Bizstudent,
While you believe that the first review is fake, I can guarantee that it's not. Because that's the review I gave back in 2007. While you may have had a not so good experience, how can you complain when you weren't there more than 3 days? If you want to sound credible, shouldn't you have a longer time period to base your opinion on? It's like saying that the top grossing box office movie was boring and uninteresting when you walked out in the first ten minutes.
As for the course program itself, it had drinks from ages ago, yes. But It had more recent drinks too. Besides, you can't expect them to have EVERY drink that YOU specifically have heard of because one can hear of different drinks in different places. Also, what you do learn, people do buy. It just depends on the venue that you invest yourself in. If you're only interested in nightclubs and mid-city bars with big weekend events, then no, you won't learn much because those places have their own drink concoctions and they're usually quite varied. Trust me, I've been in the bar scene for a couple of years and there is a big difference in drinks ordered and offered depending on where you go.
As for you saying ""get a job as a server and work your way up"", what do you do when the employer requires knowledge of certain drinks and some level of experience? Work your way up? I got a job at a country club not three weeks after graduating from this class and this was a club that charged a hefty price for membership. It was a good job and had better tips. They actually gave me the job during the interview after showing them my training and certificate.
If you didn't have a good experience, that's because this line of work isn't for everybody. And if you think it's better to just climb the ladder, go ahead and do so. But don't discourage others from trying a way different from what you think. Let them find out on their own. Besides, the bar scene, whether it's from behind a country club counter or a nightclub, is constantly changing with at least fifty drinks a night being invented by anyone and everyone. Bartending isn't for everyone, but this class can help almost anyone be good at it. It's not the drinks you learn that help you find a great job, it's the skills and etiquette that lands you the job.
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