I had an excellent experience learning at Elitte Bartending school. I was able to work my 9-5 and still take classes due to the flexibility of the schedule. Angela my instructor was super knowledgeable. She made the learning process very easy. She was detailed and worked hands on with each of us as we learned every bartending technique. After graduation she provided me with several leads and I was working within the week. I worked for local night club, private events, and weddings too. I would strongly recommend Elitte Bartending School to anyone looking for a career in bartending. Thanks Elitte! read more

I took the Elitte 40hr course in October/November of 2016. Fortunately, they had a special promotion for the month of October and I got a great deal. The options were the standard 2 week course or an accelerated 1 week course. I opted for the Standard course. The great thing is that both courses give you access to lifetime refresher courses at no additional charge. The owner/instructor Angela had a free flow approach to covering the course book material and teaching the class, which to my surprise was combined with the accelerated students who learned 2 lessons a day instead of one. Sometimes, this posed a problem as I was not given as much focused instruction in the class and often felt left behind the following day when the accelerated students were moving faster because they'd had more time behind the bar and were making drinks I had not yet learned. In general, the class was very fast paced and you are expected to grasp things quickly and to study at home to help you progress. Memorizing the recipes is very important, though nothing beats the hands on time actually making the drinks behind the bar. Overall, I think the school offers a good deal for your money with the lifetime refresher courses offered, possible internships, and the assistance provided with finding employment as a bartender after completing the course. Angela is very kind and informative, offering her expertise and extending herself whenever she can. She is also very diligent in providing bartending leads and assisting you after completion. If you are looking for a low cost comprehensive course Elitte is a good choice. read more

So I know I left a star out on my previous review, because of the whole Facebook Page requirement and very bare basics of beer/wine content taught..... HOWEVER, as I stated before in my previous review, this is a school for people looking to get into the industry, and IT DOES PAY OFF. LITERALLY. I got an internship through Angela on Facebook, and she sent me to a wedding with a fellow Elitte grad to bartend a reception for 250+ people. (I know, understaffed, but hear me out). Angela was extremely accessible by phone/text to keep her updated on how we were doing at the reception, and if we were okay. Well, it turns out my peeps, I ended up leaving that event with $300 in tips in one night! I must say, the Facebook page policy does seem a bit 'eh-heh' at first, but that's the most efficient way to get updates on the internships/job leads themselves. I was a skeptic at first, but Elitte has been a great resource for a bartending industry newcomer. I now work at a 5 star hotel on Michigan Ave. training for a server position, and it requires extensive beer/wine knowledge, something I can pick-up during training. However, by just having a BASSET certification on my resumé and basic knowledge of drinks really did leverage me into this position. THANKS ANGELA AND DAVID! :) I will definitely take the flair class in the near future when my work schedule permits, but for now, I am making really good standard of living at my current place of employment, and I thank Elitte once again! read more

I took courses at this school in order to receive a possible internship or land employment with the basset card I received since January of this year I've been actively applying for part time or full time employment as a bartender and not have gotten a call back or my application reviewed. I have extensive customer service and cash management skills and feel that it was a waste of time and money to attend this school. While attending the school two days were cancelled and made up during my work schedule. There is false advertising that this school offers job placement and has an agency none of the students I were in the class with was offered a job with the school or "internship". Future students do your research before signing up for classes here! If you are looking to get hired by going to a school then look further. Most club owners frown upon bartending school read more

I was planning on quiting my job after summer classes and before my fall semester internship so, my timing was a bit tight. My mom purchased the groupon for me as a gift. I had a day where my instructor cancelled class and I drove over to the school. Angela greeted me, she was "on point!" She was strictly professional, explained all the steps in detail, handed me all the paperwork and accommodated my schedule (limited time). Class was fun, educational and thorough! We had a large class, so we helped eachother out and learned to work well together. Elitte offers internships after completing her program, she booked my first private wedding (internship) and she was 100% available for me. I was a bit nervous and felt overwhelmed but, she put me at ease and gave me the confidence I needed to complete the event. I look forward to maintaining a professional relationship with Angela and her company. I highly recommend this bartending school. read more

