When Friday night hits, downtown Kent fills with people looking for a good time. Whether it’s Long Island iced tea at Ray’s, a Hulk at The Loft or a Dom Bomb at Dominick’s, the bartenders are there to ensure you don’t leave thirsty. 

Bartenders know how much money they expect to make depending on the night or events in Kent. Special events such as fraternity date parties also help their weekly average income. 

Despite only working two days a week, Natalie Waggoner, a bartender at 157 Lounge, takes home at least $300.

“There are different frats and sororities who are known for tipping better,” Waggoner said. “So, if you see you’re scheduled to work, and you know they tip $1 on a $70 tab, you don’t usually want to work those.” 

A bartender’s schedule has its ups and downs. The shifts start between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., which allows Waggoner, a senior visual communication design major, to do her classes and homework during the day and make money at night. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep comes with not getting out of work until 3 a.m. 

Bartenders need customers to make money, but what they sometimes get instead are drunk troublemakers. In most bars, the bartender’s names are printed on the receipts, which some customers will read and use to their advantage. 

“There will be random men that come in and if they like me they will scream my name across the bar if they need a drink,” Waggoner said. “We have discovered that they look at the receipt and then yell at you, it makes me really uncomfortable.”

Because it is a fast-paced job with ample responsibility, the benefits have to outweigh the drawbacks or people would not want to bartend.  

“Free drinks and not having to wait in lines on busy nights when I am out are beneficial,” Waggoner said.

Chris Allen, a longtime bartender at Ray’s Place, thrives on the sense of community bartending brought him for the past eight years. 

As the hub of the community, news passes through Ray’s Place quickly, which keeps Allen in the mix. Being able to meet so many different people whether it be a student, professor, businessperson or townie is one of the best parts of Allen’s career choice. 

“We see a vast array of people from different backgrounds,” Allen said. “Overall customer interactions are positive at Ray’s with, of course, the small handful that are bad apples.”

As college students turn 21, a handful of them become frequent customers at Ray’s Place, which makes bartending on graduation weekend that much more bittersweet for Allen. 

“Graduation is always crazy because it’s a nice sendoff to the seniors that we’ve been seeing for the last couple of years,” Allen said. 

After leaving retail, Allen knew bartending would be a change in pace, but it has given him a new skill set: multitasking, teamwork, communication and adaptability. 

The skill sets alone are enough reason to start bartending, but at the end of the night, the money is what keeps them going. 

“Without giving any numbers directly, I do pretty well for myself,” Allen said. 

Huge money-making holidays such as Halloween, parents’ weekend and homecoming have already passed, but as Fake Patty’s Day approaches, Waggoner is excited to bartend her very first one. 

“Come out and see me!” Waggoner said.

Lauryn Tadda is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].