**They closed off the King St location and is now at 9 Clarence Square, Toronto, ON. I took the week-long accelerated Masterclass program three years ago. It was very informational and I did learn a lot. I got the basic bar-tending kit at the end of the class, and my certification card. However the program really doesn't prepare you for any real bartender jobs and can really only be viewed as a beginning intro series. I got a taste of what it'd be like working in high-traffic (through the final exam) but wasn't really trained thoroughly to survive in a real bar. The only thing I took away from BartenderOne was how to use a bartending kit, and how to make some classic drinks. It's true that they use powerpoints with misspellings. Wasn't worth the 500$. Also most places don't recognize or accept the certification so it's kinda just a gimmicky thing to have. Still cool though. I was interested enough to continue learning on my own; currently I work as a freelance bartender on the side of my full time job, mainly doing semi formals and parties. ***READ THIS: They said graduates of the program would be able to train in their events team, and work for them (first few events you only earn tips) and told us to add them on Facebook. My request to join wasn't accepted until a few months later with reinforced follow-up. No one posted on the events group and the owner and staff left me on read when I messaged for updates. So basically it was just an over-hyped scam. Don't take this course if you want to work. *** read more

Very cool event to try out for newbies & pro's, fun for team building, stags/staggettes, and dates. Would def do this again! read more

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This school is awful. Literally, such a scam. I've worked as a bartender for a couple of years, went into see if I could learn anything new and no, no I can't. This place sucks. Curriculum is ridiculous (if you want to learn about whiskey, go on amazon and order a history book) and is taught through powerpoint presentation with mispellings littered through it. They teach you a few "standard cocktails", but very little time is spent actually making them. There's a beer workshop that they don't warn you about that you have to pay for to officially pass your Masterclass. They spend a lot of time trying to get you to buy their bar kit because you have to have one to work on their events team. Ridiculous. As a bartender already I don't think this improved me. As a newbie I don't think this would make you bar ready. I don't think this would qualify you to make drinks for your own party honestly. The only thing you'll maybe get out it is that it's good for remembering to keep your ice scoop out of the bin (even though the shitty bar that they own leaves their ice scoop in). Also, just as a legal concern, nobody checked my Smart Serve before my "live shift" (a bullshit final portion of your class where you are supposed to bring friends and family in to "watch you bartend"-- which basically means spend money at their bar while you pay to work for them). The managers are also really mean during this shift. They own College Street Bar (which is it's own disaster) and they'll come in and yell at people in front of their friends while they're serving them. I watched a guy totally humiliate a girl who's never worked in a bar before in front of a big group of her girl friends because she wasn't shaking a cocktail hard enough. Like a) put your hands on it and help her. b) you're shitty fucking crash course aside a week is not enough time to drill that into your muscle memory or make you strong enough if you aren't already. Also some of the employees are super creepy. Not the actual teachers, but one male staff member is very huggy and another literally messaged me on Facebook at like 3 in the morning twice. And SPEAKING OF FACEBOOK. You have to add them all and like they're page on your account. (They came into class with a list of people who hadn't done it after lunch on the first day and asked us in front of the group.) They'll advertise all over your page. They tag you in like a million photos and little video clips with links to their school. The iPour Network they promise to connect you to so that you can find jobs is a disaster as well. Very sparingly posted on, and by places like the Tilted Kilt or strip clubs, usually looking for busboys or hostesses. Literally, do not. EDIT TO ADD: I forgot to mention that none of us ever received an actual certificate. "Certification" lmao, okay. read more

This place is just horrible. The teacher Mike didn't show up. He did leave me a voice mail stating that I can get a refund but when I called back to ask for a refund, they wouldn't issue me one despite the voicemail. Beware of BartenderOne! I asked employers if they've heard of iPour and they said "what's that?" I highly doubt iPour is the largest social network for bartenders, servers and employers. Save your money and work your way up as a bus boy at a restaurant. read more

Never go here it is so disorganized and a waste of time! If I had read the NEGATIVE REVIEWS below and on Facebook, I would have never sign up for this. It's a complete waste of time and money. I did missed the first class due to emergency reasons. I did call wanted to reschedule. The person I spoke with on the phone encouraged me to just go to the second class. On the second class, I found out that majority of the time was spent sitting there watching powerpoint notes. They also announced that all Masterclass students must complete the beer course which is not included under the curriculum. We had to take more money out for the beer course on top the Masterclass. I gave them a chance but on the 3rd class, I was just done. It was so disorganized, did not give students enough time to practice making popular drinks, and all of sudden its flair class. They also shrunk 5 classes to 4. I also do not blame the instructor, he's probably just following the rules by the company. I sent an e-mail to complain about my dissatisfaction. It's completely time wasting and on my end, I'm losing money as well. I requested to a partial refund understanding that I did attend to 2 classes. Alex (National Events Director) obviously refused to refund me the money besides the beer course emphasizing how I signed the agreement. Lesson learned for me always read the agreement! The agreement was designed to get you trap. Alex also claims that on the website it does say the beer course is mandatory. I checked out the link, it only has an ad for you to take the beer course and to drop more money. Very misleading and scamming you into taking it. What is the purpose for not adding it into the curriculum? There's always exception for random cases to give out refunds to unsatisfied customers. They just do not care since Alex stopped responding me after when I mentioned that. There's also no point of filing for small claims court for a couple hundred bucks. Just see if you have a friend who bartends and tell them to teach you. You'll probably learn more. Do you research before coming here. I also found out the owner (Gavin MacMillan) of BartenderOne was on the news headline for gang sex assault charges. read more

