Gothamist: Is Your Bar Tipping Too Little?

Mel

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 01:13:21 -0500

I have bartender for about 4 years at more bars than I can count on both hands, not proud of it but still find it fun and love the bar where I work now. I provide quick friendly service and am happy with 20%. If you tip under that, I will still be quick and friendly but I am not going to buy you back drinks and will make a priority of serving better tippers before you. If you are cheap and I am really busy, I will maybe get around to you eventually. Take care of me and I will take care of you.

BEn

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 21:14:46 -0500

wtf are some of you thinking? you probably don't know anything about bartending...yea it is easy to pop a beer, but try popping 7 beers, making 10 mix drinks(Long Islands, Blue Motorcycles, etc) 5 DIFFERENT frozen drinks, pouring 4 glasses of wine...well you get my drift, and have orders being called out to you while you are trying to get the other orders complete! Tip your bartenders and tip them well, they work hard just like everyone else does!! We don't go to your job and tell you, you don't deserve your money...

Andrew J. Lederer

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:44:34 -0500

What if you're just too poor to tip, sometimes poorer than the bar tenders, does that mean you fork over money? if I could get my beer my damn self, I would [52] Posted by: flo | May 25, 2006 12:22 PM _____________________________________________ You can. Just not at the bar.

flo

Thu, 25 May 2006 12:22:24 -0500

What if you're just too poor to tip, sometimes poorer than the bar tenders, does that mean you fork over money? if I could get my beer my damn self, I would

Stewart

Wed, 24 May 2006 08:34:29 -0500

#43 - come on - we all know that every single person who receives cash tips does not report the entire amount to the IRS, hence some portion of the tip is tax free income therefore, a $1 tip isn't really a $1, is it?

Anya

Tue, 23 May 2006 13:40:25 -0500

Mr Pink didn't exactly say low-cut tops are an excuse for harrassment, but he did miss the point and act like an asshole. I say we can stuff a medium-sized baseball bat up his ass.

Stephen

Mon, 22 May 2006 22:38:40 -0500

Simple. I'm an ex-bartender, so I expect good service because that's what I gave to my customers. I go for $2 per drink, unless the bartender doesn't thank me or otherwise acknowledge the tipping in some way. Last weekend I was at a bar and gave a $12 dollar tip on a single round of six shots. No word of thanks, and the next time I came to the bar he served three other people, at least one of whom got to the bar after me, before taking my order. I stiffed him on that round. That's how it goes.

NOLA Alum

Mon, 22 May 2006 19:42:30 -0500

$1 per drink, 20% at the end of the night to the waitress if there is table service, extra tips for professional bartenders (screw nice or pretty-I just want my drink), extra tips if the place is packed and you want to get service in the future, buybacks get tips equal to cost of drinks, etc. Pretty simple really. And just to end on a non-PC note, yes, female bartenders dress that way on purpose- to get more tips- so dont hate the hater- just pity the fool.

BrianVan

Mon, 22 May 2006 18:32:25 -0500

Now now, don't be cheap. A dollar tip is a customary thing, and it's a social norm. Violate the rule at your own peril. As for $1 not being enough, I think that NY Mag is being absurd. As long as it's JUST a dollar, I can overlook the fallacy of the concept of widespread compulsory tipping. It's a stupid way to pay people for doing a job, a system rife with chaos and exploitation. New York is suggesting something that exploits the customer even further, suggesting that there's an imbalance right now. That's bullshit; the bartending trade is lucrative here. It's a difficult industry to get into; people hate their bartending jobs yet stick with them because they make so much money. And the service isn't getting any better. Nothing about the price of drinks (overpriced in many many cases) should affect the compulsory aspect of tips. From a capitalist standpoint, this is a stupid idea. But, knowing New York's target audience (those foolish with money, eager to have them parted from it), it's no surprise they would publish an article like this. It's all reassurance for people who have no respect for wealth and financial prudence. This appeases their advertisers greatly. They'll all burn in hell.

leslie

Mon, 22 May 2006 18:28:50 -0500

I agree, with the previous commenter. If you're going to be at the bar for a while, overtip for the first round -- if it's busy, the bartender will remember you and give you better service. After that, base the tip scale on how much money you have to spend. It also depends on how long you plan to hold up the bar -- just as at restaurant tables, turnover provides the real money for servers, so if you stay on the stool for an hour or more you should be more generous when you leave. Bartending is very hard work, and should be rewarded.

