guidelines for tipping while out at the bar

[Farbio]

after 2 really really long and busy nites bartending and going out w/ some friends last weekend, i was astounded at just how many people are totally clueless when it comes to tipping at a bar and correct ways or what it means to the bartender when u do certain things, so after consulting coworkers, we came up with these general guidelines, hope they help some of you!:

1. if the bar is busy - i.e., there is more than one person waiting for a drink, or there is a very high ratio of customers in the bar to bartenders (150 customers, 1 tender), under no circumstances do you order a frozen drink. it will be weak, it will take an extremely long time, and you will piss the bartender off in making your future drinks. the exception to this rule is on bourbon street in new orleans or any place like fat tuesdays which has 12 different huge constant frozen drinks spinning - order away at someplace like that.

2. if you are out on a nite like ladies nite, where the drinks are free or extremely cheap - its not suddenly a reason to become a cheap bastard and tip nothing or a quarter - the bartender is still working just as hard and probably has even more customers than normal as on a regular nite - tip like you would, or better, as if you were paying for your drink regularly.

3. unless you are opening a tab, tip after every drink - tipping large for the first drink encourages the bartender to seek you out of the crowd to make your drink sooner and stronger. if you pay cash for your drinks after each round and don't tip after the first or second, we assume you aren't going to tip and we have no qualms about asking people around you for orders before we find time for you, not to mention, your drinks will be weaker.

4. if you want drinks that have more than 1 or 2 liquors or the bartender has to find it in a cabinet or you want something layered, tip accordingly - we don't like having to do stuff like that when its busy.

5. if in a busy bar, know what you want to drink when you get to the bartender - don't wait for the bartender to acknowledge you and then go 'uhh.....umm...let me see, what do i want.....?', nor should you go, 'i don't know, make me something' either case, when we're busy, its not something we want to hear, and it doesn't help you get a drink faster or make it any better.

the general rule is that we are working hard to get you drunk, and we appreciate you being there, so please appreciate us as well. i have yet to meet a server or bartender that finds the need to be rude to someone for no apparent reason when dealing with them at their workplace - we deal with it enough from our customers, so please, just be courteous

i am going to go ahead and apologize now, as when i write this, i am just coming off two long nites working and i am feeling sore and frustrated from the work and people like those described, so in advance, i apologize if i come off as preachy or with attitude - its just fatigue
and this thread was not started as a huge flame war to debate the merits of tipping, i'm not arguing any point here, this is the system in this country, deal with it, or don't go out to get your drinks. thank you

<edit to add #5>

 

[ElFenix]

i tip at least $1/2 drinks, regardless of what it is. could be $1 bottles night and i'll still do that.

 

[CallTheFBI]

I'm not a huge fan of tipping myself. To me tipping is an exuse for businesses not to pay their employees a decent wage. But I do understand that it is necessary since the business deflates the wages because of tipping. Anyways, I have always thought of bartending as being a tough job. Having to deal with drunks and always being in a loud environment, the noise from the guys playing pool, the music, the loud conversations.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Rules for getting tipped at a bar:

1. I'm watching you while you poor and serve the drink. Spit in it or anything and you will get an asskicking.
2. Don't expect to get a tip before actually doing anything. If you show you are actually willing to do the work you are getting payed for and to do it good, I'll tip big at the end of the evening.
3. If you're trying to be a d!ck about it I'll take my business (and tips) elsewhere.

 

[Farbio]

skyclad - i, no anyone i have ever worked with in all my years at restaurants and bars has ever stooped so low as to spit or anything close to that into anyone's food or drink, we're not mcdonald's.
and i mean these only as guidelines - this is assumming that we/me are attentive to your drink order, don't treat you with disdain, etc.

 

[deftron]

Just wondering..

is it customary to tip the bartender for takeout orders?

They're always the ones to ring you up when you pick it up..

