Most of us picture a career behind the bar as a ladder, with the bar back on the bottom rung and the bar manager somewhere near the top, and an unspoken promise that every step up means leaving a little more of the graft behind you. Sophie Bratt sees it the other way round entirely. Having started out as a bar back at Mojo, the Leeds institution where she spent two gloriously hedonistic years learning the trade, she has built her teams ever since around the idea that the bar back sits at the very centre of the operation and that every new role is added on top of the last rather than swapped for it, so that by the time you are running the bar you are still a bar back, a bartender and a supervisor too, which is exactly why the phrase "it's not my job" has no place in any team she leads.
What makes Sophie's story such a joy to read is how candid she is about the parts of the job that never make it onto the cocktail list. She is disarmingly honest about the self doubt and imposter syndrome she still has to talk herself out of, about the ambition that moves her own bar a little higher every time she clears it, and about the fact that, a decade into her career and with a CLASS Bar Manager of the Year award to her name, she still finds herself explaining to people that yes, this really is her proper job. Underneath all of it runs the conviction that hospitality is a people business first and foremost, and that the real craft lies in managing personalities, energy and expectations so that a bar feels less like a bar and more like a great night out.
In this Career Spotlight, Sophie talks about why the bar back is the most important role behind any bar, why she thinks hospitality is a lifestyle choice rather than a career decision, what to do when you find yourself in the weeds, and the piece of advice about Champagne that she has carried with her ever since.
Career Spotlight: Sophie Bratt, Head of Bars at The Standard, London
What was the journey that led you to your current role?
I have been exceptionally lucky having some of the best mentors and friends in this industry. Starting out at a northern institution, Mojo, before joining Harvey Nichols, Sexy Fish, Nobu and Roof Gardens. I carry so many happy memories of my times within the industry and look forward to curating and living many more.
I started as a bar back at Mojo for around 2 years; to this day I think it is one of the most important roles within a bar. I look at bar operations in a centric zone model as opposed to a linear structure, where the bar back is the central point working out to Bar Managers. This means rather than taking on a new role, leaving old responsibilities behind, you add to your role, so as a Bar Manager you are a bar back, bartender, supervisor and bar manager. The 'it's not my job' mentality doesn't exist within my teams.
My Leeds days were fairly hedonistic and I loved them... These days created, curated and enforced relationships I value to this day.
What’s been the hardest thing about your career journey so far, and how did you get through it?
I guess for me it has always been self doubt and imposter syndrome – sometimes I have to take stock and look at what I have done, people I have supported and accept that yes I am good enough.
What's the realistic salary range for your role?
Salary is really dependent on the venue and the individual – I'm a firm believer you get what you put in. Work hard, play hard, love hard and it is reflective.
Location is also of importance, within London a premium can be demanded whereas the regionals can vary greatly.
Hospitality is an impossible industry to salary bracket as a whole – the duties of roles vary from venue to venue and expectations differ. It is important to understand expectations and the job role fully and to know your own worth.
How has your earning potential changed over time, and what has influenced those jumps, plateaus or dips?
Gosh – I have worked at some amazing respected venues so my career has been in correlation with my climb. I have never been in a rush to 'get to the top' – for me it's about the journey, learning, meeting people, creating moments and as I tell my bartenders 'keeping my head up and being aware of my environment and people'.
Winning accolades and awards can get you recognition (and yes it feels amazing to be recognised this way for yourself and for the teams) but it is work ethic and being part of a team that ultimately is remembered and affects earning potential.
What’s the most unexpected part of your role?
Probably how little of the job is actually about the drinks. Obviously I am obsessed with the outlets, bars, cocktails and the creative side but ultimately it is a people business and my role overall is to create experiences for people.
Managing personalities, energy and expectations. People never fail to surprise me! Every day something or someone surprises me – it's one of the many things that I love about my role.
What’s the best part of the job?
That I get to wake up and do what I love every day!! I am very aware that I am so super lucky to do a job that I love. Making people smile; working with amazing like-minded people. Yes there can be the glamour side – see my Instagram for that – but it's the physicality that causes the team camaraderie, balanced with hard work, that really makes us smile, laugh and love what we do.
There is something genuinely addictive about creating places that people want to be in and environments where people thrive. When we do it right the bar should feel less like a bar and more like a great night out with amazing drinks. At The Standard being standard is never part of the brief – it's the perfect combo of ambience, managed mayhem, and hospitality and I wouldn't have it any other way.
What’s the hardest or most draining part?
I should say the long shifts, late nights shouldn't I? But for me it's still often explaining to people 'yes this is my proper job'. Hospitality has a way of becoming part of your life, it's a lifestyle choice rather than a career decision.
I think the real drain is ambition – I set the bar (no pun intended) high, and once that bar is reached I move it higher. I love to challenge myself – apologies to my teams!
What skills matter most in your role — beyond the obvious ones?
PATIENCE!! And remembering to breathe – you can only do what you can do!! When in the weeds – dance with it!!
A high tolerance for ambiguity. Plans change, people change and briefs change – stay calm, be assertive, and confident in your decisions and keep moving.
What did you have to learn the hard way?
You can't please everyone – you can't be everyone's cuppa – Be the Champagne and keep your sparkle!!
What advice would you give to someone trying to break into the industry
Be proactive, be curious, be passionate – when I was training I used to go to every seminar, drink up all the knowledge I could! I still do to be honest – this industry is moving and progressing so much I'm often afraid I'm a dinosaur/old relic!!
Experience the industry, get out, go to bars, restaurants, clubs, cultural events. Be aware of your world – hospitality and social economics go hand in hand and swing eras.
Be prepared to help yourself – hospitality is ultimately a career and whilst on the job training is available and we can offer structured trainings – it's about who you are and what you want and are prepared to learn.
Most importantly: Be Nice or F*** Off
What’s the best piece of advice that YOU were given?
Make Every Day a Champagne Day. Enjoy and appreciate the world around you and find the win in every day!!
About Sophie
Sophie Bratt is Head of Bars at The Standard, London, where she oversees the bar programmes across Sweeties, Double Standard, Decimo and Isla. She began her career as a bar back at Mojo in Leeds before spending the past decade at some of London's most celebrated venues, including The Roof Gardens, Sexy Fish, Harvey Nichols, OXO Tower and Nobu, and was crowned Bar Manager of the Year at the 2024 CLASS Bar Awards. She is also the co-founder of Community Spirit, the industry-led non-profit set up in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which has raised funds for charities including Hospitality Action, A Good Night Out Campaign and Under One Sky.
Follow Sophie on Instagram at @sophiebratt, and find out more about the bars at The Standard, London here.
