BALDWINSVILLE — Mixology will be on tap at a new Central New York bartending school, but its course catalog also includes a long menu of other skills. “Anyone can memorize an Alabama Slammer,” says Jeffrey Rogers, the founder and director of Topshelf Bartenders. “What I’m training students in is what goes into this gin. Why […]
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BALDWINSVILLE — Mixology will be on tap at a new Central New York bartending school, but its course catalog also includes a long menu of other skills.
“Anyone can memorize an Alabama Slammer,” says Jeffrey Rogers, the founder and director of Topshelf Bartenders. “What I’m training students in is what goes into this gin. Why is gin made of juniper berries? I’m training in the history of what they’re pouring, why they’re pouring it, and other knowledge.”
Rogers built much of Topshelf’s 40-hour course around hospitality. He wants to teach would-be bartenders to be courteous to patrons, whether that means making a good first impression or sharing a quick cure for the hiccups. Small touches, like thanking people by name before they leave, can make a big difference when it comes to gaining repeat customers, he says.
That emphasis helps to set Topshelf apart from other bartending schools, Rogers contends. Another unique factor about the school is where the classes are being held — in an actual bar.
Classes are slated to take place at the bar in Club Sushi in Baldwinsville’s Mohegan Manor. Rogers has agreed to pay Mohegan Manor owner Dennis Sick to use that space at 58 Oswego St.
It’s the only upstate bartending school that Rogers knows of that has been licensed by the state to teach at a working watering hole. He plans to take advantage of that by instructing students in transactions made using point-of-sale (POS) systems.
“Dennis Sick is letting me use his POS system,” Rogers says. “Training new bartenders on POS is a gigantic cost to business owners.”
Topshelf is slated to start holding classes on evenings starting Feb. 19. Rogers was set to begin daytime sessions on Jan. 28 until word leaked out that he was in line to receive permission to hold courses at night. The New York State Department of Education approved his bartending classes for daytime and evening hours separately, with approval for the evening sessions coming Jan. 23.
“A lot of people that were signed up for the day classes have switched and are now signing up for the evening classes,” Rogers says.
Daytime classes could start soon — they could begin as soon as Rogers finds enough interested students. Six students are signed up for a daytime class, but Topshelf needs eight to run a course. The planned evening courses are proving to be much more popular. They have nearly 90 prospective students in line, enough to run classes of 12 people for four months.
“A lot of young professionals are looking to do this as a side gig,” Rogers says. “A lot of restaurant employees that are working day shifts, maybe as a server, maybe in the back somewhere, they are looking to get into a night bartender position. So they can only take evening classes as well.”
Topshelf courses cost $400 per person. Evening classes are scheduled to take three weeks. Day classes will last two weeks.
Rogers anticipates generating $115,000 in revenue during the school’s first 12 months of operation. He wants to grow sales by 15 percent in the following year.
If all goes well, Topshelf could add instructors. Rogers is currently its only employee, and hiring will be dictated by growth. Eventually Rogers wants to expand to operate bartending classes in Rochester and Oswego, although he doesn’t have a timeline for doing so.
Starting the school required paying licensing and application fees totaling about $1,500, according to Rogers. He footed those costs with his own cash.
He also used his own knowledge to construct the course, writing its catalog and 172-page manual. Rogers says he started in the hospitality industry in 1991 at Drumlins Country Club in DeWitt, and he currently works as a head bartender at Empire Brewing Co. in Syracuse’s Armory Square. His curriculum vitae also includes a stint owning the Burgundy Lounge on East Fayette St. in Syracuse.
Rogers wants to help Topshelf students find jobs after they complete his course. He’s agreed to an arrangement with about 30 managers in hotels, restaurants, and catering businesses who have agreed to consider hiring his students. And he’s reaching out to others he knows in the industry.
“I don’t guarantee jobs after you graduate my school,” he says. “But I do guarantee that I’m going to help you out and I’m going to have places that are not going to throw out your résumé.”
Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com
