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Why We Must Raise the MinimumWage for Bartenders

Matthew Saporito

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About the Writing

The essay provides compelling arguments for why the minimum wage for bartenders should be raised, highlighting the complexity and skill involved in their job, as well as the disparity in earnings compared to servers. The writer effectively explains the challenges faced by bartenders, particularly in terms of inadequate tips and stagnant wages. By advocating for a wage increase, the essay emphasizes the importance of fair compensation and the potential benefits for both bartenders and the restaurant industry as a whole. This passionate plea for change is grounded in real-world experience and a call for support from various stakeholders.

The Writing

Why We Must Raise the MinimumWage for BartendersMatthew Saporito
00:00 / 01:04

Why We Must Raise the Minimum Wage for Bartenders


The minimum wage for servers is meager in all states, yet it's for good reason. Servers get tipped, which is how they gain most of their income. This is a fair system for the most part, yet the minimum wage for bartenders should be raised. The minimum wage for all jobs that get tipped is the same, meaning that servers and bartenders get paid the same salary, yet a bartender's job is so much more complex than a server's. This is not just, nor is it fair.


Talented bartenders can memorize at least 100 cocktails and make them on the spot. The serving industry can also be demanding, yet it is far from the difficulty of a bartender's job. I can speak from experience as I am a server. My job can get tricky, yet the bartender I work with, my uncle, has a much harder one. He has memorized hundreds of cocktails and can make them all in under 2 to 3 minutes. The amount of time and dedication it takes to do that is enormous. My uncle has been bartending for around 20 years, and I started serving around two months ago. I can finish my job, and it only took me around a week to learn everything. It's been 20 years, and my uncle still doesn't know how to make every drink. A bartender's job is much more complicated than a server's, and they get paid the same amount. That's the equivalent of a surgeon getting paid the same amount as a hospital receptionist.


For most restaurants, bartenders receive 10% of all alcohol sales that night. Let's say the restaurant sells 500 dollars worth of alcohol that night; that is only 50 dollars for the bartender on top of their low hourly wage (federal tipped minimum wage is only $2.13!). A server can easily make that with a tip at a single table. In most cases, it is standard etiquette for the servers to tip out the bartenders, yet this is not guaranteed. Pretty unfair. Bartenders do occasionally receive tips from the people sitting at the bar, yet in most restaurants, the bar is not the primary source of money. In your typical restaurant with a bar, people mainly sit at a table and eat. With drinks and food, that will be a decent bill with a decent tip. At those same restaurants, the bar gets some people and money, yet nowhere near as many or as much as the rest of the restaurant – unless it is a nightclub.


On top of that, the tips that the bartenders get are usually significantly smaller as the check is smaller and only for drinks. In the end, if you add up all the tips a bartender receives compared to the tips of a server, it's a big difference. The servers get significantly more money from tips than the bartenders, yet they are paid the same hourly wage. This is not fair. On top of that, bartenders are often career workers who deserve a living wage, and servers are often students or people with other jobs, yet both get paid the same. This is unfair; the bartender's minimum wage must be raised.


With that said, this could be a challenge. Especially for smaller businesses, it's a challenge to give anyone a raise, let alone provide a raise to all the bartenders. However, even a 2-3 dollar raise would significantly benefit people. Indeed, the restaurant could make more money by increasing some bartenders' wages just by increasing the price of certain drinks. At the restaurant where I work, we recently increased the cost of each cocktail by a few dollars. It may not seem like a lot, but that extra little money adds up quickly. This additional money could contribute to the bartenders' hourly wage and make a huge difference.


We are losing restaurants left and right due to the need for more staff. This lack of staff is heavily caused by the staff needing to get paid more. Especially during these challenging times, people need the money, and working at a restaurant as a bartender isn't cutting it. If you want to go out to bars when you are 21, you should support raising the minimum wage for bartenders. If you want to get a job in the restaurant industry, you should support raising the minimum wage for bartenders. If you continue eating out at restaurants, you should support raising the minimum wage for bartenders. The minimum wage for bartenders needs to be raised!


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