“What can I get for you?” might be something you hear from any local bartender, and for one of De Lazy Lizard’s bartenders, Jenn Vaccaro, this is very true. Vaccaro is a senior chemistry major at West Virginia University originally from Jamestown, NY, whose skill at making drinks has paid off for her, literally.
Bartending can be a great job for those who are good at it. Just like with anything else the better you are with your trade the more successful you will be. Anyone who works at a bar will tell you the hours are long and sometimes strenuous but the things you learn from it can help you with a lot of other things in life. For Vaccaro, this has proven to be true.
“I have worked bartending for the past six months,” said Vaccaro. “For me it’s fast, easy cash and it fits well into my schedule. I never have to choose between going to class and studying over working because they don’t ever conflict.”
Vaccaro can be seen almost every weekend night working tirelessly trying to make everyone at the bar happy. Her charismatic personality and sense of humor come in handy when dealing with customers, but she also mentions that because she works at night, she rarely has an opportunity to go out herself. However, she deals with it because in the long run she is making money to support herself, and by doing that she builds a sense of responsibility others might not.
“For the job you really have to be a people person. That’s what I think anyways,” said Vaccaro. “You have to be able to put on a smile for everyone around you, because no one wants to deal with someone who is in a bad mood.”
She enjoys being able to meet all sorts of people and is grateful for the experience she has had thus far.
Not everyone could handle the pressure she sometimes feels on busy nights. Being a bartender is hard work and that is one thing that Vaccaro stresses about her job.
“Every day I go in … I start by cutting fruit, then you have to open the bar and make drinks until 2:30 a.m., and let me tell you, it’s not as simple as some might think,” said Vaccaro. “For me the hardest part is remembering what is in the shots people order, because there are so many of them that it is hard to keep track sometimes and you never want to mess up. Then as the night wraps up and we close, I have to help clean all the bottles and the bar. After that what’s left is to count the drawers and your tips. On a typical night I’ll get home around 4 a.m. sometimes later.”
Depending on who you are this might sound like a drag, but Vaccaro says she really enjoys what she does.
“There are a lot of perks to being a bartender. I love the people I work with and I get free drinks too when I get time off to go to the bar,” she said. “The atmosphere is fast-paced which I enjoy, and you always meet new and interesting people. After working at this job I know how it can be at times, and I think that if others knew what kind of labor is put into it they might be a little more respectful to the people that are serving them their drinks.”
Vaccaro has enjoyed her job and does not think she will stop doing it any time soon. Everyone needs a good bartender right? To do well at a task you have to work hard at it and practice in any way you can. Every day when Vaccaro goes into work she is working to better herself at what she does by making all sorts of different drinks. So if a dog is a man’s best friend, then alcohol is the bartenders. No matter where you go you can always find a bartender, and a good-looking one at that. So let’s all raise a glass to the men and women who fill them for us.