gary

Mon, 22 May 2006 18:14:36 -0500

if the bartender is nice and the place is not too crowded give 5 bucks on the first order of 2 drinks. You will get a buy-back the second or third round 90 percent of the time. If you look at tipping as a sport you end up saving money. I go to a bar get 2 drinks for 10 dollars plus 5 for tip then i get 2 free drinks and leave 3 dollars on that. 18 dollars for 4 drinks plus tip plus the bartender likes me now so the buy-backs come more frequently. if the bartender is a scumbag or you are only staying for one or two drinks then a dollar a drink is fine.

eric

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:57:48 -0500

I agree that tipping is stupid. Why not just let the market set the wage by the employer and include it in the price of the goods? This goes for waitstaff in restaurants as well. I think that bartenders should get paid more than minimum wage (certainly since it's extremely low), but getting tipped a dollar for doing at most 2 minutes of work (tell me a drink that honestly takes longer than that to make) and probably averages about 30 seconds given the amounts of beer that most bars serve means that a bartender on an average night is going to pull in at least $50/hour. That's excessive for your average bartender.

The Red Nun

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:53:33 -0500

#42 well said. However, good service warrants good tips. If, at my "white collar" job I do a poor service to my clients and agency/firm, I do not get that "tip" at the end of the year. If my service is over par, I do get that "tip" at the end of the year. Needless to say, if you work hard and pay attention to customer service you will be rewarded. If you sit on your ass and pretend you're the only one on earth, you will not. #39.. i'm riding on this one as well. All of my friends who bartend fulltime (actors) or bartend whenever (guest tenders) make out very well. $1-$2 a drink over a 8-12 hour period... you can make rent in a day if you work at the right place. I have some friends that work 4 days a week (wed, thu, fri, sat) bankin $300-$1200 a nite... after taxes, that's not a bad weekly... So, if you do not tip your bartenders and or waiters, stay inside and watch 'Golden Girls'.

REALITY CHECK

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:38:34 -0500

To whomever: If you don't tip a dollar a drink, you'll be viewed a cheapskate by your date and the bartender alike. You can rant on and on about how much to tip, or whether the bartender deserves it, or why the person has the bartending job in the first place. It still doesn't change the simple formula: One dollar per drink. If you don't do it, you'll pay more than a dollar's worth in social consequences.

Matthew

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:26:13 -0500

Tipping should be in exchange for good service. My local pizza places gets great tips from me because they give me great service, and usually give me a discount, which amounts to more tip! Want people to tip more for their drinks? give them a reason to!

Matthew

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:24:05 -0500

To hell with that! I reluctently tip a dollar on my already horrifically overpriced beer (and oh how well earned that extra dollar is...what a chore pouring and carrying that ever so heavy pint to me!)...do I ever get buybacks? or even half decent service?

Beer

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:18:54 -0500

To the person who never met a rich bartender, have you ever met a bartender? The ones I know make shitloads of money, because they get tipped $1 every time they blink. I have no problem giving $1 tips on drinks, but any more than that is absurd. And I even tip when bartenders have ignored me for 5 minutes or spill my drink as they're serving it, even though people like that should probably not be tipped if they're ever going to learn a lesson.

karl

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:03:19 -0500

"Bartenders and waiters usually get paid half the state regulated hourly wage plus tips, it's that simple." - #33 "You undoubtedly expect to be paid well for your job, and I bet a lot of you white-collar assholes get fat bonuses, too, yet you think bartenders, etc. shouldn't get a tip when they would make nearly nothing without it?" - #34 Um, maybe we should not pit the workers against each other here, when the real problem is the behavior of the employers reflected in the first quote above being legal. It is not the patrons that are stingy when not tipping, it is the employer exploiting the bartender. Tipping only allows the system to continue; bartenders, join the union instead and bargain collectively.

kingmidas

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:02:10 -0500

We hate bartenders because most have a very high opinion of themselves. In the end, it all evens out because their life is in the gutter. Like any other profession, show interest and ambition. Don't think you'll have customers forever and don't think you'll eventually get your own place Oh well, it all evens out in the end. my lonely friend.

sheriff lamb

Mon, 22 May 2006 16:55:11 -0500

Tipping stylists and shampoo-ists is pretty standard etiquette, dude.

thefuture

Mon, 22 May 2006 16:51:41 -0500

wait till they have robot bartenders you have to tip them microchips.

