Whether she’s mixing drinks or pouring shots, you can find senior and bartender Sara Farley with a smile at The College Pub on 202 W. Whitewater St.

“Every Thursday my friends and I go out, and we always stop by The Pub to see Sara,” senior Hanna Dowdy said. “She’s one of the best bartenders in town.”

With eight years working in the service industry and the love she has for meeting new people, Farley anticipated that becoming a bartender would be both a suitable and fun college job.

She was right. Her experience working at The College Pub has resulted in memorable nights, great friendships and experiencing overall positive energy that radiates in the college town.

Despite her craziest memory of getting yelled at for cutting a customer off during Last Call, leading to a man pouring his drink across the bar, those rare occasions don’t overshadow the great aspects of downtown
Whitewater.

“The people are what make the Whitewater bars unique,” Farley said. “Whether it’s finding a random partner for a game of darts or sitting next to someone at the bar, it’s easy to strike up a conversation and meet someone new.”

Farley works most All You Can Drink nights on Wednesdays, and as a college student, it can be difficult to not receive tips on those popular drinking nights. She said issues with tips depend on the night because sometimes people will tip a dollar or nothing at all after receiving their cup.

Farley balances classes and 25 hours a week late night bartending at The College Pub and is a server at Not Too Far Away Pub & Grill in Elkhorn. While her busy schedule can increase stress levels, she said she is grateful for her coworkers.

Whether she has an early exam or is swamped with homework, her coworkers, being students themselves, are understanding and will switch swifts to help one another. The College Pub crew also celebrates holidays together, and these gatherings are Farley’s favorite part of her job.

“At our Christmas party, we all got together for dinner, games and just had a lot of fun,” she said. “We are like a family and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Farley will graduate this May with a major in Occupational Safety, but for now will continue to bartend for the remainder of the school year, enjoying the time she has to meet new people who come in for a drink.

While her favorite holiday to work is Halloween, she looks forward to her first St. Patrick’s Day. She’ll be serving green beer starting at 6 a.m. at the traditional The College Pub and Pumpers & Mitchell’s St. Patty’s Day shenanigans team-up event.