Wednesday 19 July 2006

Job or Scam

I have been trying to get a "Bar Job", well hoping to get any job actually for the last month of the summer. (Yes, I know I'm over worked as it is, but Tuition needs to be paid and I'm still short on money.) I interviewed for a Bartender Survivor thing at Bulldog Bar/Club (which just so everyone knows is THE GREATEST PLACE TO GO, now that I may potentially be working there.) I'm still waiting on the call from them and the whole idea of the competition sounds fun, but taking to a random customer at The Cup claiming it is a little bit of a scam makes me a little worried. At the interview, which involved lots of "are you shy" type questions, those running the competition informed me that we will be put into teams and asked to run a pub night. We get points for how well the pub night we run goes and for how many people come through the door on other Thursdays. We have a card which offers people no cover and has our name on the back. At the end of the 6-8 week period there are 2-10 bartending jobs as well as some other jobs like coat check and taking cover charge that will be given to those deemed stellar. It sounds like the bar is trying to drum up more business for Thursday nights, so they planed this competition to bring in new clientele. I'm not loyal to The Bulldog, honestly have never been. If I get into the competition it will be fun to do and we get paid for the nights we work and the pubs we run. Basically though you end up making money off of the friends you drag in with you. The random customer warned me unless you have a large circle of Bulldog going friends you will always struggle as a bar tender there and eventually be laid off. Well my friends aren't really big clubbers and those that are, don't club at Bulldog, this guy was from a frat and had a heavy drinking circle of over 300 friends, he claimed to be very successful as a bartender. I understand why a bar would behave like this, why they would require its workers to bring in a good stock of business through friends and regulars who like them, but at the same time why can't the bar just be good of its own merit and not need its employees to bring in their friends, and why fire them if they stop providing people. I'm providing myself to an employer not my friends. We will see how this goes, and remember to party at Bulldog and drop my name a few times while you are there... oh and on Thursday this week, I'm going to be going to Berrymores, so you could join me there instead, how ironic.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good luck!

-Em