Extremely recommend!!! Anyone can become a real bartender after two weeks course at Elitte!! You can get both bartender license and liquor license!! Don't worry if your native language is not English, the teacher Angela is very patient, she will explain to you whatever you don't understand. Also, she will teach you many tips of how to become a good bartender earn good money! After the course. I know the history of red wine, white wine, champagne and beer. I can make 12 drinks within 6 minutes even I know little about liquor before. Btw, the teacher is gorgeous and humorous!!! Come and become a cool bartender!! read more

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DO NOT ATTEND. Angela is hustler and is only out to take you're money and run, she offers the lowest price around but you get what you pay for.. She may come off sweet and nice in her sales pitch but once you pay her she's on to the next one.. where do I even start with her, she will absolutely not accommodate to your schedule if something comes up but you will definitely have to accommodate to hers. The course will go on with or without you, and to make up any time you missed you must attend the next 2 week course. When I took her course within the first week she cancelled a Monday class because she was on "vacation" and made everyone come in on a Friday. Another reason I would not recommend her class is her attitude and unprofessionalism. She gives out a course book that you can tell right away hasn't been updated in years, just like her website, she will have you scribble out many recipes and rewrite the correct amounts, this leads to a lot of confusion and frustration when actually trying to make the drinks. That's not even the worst part, during the classes she "lectures" for about 40% of the class then has you do hands on practice behind the bar while she goes to her desk and speaks to walk in customers selling them on the course. So you have no idea if youre making drinks correctly or not and she gives you zero attention while you practice. She also on multiple occasions will be in her phone whether its her texting someone or her stepping out to make a personal phone call. Funny thing is Angela has an extremely strict no phone policy in her class, she won't even let you charge your phone while she's teaching!! I was so frustrated with her unprofessionalism I ultimately just walked out and took my losses.. After I walked out I did some research and she has a heavy paper trail of reviews regarding these issues. I don't typically write many reviews but if someone out there is trying to decide which bartending schools to enroll in... stay away from Ellite read more

i wouldn't waste my money with her!! please don't go with this school!! i payed my money did the course and i had to take a break durning my course with her, i kept in contact with her the entire time letting her know my situation and that i will be coming back to finish before my time is up. she had excuses when i tried to come back and i had to wait a few extra weeks, by that time it was almost my deadline and of course i would have to pay over $300 to do it again!!!! well guess what happened?! she dragged and i ended up not finishing and she did not care or try to accommodate me in being of any help.!! im sooo pissed, and all she had to say was did i wanna sign up again!! hell no! i wouldnt waste a dollar with this school! angela only wants the money!! read more

Elite Bartending school is fantastic! I did the evening course over 2 weeks and had Angela as my instructor. She is phenomenal! The class is very hands on and you get a great foundation of bartending knowledge to succeed in any bartending job. If you are thinking of doing a bartending class I would highly recommend Elitte! read more

Definitely, wouldn't recommend this place. Go to A List Startenders ... They're up to date and professional.

Horrible customer service. The person who answered the calls told me to "tell me how much you were gonna pay, we have a lot of promotions out there." She was very unprofessional and stood me up for a meeting to register for class. I ended up going to a different bartending class. read more

I give this school zero stars, Angela Torres is very unprofessional. I was due to start class in July I was unable to attend the class. I contacted Angela in a timely manner and explained I wouldn't be able to attend and I was requesting my $200 deposit be returned. She stated they don't do refunds but I could start the class whenever I liked. I continued to explain to her that I wouldn't be able to take the class at all she stated I could take the class whenever and I just wanted a refund. We'll that never happened I went back and forth via text with her because she kept saying its their policy but its no where in writing. No where on their website does it state no refunds nor did she communicate that before she took my money. Mind you all this back and forth is happening during class hours when she should be teaching the students instead of wasting their money while shes texting me. Needless to say the situation is still not rectified. BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO GO HERE JUST KNOW ONCE YOU PAY YOUR MONEY YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT BACK. Also they tell you its two weeks Monday-thursday from 10a-2p its not they miss two days of the first week which is usually Tuesday and Wednesday then make you stay late Thursday and come in on an unscheduled Friday. They classify them as make up days. Smh..Also the Bassett Certification they have you paying hundreds of dollars for is available online for $13.99. Its a 4 hour class thats taken at your own pace. Bottomline, its not worth it. Find a restaurant/bar you're interested in and let them train you. #signedyouthoughtyouhadoneangela read more

