How much do bartenders in Chicago make?

How much do bartenders make?

• Ive just always been curious about how much bartenders make.one of my friends told me they get pay checks. But then my other friend said they make thier money off tips. Then theres this whole good night bad night stuff that she was telling me about but wasent explaining it well. Im just curious and would like too know thats all.

• Answer:

  Bartenders get an hourly rate plus tips. Often the hourly rate for someone who makes tips is actually less than minimum wage because the tips make up for it. How much you make depends entirely on how busy the bar is during the hours you work. If you work at a restaurant bar in the middle of the day your tips won't be nearly as much as if you work at a hotspot on friday night. You can be a bartender and not make much more than a cashier at a convenience store, or you can make hundreds of dollars a night. There are also banquet bartenders who are more likely to get a higher hourly rate because the drinks are free at some banquets and people aren't necessarily going to tip every time. If you become a bartender you will likely have to start working slow hours and banquets and work your way up to getting shifts during busy hours. One bartender I know told me that he worked a Fourth of July shift at a popular place where you can watch the fireworks. He said he had to work fast and couldn't stop for a second all day, but he made $600 in tips. He said he doesn't plan on doing it again, it was that bad.