An Old Wives’ Tale from Behind the Bar

Breaking the Bartender School Myth: An Old Wives’ Tale from Behind the Bar

When I was 24, I landed what I thought was the dream job: managing a huge corporate restaurant in a busy city, home to one of the top bars in the United States. Our bartenders were rockstars. They competed in Las Vegas every year, brought home trophies, and were known nationwide for their flair and skill.

I was the new kid in management, eager to prove myself and soaking up every bit of “wisdom” from the seasoned veterans around me. And one piece of advice I heard over and over was this:

“Never hire anyone who went to bartending school.”

The explanation sounded reasonable at the time. Bartending, I was told, is a hands-on craft. You learn it behind the bar, not from a textbook. You can’t teach rhythm, speed, guest interaction, and controlled chaos from a classroom stool.

So I believed them.

For years, I interviewed candidate after candidate who proudly mentioned bartending school on their résumé—and I quietly moved their application to the “no” pile. I didn’t give them a fair shot, not because of who they were, but because of what I’d been told.

And then my perspective shifted.

Questioning the “Rules”

Fast forward many years: I’d moved into consulting, helping restaurants and bars adjust their systems, retrain staff, and grow their business. Consulting forced me to look at long-standing “rules” with fresh eyes. I started asking uncomfortable questions like:

• Is this actually true?

• Or is it just the way we’ve always done it?

One day, the old line about bartending school came back to my mind. I realized how lazy that thinking really was. Here we had people who were so interested in the craft that they paid money and dedicated time to learn the basics—and we were writing them off before they ever touched a shaker.

Did bartending school instantly make someone a world-class bartender? Of course not. But did it give them a foundation of terminology, classic recipes, tools, and technique? Absolutely.

And suddenly, it clicked:

Maybe they weren’t ideal bartenders yet—but they were perfect barbacks.

The Perfect Barback Pipeline

Barbacks are the unsung heroes of a great bar. They restock product, prep garnishes, change kegs, run glassware, keep the station clean, and jump in when the bar gets slammed. And when the moment comes for a barback to step onto the front line, the learning curve can be steep.

So why not start with someone who already:

• Knows the difference between a martini and a Manhattan

• Understands basic spirits, liqueurs, and mixers

• Has been exposed to proper techniques and classic builds

That’s not a liability—that’s an asset.

Once I reframed the problem, my hiring strategy changed overnight. I began to see bartending school grads as motivated, pre-trained, hungry barbacks who just needed real-world reps and mentorship.

The Hire That Proved Me Wrong

The first young woman I hired this way had just finished bartending school and had zero actual bar experience. In the old days, I would’ve politely passed on her.

Instead, I hired her as a barback.

She hustled. She listened. She respected the craft and the bartenders who trained her. She already spoke the language of the bar, so when it was time for her to start pouring, she wasn’t starting from scratch—she was simply moving from theory to practice.

She went on to become one of the best bartenders I’ve ever had.

That one hire permanently shattered the old wives’ tale for me. It also taught me an even bigger lesson:

You Don’t Have to Inherit Other People’s Limits

For years, I carried that belief because it came from people who were 10, 20, even 30 years older than me—people I respected. I wanted to be a sponge, so I absorbed everything they said, including the bad advice.

Looking back, I’m embarrassed I turned away so many good candidates based on a cliché. But that embarrassment is useful; it reminds me to constantly examine where my beliefs come from.

The truth is, this industry is full of “rules” like:

• “Never hire…”

• “Always do it this way…”

• “That will never work here…”

Some of them are hard-earned wisdom. Others are just fear, ego, or laziness wrapped in tradition.

The Takeaway: Question Everything

Whether you’re in the restaurant business or any other field, here’s the real moral of the story:

• Question the clichés.

• Break the mold.

• Think independently.

Don’t be afraid to challenge the “that’s how we’ve always done it” mindset—even when it comes from people you respect. That’s how industries evolve. That’s how better teams get built. And sometimes, that’s how a brand-new barback from bartending school becomes one of the strongest bartenders you’ll ever put behind the stick.

You never know—the thing everyone else dismisses might be exactly where your next big success is hiding.

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