Welcome Guest: Joey Stepp

Please welcome today's guest Joey Stepp, an accomplished magician and consummate bartender all the way from West Virginia. I met Joey at a flair bartending competition in Ohio last year. And after the competition was over, he punished me for beating him by drowning me in a sea of Jagerbombs. To make up for it, he's offered to share some insight here about how to make more $$$ as a bartender and how to incorporate flair. My favorite part is where he shares the bits of wisdom he's learned from a stripper....

Flair Bartending: More than just flipping bottles. A small amount of bottle flipping - a large amount of making money!!!

First, let me say thanks to Chris for asking me to write a post. Thanks for causing me to stay up late for days typing and typing only to save it and start another blog. Because I don’t know what I want to share with everyone. But its time and I think I got it!!!

Anyone reading this message – what is flair bartending to you? To some that don’t have a clue it’s Tom Cruise in Cocktail, others it may be the guy in Vegas that wowed you by flipping bottles. The insecure muscle-heads that are scared because their girl won’t quit smiling at us may think we are some cocky idiots that can juggle bottles. I got news for all of you - that is not it at all!

Flair Bartending to me is almost like a hustle. I am behind the wood to do whatever it takes to make the guest give me money. Money not only for the drink that will be absolutely amazing - because before I can even consider flairing I have to be a well-trained bartender = but money for me to put in my tip jar because they have no choice. No choice because I as a bartender just did something that made their mouth drop. This could be anything. Taking anything to the extreme: I could make their drink like the average bartender but end it with a back flip. At first you think, WTF a back flip?? What if that back flip causes the jaw of the guest to drop to the floor, what if it causes his hand to go into his wallet for a five. Now it's not so off the wall crazy. Now we are talking dollars signs.

I am making a bold statement that many people in the Flair Bartending world would disagree with, but I truly believe and have had this conversation with many people in the flair world. We are behind the wood for several reasons: 1) We can talk about how we like to be a people person and love to meet new people, 2) We can talk about how the entertainment value surpasses all the other reasons, or 3) We can get down and dirty and say, I love my job because I am having a good time, smiling, making other people smile and I make more money doing this than I would working 9-5. Whatever your reason is, if you work for tips, it wouldn't hurt to learn how to make a few extra dollars. As I said before, if you’re a bartender that doesn’t want to flip bottles you can still learn some Flair.

I need everyone to think about the last time you were at a strip club. How much money did you give the girls? If you’re anything like me, I give tons, to the sexy ones, the ugly ones. I really enjoy my time at a strip club. But why? Why can guys and girls sit at a stage and be entertained by a woman who takes her clothes off? What makes us give her our money? For me I think I get hypnotized into giving them all my money. At least that’s what I try to explain to my wife. But for real, how does a very sexy girl go on stage and take off her clothes and make a thousand dollars a night?

When I first decided to make bartending my career I went to a strip club. I watched these girls on stage and off stage. I found the one that I thought was making the most money and we made friends. Yeah, I bought her a sixty dollar drink for her to sit with me for about an hour. But I was on a mission: to learn how she gets all the money. What is this girl's Flair? I should charge every bartender ten dollars for the information that I am about to share, but because its such a simple concept and I try to help everyone pay an extra bill, here it is.

She explained to me that on stage there are two poles. One on the front of the stage and one in the back. Her job is to dance around the stage for all the people sitting at the bar. That keeps the owner happy because it keeps the customers happy. She said that if someone is sitting on the back side of the stage tipping her fives, that when she goes to the front of the stage to dance for the others that may only be giving her ones, she makes a point to look over her shoulder at the group that is tipping her fives. Think about it…..

While she is performing for a group of people she is looking down stage at the man that is giving her more money. Kind of saying, “hey I know I’m down here but I’m still thinking about you.” She went on to say while she is working the floor she will walk by and give the guy a wink, anything to get him thinking about her.

Transfer this to the bar. Take a guy bartender who can flip some bottles. There’s a girl that is tipping him 100 percent on every round. While he is flipping bottles for a group of people, what would it hurt for him to look over his should and give a wink, or a look at the lady at the end of the bar. Even if I’m working and a man is at the bar and over tipping just because he enjoys the show, if I’m doing something for a group of people I may wait until I get his attention to start, or I may give him a high five, thumbs ups, throw a lime at his feet. Anything to express gratitude towards him. All of this is considered Non-Verbal Communication, and it pays off. (Another tidbit about me, this is my last semester until I receive a Masters Degree in School Counseling, even with this Masters I want to continue bartending until I work in a tourist city. I would be lying if having this training in Counseling hasn’t helped me make more money.)

Another non-flipping move I would suggest is High Fives. Call me crazy but I have found that for some reason people love a random high five. Try it at work - of course please don’t do this if you are at a lounge where you are in dress clothes and the people are in the middle of a meal. But at the local sports pub or dance club do something random and give high fives. You will find that once trained for this type of behavior from you they will expect it and most importantly enjoy it. Being a flair bartender, and one that performs magic, its always fun to make something disappear, then go down the bar slapping hands. One suggestion, if you put your hand up and the really pretty girl acts like she’s too good to slap your hand leave it there, it will happen and she will smile like no other… This came from an article I read along time ago, wish I could site it but I have no idea. It talked about how malls and other business are trying to find more ways to get people to feel comfortable with the sales persons because then once they feel comfortable and are happier they are more likely to spend more money. This is exactly what I am trying to create: happy people, comfortable with me, buying good drinks and paying me for making them….

I am going to leave you with this: if this is something you are serious about, then be serious about it. Learn a new way to make more money as often as you can. The service industry can be very good to you if you learn all you can about it. Pick up books, read online and talk to others about better ways to serve people. This is easy money if done right. Real quick ,some of my hustles, aka “things I do, to get people to give me money” include: making a napkin rose, balloon animals, tons of magic tricks (a great way to make money while no one is drinking), winking, high fives, listening, talking, entertaining, taking pictures (randomly pick up a persons camera and get everyone together for a group shot - (sometimes I take pics of myself, just for a laugh,) drop a tin or bottle on purpose just to get a reaction out of someone (its like NASCAR, some watch just for the crashes.) The list could go on forever.

If you would like to hear ways to incorporate flair into your work, or more ways to hustle the extra money, email me anytime.☺

Joey_stepp@yahoo.com