Thursday Life’s “How to become” series, which focuses on the various jobs in and around the food and hospitality industry takes a look this week at how to become a Banquet Bar Supervisor.

Who is a Banquet Bar Supervisor?

A Banquet Bar Supervisor is someone who provides a profitable, professional bar service to all customers, while maintaining responsibility for all beverages, for all functions.

How does one become a Banquet Bar Supervisor?

With more than 22 years in the food and beverage field, Verna Jackson-Pryce, who is an employee of the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, explained: “It takes years of reading and on-the-job training to become a successful Banquet Bar Supervisor.” While she has not received any formal training in the field, she insisted, “You must always be reading in order to be on top of your game. I have been reading books on beverage, spirits and wines for years,” adding, “The profession is a multi-faceted one, and so you must possess knowledge of everything beverage, from wines to spirits, to ingredients and content, in addition to knowledge of inventory and mixology”.

One way to fast-track the learning process in this profession is enrolling in the HEART Trust National Training Agency, applying for the Basic bartending and Mixologist Course at the Runaway Bay Hotel Training Institute. The level-two course is conducted over nine-months, after which there is the six-month level-three Maitre d’Hotel course, which is the certification for the Banquet Bar Supervisor.

As for the other criteria for becoming a successful Banquet Bar Supervisor, Jackson-Pryce shared, “You must experiment with mixes and colours and content. You must like a challenge and always be willing to create something new and different. Of course, you will also need your Food Handler’s Permit — by then you should be on your way.”