Barfender puts one to four players in charge of a wrecked drinking establishment, balancing beverage preparation, floor cleaning, customer service, and street threats. To survive the opening shifts and avoid financial collapse, you must prioritize cleaning up the bar, configuring drink prices, managing uninvited troublemakers, and working through the initial star ratings.
Day One Setup and Bar Basics
Every playthrough begins after a chaotic night where a vehicle has breached the bar and patrons lie unconscious across the floor. Your guide, Billy, contacts you by phone to initiate the cleanup phase before you can unlock your doors to paying patrons.
- Drag passed-out patrons out of the building onto the street or near the sidewalk so the bar is no longer treated as a crime scene.
- Pick up loose trash, empty bottles, and broken items like ruined toilets and splintered wood. Hold the primary action button to bag trash, then carry the bags outside and toss them into the dumpster.
- Grab the mop and bucket to scrub away puke and bloodstains from the floor.
- Enter Construction mode by pressing the assigned build key to stand knocked-over counter sections back into place.
- Open your in-game smartphone and access the AMart app to claim your starter supplies. The first orders of bottled amber beer and potato chips are free. Collect the delivery box outside and stock your surviving mini fridge and snack baskets.
- Interact with the jukebox, pick a track, and test out an emote dance to complete the music objective.
- Open the Menu app on your phone to list your items for sale. Slider settings indicate an optimal pricing bracket highlighted in green.
- Purchase starter seating through the My IKEA app. Keep in mind that cheap seating, such as lawn chairs, applies a negative decoration penalty (-2 points).
- Name your bar on the storefront sign. The interface lets you customize font styles, lighting brightness, neon colors, and enter up to 30 characters.
Drink Pouring, Menu Orders, and Sanitation
Once your doors open, customers begin filing in based on whether you have available seating and how actively you distribute marketing material. You must balance fulfilling orders quickly while keeping seating clean.
| Menu Item | Source Equipment | Glassware / Dispensing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottled Amber Beer | Mini Fridge | Bottle | Ready to serve straight from fridge storage. |
| Bottled Lager Beer | Mini Fridge | Bottle | Basic starter beer ordered through AMart. |
| Tap Lager Beer | Large Beer Barrel (Keg) | Clean Beer Mug | Requires tapping the barrel; mugs must be cleaned at the sink after use. |
| Whiskey | Whiskey Bottle & Tableware | Whiskey Glass | Requires purchasing the Whiskey license ($30) on your phone. |
| Potato Chips | AMart Delivery | Snack Basket / Bag | Starter food item. |
| Peanuts | AMart Delivery | Snack Bag (Blue Bag) | Basic bar snack purchased by the crate. |
To serve tap beer, equip a clean mug, approach the keg, and pour directly from the tap. After customers finish their drinks and leave, retrieve the dirty mugs and bring them to the back sink. Washing involves a quick scrubbing action before the mug is clean and reusable.
Using a serving tray is essential for high-volume shifts. Carrying items by hand limits you to one object at a time, whereas a tray allows you to carry multiple bottles, mugs, and snack bags simultaneously to waiting tables.
When customers finish, interact with their table to deliver the bill, then pick up the cash and tips left on the furniture surface. Immediately hold the clean action on sticky tables to prepare the seats for the next group.
Managing Brawlers, Thieves, and Uninvited Guests
Your bar will routinely face chaotic disruptions that freeze customer orders or damage your property. Handling these issues quickly keeps profits flowing and protects your health.
- Drunk Throwers: Intoxicated customers will periodically prepare to throw glasses, bottles, or furniture. Switch into fight mode, pick up an item, and hold the right mouse button to charge a throw. Hitting the troublemaker at range stuns them, while direct punches will knock them down and sober them up.
- Choking Hazards: A patron may begin choking on their drink or chips, causing their companions to scream for help. Approach the choking customer and punch them to dislodge the obstruction.
