Bar staff
Beer, wine, soft drinks and simple long drinks at speed — with an eye on the queue, the glassware and what is running low. This is the role most events actually need.
Bar & catering staff
Bar and catering staff in Berlin — booked by the hour
Bartenders, waiters, catering assistants and kitchen help for events, venues and private parties. From 26 €/h net, minimum 5 hours per person and day. You bring the bar and the drinks; we bring the people who run it.
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Who you can book
Bartenders
Cocktails from your menu, free pouring, garnish and mise en place. Carries a surcharge on top of the base rate, so it is worth booking only where drinks are genuinely mixed.
Waiting staff
Plated service, buffet service, clearing and the timing that goes with speeches and a programme. Same rate as bar staff.
Catering assistants & kitchen help
Buffet replenishment, dishwashing, transport and set-up. The unglamorous half of every event, and in our own booking data the roles that are most often filled at short notice.
What it costs
One hourly rate, surcharges listed separately, no hidden package pricing. Billing is for at least the time booked, in half-hour increments.
| Item | Price (net) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate | 28 €/h | All standard roles — bar, service, catering, kitchen help |
| New client rate | 26 €/h | First booking, via the price calculator, confirmed within three days |
| Minimum booking | 5 hours | Per person and day |
| Bartender surcharge | base rate + surcharge | Only for the person actually mixing; service staff on the same job stay at the base rate |
| Bar kit | 75 € | Per working day and per person, not shared between people |
| Night, from 10 pm | +4 €/h | Applies to the hours after 10 pm, not the whole shift |
| Public holiday | +4 €/h | Recognised from the date by the calculator |
| Sunday | +2 €/h | Recognised from the date by the calculator |
| Short notice | +2 to 15 €/h | Under seven working days' lead time; rises the closer to the date |
| Team lead | +6 €/h | Charged on one person in the team, not on each — ten people cost 6 €/h, not 60 |
| Travel inside the S-Bahn ring | included | Outside Berlin, travel time is billed as working time |
All prices net, plus 19 % VAT. The calculator does the arithmetic with your actual times and gives you a PDF quote — no sign-up, no phone call.
How a booking works
- Tell us six things. Location, date, working hours, number of people, the task and the dress code. With those six we can start staffing; everything else can follow.
- You get a price straight away. The calculator produces a quote as a PDF, with every surcharge on its own line.
- We reply personally. Under 24 minutes on average; a binding confirmation usually within two hours.
- You see who is coming. Photo, name and short profile of every person assigned, in the client portal.
- Cover is included. If someone drops out at short notice, a replacement steps in at no extra charge.
Frequently asked questions
What does bar staff cost in Berlin?
From 26 €/h net for new clients, regularly 28 €/h net, with a minimum booking of 5 hours per person and day. A bartender mixing cocktails carries a surcharge on top of that rate; someone pouring beer, wine and soft drinks does not. Night work after 10 pm and public holidays add 4 €/h each, Sundays 2 €/h. Every surcharge appears as its own line in the quote before you commit.
Do you bring bar equipment?
The tools, yes — the bar itself, no. For 75 € net per working day and per person, your bartender brings a full professional kit: two Boston shaker tins, a Japanese jigger, muddler, Hawthorne, julep and fine strainers, bar spoon, peeler, citrus press, ice tongs, bottle opener, corkscrew, tweezers, two pourers, cocktail picks and drink menus. Glassware, ice, refrigeration and the drinks themselves stay with you or your caterer. The price calculator cannot add this yet — just mention it in your enquiry and it goes into the quote as a separate line.
Do you supply the drinks or the catering itself?
No. We are a staffing agency, not a caterer. You or your caterer provide food, drinks, glassware and the bar; we provide the people who work behind it. That is usually the cheaper route, because you buy drinks at cost and keep whatever is left over.
How quickly can you fill a shift?
You get a calculated quote from the price calculator immediately and a personal reply in under 24 minutes; a binding confirmation usually follows within two hours. Of the bookings where we recorded the booking date, 32 % were made seven days or less before the event, and the shortest lead time on record is one day. We do not promise same-day staffing — there is no case in that data to back it up.
Do you work with English-speaking teams?
Yes. Berlin hospitality runs in two languages, and so do we. Tell us in the enquiry if the guest language is English and we brief the team accordingly. Written briefings, quotes and invoices can be issued in English.
Can we book for several days or on a rolling basis?
Yes — day by day, for a run of days, or as a framework agreement if you need people regularly. Where the schedule is known early enough, we keep the same people on the job across days, which is usually what makes the difference in service quality.
Tell us what you need
Location, date, hours, how many people, the task and the dress code — with those six we can start. Everything else can follow.
Licensed for temporary agency work (AÜG); a service contract is also possible. All prices net, plus 19 % VAT.