 

[Farbio]

deftron - its a 50/50 thing - its appreciated, because i'm the one that got your order together usually, but it doesn't happen that often, so it seems to be a personal preference. some places do charge an automatic gratuity when you get a takeout order, so u might want to check with that, but yes, we do work for that order, you just aren't there to see it, so thanks if you would like to tip.

 

[derek2034]

Having been a server at about 12 different restaurants, I think I have a unique outlook on tipping. Here are some points I'd like to make.

1. I've worked both server and retail. Believe me when I say servers work about 3x as hard. Having also worked at UPS, I will say the workload is comparable, with the added human stress and uncertainty of wages.

2. Servers are treated with more disrespect than any other employee you will EVER see. Neither UPS nor retail even compares.

3. The way the pay structure works it is often times hard to be motivated. If you are scheduled when you are not needed, the first few tables won't help your pay. $2.13 is base, if you work 2 hours with one $2 tip then your at $3.13. Meaning if your next table tips $4, it is like you received no tip since your total didn't get above $5.15/hr.

4. From experience, about half the bartenders simply lied to get their job. They had no experience. Restaurants RARELY check references.

5. Typical tipout us around 3% (of my TOTAL sales), further extending the frustration of bad tippers. Easy to see: 23% tip would mean I walk with 20%. 10% means I walk with 7%. If you tip less than 15% I'd almost rather you not even come.

6. Don't try to save money with a low tip at the end. When I eat out I already have 20-30% factored in. Ex. If a couple can afford $44 (40 meal, 4 tip), then they can afford $48 too.

7. Servers DO declare their tips. The least any server will dare claim is 8%, so the tax benefits are exaggerated. They always have to claim 100% tips done by credit card, it is automatic.

And to anyone who says "well just get a different job then, stop bitching!" well, I did...and I will never go back unless it is to add like 2 night weekend shifts a week. It was the worst pay/work ratio of any job I've ever had. That is saying a LOT.

 

[CallTheFBI]

Originally posted by: derek2034
Having been a server at about 12 different restaurants, I think I have a unique outlook on tipping. Here are some points I'd like to make.

1. I've worked both server and retail. Believe me when I say servers work about 3x as hard. Having also worked at UPS, I will say the workload is comparable, with the added human stress and uncertainty of wages.

2. Servers are treated with more disrespect than any other employee you will EVER see. Neither UPS nor retail even compares.

3. The way the pay structure works it is often times hard to be motivated. If you are scheduled when you are not needed, the first few tables won't help your pay. $2.13 is base, if you work 2 hours with one $2 tip then your at $3.13. Meaning if your next table tips $4, it is like you received no tip since your total didn't get above $5.15/hr.

4. From experience, about half the bartenders simply lied to get their job. They had no experience. Restaurants RARELY check references.

5. Typical tipout us around 3% (of my TOTAL sales), further extending the frustration of bad tippers. Easy to see: 23% tip would mean I walk with 20%. 10% means I walk with 7%. If you tip less than 15% I'd almost rather you not even come.

6. Don't try to save money with a low tip at the end. When I eat out I already have 20-30% factored in. Ex. If a couple can afford $44 (40 meal, 4 tip), then they can afford $48 too.

7. Servers DO declare their tips. The least any server will dare claim is 8%, so the tax benefits are exaggerated. They always have to claim 100% tips done by credit card, it is automatic.

And to anyone who says "well just get a different job then, stop bitching!" well, I did...and I will never go back unless it is to add like 2 night weekend shifts a week. It was the worst pay/work ratio of any job I've ever had. That is saying a LOT.

Tips come from tradition, not from economic principles. The way it should work is the restaurant should pay the market price for wages and just charge the customer a service fee with their check. That would balance out the uncertainty and the wild swings in your pay.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Originally posted by: Farbio
skyclad - i, no anyone i have ever worked with in all my years at restaurants and bars has ever stooped so low as to spit or anything close to that into anyone's food or drink, we're not mcdonald's.
and i mean these only as guidelines - this is assumming that we/me are attentive to your drink order, don't treat you with disdain, etc.