- The Hobo (Uninvited Guest): A vagrant periodically enters the bar and begins wandering between tables. While he makes his rounds, business halts and patrons stop ordering. You have three ways to handle him: wait for his rounds to end, enter fight mode to beat and eject him, or pour him a drink. A cheap drink keeps him away until the next day, whereas pouring expensive liquor keeps him away for multiple days.
- Sticky Fingers (The Thief): A thief will slip inside and attempt to steal cash sitting on tables or clean out the office. Strike him immediately. Continued hits cause him to panic, drop a loot bag containing your stolen cash, and flee out the front door.
- Hussein's Shakedown: A local enforcer named Hussein appears early on demanding protection money every two days. Paying him avoids trouble; refusing to pay causes him to return with aggressive thugs who trash the bar and attack staff. Drinking directly from alcohol bottles restores health lost during fights.
Expansion, Decor, and Loan Mechanics
Progress in Barfender is governed by the star ratings tracked inside the "My Bar" smartphone app. Achieving Star 1 requires earning $200 from customer orders, reaching 20 decoration points, convincing five groups using printed flyers, and collecting customer tips.
Flyers can be customized and printed at the print terminal. Distribute these directly to pedestrians walking outside on the sidewalk to convince them to visit your venue.
To reach the 20 decoration points required for your first star rating, avoid cheap penalty furniture. Purchase decorative items, wall decor, and quality seating like diner stools or wooden chairs rather than plastic lawn chairs. You can also visit Yousef at the local pawn shop down the street to sell unwanted clutter, such as your starting acoustic guitar, which sells for around $22.50.
Once you claim your first star, Billy instructs you to visit the bank to take out a loan so you can buy the adjacent building expansion for $650. Bank loans incur interest that deducts a percentage from your incoming profits until the principal debt is cleared. After purchasing the expansion, head to the hardware shop to rent a loaded paint roller. Rollers require an upfront deposit, which is refunded when you return the roller to the hardware counter after painting your walls.
According to developer confirmations on the official Steam discussions, Billy's mandatory quests conclude once you claim your third star rating and finish his final quest, titled "All Yours." Completing that milestone unlocks complete sandbox freedom to run and customize your venue without guided task constraints.
Staff Hiring and Multiplayer Delegation
As your floor plan expands, you will unlock the ability to post job adverts and hire automated NPC waiters. Understanding their programmed mechanics is critical to avoid wasted payroll:
- Assigned Tables: Waiters only attend to tables explicitly assigned to them. They will take orders, deliver drinks, bring checks, and bus empty glasses, but they cannot brew or pour drinks at the bar stations.
- Tray Requirement: Always place a serving tray in an accessible spot for your waiters. Without a tray, their delivery throughput is severely reduced.
- Fixed Attributes: Developer responses on the Steam forums confirm that employee Speed and Capacity are permanent traits rolled upon hiring. Raising their wage does not improve their pathfinding or movement speeds.
- Shift Assignments: In solo play, keep your customer seating clustered close to the bar to reduce running distance. In two to four player co-op, divide responsibilities so that one player handles keg pouring and sink washing, one player runs tray deliveries, and another focuses on brawlers, thieves, and table wiping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can NPC waiters pour drinks or tap kegs?
No. Official developer guidance confirms that NPC waiters can only take customer orders, run drinks to assigned tables, present bills, and clear empty glassware. Players must personally pour tap beer and mix drinks at the counter.
How do I get rid of the loan penalty on my income?
Bank loans carry an ongoing interest deduction that reduces your overall profit margins. You must repay the full loan balance at the bank to remove the deduction.
How do I unlock cocktails and cola?
Cocktail shakers and whiskey licenses unlock early, but secondary ingredients like cola require advancing through Billy's main star rating progression before they appear in the ordering catalog.
What happens if I refuse to pay Hussein?
Refusing Hussein's protection shakedown triggers a street brawl where enforcers enter your bar, knock down furniture, break glassware, and attack you. You must knock them out using fight mode or thrown objects.