Bad review on Elitte bar tending school. Elitte bar tending school is not as elite as you may think. There was a lot of issues I had with this school. I'll start off by talking about my very first day. I arrived at the school monday night at 6pm as scheduled, just to be told to come in a week later. Angela, the instructor, claimed that someone was supposed to call me to inform me of this change in schedule. But no one did, and later I found out this happened to someone else in class as well. Now I'll discuss the "Student Manual", which is the $50 book they sell you. You would assume the student manual would have top notch information especially coming from a school that claims to be elite. However, there is a lot of inconsistencies, misspelled words, missing information, and instructions that seem to be written base on personal feelings. While attending the school I failed my first test due to the missing information in the student manual. When I told Angela about this, she became furious with me and came up with these illogical reasons why the student manual didn't have complete information. She crumbled up my test in front of me, threw it in the trash, accused me of being a bad listener, and threaten to kick me out of school. I find Angela's professionalism to be very questionable. After that day Angela made it unbearable for me to be in class so I decided to leave and I refunded some of my money. I'm now at a different bar tending school on my way to graduating, and looking back I'm glade I left Elitte. At Elitte, for the first half of the course, their main focus was teaching us things that we would rarely use in the real world as bar-tenders. I remember watching a video on wine, and learning all these martinis, which is not bad but they should of spent more time teaching us how to make more popular drinks. It seemed like every day I was there, you were on your own, teaching yourself how to make drinks, while the instructor is siting at the front desk browsing through Facebook. At the school I go to now, the instructor is constantly with the students, observing us make drinks, and advising us in developing our craft. Angela would also use her students as test subjects for these shity drinks she created. Not forcefully, but she would offer these drinks, which seems cool and fun, but it doesn't make for a good learning environment. Had I not left Elitte, I would of had a lot of gaps in my knowledge after graduation. Do your research, there are better schools out there. I would recommend the school I go to now, but they're moving their location to Las Vegas and they signed a contract to have their school on a reality show on TV. I was fortunate enough to sign up during one of their last rotations in chicago, thank you Elitte! And by the way, I know how to spell the word elite, it's the schools name that's spelled wrong. read more

I definitely recommend Elitte bartending school to anyone looking to get into the industry. They will teach you everything you need to know to get you started and ensure your success. I graduated a little under a month ago and have already found 2 jobs that I will be starting within the week.They also offer fun classes like beer 101 to students and the public. (Which I HIGHLY recommend.) They also have a flair bartending class and a mojito class that I will be attending in the future. David and Angela are great instructors and their knowledge of the industry is very extensive and realistic. If you are determined to be successful here you will not be disappointed. They made class both challenging and fun and they are great at preparing you for the real world of bartending. The facebook page is a great resource to take advantage of for job leads too! If you are trying to decide on a bartending school, Elitte is a great choice not only because it is affordable but you really get a lot for your money. Go there! You will not be disappointed. read more

I would have to agree with other reviews. A---- (the instructor/owner), in my opinion-is unprofessional and at times rude. She is working a hustle. The school is a run down and dirty set up similar to a bad dive bar- complete with stopped up sinks and no paper towels in the crappy bathroom. She is knowledgeable, but hesitates to answer any questions that are not part of her specific curriculum- or she answers with suspicion or avoids details. I came in with basic liquor and common sense knowledge. The course is 8 days long. It is EXTREMELY heavy in memorization, memorizing as many as 20-30 drink recipes, and an upwards of 50 liquors, etc., within 4-5 days (or less) along with all the other course knowledge, and details. New information is crammed in EVERY day with no downtime to absorb. There are basics missing: no fruit cutting, no sanitation, etc. Time and energy would have been better served with this info than recipe memorizing. Her ideal target audience appears to be unemployed, not in school full time, and in need of a job. If you are occupied with either- you may find it very difficult to study (and therefore pass) the course. The exam failure rates are high (one test in my class was 3 passes out of the 8 attendees). The course materials (one notebook) are poor with many misspellings and errors, and you are constantly being asked to correct them. Angela's teaching style needs improvement- she is often inconsistent or unclear in her answers and methods, and she doesn't give much thought to her curriculum. I was disappointed in my experience. Overall- shop around and consider other schools before you choose-visit the school even. If you just want your license- consider another way to get it- you do not have to take a course just to get your license. read more

