Bartending License: Real or Hoax?

“Do I need a bartending license to get a bartending job?”

And…

“How do I get a bartending license?”

These are two of the most frequently asked, misguided and misunderstood questions in the whole world of learning how to be a bartender.

I want to be as clear as possible when I say this…

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BARTENDING LICENSE, IN ANY STATE.

Period. The end.

And to clarify…

NO, YOU DON’T NEED A BARTENDING LICENSE TO GET A BARTENDING JOB (because there’s no such thing, right?).

Yet, as I say this, some people still won’t hear me. They will still turn right around and ask…

“OK…but how do I get a bartending license?”

WHAT!? Here, I’ll say it one more time…so pay close attention,

There is NO SUCH THING AS A BARTENDING LICENSE, IN ANY STATE, ANYWHERE.

“Yeah OK, but…how do I get a bartending license?”

WHA??!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!

It’s enough to drive someone crazy.

If you’re one of the many who are absolutely convinced that you must have a bartending license to get a job, then this post will be especially important for you…

Read very carefully and hopefully together we can cure your insanity right now.

There are two main reason that people think they need a license to be a bartender:

# 1. They heard a bartending school sales pitch or a friend say “you have to get a bartending license before you can get a job”.

or

# 2. They’ve heard that you need a state issued liquor pouring certification, or Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) license and confuse that to be an actual “bartending license”.

Explanation for misunderstanding # 1.

This an indication of the level of misinformation thats been pushed, primarily from the schools that benefit from the issuing of such licenses at $400-$1000 a pop.

And to make it worse, these aren’t rich folks…many students are like you or me, and usually are borrowing the money they need to take the class.

They mislead people into thinking that, “All I’ve got to do is get through this class, I’ll get my license, and then I can get a job guaranteed!”

Sometimes, and even more so these days, it will actually HURT your chances of getting a job if you say you went to a bartending school.

I’ve already talked at length about the schenanigans that go on at bartending schools on another post so I won’t go into that now. If you haven’t already, go here if you want to bookmark it and read it later- what bartending schools hope you never learn

Explanation for misunderstanding #2.

A state issued ABC certificate is NOT a bartending license and this is generally where 95% of the confusion takes place. Each state usually has there own version of an ABC certification; they may call it by a slightly different name but they are all pretty much the same exact thing.

Some times a state ABC certification is required by law for any staff i.e. server/bartender/cocktail waitress (basically anyone who can take an order and legally sell a drink to a customer) to have a certificate before they can work at any establishment…

Then there are other times it may only be required by certain bars, restaurants, or nightclubs…
And sometimes its up the establishment themselves if they want to require their staff to carry any certain certifications.

Generally, bar owners will want any employees who serve alcohol to have a state issued ABC, or the like, card. The main reason besides the obvious responsibility is that an ABC type certification will usually give is that depending on the state, the owners of an establishment enjoy a certain degree of freedom from liability if anyone underage is served, or over-served. In a situation like this it then falls on OUR head as bartenders and we can be held liable for any inappropriate actions.

The key point is that these possible requirements refer to anyone who serves a drink, NOT JUST makes a drink. So that would be any employee that could physically hand a drink to a customer, including; ALL waiters, waitresses, cocktail waitresses, expediters, bar-backs (some times), and of course, bartenders, could be required to have some type of ABC certification.

The ABC classes are usually only one day, anywhere from 3 – 8 hrs long, and will cover all the topics of serving alcohol responsibly.

Topics generally include how to properly check ID’s, how to spot fake ID’s, how to tell if someone has had too much to drink and sometimes cover strategic ways to handle them (aka, cutting them off).

They cover how alcohols effect people depending on what they drink (one shot of hard alcohol has the same alcohol content as a 12 oz. beer or 6 oz. glass of wine, etc.), laws and consequences in your state for over serving or serving someone underage, and on and on and on for 3 – 8 loooong hours.

They will NOT cover is any topics on how to be a bartender, or any other job for that matter.

Strangely, there aren’t any over-arching federal laws (besides the obvious, you must be 21 to drink alcohol in the US), guidelines, or requirements that all states must follow. Some states have requirements that say any employee who serves an alcoholic drink must have an ABC type certification (the actual title of this certification can vary from state to state), while in other states, its left to the owner of the establishment to decide if they want to require their employee’s to have one.

For example, Texas is a state where anyone who serves a drink is required by law to be TABC certified. TABC stands for Texas Alcohol Beverage Control. This is obviously just an ABC certificate in Texas. Wisconsin has a similar certification.

Where I work in California, it is up to the individual bar owners or managers to decide if they want to require their employee’s to get an ABC certification.

Maybe you’re thinkng…”OK great information, but how do I find out if an ABC certification is required in my state?”

Good question.

If you’re interested in getting more information for state requirements or where you can get an ABC card IF it is required…

I would just google the phrase “(your state) ABC certification” or  “(your state) ABC license” and see what pops up.

(**WARNING** Be VERY careful if you purchase any type of ABC course online. You want to make sure that it is approved by your state. Generally you will have to actually go take a live class, in person, not online. I know people who have paid for an online ABC course only to find out it wasn’t licensed by their state. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!)

See if the hiring managers in your area are asking for any sort of state issued ABC-type certification requirements.

And there you go, that pretty much covers it.

That really is the extent of any type of “bartending license” that could ever be required for you to hold any bartending jobs.

Just remember, do your research and don’t listen to the hype because despite what many people and schools will tell you, there is no such thing as a bartending license.

And if you’re thinking about attending a bartending school and they’re preaching to you about how you MUST have one to get a job… I would run, because that is definitely NOT a school you want to attend.

Best of luck out there…

Cheers!