Bartending is one of RI's fast-growing occupations. Here’s why

A former journalist looking for a fresh start. A social worker thinking about next steps in retirement. A carpenter wanting to make extra cash on the side. A single father seeking a better schedule to care for his daughter.

These are the kinds of people that come to Rae Desrosiers for help. In a week, with diligent instruction and hard work, she turns them into mixologists.

Desrosiers runs the Rhode Island Bartending School in Johnston, which according to her is the only mixology instructional institution in the state. In the nine years she has run it, she reckons about 5,000 pupils have come through.

“We’ve had lawyers, doctors, nurses, policemen. We’ve had detectives. We’ve had all walks of life in here. I mean, there’s literally not an industry that we haven’t had yet,” Desrosiers said.

Mixology is one of Rhode Island's fastest-growing occupations, according to data from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. Like many of Desrosiers' students, people seem attracted to it because of its low barrier to entry, convenient scheduling and opportunity to make quick cash.

Raising the bar

Bartending is on the upswing in Rhode Island. Between 2022 and 2023 the industry added over 1,000 jobs, a nearly 50% increase, according to data from the Department of Labor and Training.

There are several likely reasons for the spike. One is the service industry’s post-pandemic recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many restaurants to close and furlough employees. But the food and hospitality industry has rebounded since. According to the Department of Revenue, at the end of fiscal 2023 Rhode Island had recovered more than 90% of the jobs in the sector lost during the pandemic years – though bartending hasn’t fully returned to pre-pandemic levels: in 2023 there were 3,280 bartenders in Rhode Island, down from a high of 4,040 in 2018.

Another reason is that bartending wages have been steadily growing. The hourly mean wage, according to the Department of Labor and Training, has risen from $10.69 in 2013 to $18.38 in 2023. That is likely not fully counting tips, which can increase a bartender’s salary significantly. Jen Davis, beverage director at The Eddy and Durk’s Bar-B-Q, estimates that her bartenders make about $25 to $35 hourly, on average, through tips over their $5.50 base rate. Tips, however, can vary widely depending on the bar or restaurant where the bartender works.

There are other, less quantifiable reasons for bartending’s popularity.

“Bartending is one of those jobs where the interest will always be there because it’s a job that you can get trained for. You don’t have to go to college for it. You don’t need any sort of degree. You don’t even need a high school degree to get it. It’s a very obtainable job,” Davis said.

Many also are attracted to the flexibility the job offers – or at least the opportunity to work a late shift. For example, Dennis Christie, one of Desrosiers’ students, said he is switching from working at a print job to bartending because it will allow him to take care of his 2-year-old daughter. Davis, too, said that the hours allow her to spend time with her son, especially during the summer, while she works at night.

Schools of thought

Not all agree on what is the best way to become a bartender. Some advocate formal training, while others argue that the best training is on the job.

“I think a great bartender comes from a kitchen,” said Chris Annunziato, a 20-year veteran bartender who pours spirits at The Royal Bobcat on Atwells Avenue.

When hiring bartenders, Davis favors people who have worked as servers, cooks or in some other capacity in the hospitality industry.

“I do prefer people who haven’t been bartending for a long time, mostly because they’re easier to train,” Davis said.

What all seem to agree on is that a good personality is essential to succeed as a bartender.

“Eighty five percent of it is personality. You definitely need a good personality. Anybody can make a good drink. That’s easy to teach,” Desrosiers said.

Annunziato explained that a good personality is how bartenders keep regulars.

“You gotta have that little charisma to make people come back,” Annunziato said.

That doesn’t mean skill is optional. Bartenders need to know dozens of recipes and mixology details, such as the difference between liquor and liqueur – the latter has more sugar – and how to calculate the ounces of alcohol to pour in a collins versus a highball glass depending on the choice of spirit.

“You are not learning just recipes. You are learning bar science,” Desrosiers told a group of eager students at a recent class.

But there is a performance aspect to the job that seems to draw people in. The bar is a stage, Annunziato said, and “the bartender is the main event.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bartending is a fast-growing occupation in Rhode Island, DLT reports