Oklahomans Trying Bartending for Extra Income

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY - The bad economy has many people looking for more ways to earn money.

An increasing number of Oklahomans are trying bartending as a way to earn some extra cash.

Duane Logue, instructor at the Oklahoma School of Bartenders, says the bad economy means good business for his school and his students.

"It actually works to our advantage unfortunately - people that are experiencing trouble and frustration tend to drink more," Logue said. "I've got students on a high end making as much as $500 on a Friday or Saturday night."

Logue teaches students like Brian Felts to make the top 100 most ordered drinks.

"You can bank pretty good money on a weekend with the right club or bar on any given Friday night," Logue said. "It's not the steadiest, but you get a lot of money for what you do."

Logue says 90 percent of those who graduate from the two-week course get a job in the first 30 days - a statistic that's appealing to people like Josh Winne who have recently been laid off.

"Just seems like a way to make easy money," Winne said. "Right now I'm waiting tables and anything is better than that."