How Many Bartenders Do I Need for My Event in Los Angeles?
The guideline is 1 bartender per 50 guests, so 100 guests needs two and 150 needs three. Add a second bartender at medium or heavy consumption even below 50 guests. Each bartender is $70 per hour with a 4 hour minimum, so one works out to 4 hours x $70 = $280, plus a $100 service charge per staff member.
Start with 1 per 50
Divide your guest count by 50 and round up. That is the working number for a bar where guests come up, order and walk away. It holds for a birthday, a corporate event or a wedding, because the pace is set by how many people reach the bar at once, not what the event is called.
When to add a second
Consumption is the first reason. Light is 1 to 2 drinks per guest, medium 3 to 4, heavy 6 or more. A second bartender is recommended at medium or heavy, and that applies even at 40 or 45 guests. Forty people ordering twice each over four hours behave nothing like forty ordering six times each.
Service style is the second reason. Pouring beer, wine and simple mixed drinks from a full bar package moves fast. Building craft cocktails to order is slower per drink, so a craft cocktail bar at heavy consumption backs up on one person. A mixologist at $90 per hour suits an event where the drinks are the point; a bartender at $70 per hour suits volume.
Layout matters too. One bar with two bartenders behind it clears a line faster than two bars spread across a property, because guests split unevenly.
Guest count to staff
All figures below are 4 hours at $70 per hour plus the $100 service charge per staff member, before travel, packages and rentals. Travel is charged per staff member, $15 for the first 15 miles and $5 for every additional 5 miles, so it rises with the staff count. Adjust the hours at book.platinumbartender.com.
| Guests | Bartenders | Staff cost, 4 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 50, light | 1 | $280 + $100 = $380 |
| Up to 50, medium or heavy | 2 | $560 + $200 = $760 |
| 51 to 100 | 2 | $560 + $200 = $760 |
| 101 to 150 | 3 | $840 + $300 = $1,140 |
| 151 to 200 | 4 | $1,120 + $400 = $1,520 |
| 201 to 250 | 5 | $1,400 + $500 = $1,900 |
Barbacks and servers
A barback is $70 per hour and does the work that pulls a bartender away from the bar: ice, restocking, clearing glasses. On a busy 150 guest event, three bartenders and a barback often serve people faster than four bartenders with nobody running support.
Servers are $70 per hour, for tray service, table service or clearing. A banquet captain or event allrounder is $90 per hour and runs the floor once the staff count reaches double figures. Security is $85 per hour. All carry the same 4 hour minimum and $100 service charge.
Common questions
Is one bartender enough for 60 guests?
No. At 1 per 50, sixty guests is two bartenders. Two for four hours is $560 plus $200 in service charges: $760.
Does adding a bartender change the drinks price?
No. Bar packages are priced per guest by consumption: a full bar is $19 per guest light, $38 medium, $57 heavy. Staff are billed separately by the hour, so a second bartender adds $280 plus $100 and nothing else.
Can I book a bartender for two hours?
No. All staff carry a 4 hour minimum, so a two hour party is still billed as four. Past four hours, staff are billed by the hour at the same rate.
To size staff against your own guest count, build a quote at book.platinumbartender.com, call 310-985-3014, or email info@platinumbartender.com.
