Sometimes, you want to go where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came.

Matt Powers diligently goes about his job bartending at the Grain Exchange Room, 225 E. Michigan St.

"A good bartender is someone who is outgoing and friendly, someone who makes customers want to come to that place again to see that guy or girl," said Powers' employer, Carla Gawrisch. "A bartender needs to be funny, smart and know what's going on in the world. Matt seems to have all of that."

Powers, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, has worked at the Grain Exchange Room for six years and started bartending last year.

The bar he works at may not resemble the trendy dive portrayed in the movie "Coyote Ugly" or Moe's Tavern from "The Simpsons," but Powers still thinks his job is pretty exciting.

"Every day is a different day. Nothing goes the same. You deal with different types of people and something different always happens," Powers said.

Powers took the job after his mother's employer was looking for someone to collect and wash glasses. When he turned 18 Powers began to bartend. In Wisconsin, individuals can serve and pour alcohol at 18, but cannot drink it.

"You can go to war and die, but you can't drink. I don't understand the logic," Powers said.

Since the Grain Exchange is a popular place for wedding receptions, Powers said he works every weekend in the "slow season" of January, February and March and works Friday, Saturday and one or two weekdays during the rest of the year.

A typical shift for Powers is arriving two hours before the bar opens and staying 30 to 45 minutes after the bar closes.

Catering to the needs of each customer is one of the difficulties of his job.

"Mixing drinks is not hard, but getting the right amount in each drink is hard," Powers said. "Someone will say their drink is too strong, while someone else says it's too weak … it varies from person to person."

Another difficulty is dealing with people who have had too much to drink.

"Bartenders have the right to not serve patrons," Powers said. "If you think someone has had enough to drink, you can tell them flat out that maybe they should have some water instead. But they usually become belligerent."

He has also had to deal with patrons dancing on the bar, drunken brawls and shattering glasses.

"Glasses are stacked at the end of the bar for easy reach and we've had people decide they're going to lean on the bar and they end up knocking over and shattering the glasses," Powers said. "We've also had glasses break because the music is too loud."

Gawrisch said Powers is an exemplary employee and a good bartender.

"He's wonderful," she said. "He does what's necessary. He's reliable, dependable and on time. He's Johnny on the spot."

Powers said a bartender must be amiable and describes his personality as joking and conversational.

"A lot of your money comes from tips," he said. "If you don't have a good personality, people don't come to you to serve them. You have that one minute as you're making someone a drink to be personable and ask them how their night is going."

Zach Janiszewski, a sophomore in the College of Communication, has worked with Powers for five years. The two also attended high school together.

Janiszewski said Powers' friendly personality makes him a good bartender.

"People don't always care about the drink itself. They care about the person behind the bar … Matt is friendly and people appreciate that," Janiszewski said.

Powers' brother Cory, a student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, has worked with Powers for three-and-a-half years. He said the atmosphere at the Grain Exchange contributes to his brother's work ethic.

"We work at a wedding hall, everybody is happy. The music is great, the food is great … you can't beat it," he said. "You have to look like you're having a good time and Matt always does."

Powers' social life is affected by his job in more ways than one. He said he has enjoyed meeting different people through bartending.

Although some of his friends don't have to depend on tips for income, Powers said he plans on bartending throughout college.

"I wouldn't trade my job for any of my friends' jobs," Powers said. "They might make more money, but I love my job. I'm able to be my own boss and have so much freedom behind the bar."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 3 2005.