How much would a typical bartender make?

How much does a bartender in Altanta, GA make on average?

• I will be a uni student this coming fall and I am interested in becoming a bartender. I've already communicated with a bartending school in ATL who has a good reputation (did a bit of digging before taking their word for it). I doubt I would work in an actual bar since bar tricks are kinda hard. How much, on average, does a bartender make in a hotel, or Sports Bar, or restaurant (high prestige and Applebees alike). I would love to hear from people with experience. I know it varies from person to person and place, I would just like to know an estimate. Thank you. =)

• Answer:

  Being in the industry for years, from Nightclubs to restaurants...over a $1000 a week is a big stretch unless you work in a high capacity bar, and it doesn't sound like you want to do that. You don't really need to know any tricks; you just need to know the recipes and be quick about it. It doesn't hurt though. You're looking at about $500/week maximum for chain restaurant bars/sports bars and maybe $700-$900/week at a big club. You're not going to get the best shift coming in as a newbie. Remember that it's a little seasonal here too because of conferences. It's not always busy depending on what area you're in. I don't know too much about the private party bartender except the people I know that did it weren't too impressed with it. They only did it to supplement their income from their steady job. It wasn't enough to live on.