Should you go to bartending school?

As with all questions worth asking in life — it depends! If you ask 10 bar managers, you will find 5 say yes and 5 say no. Many people become successful bartenders just by working their way up from dishwashers, bussers, barbacks, or servers. Many bar managers I’ve spoken to admit that their best bartenders were those that have attended formal bartending training. At the end of the day, bartending school is knowledge and experience gained and whether or not you should sign up for bartending school depends on your current financial situation, how much free time you have to devote to your craft…