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Hi! I am Joshua!
I'm the founder of Barspirit and I'm here to help! So let me tell you a bit about what the process of working with us looks like and how you can make sure to get exactly what you are looking for with Barspirit!
First Timer? No Worries!
You are in the process of planning your event and got to the part where you decide you will need a bartender. First of all, great choice, but what now?!
As you are reading this, I think it’s safe to assume you have never hired a bartending company before and have very little or no idea what to expect. Our team is here to guide you through the whole process, so you are in the right place to get the job done right! (And don't just take my word for it! I'm sure you already have, but check out our endless 5-Star reviews on Yelp, TheKnot, WeddingWire, TheBash, and virtually everywhere else!)
We ensure that all of our bartending staff has had at least 3 years of professional bar experience behind fast-paced bars so they are trained in all classic cocktails, they are courteous, fun, and professional, and they know what they are doing! We work with local staff that has mostly worked years of events for us - we never hire off of Craigslist or employ a third-party provider. This way, we can be in full control of who we are sending to your event to guarantee that they will be a great fit for you and your guests!
Whether you are looking for bartenders for your wedding or general party staff (such as servers, bussers, people to help with setup or breakdown, greeters, etc.), we are here to help.
Since booking our bartending services is a little more complex than booking wait staff, I'll explain the whole process for you below!
Step by step: How to book a bartender
Step 1: Get a quote
(3 minutes)
Step 2: Sign your service agreement
(1 minute)
Step 3: Pay the security deposit
(1 minute)
Step 4: You will get the invoice for your balance
(0 minutes)
Step 5: Your complimentary bar menu consultation
(approx. 30 minutes)
Step 6 (optional): Approve your shopping estimate
(1 minute)
Step 7 (optional): COI for your venue
(1 minute)
Step 8: approx. 2-3 weeks before your event
Step 9: IT'S TIME!
Now this is the easy part! If you don't have a quote yet, you can get one by filling out our quote form here! Once you receive your quote email, you can either make changes where needed or proceed by clicking the "book now" button in your portal.
Once you've hit that button, you will receive a service agreement to sign on your computer/tablet/phone or via smoke signals (legally binding smoke signals are currently only available to select clients).
When the service agreement is fully signed, you will be able to pay your deposit on the same screen. You will also get an email with a link to pay your deposit if you first want to check if your mom wants to chip in and just forward her the email. No printing, signing, scanning & sending are needed and we can save some trees in the process.
Don't worry; you don't have to pay your balance just yet! We're just sending it if you want to get it out of the way, but it will also be automatically charged to the card on file so if you'd rather not see that invoice sitting in your inbox, feel free to delete the email! We understand.
We can help you create an awesome bar menu with your signature drinks. If you don’t know exactly what drinks to serve yet, we can guide you through the whole process and create your menu from scratch. Based on that bar menu, we can send you a detailed shopping list that you can take to any Costco, BevMo, or your local liquor store.
If you have booked our shopping service, we will use the shopping list we created in step 5 and send you an estimate based on those ingredients. You can quickly approve the shopping estimate with the click of a button and sign the corresponding agreement (this is a separate service agreement from the staffing service agreement, but it will be just as easy to sign and pay). Once signed and paid, your shopping service is all set, so you don't have to lift a finger. The delivery usually arrives up to one hour before the bar staff to ensure everything is ready on time.
Sometimes, your venue may require a COI (a.k.a. Certificate of Insurance). Most of our wedding venues already have our COI on file, but we can always provide you with a free copy of our $2M insurance anytime. Ask your venue manager how your venue would like to be listed as additional insured, and we can get this directly to them in no time.
We usually begin staffing your event about 2-3 weeks ahead of your event date, so in the meantime, you can lean back and relax, knowing that everything is taken care of. Once your event is staffed, your staff will contact you directly to confirm any last details and introduce themselves to you. From that point on, your staff will be your main point of contact, unless when it comes to any administrative questions (e.g. rentals, additional services or staff, changing the hours, etc.).
On the day of your event, our staff will arrive approximately 1 hour before your event start time (the arrival time noted on your quote as "setup time") in order to set up the bar (not applicable if you hire waitstaff only). This setup includes putting your drinks on ice, cutting garnishes, etc. in order to be ready at your "start time" to open the bar.
Step 10:
LET THE PARTY BEGIN!
This is the moment we've all been waiting for and working towards! We'll make your guests happy, keep the drinks flowing, and create an extraordinary bar experience.
Step 11:
Almost done...
Towards the end of the night, the bar staff will make a last call approximately 30 minutes before your "end time" in order to start wrapping up the bar so that everyone can get their last drink and the party can come to a natural end. If you would like the staff to stay longer, please review our overtime fee structure. Our staff will leave the bar area tidied and consolidate any leftovers for easy access!