How Many Bartenders for 100 Guests?
Two bartenders. At 100 guests the guideline of 1 bartender per 50 puts you at two, and two is right for most parties where guests order beer, wine and simple mixed drinks. Book three when consumption runs heavy, six or more drinks per guest, or when the menu is craft cocktails built to order. Two bartenders for 4 hours is $560 plus $200 in service charges: $760.
Staff cost for 100 guests
Bartenders are $70 per hour with a 4 hour minimum, plus a $100 service charge per staff member. The figures below are staff only.
| Hours | 2 bartenders | 3 bartenders |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 x 4 x $70 = $560, plus $200 = $760 | 3 x 4 x $70 = $840, plus $300 = $1,140 |
| 5 | 2 x 5 x $70 = $700, plus $200 = $900 | 3 x 5 x $70 = $1,050, plus $300 = $1,350 |
| 6 | 2 x 6 x $70 = $840, plus $200 = $1,040 | 3 x 6 x $70 = $1,260, plus $300 = $1,560 |
Travel is charged per staff member, $15 for the first 15 miles then $5 per additional 5 miles. For the reasoning behind the count, see our general guide to bartender numbers.
What the drinks cost at 100 guests
Bar packages are priced per guest, and the price doubles at medium consumption and triples at heavy.
- Full bar: $1,900 light, $3,800 medium, $5,700 heavy
- Craft cocktail bar: $2,500 light, $5,000 medium, $7,500 heavy
- Craft cocktails and full bar together: $3,700 light, $7,400 medium, $11,100 heavy
- Wellness bar, flat per guest: $1,800 classic, $2,600 premium, $3,800 Platinum Vitality
Supply the spirits, mixers, ice and glassware yourself and there is no per guest charge, only the hours.
The first twenty minutes decide the night
A hundred people do not arrive evenly. Most walk in inside the same half hour and go straight to the bar, so the opening rush is a line of sixty or seventy while nobody has a drink yet. Two bartenders clear it. One does not, and that line follows you into dinner.
Batching keeps the rush moving. A cocktail poured from a dispenser, wine already opened and beer already iced turn a build into a pour. Craft cocktails made one at a time are the opposite, which is why a craft menu at 100 guests is a three bartender job at medium or heavy consumption.
A barback at $70 per hour earns its place here. Ice, restocking and glass collection for 100 people is a full job, and a bartender doing it is a bartender not pouring.
One bar or two
Use one bar with both bartenders behind it. A single line moves faster than two, because guests split unevenly: one bar gets the crowd, the other stands quiet, and the busy side is now a one bartender bar serving 100 people. Split the room only when the property forces it, for example a pool deck and an upstairs terrace with a long walk between them.
Common questions
Can one bartender handle 100 guests?
No. One bartender per 50 guests is the guideline and 100 guests is two. One person works a queue that never clears, so drinks arrive slowly all night rather than only at the start.
How much is a bartender for 100 people for 5 hours?
Two bartenders for 5 hours is 2 x 5 x $70 = $700, plus $100 each, so $900 before travel. Drinks are billed separately unless you supply them.
Should the third bartender be a mixologist?
Only if the menu calls for it. A mixologist is $90 per hour and suits an event where the cocktails are the point. For volume, a third bartender at $70 per hour serves more people for less.
For an exact price on your own hours and menu, build a quote at book.platinumbartender.com, call 310-985-3014, or email info@platinumbartender.com.
