Sometimes bartenders have to deal with rude slobs who just don’t know when to say when. Sometimes they have to clean up vomit from the bathroom. And sometimes — most of the time, really — when everyone else is making toasts and slamming shots, they have to stay sober.

But bar jockeys from some Campustown locales say they have arguably the best jobs in town. “The best thing about working in a bar is that it’s not really a job,” said Vinnie Munoz, a bartender at People’s Bar and Grill who has worked at “lotsa bars” over the years, including People’s for almost six. “You have more or just as much fun as everybody else in the bar. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a bar.”

So while a lot students over 21 (and a few with IDs who say they are) are trekking to the bars to celebrate whatever, there are several people who head to the town taverns to earn their daily bread. And tending bar, as these guys say, is much more than just schlepping drinks.

“You have to try and help set the mood,” Munoz said. “I mean, the band does that here, but if they’re not here, then you have to get crazy with the customers.”

And since each and every bar has its own unique clientele, making the most of an evening at work often entails having a blast with a bunch of familiar faces.

“Our regulars are real understanding,” said Brian Lewis, who has worked as a “bar engineer” at Cy’s Roost for about a year now. “They’re good to hang with. And they know that when we’re slammed, they know to wait and not start yelling and pounding on the bar. It’s age, too. We have an older crowd here, so that helps out.”

And patrons always seem to be toasting something. “It’s always somebody’s birthday,” Munoz said.

But occasionally, all of that alcohol mixes with the exuberance of youth to form some real feisty customers. Bartenders have learned to take it in stride. “You’re gonna run into rude people. It’s a bar,” said Chris Dahl, a senior in liberal studies and bar jockey at Cy’s.

“Once in a while, people can drink themselves stupid,” Munoz agreed.

“It can be frustrating,” Lewis added. “People’s attitudes when they come into the bar are very demanding. Plus, we get a puker about every weekend.”

Dahl said that while friends don’t usually ask for free booze, often complete strangers expect it. “I think that it’s in the back of [friends’] heads, but they don’t ask outright,” he said. “It’s usually the people you don’t know who ask for free drinks. They expect free drinks, or stronger drinks.”

Bartenders’ duties can also stretch them to the limit. Not only are they bombarded with orders for Long Islands and requests for quarters for the dart machines, but Lewis also has to scamper between the kitchen and the counter.

“We’re not just bartenders, that’s the whole thing,” he said. “We also cook. There are nights when we do both.” So orders for cheeseballs and burgers are just as common as those for Miller Lite.

Regular employees at Campustown drinking establishments have also had to get used to the continuing cycle that Iowa State students go through every year. Munoz said that he likes the unpredictability. “Every weekend changes because of football season, basketball season, the time of day, lunch, dinner,” he said. “There’s always people drinking.”

“It’s a learning experience,” Lewis added. “I’m just going through my second season, with the students coming and going. And we have our summer crowd, which is starting to drop off.”

Another aspect of the booze biz that takes some major getting used to are the bizarre hours of operation. It’s definitely not a nine-to-five job. The late nights can cause some problems for students who have early mornings.

“The hours are tough,” Dahl said. “We close at two, but we usually don’t get out of here until 3 or 4 o’clock.” He said that the management is really good about trying to get students out early when they’re closing.

Dahl has a nine o’clock class in the morning, which he said that he’s not tempted to skip.

“No, I go to class. I try to because I need money. And I’m a senior here, and I wanna get the hell out of here. And I’ve got a family to support too.” His wife, in fact, also works at Cy’s.

But for others, working until the wee hours of the morning is no big deal. “I’m a night owl,” Munoz said. “I’d be here anyway; I’d be out. I’m not married; I don’t have anybody at home, somebody to tell me what time to be in.”