How to run a bar team at events without chaos in group chats

A bar runs smoothly when three things are in place: the right headcount (one bartender per 50–70 guests on a simple menu, one per 30–40 on cocktails, a barback from 80 guests), a written confirmation for every shift, and one place where the whole team sees the same event details. Briefings, arrival times, setup photos and shift reports all rest on those three.

How many bartenders and barbacks per guest?

The basic rule: the more complex the menu, the fewer guests each bartender can handle. A shaken cocktail takes 60–90 seconds; a glass of wine or beer takes 10–15.

Adjust the table for three things:

• Peak load. The drinks reception after the ceremony and the hour after the first dance are the busiest. If 100 guests reach the bar at once, you need an extra pair of hands for 15 minutes, or glasses poured in advance.
• Distance to water and storage. If ice and stock are 50 metres from the bar, you need a barback from 50–60 guests.
• Format. A cocktail station with two bar points needs at least 2 bartenders, even for 50 guests.

Example: a wedding, 80 guests, 5 hours, a 6-cocktail menu. Team: 2 bartenders and 1 barback. During the first hour the barback pours the sparkling welcome drink while the bartenders start on cocktails.

Which roles does a bar team need?

On any event with two or more staff, name a shift lead. It does not have to be the most experienced bartender — it is the person accountable to you and to the client.

• Lead bartender: takes over the venue, talks to the client's coordinator, decides when to call last orders, signs off the shift report.
• Bartender: serves, keeps their station clean, owns their prep.
• Barback: ice, glassware, washing, restocking, rubbish. Not on service, otherwise the bar runs out of supplies.
• Driver / logistics (often the lead or the barback): loading, delivery, returning equipment.

If roles are not named in advance, everyone does everything on the night, and nobody counts the glasses or writes the report.

How to offer shifts and get confirmations

Offer a shift in writing, with all the details, and get a clear "yes" from the person. "Who's free on Saturday?" in a group chat is not a shift offer.

A shift offer should include:

1. Date, venue address, call time and expected finish.
2. Role (bartender, barback, lead).
3. Rate and how overtime is paid.
4. Format and menu in two lines.
5. Dress code.
6. Reply deadline (for example, by 6 pm tomorrow).

Rules that save a lot of stress:

• Offer each shift to a named person, not "first to reply" in a group.
• A confirmation is a "yes" to a specific offer, not a thumbs-up emoji.
• 48 hours before the event, send a reminder and ask for a second confirmation.
• In peak season (June–September, December), keep one person on standby for every 3–4 shifts.

Freelance or in-house bartenders?

The best setup is a core team of your own people plus a pool of freelancers you trust.

Typical rates for private bartenders in Latvia are €15–55 per hour excl. VAT, depending on experience. Rule of thumb: the shift lead is always in-house or a freelancer who has done at least 3–5 events with you. A new freelancer works alongside an experienced bartender and gets the recipes in advance.

What goes into a pre-event briefing?

A briefing is one message or one page the team receives 1–2 days before the event, plus 10 minutes in person on site. It covers:

• address, staff entrance, where to park and unload;
• the venue coordinator's name and phone number;
• the day's timeline: welcome drinks, dinner, first dance, cake, last orders;
• menu and specs, special requests (alcohol-free drinks, allergies, "whisky only for the groom");
• a bar layout and a photo of a similar past setup;
• what is not allowed (serving minors, drinking on shift, handing bottles to guests).

A full worked schedule is in the guide Event day timeline for bar and catering.

What time should bartenders arrive at the venue?

Set the call time 2–2.5 hours before the first guest for a simple bar and 3 hours for a cocktail bar with prep. If guests arrive at 5 pm, a cocktail bar team is on site at 2 pm.

Where the time goes: unloading 20–30 minutes, building the bar 30–45 minutes, ice and prep (citrus, syrups, garnishes) 45–60 minutes, laying out glassware and a test serve 15–20 minutes, buffer for surprises 20–30 minutes.

Why ask for a photo of the finished setup?

A photo of the finished bar 30 minutes before guests arrive is proof for the client and a tool for you. Ask the lead for 2–3 shots: the full bar, a work station and the back bar.

What it gives you:

• you can see the bar is ready without driving to the venue;
• if the client or venue disputes something ("the bar was in the wrong place", "there were no garnishes"), you have evidence;
• the photos become the reference for future events and for training new staff.

A closing photo is just as useful: the bar after breakdown and the crates packed for loading.

What should a post-shift report include?

The lead writes the report within an hour of finishing, briefly, from a template:

1. Actual start and finish time (for overtime).
2. Unopened bottles left, by product.
3. Glasses returned and glasses broken.
4. What ran out early.
5. Incidents: complaints, conflicts, injuries, damage.
6. Client feedback, or guests who asked about booking the bar.

The report is not a formality: it feeds the final invoice (overtime, breakage), restocking, and the per-guest quantities in your next quote. For how to count glassware out and back, see How to stop losing glasses and equipment at events.

How this works in Garnify

In Garnify, shifts go out through a Telegram bot: the bartender gets an offer with the event details and confirms in one tap, with nothing to install. Setup photos and reports land on the event timeline, so the whole team sees the same thing instead of searching through chats.