Bartenders’ Tips for Surviving a Double Shift

Jo Yeh
Jo Yeh

Double shifts are one of life’s many double-edged swords: they deliver extra amounts of that sweet, sweet cash we all need to pay our bills, but they also come with a bunch of other, much less sweet elements, like sore feet, frazzled brains, and dwindling patience for customer demands.

If a double shift pops up unexpectedly, all of the downsides just get magnified. In those cases, well, it’s basically an emergency situation, and you just have to rise to the occasion. But if you know the double is coming, you can prepare for it, and you can minimize the negatives, cushioning that bumpy road to a little extra scratch. We asked a handful of veteran bartenders for their top tips on enduring the dreaded double. Find their insider advice below, along with a few miscellaneous ones to grow on.

(These tips aren’t limited to the barroom, either; they can help anyone working extra long hours, especially in a job that involves lots of standing.)

Input equals output

That old saying “You are what you eat” doubly applies to your fuel before a double shift. “Eat a hearty salad,” says Zach Lynch, bar manager at Ice Plant in St. Augustine, Florida. “Go for something good, healthy, and not too heavy,” says Brian Hawthorne of New York City’s The Wayland. Another option is to “graze” throughout your shift to keep your energy up and ward off hunger without ever getting full. Just avoid sleep-inducing foods such as turkey, bananas, walnuts, milk, and heavy carbs. That cheeseburger and fries smack dab in the middle of your time behind the bar? Nope. You don’t want to enter a food coma right before the rush.

Something is much better than nothing

On the other hand, don’t forget to eat, which is a surprisingly common pitfall. “It seems obvious,” says Joaquin Simo of Pouring Ribbons in New York’s East Village, “but sometimes you don't prioritize it and you end up spacey halfway through your second shift. Then you realize you haven't had anything since that bagel on the train at 9am.”

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Get a light workout in. No, really.

“Go in ready,” says Hawthorne. “Work out before your double, but not too hard.” This will prime your engine without burning too much gas. And Hawthorne’s advice about readiness also applies to your mental attitude, and your lifestyle in general. As Torrence Swain of Washington, DC’s, Bourbon Steak points out: “If you’re in the gym regularly, and you eat and drink responsibly on your days off, you’ll be better prepared for a double.”

Don’t burn the candle at both ends

Lynch echoes Swain’s point about responsible eating and drinking on your days off. “Don’t go out the night before!” he warns. Surprisingly (or not), this advice often falls on deaf ears. “A lot of people in our game,” says Swain, “they just want to tear the roof off when they’re not at work. And that’s just not sustainable.” No. No it’s not.

Egg shots and tunes

“If I’m running low on energy and end up really hungry,” says Lynch, “I take an egg, crack it into a shot glass, and top with pepper and Tabasco. That’s a nice jolt of protein for the push. I've been doing it since my first bartending job.” If that’s too hardcore, there’s always a less radical source of inspiration in the house sound system. “Play great music,” says Hawthorne. “That keeps you going.”

Careful with the coffee

In between the above two strategies, there’s good old fashioned caffeine. But everyone has a slightly different approach here: “Limit your coffee intake,” says Simo. “It seems counterintuitive, but you don't want to go up and down all shift. Have one at the start of each shift and remember it takes your body a half hour to process caffeine, so don't pound another espresso shot because the first one didn't kick in immediately.” Swain is more cautious: “Use caffeine only when necessary, because that can be a downfall.” Hawthorne and Lynch say go for it as needed, but Lynch, the Florida man, specifies, “Cold brew coffee, lol.”  

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Shake it up

When you reach the halfway point—one shift down, one shift to go—celebrate with a shot from the bar. Think of it as a halftime ritual. Or, take a page out of Chris Amirault’s book. The bartender at The Eveleigh in West Hollywood, CA, told Serious Eats he occasionally goes for a DTO—Daiquiri Time Out—during a long shift. The thing not to do is watch the clock. Nothing makes time stand still more than constantly checking it. “Stay engaged with the guests,” says Hawthorne, “keep yourself busy, and have fun—that’s the way to make time fly.”

Step up your shoe game

If you’re going to be on your feet for 16 hours, it stands to reason that your footwear decisions are crucial. “Good shoes will make all the difference,” says Lynch. “Go for comfort, don’t worry about style.” Simo goes even deeper: “Wear different socks and shoes for each shift,” he says. “Make sure your socks are thick and well-padded—wool or a wool blend is far preferable to all-cotton.” Backing Simo up, the travel blog Snarky Nomad devoted an entire manifesto to the advantages of wool socks over cotton. For instance, wool: is a superior insulator, absorbs much more moisture before it feels “wet," keeps its insulating capacity even after getting wet, dries more quickly, and most important, has natural antibacterial properties that make it much more odor-resistant than cotton.

Bonus tips:

  • Take a nap beforehand if there’s time.
  • Drink lots of water.
  • Use your support: If you have a barback, or another bartender working part of the long haul with you, don’t be shy about asking for help when you need it.
  • Stay calm. If things get hairy at any point (and they probably will) take a deep breath—in through the nose, out through the mouth—settle, and deal with the next thing in front of you. Then the one after that, and the one after that, until you’re out of the weeds.
  • Ask a few friends to stop by. As long as it’s not peak Saturday-night rush, a visit from pals is a good way to pass time on your double.
  • Chunk out your time. We’re not saying violate the no-clock-watching rule, but if things slow down, set yourself some tasks to complete in 15- or 30-minute increments. That’ll burn clock.