have good verbal and written communication skills. Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to: changing beer kegs, cleanliness and sanitation of the area, as well as washing and polishing glassware as required/needed.
   
   CAA associates work in an environment that demands exceptional performance yet reaps great rewards. Hyatt has the best to offer in restaurant server jobs: Whether it's career opportunities, job enrichment or a supportive work environment, if you are ready for this challenge, then we are ready for you.
   **Qualifications:**
   
   + A true desire to satisfy the needs of others in a fast-paced environment.
   
   + Basic knife skills and Culinary experience a plus
   
   + Must have physical stamina to lift moderate amounts of weight.
   
   + Ability to stand for long periods of time.
   
   + Ensure safe, secure, and healthy facility environment by following all sanitation standards and procedures; complying with health and legal regulations.
   
   **Primary Location:** US-IL-Chicago
   
   **Organization:** Chicago Athletic Association
   
   **Pay Basis:** Hourly
   
   **Job Level:** Full-time
   
   **Job:** Bars/Restaurants/Outlets
   
   
   Hyatt is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship status or any other group protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right bar attendant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your bar attendant job on Zippia to find and recruit bar attendant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit bar attendants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new bar attendant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the bar attendant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new bar attendant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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