This place is a joke, I once heard the female owner mispronounce sommelier so badly that it was clear that these people had no business teaching the business. Rude was the lady, courteous was the gentleman but neither qualified to teach or hire anyone to clean bar let alone tend bar. read more

I recently graduated from elitte bartending school and it was a great experience. I did the two week course which I recommend because it is easy to work around your personal schedule and there is a lot of information to take in. While at the course you will learn about different liquors, liqueurs, wines and beers. Most importantly the school has a huge bar filled with stations allowing you to to practice mixing and making different drinks/shots. The owner Angela is a very knowledgeable person in all aspects of bartending and had a answer for all questions that were asked. I definitely recommend this school to anybody wanting to get their license and break into the bar industry. read more

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this class!! After spending so much of my life caring for an elderly handicapped parent, just getting outside is a breath of fresh air. After losing my job, I am so worried, but I decided to jump in and try bartending school and boy, did I have a blast. Angela and Cynthia are so kind and professional. Always looking to better each and every student. We had soooo much fun, I wish I could take it again! :) read more

Angela is amazing. She helps you through the whole course with one on one help when you need it. Questions are encouraged. The whole class was awesome and I truly enjoyed every second. Definitely the top bartending school! Thank you so much Elitte! read more

Great place to learn how to bartend . Not long after finishing I was able to land a job through one of there leads. Everyone there is very helpful read more

Horrible management practices by Angela. Over the past 2 weeks we have been coordinating the rental of her facility for a private event to be held by my company. I was surprised by how much I liked the space and it's ambiance. Also, due to the private nature of the event hookah use would be permitted according to Angela. We met in person but just a few minutes after leaving our meeting I called Angela to let her know I wanted to know what it would take to lock the date. This is where I should have noticed the red flags. Most phone conversations she would speak over me and send confusing communications both verbally and via email. She refused to accept a faxed or emailed copy of our contract despite knowing that I was traveling significantly following our initially meeting. The worst part is she pulled the venue from my company's use after she co-promoted the event and suggested I include Elitte's name on promotional materials. Her basis for canceling my venue reservation was flimsy at best. Furthermore, I have now lost money on the costs of advertising design and flyer costs. I called to speak with her directly after she made harsh accusations about me personally and made some inane reference to a rodeo. COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL. DO NOT USE THEM FOR YOUR PRIVATE EVENTS or work with someone other than Angela. I will end on a positive note and say that some of their student/graduate bartenders that I'm friends with are much more considerate and professional than Angela Cuadrado-Torres. read more

I recently attended Elitte. I learned a lot. I love the curriculum. I love how the instructors teach. I do not like how Angela one of the instructors didn't notice me or talk to me as much or remember my name and asked me my name twice in one day. I asked the students for a lot of help and i helped a lot of students because Angela and David weren't there for the students and myself. Angela and David should be thrilled to get another student and to be getting my money when I signed up David made me wait 40 minutes and didn't thank my friend for getting me to sign up. I found it very rude when a former student walked in today and Angela was bragging about her. During the speed drill she called out the girls name and said maybe she should show us (the students and I) what to do. Angela is the instructor, why should some Russian broad who was a student last year not a teacher tell us what to do like she's better than us. I found that very rude. Angela should think before she speaks. Angela and David need to learn how to be more, professional and personable. Angela bad mouths a lot of other bar tending schools, that is tacky of her. The students were more helpful and nicer than the instructors. The models Elitte used for their school are ugly. That is true a lot of the students that attend Eitte are ghetto. David takes too many long breaks and talks on the phone for a very long time during a lesson. Angela sits at her desk instead of checking our drinks. Angela should be more concerned about her current students instead of kissing up to some Russian broad and putting down her current students. When I first posted this review I gave Elitte 3 stars but I am going to change it to 2 because I found it very rude and ignorant for Angela to ask me my name twice and not acknowledge me as her student. Also David and Angela are very arrogant. They do not need to scold the students if they make the drink wrong the first time they need to be nicer. read more