I know. But I wanted to use an extreme example of how not to treat people.

If you can only be bothered to treat someone like you should if they tip it is not a tip anymore. A tip is a compliment for work good done, not the payment for getting it done in the first place.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Sorry, it's your job to serve the alcohol. The patrons can tip however they feel like. Myself, I will always tip a $1 no matter what I order. No more no less, I say if you don't like you bartending job then go find a new job. If I feel like a frozen drink (which of course I wouldn't...I am a Cuervo kind a guy) I will order a frozen drink no matter how busy it is.

It kind of gets to me when the ones who are working expect the people who are already funding their paycheck to follow rules simply to give them more money. I know bartenders don't get paid much, but really, that isn't my problem.

 

[jteef]

I know bartenders don't get paid much, but really, that isn't my problem.

I think you'd be surprised how much bartenders make. $3-500 on a busy night is not uncommon.

I usually order 2 beers at a time to avoid tipping a dollar on a $3 item.

 

[poopaskoopa]

Whatever. I'll just keep tipping $1 for every drink I get.

 

[BigToque]

the bars get so much money off me from tipping its crazy.

i mean, most drinks are like $3.50, and whenever I buy a drink its usually with a $5 bill, and I dont like carrying change, so I'll just leave 1.50 after each drink. If i've got $6 or 7 in change on me, I'll just give all that for the 3.50 drink.

Sure I could save some money, but when the bartender knows your're tipping you get served quicker and get stronger drinks. Hell, sometimes the bartender will just give me a few drinks for free by the end of the night. Get friendly with the tenders and they might ever remember you and you will always get good service.

 

[dolph]

this is exactly what i hate about bars.
on a $5 glass of beer i still feel obligated to tip a dollar, making one beer at a bar equal to the cost of a 6 pack. and on a drink special for $2.75, i leave $4, leaving a healthy 31% tip. wtf?
and that's considered standard. i have very little pity for bartenders when they're clearing $20/hour easily, and if i decide that i'd rather have a mai tai instead of a bottled beer, i'm not going to change my mind to save the bartender some work.

 

[MaxDSP]

From what Ive seen at bars inside clubs, the bartenders will pretty much ignore you if you tipped low the last time he served you.

 

[derek2034]

dolph: Eating out itself is the financial burden. Increasing a tip from pathetic to great is a very small thing in comparison.

All I gotta say to the bad tippers is I hope you don't regular at any one place...It certainly does change how you are treated. If I had 3-4 tables at once and I knew one wasn't going to tip well then they would be last whenever I had to allocate my time. Sure, occasionally it was to the point it took alot away from their experience, but as these bad tippers would say "thats not my problem..."

Its too bad that more people don't have rely on serving at some point in their lives. I don't think I have ever known anyone that has served for any length of time (even if it was a couple weeks) and not been a good tipper from that point on.

 

[BennyD]

tipping is one of the stupidist things i can think of.

staff working should not expect a tip!

they should be pleased to get anything and they should be paid a descent wage.

that descent wage should be factored into the cost of the goods/services.

but if i tip a small amount and someone get's pissy like "tightass" or something, don't expect not to get hit pretty hard.

 

[derek2034]

Originally posted by: BennyD
tipping is one of the stupidist things i can think of.

staff working should not expect a tip!

they should be pleased to get anything and they should be paid a descent wage.

that descent wage should be factored into the cost of the goods/services.

but if i tip a small amount and someone get's pissy like "tightass" or something, don't expect not to get hit pretty hard.

In the end you would be paying about the same either way. It would be nice but the tradition won't be ending anytime soon. I would guess part of it is due to the volatile nature of restaurants and how they get slammed all at once around lunch and dinner.

LOL, hit pretty hard? Interesting...