Jackarse

Mon, 22 May 2006 16:42:45 -0500

Are all of these comments being written by the same person? I've never seen such a group of anti-tippers. I was raised by a waitress/bartender and my mother always taught me to tip well because serving people food and drink is a shit job. Most of the people whose company I am happy to keep think the same way. I have been fortunate to never have to work a bartending or waitressing job but have many family members and friends who have. Clearly most of you have never worked in the service industry, despite what you say in your fake posts. You should all be ashamed. Everyone should be tipped well and fairly. You undoubtedly expect to be paid well for your job, and I bet a lot of you white-collar assholes get fat bonuses, too, yet you think bartenders, etc. shouldn't get a tip when they would make nearly nothing without it? Right. And for those of you claiming that bartenders make out so well, I have never met a rich bartender. It's the rare bartender who is both treated and paid well.

The Red Nun

Mon, 22 May 2006 16:42:13 -0500

Generally at sporting event/ games I choose not to tip the players. Their salaries are high enough. ;) answer to #8: Why should I tip a cashier who took my order when I pick it up at the restaurant? Cashiers do not get tips. They get a decent hourly wage (Starbucks employees, listen up!). There is one exception to the cashier tip: Greydog on Carmine St. Bartenders and waiters usually get paid half the state regulated hourly wage plus tips, it's that simple. If you're a douche bag bartender who cannot pour a simple beer without 1 inch of head or make a decent drink even on the second try then you should not be tending bar. Buy-backs are essential and refelct my tip after the third drink. If there is more than one bartender at the bar, I always try to use the same bartender again and again...

Greenthumb

Mon, 22 May 2006 16:37:35 -0500

Mr. Pink, do you know what this is? It's the worlds largest baseball bat being shoved up your ass. You are the reason women are afraid to walk down the street alone. Women should be able to wear whatever they want without being harrassed. Fuck you.

Samantha T

Mon, 22 May 2006 16:32:06 -0500

If anybody makes out well in the service industry, it's bartenders. Waiting tables is far more physically difficult and, generally, patrons are a hell of a lot more demanding and cranky. I think people expect servers to be a lot friendlier than bartenders, as well. When I waited tables, we had to tip out the bartenders (who received minimum wage while we received a fraction of minimum wage) at least 10% of our tips. I didn't begrudge them that - I needed them to get tips in the first place - but I do think that the labor involved is more onerous with waiting tables.

reader

Mon, 22 May 2006 15:44:28 -0500

What about at sporting events?

j0sh

Mon, 22 May 2006 15:29:05 -0500

One thing I always think about is that a bartender usually makes the same tip handing you a beer as a cabdriver does driving you through 20 blocks of manhattan traffic. With this in mind, I generally tip cabdrivers 30%. They work much harder for it..

k

Mon, 22 May 2006 15:27:20 -0500

I'm so glad I gave up drinking. ;)

rizz

Mon, 22 May 2006 15:25:06 -0500

tipping is retarded and should be eliminated. Employers should pay their staff a decent wage and tipping would not be expected. Most of us work in jobs like that, so get with it bar and restaurant owners. I didnt get tips for slinging vhs's at blockbizzle.

Andrew J. Lederer

Mon, 22 May 2006 15:24:33 -0500

If people tipped a dollar in the '60s at the Algonquin, then a dollar today at a normal bar is just fine. (Tip more when you're at the Algonquin.)

stop the madness

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:49:52 -0500

I'll tip more when the bartenders stop filling orders according to their sexual attraction to the patrons and start filling them according to who got there first. And in general, i'm sick of all of the tip jars. Coffee shop, hair salon (shampoo girl AND stylist?), doorman, taxidrivers, waiters, bartenders.

Jordan

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:47:57 -0500

My theory on the change is that I leave it plus a buck. So if the drink was $5.50, I leave $7. Sadly, I see way too many people just leave $6 in that situation. A few weeks ago I was in an airport and saw a guy order 3 beers, which totalled out to like $20.30, and he was annoyed at the beers being so expensive, so he left $21 and walked away. That guy was a dick.

EagleEyez

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:31:42 -0500

I generally tip $2 per drink ordered; on a buyback, I tip the cost of the drink. Tips should be *at least* $1 per drink, and unfortunately too many people out there that don't even do that. The problem with bars charging $0.50 on a drink is that it leads to less tipping -- too often I've seen people leave $6 on $5.50 or whatever. As for change? Should really never be part of a cash tip, with very, very few exceptions.