I'd hate to say all of this but truth be told this company and it's owner(s) are a bunch of scam artists. I purchased a Groupon to sharpen up my bartending skills. I am a single mother and work two jobs so I was looking for a flexible class schedule which was what Angela (the owner) had promised me before my Groupon purchased. She sold me the class promising me she would work out a "custom" schedule, I told her what my availability was and she agreed she would work with my schedule. When class started I attended the first two days of the first week, I told her I can only do certain days the following week and that is when issues started to arise, she suggested I shouldn't come those days because she would be teaching the same thing a over again and I should take off of work to come in another day she suggested, I explained to her my situation again and told her I couldn't. I was so desperate to complete the class and get my money's worth that I actually did take off of work one day and came in to the class she told me she had too many students and to share a bar station with one of them when I was already behind!! Afterwards she advised me to take two weeks off of work to complete the class successfully. She's out of her mind and the lady wasn't reasonable at all. When I reached out to her she wasn't answering or responding to my texts/calls, I reached out via Facebook messenger which is what her response was to do and they even had a rude reply not trying to work things out or help refund me for the class when I didn't even complete half and Angela lied and said I did 6 out of the 8 days I corrected her that my Groupon said 32 hour class and I only did 13 hours to be exact. She has no history of bartending because I did a little background check and her "job placement" is her own little BS "staffing company " which barely gets you any jobs unless you're a really fast paced high volume bartender and even then you won't get any calls for jobs because she is a LIAR!! read more

I find it interesting to see that the owner is taking such offense to these comments. These were people at a party that are telling you that your server was incompetent. Maybe you should listen to what they are saying rather than defend your bartender. I too was at this party and have NEVER seen anyone pour 2 different bottles of wine together because "they are the same color." Really? Ask anyone who has ever drank wine before and they can tell you that a red is not a red is not a red. Maybe you should take a closer look at who you sent out to the party and what her qualifications were, because they weren't bartending. Not only was she a horrible bartender, but she kept her cell phone in her bra and kept pulling her phone out of her bra to answer and send text messages the entire night. Not once did I see her turn the sink on to wash her hands after sticking them in her bra either. I strongly support the 2 reviews written by the other individuals that attended this party and I think that you should take a closer look at your bartenders and their skills before sending them to a house party. The drinks were much better by amateur bartenders after she left. read more

I just completed the two week program. It was awesome. David is an amazing instructor and really puts you in real life situations. Angela is also great. She gives great advice and tips when it comes to finding a job. I definitely left this school with a ton of knowledge and skills and I have already had a couple of successful interviews. They definitely care about their students and help as much as possible. read more

I would definitely recommend Elitte to anyone thinking about taking bartending classes. Their operations are small enough to help you when you need it, but smooth enough to get you BASSET certified in two weeks. read more

Called to attend a class. The female owner is very disrespectful and unprofessional. After I acknowledged the misunderstanding that I attempted to turn the phone call in a positive direction. I've never received negative customer service from an owner of an establishment. I paid for this class in full and she turns around and states that they don't have my paperwork. What kind of business doesn't keep record of students who attended their school? I would not recommend this school for anyone. read more

I am writing in support of the poor review of this business. I attanded Mrs. Gimbels party for her husband. I have to say that I was very disappointed at the young women who was sent to tend bar for this event. Mrs. Gimbel had been very clear that she wanted a bartender to run a martini bar for the evening. Wat she got instead was a young, inexperienced wine pourer. I actually felt sorry for this poor girl because she had obviously been sent into an event she was not prepared to do. Several times we asked her to make drinks that she then responded she did not kbow how to make. Mind you these wer not difficult drinks. I asked in particular for a "French martini" this in not my own specia concoton as she made it out to be but a very common martini bar drink and not full of difficult ingredients but just chanbord, vodka and pineapple juice. The event was attended by several guests that have worked as bartenders and/or caterers and we expected a high level of service. It became clear early in the evening that this girl had not tended bar. She may have pour wine at catering events or worked a simple bar of gin and tonics and whiskey and coke but she was just simply not equipt to handle this level of service. I have doubts about what she has been taught about wine pouring as well given she did not know how to use and opener and in fact broke a very simple wine opener and also mixed a very expensive red wine with a very cheap red when the bottles were half gone. So if you just want someone t pour out of bottles this place may provide capable staff but otherwise I would stay far away, especially if you enjoys fine wine and cocktails. read more