Bartending at the Bowling Alley

The idea of bartending at your local bowling alley may not sound like the best job a bartender can get but it has many good points you might be overlooking. For one, bowling alleys can be a great place to get hired with no experience because they are very slow in the summer and you can learn during this off season. But let's suppose you are experienced.

Maybe you are already bartending but looking for a new establishment. (This is one of nicest things about bartending, you can find work anywhere once you have the experience) Perhps you've considered applying at your local bowling alley but figured it's just a bunch of old men into their weird game and you wouldn't make much. Well, that's not usually the case. As long as there are at least 12 lanes you can do pretty good. You likely don't want less than that unless it's an opportunity to learn without any experience.

The bowling season is long. Approximately 30 weeks. Each night of the week has leagues and these leagues consist of committed men and women who are there week after week. For many it's their night out and they will drink. Unlike golf, it's easy to drink and bowl. After their turn they sit down and wait for 3-5 other guys to bowl before they have to get up again. So they drink! Bowlers like to be ready to go when it's their turn. Nothing is more irritating than hunting down someone when it's their turn. So when these guys come to the bar for a drink, they just want their drink fast and then they are off to the lanes again. No chit chat. Often they wil say "just keep the change". It's usually not a whole lot, maybe .25cents -.75cents. But the flow is almost non-stop for 2 or 3 hours. That really adds up and it's quite an easy task for you. In a very short time you start to know what everyone drinks because it's the same people on the same night week after week. There could be an empty bar at a bowling alley but you will keep very busy with these guys!

Once the games end, get ready for round two! Usually the bar will fill up as these guys come in to talk about their games. Some of them will want food. Many eat before the game starts but a lot of them prefer to wait until after. At any rate, you will usually have your hands full for the start of this rush until you get situated. Most of them won't stay too long, maybe just one or two more beers but there's always about 8-10 who will stay a lot longer. At this time you should be getting a few non-bowler regulars too so you could very well end up with a full bar even on a weekday. Bowlers are not needy. They have each other when at the bar and they want to talk about their games (often over and over!) so as long as you are keeping a constant eye open for refills they are quite happy. Once this crowd leaves you should have ammassed a nice little chunk of change in tips in the past 4 or 5 hours. And oh yes, look at the clock. It's only 11:00 pm. You might have time to clean up and make it out to where your friends are for a few!

If the bar area is roomy, there may be entertainment such as karaoke or a dj on weekends. In addition to your regular bowlers, this will bring in more tips for you when the non-bowlers start coming in for a little night life. Another profitable element to bartending at a bowling alley is "Open Bowling." That is the term used to describe people who are not on a league. Most bowling alleys have deals on bowling after 9pm on weekends because the leagues are finished up at that time. Open bowling can be very lucrative for the bar! This is where you will serve more mixed drinks, especially on college weekends such as Christmas break, spring break etc. Typically what you see is groups of couples with the guys drinking beer and the girls drinking pretty mixed drinks. Open bowlers on the weekends are a welcome change from the same routine. They tend to spend more too since they don't go bowling evey week!

Some bowling centers also have several tournaments through out the season. These tournaments attract a lot of people and most of them will visit the bar. If there is a fun tournament such as a couples "no tap" or "best ball" there is usually a lot of drinking because it's not a serious tournament. When these events take place and there is a band or DJ in your bar, the place can really get hopping! And even the serious tournaments can bring in a lot of spectators who will drink. Friends, family and just other bowlers who are interested in the sport.

So don't just pass over the thought of your local bowling center when considering a bartending job. The money might not be quite as good as other venues, but it's still decent, low pressure and it's very predictable for the most part. The clientel is generally friendly and you will often get to go home much earlier than at a regular bar that is open until 2am. The biggest downfall is the fact that summer time is practically dead unless the bar has a lot going on even without bowling.