Professional Bartender

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:29:10 -0500

$1 is more than enough if you are paying for each drink one at a time, that includes beer, "the head on a pint is more than an inch" Guy... you are hellva wanker and "Tipping $1 for opening a bottle of beer? give me a break. I do it and I hate it" it's the service industry, you won't be in my bar long if you keep that sh*t up. If you are keeping a tab and the service was very good (like I will give all of you)then 15% to 20% is nice. Honestly though, to all the cheap bastards who don't tip well, I laugh you off (and downgrade your importance at the bar) because MOST people tip well so I never have to worry about it. I generally don't tell people that I am buying them a drink, the "buyback move" is I refill your wine/beer/cocktail glass. It's up to you what you are tipping on that but I just saved you $9 - $12 (my spot is expensive) so tip accordingly. Yesterday I was tipped $30 on a $42 tab by doing the above. What nice people they are....

grif

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:28:50 -0500

It's still a buck whether the drink is $6 or $12 - the price of the drink doesn't change the bartender's job. Delivery guys always get five bucks and I never tip less than 20% in a restaurant.

s

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:19:05 -0500

I dont see why price of drink has anything to do with it. some places will charge you 5 bucks for a gin and tonic, others 8, but its the same effort involved, no reason to tip more on that. its all about: - degree of difficulty in getting you your drink (the whole opening or pouring a beer vs. mixing something complicated, and how hellish the crowd is) - friendliness and quickness of service My general rule is $1 per drink, extra dollar on top of it all for multiples (four drinks = $5) but then again, neither I nor any of my friends drink complicated drinks like martinis or mudslides. I tend to overtip bartenders who are cool, friendly and not "cooler-than-thou-snotty-new-yorker-wait-until-i-deem-you-worthy-to-drink-here" (they usually dont get shit from me), this results in the bartender being happy and with me getting quicker service and/or free drinks

timbnyc

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:16:35 -0500

My bar never tips me, dammit!

Rae is Correct

Mon, 22 May 2006 14:04:18 -0500

Rae brings up a good point that I think is underappreciated by many people. A tip based purely on service should be made distinct from a tip based on the customer's willingness to provide some suplementary payment (more like a bartender's fee). Because the supplementary payment is tacitly agreed upon by customers and bar owners in general, its seems unethical not to pay at least some amount extra for your drink or for a bar owner to raise drink prices to include the supplementary payment. Anything above the agreed-upon "bartender's fee" becomes a service tip and is entirely discretionary. Because I drink simple mixed drinks and beer I normally don't include a service tip, just what I think the supplementary payment should be (a buck per drink or beer). Rae's point is absolutely correct: you shouldn't try to find an appropriate value for the service that the bartender provides. You should realize that you have to uphold your end of the societal bargain. In any case I prefer this informal bartender's fee system to the "service compris" system of France and other European countries, though I don't really know why.

KipEsquire

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:50:20 -0500

If the act has not changed (i.e., serving the drink), then why should the tip change? What's next -- adding a fuel surcharge like FreshDirect has done?

Judas Iscariot

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:45:59 -0500

Wow, I didn't know alcohol and tipping was an even bigger issue than cellphones in school. I'm sure glad we know where our priorities lie. Who knew. I'm vaclemped(sp?).

Constant Dater

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:45:36 -0500

Buybacks: Good tipping for at least 3 rounds, friendliness. It's more likely to happen if you're sitting at the bar which creates an easier association of above. Probably even more likely on a slower night as a gambit to get you to stick around. A couple places where I'm a regular and have a rapport with the staff I often seem to get buybacks on the 3rd round. Having nice tits never hurts, either. (Hey it's a tough world and if I get a free gimlet once in awhile because of my cleavage, I ain't crying sexism.)

former bartender

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:44:43 -0500

Hey Steve, good question! I'd like to hear from current bartenders on this one, since I haven't worked in this kind of job for a long time. If it's an open bar with one kind of liquor and the bartenders are pouring a half second worth of vodka into each glass (either due to lack of time, or as instructed), I figure a buck is fine. If it's a sanctioned open bar and they make your drink normally, I go $2. If it's a buyback, or if you're getting free drinks for any other reason while everyone else is paying, I definitely go $3. Oh yeah, and as far as owners taking their share of tips, this is just WRONG. I know there's a certain wine bar on Second Av. in which the owner does this very thing!

EQB

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:34:48 -0500

what does it take to get bartenders to give buybacks?

