As the owner of Fine Art Bartending Schools I take a lot of pride in making sure the students that take our course get a quality education and are prepared to go to work in the industry upon graduation.  

The reason Fine Art is in its' 37th year in business is because we have created a bartending training program that works.  Our text book and lesson plan were created with the needs of the student in mind.  Each day we build upon the skills that were learned the day before so that by the end of the course the student will feel confident that they can do the job of a bartender. Our instructors take the time for each and every student to ensure that they are trained properly.

Other schools have come and gone over the years but we have maintained our position as the premier training facility for bar staff in Canada.

Our course is generally a little more money than some of our competition but I am sure if you compare apples to apples you will see why you would want to pay more for your schooling with us.

I realize how tough it must be for someone looking to take a bartending course.  There are always choices whether or not to take a course and where to take the course. We hope that you will choose the instructors at Fine Art Bartending School for your education.

I wanted to share a letter with you from a student that recently took a competitors course and then took ours because she did not feel she received adequate training the first time around.  She wanted to share her experiences with other students looking to take bartending school as well.

Cheers,

Todd Koch
President
Fine Art Bartending Schools

Hey Todd,
 
First off, I would just like to say thank you so much for creating the opportunity, for me to attend Brady's class at Fine Art Bartending in Edmonton. Not only did I learn WAY more than I think I EVER would have at Ultimate Bartending School, but more importantly, I now have the confidence I need to go out for a job and know I can hold my own. Brady is fantastic instructor! He has a great ability to create simple pathways of understanding, so that no matter your learning type, you are able to focus and understand what hes teaching. It was great how he would keep things calm, and many times in a good state of humor which kept people at ease. I also really appreciate the passion he puts behind his work. It's no secret that Brady loves bartending, as it clearly shows through his talent. I would love to see a bartenders stand off between him and Chico one day. I would pay to see it in fact!! :)

It's very obvious that this class and Chicos class are two TOTALLY different experiences. One was a pleasure and one a pain...Brady's was certainly the pleasure. Over the past 2 weeks with Brady's instruction and encouragement, I have developed a new confidence to go out and make a positive career change, and I can't thank him enough for that.

The frustrations I had, going the through the course at Ultimate Bartending School, were enough to make anyone a little less sane, as I have never seen anything so disorganized and unmaintained in all my days. Nor have I ever seen an "instructor" be so disinterested in what was happening in his own class. I was appauled at the way Chico's class (if thats whats you want to call it) was run. I thought I would run down a little list of some direct differences that I, personally, saw between these two courses...just for a different perspective, the page is attached to this e mail
 
Thanks again so much!  Happy holidays and all the best in the New Year!
 
Robin Leanne Sharkey

Attachment:

A Direct Personal Breakdown Between Ultimate Bartending School and Fine Art Bartending
School        December 23, 2010


UBS:    No Structure to the Material...which had a lot of incorrect information anyways.
FABS:  Easy to follow workbook with review sections to reinforce what you have learned.

UBS:    Random class times, as events came and went, sometimes updated only on Facebook. If you didn't have access to the internet throughout the day, you would end up at Empire Ballroom when the class had been moved to Whyte Ave.  And THEN you receive flack for being late. (some people rode the bus which made it worse)
FABS:  A fair schedule that was the same time every day/night unless you, the student, had something come up.  The ability for the hours to be flexible but always in the same place was a definite benefit.  

UBS:    A chance to make 10...yes that's right!  10 random drinks behind the bar before swapping out with someone else...and usually to a max of once MAYBE twice in a night....IF some people hadn't showed up.
FABS:  A chance to make every drink that was covered in the course multiple times over to give the students a better sense of satisfaction of their skills.

UBS:    It was no secret that Chico had his favourites and chose to focus on them rather then the class as a whole...this was actually pointed out to me one day by one of the favourites, oddly enough...he also noted that it seemed myself and others were being "picked on" if you will (his words).  It seemed if you weren't looking to work in a nightclub, or "looked" like you should work in a nightclub, you weren't important enough to be there.
FABS:  Each person in the class was treated as an equal with the same information and respect giving to everyone.  It didn't matter our age, looks, or what type of situation we wanted to use our skills in.

UBS:  Focus was speed!  If you cant make fast drinks, you shouldn't be behind the bar.  Accuracy was definitely not a top priority here.  
FABS:  The focus was on building drinks properly so no matter the conditions you found yourself in, you would have the RIGHT knowledge to be confident, and speed (as it should) comes with practice.

UBS:   Chico randomly picked marks out of the air; 72...oh no wait...you want an 82, ok fine then an 82"... for my "speed test", which he didn't even watch, or let me finish because of HIS distractions...I'm still not sure what my actual mark was for that.  And I still have no idea what I scored on my mixology test (taken 3 days prior to the speed test), I doubt it was ever marked as well.
FABS:  Everything had a reason, a mark, and an explanation for that mark.  It was explained simply and understood completely.  Not only that but Brady also graded our papers as soon as we were finished, then and gave us a final mark to walk away with, certificate in hand.

UBS:   No personal attention.  If you had questions, they were not usually met well with answers, only sarcasm as if you should already know.  It seems Chico believes that MOST questions are stupid ones.  But then again he was probably only annoyed because, once again, someone was interrupting his Facebook time.. Come to think of it...I don't think he once, in two weeks, ever looked me in the eyes...
FABS:  The fact that Brady was always there to directly answer ANY questions, while looking you in the eyes, and respected the fact that you asked it, made this a stress free, enjoyable and personable class that I will be recommending to people for years to come.  

UBS:  A complete waste of time AND money!!!   When I emailed Chico about my feelings on the situation he not only claimed that I had only been to only 4 classes ( I had actually been there 2 weeks, the second week for both the day AND night classes and I was still completely lost, confused and CERTAINLY without confidence to think I could obtain a bartending job with the skills I had "learned"), but he also blamed my inability to finish his class saying I had too many personal issues in the way...(chico likes to pass the buck a lot, didn't seem to take responsibility for much at all).
FABS:  I completed the course comfortably in the two weeks allotted with a final mark of 90%, got MORE than value for my money, and most importantly, I received the confidence I was looking for!  Apparently I was able to put all my personal situations on hold...??????


I could probably go on for days!  If there are any comparison questions you would like addressed it would my pleasure to add them to this list!


Thank you so much Fine Art Bartending!!

It was an absolute pleasure being a part of this course.
Todd, thank you for the understanding and grace you allowed me so I could be a part of this program;
and Brady, well, I cant thank you enough for sharing your talents and passions with our class!  Your and entertaining and inspiring instructor!  I will certainly be recommending this program to any and all I can!  Good luck to you! and Thanks again!
Please don't ever hesitate to contact me for more info!  I'm an open book on the subject!


Robin Leanne Sharkey