Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How many Bartenders do I need?
A: The rule-of-thumb is 1 Bartender for every 75/100 guests. For parties longer than 4-5 hrs, with labor intensive cocktails (Mojitos, etc), or where the bar will be moved at some point we recommend having more than 1 Bartender.
Q: I ordered one of your beverage packages, but I want to have a bottle of special wine for the bride or a bottle of special scotch for my grandpa. Is this OK?
A: Absolutely. As long as any alcohol you bring to the event is given directly to the Bartender and they are the only ones that pour it our insurance will cover everything. We have had clients supplement our packages with home-brew beer, champagne, and any number of other things in the past. You will take your leftovers and we will take our leftovers.
Q: Can we have a cash bar?
A: Short answer NO. In a nutshell if is implied that cash is being exchanged for drinks or that guests are buying tickets to exchange for drinks you must have a #15 Special Event License. Unless you are a charitable organization, civic organization, religious organization, or a political organization you will probably not be granted a special event license and therefore cannot operate a cash bar. You will need to apply for a special event license from both the city that the event will be held in and from the state of Arizona. The city of Phoenix recommends applying 60 days prior to the event. If less than 30 days there are additional fees. If they approve you will need them to fill out part of the State application. The state will then take up to 30 additional days to approve. 90 days total. If you call them they will probably tell you that they can get it done quicker.
Q: My favorite restaurant is catering my event and they have a liquor license at the restaurant so I am all set right?
A: Not necessarily! From the AZ Department of Liquor Licenses website: "A restaurant license permits the sale and service of alcoholic beverages for consumption only on the licensed premises." Their license does not carry over to another location and they may not be insured.
Q: Can we have bottles of wine or liquor on the tables?
A: No. Our insurance requires that only the Bartender pours the alcohol. Pouring it yourself at the table would nullify our insurance and put all the liability directly on the client. You don't want that.
Q: Have you ever run out of alcohol?
A: No. We bring plenty of supplies for an adult style cocktail party (no shots). Supplies are generous and we base our quantities on the several hundred successful events we do each year. Supplies are obviously not "endless" as your dollar amount only buys so much product, but we actually bring more supplies than you have paid for! That's why we keep the leftovers. On occasion we may run out of one brand of beer, but we have never run out of beer completely. Same with the hard alcohol. We also ask right up front if your group has a particular drink preference so we can stock a little extra of that selection.
Q: Why do your beverage packages not allow shots?
A: Most wedding venues do not allow shots anyway because they don't want to clean up the mess in the restrooms. Many brides request that we do not allow shots because they want to get their security deposit back. Over the years we have found that 99% of all problems (fights/arguments, vomiting, property damage, DUI, running out of booze) is attributed to the small handful of guests that want to do, and coerce others into doing, shots. This measure also helps ensure that liquor laws pertaining to the service of alcohol to intoxicated persons is followed and that we do not run low on supplies. Take our word for it 99% of the guests will not miss it.
Q: We have several underage guests and we would like them to be able to have a few cocktails with their parents permission this is OK right?
A: Not in Arizona! It is illegal for an underage person to consume or possess alcohol. It is illegal to furnish an underage person with alcohol. Our Bartenders are required to follow all Arizona liquor laws. Next question.
Q: What insurance coverage do you have?
A: We carry a $2M Liquor Liability policy along with our general liability, auto coverage and 500/500/500 Workers Comp. Because our Bartenders are doing all the serving we can name you as the certificate holder. For $125 you can be added as an additional insured.
Q: I'm thinking about a portable bar why do I need one?
A: Portable bars are a nice touch. They look nice, lend an air of sophistication/professionalism, and increase the Bartenders efficiency. They also hold ice longer because they are insulated. The bars are mobile so you can alter they layout of your event from the cocktail hour to the reception for instance. They look nicer in photographs (weddings) instead of using a plastic table. The bars that we have available for just $99 (includes delivery) rent from other companies for $100 + $25 for a linen + tax + delivery (compare price here). If you get one of our beverage packages you get 1 bar rental included in the price!
Q: How much space does your portable bar require?
A: We will need roughly an 8'x8' space. This includes space for a 6ft table behind the bar which the client/venue should provide. The table provides valuable under-storage and is necessary when using glassware. The actual dimensions of the bar itself is 61" long x 30" wide.
Q: Why would I do a full service beverage package?
A: Convenience and Value. In addition to the free Portable Bar (see above) and a 20% discount on labor the packages also include cups, ice, garnishes, mixers, soft drinks. We shop from 5-6 different stores for our supplies. Most do-it-yourself clients tell us afterwards that it was actually a lot more work than they thought and that next time they are just going to pay us to bring everything.
Q: I got a price quote but am not sure when I should put down a deposit or make final payment?
A: Its up to you. A price quote is NOT a contract and does NOT reserve anything. We sell out on many dates several months in advance especially during wedding season. Saturdays are the first to sell out every month. Every weekend in December will sell out each year. Holidays sell out. Our deposit is only $50 so we recommend reserving your date as far in advance as possible. Final payment is due 10 days prior so that we can place orders, arrange our delivery schedule, and staff our events for that day. Yours is not the only event that day, we do multiple events on the same date all over the state. First-come, first-serve.
Q: What area do you service?
A: We will go anywhere in the state depending on dates and delivery requests. Our free delivery area is anywhere within a 25 mile radius from Sky Harbor Airport.
Q: What about trash removal?
A: We are happy to take trash to any receptacle ONSITE. We cannot take trash OFFSITE with us. The client/venue needs to provide trashcan(s) for the bar as well.
Q: Do you provide Kosher Wine?
A: As of now we don't provide kosher wines in our packages simply because we don't get enough demand and its often more expensive than what we normally offer. Also guests sometimes have very particular brand requests. We allow you to provide your own kosher wine and we will give you a $1/guest credit on any of our beverage packages. You would keep any leftover kosher wine that you provide for the event.
Q: Do you have "Flair" Bartenders?
A: No we don't really have any flair-tenders on staff. They are not easy to come by in AZ as most of them work in Vegas for the big bucks. The truth is those guys flock from all over the world (tons of South Americans) to Vegas to compete in competitions for cash and titles and they make $400-1000 per night working at places like Balley's. They aren't in Phoenix and they wouldn't be interested in doing weddings, corporate events, and the general type of stuff that we do. And 99.9% of our clients wouldn't be interested in paying the kind of money it would take to get them anyway.
Drop us an email at: info@HeyBartender-AZ.com