Steve

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:32:21 -0500

How much do you tip the bartender who isn't charging you for the drinks? I feel like $3 per drink is fair.

Mr. Pink

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:32:14 -0500

I guess that's why all the female bartenders I see wear those low cut string tops - to avoid all the oogling. You know what this is? It's the world's smallest violin playing just for the bartenders.

guy

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:13:44 -0500

One more thing about beer tips - if the head on a pint is more than an inch (not a guiness or murphy's etc), no tip for you.

Matt

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:08:50 -0500

I've always been interested in hearing from a bar owner how much $ a bar makes... It boggles my mind.

Malcolm

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:05:43 -0500

"#2. Picking up your order? Use common sense, no tip requried." why not? they did more work than just pour a drink or fetch a bottle and open it.

gabe

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:01:48 -0500

Having worked both sides of the bar, I can tell you that everyone's worst nightmare is loose change - bartenders usually get smaller tips when it's around (they get the change only) and then have to count it out at the end of the night. Patrons, well, we don't really know what to do with the stuff. All in all - rounding up to full dollar amounts for drinks makes perfect sense and your tips should always reflect the environment and the level of attention and effort involved - start with $1 per and then work up based on price of drink and merit (obviously a $12 drink or a great bartender require more). One thing I've noted in the city - as more young, short-term employed women work the bars, we're seeing fewer and fewer bybacks - shame, shame, shame.

Rae

Mon, 22 May 2006 13:01:07 -0500

In NYC, your tip isn't really (or isn't just) for the service ("opening a bottle of beer") but also because at many bars, your tip is all the bartender gets. Where they do get paid, often it's a measly hourly or shift wage and the tips are the bulk of their pay, which in larger establishments have to be shared with multiple bartenders and barbacks, not to mention the bar owner's cut (yes, it happens). Also, if it's a female bartender, you're tipping her for the 8 straight hours of sexual harrassment she has to endure to pop the top off that bottle. Keep in mind that most bars are only busy 2-3 nights a week, so not all the bartenders make a lot in tips every week. Bartending can be really fun, but it can also be a miserable job (incidentally, no I'm not a bartender, I just feel for anyone who has to put up with so much crap at work). So shut up and tip and stop being such stingy assholes. Oh, and I happily tip $1 a drink unless it's a fancy mixed drink, in which case I double it. If you have a problem with drink prices, take it out on the bar owners, not the bartenders. Or go to Brooklyn, where it is still overpriced but less than Manhattan.

The Red Nun

Mon, 22 May 2006 12:58:21 -0500

#2. Picking up your order? Use common sense, no tip requried.

guy

Mon, 22 May 2006 12:53:04 -0500

$1 for a beer is more than enough, IMHO. Multiple beers at once (3 or 4) makes it $2. After all, all they're doing is pouring beer into a glass or simply opening a bottle. Mixed drinks are worth at least a $1.50 tip, and if they're to my liking, the tip can be very generous. These are my "dive-bar/cheap place" tipping guidlines. If the place is busy or the drinks are super-fancy, tips go up.

eric

Mon, 22 May 2006 12:49:27 -0500

Tipping $1 for opening a bottle of beer? give me a break. I do it and I hate it.

Jeff

Mon, 22 May 2006 12:44:47 -0500

Should you tip when you pick-up a take out meal?

The Red Nun

Mon, 22 May 2006 12:41:23 -0500

Tipping is typically 15% of the bill. Or to make it easy double the tax plus $1 or $2. For exceptional service add $5 - $10. The same applies for bartenders. If your typical pint of beer in a New York City bar costs $6, then a $1 tip is sufficient. However, most people will tip $1 on any drink which is fine. I mean what is the bartender really doing? They fill the glass with ice and pour, it's not complicated. My rule of thumb is: $1 per drink $2 for a mixed drink or smoothie such as a mud slide or a daq, unless it comes out of a machine, then back to the $1 tip. Believe it or nor, some bars go as far as to rip you off by including the tip in the drink price, so now you're overtipping and they're running to the bank with double tips all night. Basically, if the bartender is a good mixologist—the bigger the tip the thicker the mud (stronger drinks). Sometimes the bartender is outright obnoxious and will ignore you, if this is the case, tipping not required. If they screw up your drink or make the drink stiffless, again, no tip is required. BArs to watch out for that over charge or double chrage: Sushi Samba 7 and Park Ave, Grace Bar and Restaurant and Boxers to name a few.