Texas man bartends at popular Sixth Street club. Then he reveals what he makes on a random Wednesday night

One of the many fickle elements of the food and beverage industry is simply the inconsistency of pay. Since wages are often contingent upon tips, they fluctuate week to week and season by season.

One Austin bartender takes viewers along for a Wednesday night on Sixth Street to find out just how much he'd earn.

‘Come bartend with me on Wednesday on 6th Street'

Austin bartender Elias Franco (@eliasatx) chronicles one of his shifts at the Mala Fama rooftop bar. His video has more than 39,000 views.

“Come bartend with me on Wednesday on 6th Street,” Franco says. “How much are we making tonight? … I wanna make $300, but I also wanna go home.”

At some point during his shift, Franco identifies it as “a slow night.” He says he was still hoping for $300 to $400, and notes it was only about 11:30 p.m. But he still worried they “[were] not hitting [their] goal.”

But as it turns out, he didn't need to worry. By the end of the night, one bit of text lingered over his video.

“Goal made: $300,” he says.

‘I appreciate slow shifts like this!'

Franco's caption further contextualizes the emotional roller coaster he'd been on.

“Bartending on 6th street Austin, Texas can be very fast paced or very slow,” it says. “I appreciate slow shifts like this!”

A fellow bartender bemoaned the situation and said he would've loved $300 a night.

“I got my butt kicked last night and I only made [$230] what a mess,” he wrote.

In an email to Subplot News, Franco encouraged bartenders struggling to make it through a slow period to “look at it as an opportunity to grow.”

“Focus more on your customer service, build stronger relationships with your regulars, and practice those drinks or shots you haven't fully mastered yet,” Franco wrote. “Pick up extra shifts when you can, and just keep improving your craft. Slow season doesn't mean you stop growing. It's all about what you make of it.”

How much does the average bartender make per night?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2025, bartenders had a median wage of $16.51 an hour, or $34,340 a year. That data included tips. The lowest 10% earned less than $9.67 an hour, and the highest 10% more than $35.47.

Austin's figures, however, tend to be lower. Wagedex listed a 2025 median of $11.38 an hour, or $23,670 a year, for bartenders in the Austin area, with a mean of $32,760. 

Based on those numbers, an eight-hour shift would yield about $132 at the national median hourly wage and about $91 at the Austin one. Franco did not specify the length of his shift, but tips likely played a part in the sum.

Shift timing also significantly affects matters. Restaurant software company Toast wrote that evening and weekend shifts usually earn more than weekday lunch shifts, and that income changes from month to month and shift to shift. Toast reported that “since bartenders' earnings mostly come from tips, it's difficult to compare wages.”

Tipped workers in Texas also have a wage floor. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor described a $2.13-an-hour cash wage for tipped employees. It also said employers claiming a tip credit must make sure workers earn at least the federal minimum wage.

@eliasatx

Subplot News reached out to Franco via email.

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