Work out bar service rate instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Demand is guests times drinks per guest per hour, and each bartender can serve 3,600 divided by the seconds per drink, so staffing is the ratio of the two. Demand is not flat: the first hour and any interval typically run at double the average, so staffing to the average guarantees a queue at the worst moment.
Bartenders
bartenders = ceiling(guests x drinks per guest per hour / (3600 / seconds per drink))
bartenders = ceiling(guests x drinks per guest per hour / (3600 / seconds per drink)). Demand is guests times drinks per guest per hour, and each bartender can serve 3,600 divided by the seconds per drink, so staffing is the ratio of the two.
Demand is not flat: the first hour and any interval typically run at double the average, so staffing to the average guarantees a queue at the worst moment.
Enter guests, drinks per guest per hour, time to serve one drink, bar open for. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.