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: derek2034
6. Don't try to save money with a low tip at the end. When I eat out I already have 20-30% factored in. Ex. If a couple can afford $44 (40 meal, 4 tip), then they can afford $48 too.

If you are EXPECTING a 20% tip you'd better be working your ass off. I give 20+ only for outstanding service which I don't think is a terrible thing.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
i tip at least $1/2 drinks, regardless of what it is. could be $1 bottles night and i'll still do that.

Same.

Unless I'm going "out on the town" in which case I'll be really generous, generally. I ty and tip at least a buck a drink, more if the 'tender is nice.

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1
Rules for getting tipped at a bar:

1. I'm watching you while you poor and serve the drink. Spit in it or anything and you will get an asskicking.
2. Don't expect to get a tip before actually doing anything. If you show you are actually willing to do the work you are getting payed for and to do it good, I'll tip big at the end of the evening.
3. If you're trying to be a d!ck about it I'll take my business (and tips) elsewhere.

1.) Most bartenders I know have something behind the bar to deal with drunks. Then again most bars I go to aren't "upscale" or even "mid-range", so, YMMV. What I'm saying is its better to either call him on it, or talk to his manager.
2.) Thats your right. Having worked at a bar, and having observed the people at my uncles bar, I can say that your strategy probably wont be as well recieved as tipping big early, and then tipping average. I've seen people lay down $30 for 4 $2 drafts, and say "keep the change". You can bet if you do something like that the bartender will practically drop his current customer to get you your drink when you walk up to the bar, even if you start tipping average or slightly below average after that. Sure, sometimes you start the night off with a $10 tip and the bartender doesnt really do anything special after that, but usually bartenders know who just buttered their bread for them
3.) Bartenders make their money off tips. If they don't believe that you'll tip much or anything, you're going to get served, right after they take care of everyone else AND hit on that hot chick on the other side of the bar while supposedly cleaning off some glasses. I'm not saying a good bartender will do that, but, enough of them do it to make it a consideration.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: CallTheFBI
I'm not a huge fan of tipping myself. To me tipping is an exuse for businesses not to pay their employees a decent wage. But I do understand that it is necessary since the business deflates the wages because of tipping.

Backwards thinking. Tipping came in to practice to make the CUSTOMER is the person the waitstaff must answer to. When tips are the wait staff's main source of income, the individual customer becomes the boss. The individual customer's needs come before the restaurant's needs.

If you think hourly wages are better, go ahead and abolish the system... just wait until your local restaurant has employees that are as interested in individual service as your local Best Buy, McDonalds or DMV.

Tipping and commissions ENSURE prompt and proper service, or the server does not get paid as well. No way can an owner or manager monitor the service at every table. But the customer CAN with the tipping system.

And if you think the tab plus tip is expensive now, just wait until they add the wages into the tab. It will be about twice what your tip would have been in the first place because of taxes.

No, our tipping system is the best way to ensure prompt, proper, and individual service.

 

[BennyD]

Originally posted by: Amused

No, our tipping system is the best way to ensure prompt, proper, and individual service.

employees who are happy with their jobs will provide prompt, proper and indevidual service

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: BennyD

Originally posted by: Amused

No, our tipping system is the best way to ensure prompt, proper, and individual service.

employees who are happy with their jobs will provide prompt, proper and indevidual service

No. Hourly employees who are happy with their jobs will do just enough to please their bosses. Some of this involves pleasing customers, but not all. To please a boss you turn over customers as fast as possible to increase profits. To get a big tip, you allow your customers to take their time and you don't rush them. To please the boss you do just enough to keep the customers coming back. Just the basics. To get a big tip you go above and beyond just serving the food, and you pay closer attention to each individual customer's wants and desires.

Like I said, if you think hourly employees are a good idea, check out the service you get at your local McDonalds or Best Buy. Now ask yourself if you want that same level of service when you sit down for a meal at a decent restaurant.