How Boomtown Works: You Buy the Alcohol, We Bring the Crew

Boomtown Bartenders does one thing and does it well: we put trained, insured, professional bartenders behind your bar. We bring the crew, the tools, and the work ethic. You buy the alcohol at retail price, so you keep the savings.

"This is for hosts on a tighter budget who can save money by buying everything themselves," explains Boomtown founder Patrick Wilson. "In a lot of bundled packages, there is an added cost for sourcing, shopping, and prepping all the supplies. Boomtown lets you handle that part while we provide the same level of service and hospitality."

We also make the buying part easy on you. Our portal walks you through the planning, our shopping guide gives you precise quantities, and our recommendation engine keeps you from overbuying. "A generic online calculator or guide will have you overbuying, and that defeats the whole point of saving money," Patrick says. "What you are really paying for is the hospitality and service we bring to your party."

Step 1: Tell Us About Your Event

Guest count, venue, date, duration, and the vibe you are going for. That is all we need to put together a crew recommendation for you. A 50-person backyard birthday needs a different setup than your 200-person corporate gala, and we plan for the day you are actually having.

Step 2: We Build Your Crew

Based on your event, we assign:

• Crew Leader: The person running your bar. They manage the other bartenders, handle setup decisions, keep service responsible, and are your single point of contact all day.
• Bartenders: Professional, ABLE-licensed, server-certified team members. We staff 1 bartender per 50 to 75 guests for cocktail bars, and 1 per 75 to 100 for beer and wine.
• Barbacks (for larger events): They keep ice stocked, bottles rotated, and the station clean so your bartenders can stay focused on your guests.

Step 3: We Send You a Shopping List

Based on your guest count, event duration, and drink preferences, we send you a detailed shopping list with exact quantities. We recommend brands at every price point, so you decide how premium you want to go.

You buy everything at retail with no markup. A handle of Tito's costs you what it costs at the liquor store, around $30. Through a catering bar package, that same vodka can cost you $200 or more once it is sold back to you by the drink.

Step 4: Day-Of Execution

• Arrival: Your crew arrives 2 hours before service to set up the bar, organize your inventory, prep garnishes, and stage everything for smooth service.
• Service: Fast, professional, and friendly. Your guests get craft-quality drinks from people who do this for a living.
• Responsible service: Every crew member is trained to check IDs, recognize signs of intoxication, and stop service when needed. We carry liquor liability insurance, and that part is never optional.
• Breakdown: 30 minutes before bar close, we move your beverages back to your cooler or boxes and clean up the trash. We collect our tools and make sure you have everything you need before we go.

What's Included

• Your professional bartending crew (all ABLE-licensed)
• Bar setup and breakdown labor
• Bar tools (shakers, jiggers, strainers, muddlers, all of it)
• Matching, rolling ice chests and cooling equipment
• Liquor liability and general liability insurance
• A Certificate of Insurance for your venue
• Need the bar structure, glassware, or decor? Our sister company Pipe It Up handles those rentals.

What You Provide

Everything that goes in the glass: the alcohol, mixers, juices, garnishes, and drinkware. We build you a clear shopping list so it is simple, you buy it all at retail, and you return whatever stays unopened. No markup, no waste, no surprises. Want ice handled for you? Add it for $0.75 per guest and we take care of it.

The Math

Traditional caterers are known to mark up alcohol 200 to 500 percent when they sell it back to you by the drink. Boomtown never sells alcohol, so there is no markup to hide. You buy your alcohol at retail and keep every dollar of that savings.

A typical 100-guest event with a Boomtown crew of 2 bartenders runs about $460 for the labor, plus whatever you choose to spend on your own alcohol at retail. For a 4-hour event that crowd usually runs about $500 to $600 in alcohol, roughly $5 to $6 per guest, because our shopping guide gives you exact quantities and keeps you from overbuying. The exact number depends on your guest count, hours, and crew size, so the easiest way to see your real price is our instant estimate. Same professional service, same insurance, same quality, just without the markup.

That is the Boomtown model. No fluff, no markup, just a great crew doing great work at your event.