Bartending Attire

Choose your appropriate bartender attire

What's appropriate bartending attire? A lot of it will depend on the venue you're working at and your personal preference.

I've listed a few pointers to keep in mind based on my personal experience.

The first place where I started bartending was a lounge. More specifically, it was a lounge connected to a restaurant next door. As such, there would normally be a trickle of people coming from the restaurant to enjoy a before or after dinner cocktail in addition to the local regulars and casual passerbys.

The restaurant was slightly on the high-end side. The waiters wore all black. Naturally because the lounge was connected to the restaurant, I had to coordinate my bartending attire to what they were wearing, which was pretty much all black. The rule of thumb was to wear all black.

No jeans. No sneakers. Just black.

So I simply wore a black dress pants and a dark top. During the summer, I'd wear short-sleeved or sleeveless tees or tank tops and during the winter, I'd naturally long sleeved shirts to keep me warm from the cold draft that came in everytime a customer entered or exited the bar.

The beauty about wearing all black is it conceals most stains. When working behind the bar, be prepared to get stuff splashed on you.

Juice might splash on you while pouring or mixing a drink; drunk customers might accidentally spill beer all over you (yes, it happens); or beer foam from an almost-empty-tap might spray all over you.

Lesson of the story is, anything black is good bartending attire.

As a rule of thumb, when working at a restaurant - be it on the casual or high-end side - wearing all black (black dress pants and black top) is a smart and safe default.

That is only if the restaurant or bar doesn't have its own uniform. Some places might provide you with a uniform, in which case you won't have to worry about what to wear when you bartend.

You can also use this guideline when working at night clubs. Different clubs will have different house rules when it comes to choosing bartending clothes.

Some clubs may require that you wear a uniform, in which case, you don't really have a choice. But most places will just give you a loose guideline. Again, the all black rule works superbly.

The first club I worked at required all black. So naturally, I wore all black. Because it was a club, however, I wore clothes that wore slightly trendier than the clothes I donned at the lounge. For instance, I'd wear a black fitted dress pants and a dressy black top, or a slick black dress. ` Of course, these places may also have various theme nights such as casino night, black & white night, caribbean night, etc during which you'll have to dress the part.

You'll want to wear something that's flattering, but not too revealing. An example might be a dressy black tank top or a lacy sleeveless dress shirt. Go for black dress pants that is fitted, and not baggy. You might be able to get away with black denim. Check with the establishment before you opt for jeans, but clubs tend to be less strict when it comes to dress code.

Think sexy, not slutty.

As for work shoes, wear something that'll keep your feet comforatable for the 4-5 hours you will spend standing up and bartending. Wearing high heels or stilettos may look sexy, but after a few hours running around the bar, your feet will be killing you.

Here are a few examples of appropriate bartender workshoes

Again, this might not be an option at some clubs because there are clubs that require their bartenders to wear stilettos. But if that's not the case, opt for something comfy.

Dark work shoes with rubber soles are great. I've even seen a bartender wear black converses while working.

Whatever the venue guideline is, choose something that complies with the dress code but keeps you comfortable and looking hot!