- Bottoms Up (RSS)Do you tip a bartender?
By William Brand
Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 3:24 pm in Uncategorized.
Here’s one for discussion. Do you tip a bartender? I’m not talking about a sit-down restaurant, white tablecloths, etc. I mean in a bar. Say the Toronado, or The Trappist or Luka’s or Pacific Coast to name four of my faves.
You sit at the bar with friends, order a pint or two, shoot the breeze and leave. What about the guy or woman who served you? Do you leave anything.
I usually do, especially if the place is a real tavern and incredibly busy, then I usually leave more. Am I right? Comments anyone?
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August 14th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Unless the guy was a total idiot, and I want to minimum wage the guy out of work, I always tip the Bartender.
If it was reasonably quick service, the guy gets $1.00 per order. More than a buck if it is a big order. If the beer is $4.25, he might get $0.75. If he made an effort, I might give him $5.25 and let him keep the change.
Tending bar is not an easy job. The per hour wage is not great. Good tips keep good bartenders working.
I consider it part of what goes with a drinking in a bar.
brewnot
August 14th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I always tip at bars.
$1/drink is my standard, $2-$3 for a pitcher, 0 – $.50 for a soda. I’ll occasionally leave $.50 for a drink if I don’t have $1 in change or a dollar bill.
August 14th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Yes. Even in countries where they don’t tip…
August 14th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
$1 a beer normally, regardless of the beer price.
August 14th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Usual: A buck a beer.
Exception: The tender is a twit.
Reason: Gotta keep the beer karma going!
August 14th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
When you get along in your life, and you are earning a good living, and you enjoy an establishment that understands good beer in the city that you live — you dang well better patronize the bartender and the establishment as a whole. Just sayin’: remember how hard it was to get the rent together when you’re 22? If you’re 22 and a bartender — it’s gonna get better.
August 15th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Why is this a question?
$1 a beer.
August 15th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Always at least a buck.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:47 am
It’s a question, because when I was young, even though I’d worked in restaurants a lot. I never thought about tipping the bar tender. It just never occurred to me. Now, I routinely tip the bar tender unless it;s the owner of the place. But it’s a subject that’s never mentioned.
I can have dinner with friends and we always discuss the tip when settling up. But have a pint with friends — does anyone even mention a tip? In my circle, never.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:21 am
William,
I use the normal 15-20% guideline that is normally used for restaurants.
I think this is a legit question, because I see many, many people who do not tip at all. Perhaps, the readers of this forum are just a classy lot.
What about beers from a concession stand? Aay you order 3 beers from ‘Beers From Around the World’ at AT&T park. Do you leave a tip? Or do you just figure it’s priced into your $9 Lagunitas IPA?
–Gary
August 15th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Gary makes a good point. A tip is appropriate for a fairly priced beer. Recently, I paid full price for a Death and Taxes while a sign stared back at me claiming $2 pints on all taps, specifically mentioning Death and Taxes. The bartender was annoyed that I didn’t want a frosty glass and I think the price was my punishment. I still received a chilled glass, so I didn’t leave a tip.
I try to tip $1 per pint. Bottled beer gets no tip usually.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I’m with you Mario. Chilled glass, bartender doesn’t listen. No tip. I think I’d sit there and ask politely for the beer in a non-chilled glass.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Tipping at the ballpark. Good question Gary. Working those concession stands is a bitch. I did it once. I gentally dn’t tip. But you know, why not? The $9 for a beer doesn’t go to the person working, does it. I do always leave a dollar for the lady at the Anchor stand at ATT. Hmm food for thought.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Always. I never even considered not tipping the bartender. Even if I find myself non-pub-like like a Chili’s or other chain restaurant. If I sit at the bar, I tip because I belive you always tip a server.
I was never a bartender, but was a coffee jockey. I never expected a tip, but we had a jar on the counter. The cash from that jar meant all my paychecks could be deposited while leaving me petty cash for gas, food, and fun. I would have lived paycheck to paycheck without it.
Jinja Out
August 16th, 2008 at 9:49 am
$1 a drink. Any drink. No matter what. If you don’t like the service, fine, put your dollar down and leave. Anything less is churlish.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Yeah, it’s funny, I used to not tip bartenders as much as waiters. I don’t know why. Then a couple years ago I thought about it a bit more and realized their base pay is about the same. Plus bartenders usually work harder and, well, frankly, I like most bartenders more than most waiters.
So, yeah, 15-20%, or more, depending.
As an acquaintance said, “If you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to drink.”
August 18th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Good advice. I always figure the tip as part of the price of the beer. But, you know, I don’t believe I tip bartenders as well as waiters and I’m with you. Bartenders tend to be a better group. Gonna have to keep track of how much I tip.
August 18th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
i’ve worked in many different tip based jobs, coffee shop, bartender, server, bell-hop, butler. bartending isn’t the easiest job in the world, but its not brain surgery. my work at cafes making coffee can be more difficult or demanding than bartending and you make a fraction of the tips, that you do bartending.
working for tips is kinda like this.
whenever your hurting for money, you won’t make any tips
you will get stiffed sometimes by the most difficult orders and you never did anything wrong, like be an asshole to them.
you will get tipped outragious amounts when you least expect/deserve it.
easy earned money, will often get blown easy
to make good money on tips, you have to be good at it and find ways to make money. i find that not expecting money, always being gracious, anticipating what the guest wants, and your mood is above all else.
californians tip good. europeans, not so much. serioulsy. your servers out here make 8 dollars an hour plus tips! coming from wisconsin, servers make $2.33 an hour plus tips, and they at most get 15%. vs. californias typical 18%-20%. yes it is more expensive to live in california, but the cost is comparable to most other metropolitian areas.
a loose quote from luis black.
People from Wisconsin must have some where in there constitiuon that it is an entitlement to drink. I could fly to Wisconsin from New York, spend 3 nights drinking there, come back and still have spent less than going out one night in New York.
and the funny part is that its true.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 am
If you don’t tip your bartender, I wouldn’t order a second drink if I were you.
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 am
OK,, J…that’s that’s the best comment of all.
January 6th, 2009 at 3:35 am
ALWAYS TIP THE SHIT OUT OF BARTENDERS! guys its easy the more you tip the less your bill tends to be and the heavier the pour plus if its packed and your bartender recognizes you on a busy night guess who gets service first…the amazing tipper! i bartend at an irish pub and absolutely love my job and we have great tippers who we network with such as other restaurants and bars etc. I get pair 2.13 an hour haha so everything is based on tips. we have great customers the other night a well to do realtor who regularly comes in and who we all know on a first name basis tipped 100 on a 230 dollar tab! thank you you just made my night! also same night later on when its packed a got a .50 cent tip on a 24 dollar round HA! while the sales are good for the restaurant its not good for the bartenders. there is usually 3-4 of us a night on and as soon as we get a tip like that guess what word spreads between us real quick and those cheap assholes didnt get another drink as it was busy and i had regulars in who tip 30 percent
March 7th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
I was at a bar last night and was ordering a beer ($4). I was at the bar and tipped $1. Not a simple thank you from the bartender. He took the money and leaned back at the bar. I ordered 2 more beers in the next hour or so and this time I didn’t tip. If im being charged $4 for a domestic beer and I tip, you can at least thank me for tipping.
I felt a bit odd, but I felt he didn’t deserve any more tips. I can grab my own beer, but im not allowed.