Should I hire a bartending company for my event or wedding?

So you are having an event and you need a bartender. You might think that hiring a bartender for your wedding is as easy as pie, a simple call or an email to your chosen vendor and voila, you’ll have your event or wedding bartender. As much as we would like for it to be, it just isn’t quite that simple.

Why to consider hiring a bartending company instead of a caterer for your event or wedding

Image by Paige Vaughn

Because hiring a bartender for your event or wedding is more complicated than it seems

Hiring a bartender for your event or wedding is much more complex than you think it is. Have you been to a bar lately? That bar has all that it needs to run –all sorts of alcohol, mixers on tap and on backup in the walk-in, a nice long wooden bar top, plenty of ice, clean glassware, all the bar tools needed to make a myriad of cocktails, smiling bartenders and an onsite manager to make it all “go”. This is not going to be the case at your wedding or event. See that blank area of nothingness over there in the corner (apart from maybe a makeshift or built in bar front?) That’s where your bar service is going to pop up a bar for your event or wedding. They are going to make that space go from nothing to everything you and your event needs for just a few hours of fun. This takes lots of time, a fair amount of physical exertion and plenty of advanced planning.

What is the value of hiring a company like Drink Slingers for your event or wedding over a catering company?

Since 2015 we have facilitated over 5,000 events with anywhere from 10 to 8,000 guests focusing 100% on bar services alone. What sets us apart from a catering company or some of the other bar services in Austin is that we never outsource our bartenders through agencies or staffing apps, which has become quite common in this industry due to pandemic related staffing shortages. All of our bartenders are employees (not contractors), that have been interviewed and trained by us, most of which already have anywhere from 5-10 years of bartending experience. Our roster of bartenders is composed entirely of employees of Drink Slingers, which means they must abide by the stringent policies and standards of the company. This also means that our staff is covered by our general and liquor liability policies, which means that you and your venue are too! If you decide to hire your caterer for your event or wedding to save some money, be sure and ask your catering manager what kind of experience your bartenders have. Remember that bartending is a specialty service, not just anyone can make a drink taste delicious. Not only do you have to be trained in that particular skill set, you also have to have a particular set of tools. We have the proper equipment and bartenders who know how to use them.

Because our staff is composed entirely of employees of Drink Slingers, they must abide by the stringent policies and standards of the company. This means that our expertise is upheld by our employees. This translates into extremely professional, friendly and skilled service 100% of the time. Our consistent 5 star reviews will attest to this. There’s no room for service wildcards this way! This also means that our staff are covered by our general and liquor liability policies, which means that you are too!

Why we choose to staff “our way”

We love our amazing Drink Slingers (and we know you will, too!) as they are literally some of the best bartenders in Austin. When we started our business in 2015, it was imperative that we pay them well so that they would enjoy coming to work. Because we know that working in the service industry for low wages equals not only low job satisfaction but also low employee retention. We want our staff to love what they do so that they can show that love at all the events they work. And if eight years of client feedback is any indication, showing their love for their work is exactly what they do.

Image by Paige Vaughn

During a time when our industry is struggling with staffing shortages, it is not easy to find and maintain staff, so we understand why some services might rely on staffing apps and agencies. However, this does not fit Drink Slingers’ values, simply because if that is how we operated, we couldn’t guarantee the level of professionalism and experience that we strive to consistently deliver.

And there are ramifications to hiring the best bartenders in Austin

This also means that we are operating a much smaller business than we were pre-pandemic. We are not able to take on the same high volume of events that we previously could, which means our calendar during the busy seasons is filling up quicker than it used to. So if you’d like to book a professional bar service for your wedding or event in the Austin area, book us soon so that you don’t miss out on the fun!