Scam!!! Do not fall for this scam. It's a cash grab plain and simple. None of the equipment worked. The class itself was useless. It was on a power point that seemed to be written by some one in high school (spelling mistakes and all) and lacked any kind of substance. We walked away feeling cheated and our complaints were unanswered. This place will not get you a job if that's what your going for. read more

The one word that accurately pops out in the previous reviews is SCAM! Prior to signing up, be well aware that the instructors can cancel the class at a moments notice (including the night before, as was done to myself) and you can expect no refund. After receiving an email at 9PM the night before (stating the class was postponed to the week after), I had immediately attempted to get into contact with the instructors. I had to call 5 times, each time conveniently "missing" the owner who had "just stepped out of the office". Once I had finally gotten a hold of him, much conversation was exchanged where I was questioned why "I couldn't just do it another time", even though no other dates coincided with my busy schedule. He mentioned the "fine print under terms and conditions stating no refunds". If you are planning on signing up, be WELL aware that the same thing could happen to you. I have seen this same scenario written multiple times in reviews over various platforms from throughout the years... making it evident that they'll cancel the class if not enough people sign up.  It also didn't help googling the owner afterward. Yikes. Save your money and make your way up in a restaurant or club. Already having bartended for 2 years, I can tell you that this is merely an interest course that will give you no pull in employment. Save yourself the headache and watch some youtube videos instead. read more

Taking this course was one of the best decisions I made in my life. I took the MasterClass Certification there last month and the results have been phenomenal. BartenderOne is focused on giving students the practical knowledge they need in the professional field, although the course also provides the academic foundations as well (you learn about the different liqueurs and types of liquor, various bartending implements, etc). This practical focus showed by the end of the week. I went in knowing almost nothing about bartending and came out with a comprehensive knowledge of alcoholic products, as well as a complete bartending skill-set. Furthermore, BartenderOne offers opportunities well beyond the class you pay for. Students who do well enough get to attend free events, people who are taking courses get to take advantage of the products and services offered by BartenderOne at reduced prices (almost everyone who takes the course ends up buying a bartending kit for themselves and is happy with the decision), among many other things. It should be noted that the MasterClass course is fairly rigorous. You have to put in effort and be able to work quickly to do well in the course, so consider that before opting for the Master level (I cannot speak to the 101 Certification). When it comes down to it, a month and a half ago I knew very little about bartending. I now have a lot of practical and academic knowledge, a fully marketable set of skills, and am on my way to becoming an internationally certified bar chef. I could not be more thrilled, and I am happy to endorse BartenderOne for anyone interested in bartending specifically, or anyone who wants to pick up another skill and thinks they're up to the task. read more

Bartender One is HORRIBLE! Felt totally scammed into the whole thing. Took the week long bartending and mixology course and there were far too many issues. On the first day, the class was a half hour late. For the wine tasting seminar, the "delivery hadn't arrived on time," so our instructor that day assured us that we would be receiving coupons for College Street Bar (which is owned by the company) to make up for the inconvenience. I never received the coupon, and when I sent emails to follow up, I was either told to keep waiting or ignored. For flair day, all of the students were asked to bring in a guest if they would like. This was basically the Bring Your Friend to Class So We Can Sell Them on How Awesome We Are Day. One of the students had brought his boyfriend in, and they proceeded to have an hour long, seemingly abusive fight throughout the class, making everyone very uncomfortable and it impossible to learn anything. As a part of the program, a photographer was to come in and take headshots and photos of us for our portfolio and then email them to us. I never received the email, so I followed up only to find that they had been lost on the memory card and no longer existed. Um, what? I was never offered some sort of reimbursement, and again, when I emailed them to explain my disappointment, I was ignored. A week or two later, I was sent an email, letting me know that I had been the top student in the class and was invited to compete in a bartending competition. The winner of this competition would receive an internship at College Street Bar and potentially a permanent position (which is ridiculous). When I arrived to compete, I realized that some of the staff members there and the instructors from my course were also competing. These people had extensive experience and knew exactly what to expect in the competition. How is this fair in the slightest? It's not. BOTTOM LINE: This business is totally corrupt and I would NOT recommend this place to ANYONE looking to get some more knowledge and experience in bartending. read more