tipping bartenders

nathan · #1 05-10-2009, 11:30 PM

So I just turned 21 a couple days ago and I've been going to bars at night. At first I didn't have to buy any of my drinks cause it was my birthday so I didn't have to worry about tipping. I do now, though.

What is the etiquette on tipping bartenders? Do you usually tip after every drink you buy or just give them one really big tip? I don't know, and I don't want them to think I'm an ***hole...

What do you guys usually do about tipping?

**cheezewiz** · #2 05-10-2009, 11:31 PM

I usually give the bartender a buck or two every drink I buy.

Passinwind · #3 05-10-2009, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

I usually give the bartender a buck or two every drink I buy.

Yep, even/especially when I'm working in the club too.

Jared Lash · #4 05-10-2009, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

I usually give the bartender a buck or two every drink I buy.

+1

Being a former bartender is part of if. But also, in a crowded bar I always like to talk to and tip the bartender and/or waitstaff well because it means I'll get my next order taken care of quickly.

TOOL460002 · #5 05-10-2009, 11:39 PM

i would say one dollar is fairly standard, though ive never been to an upscale bar, so more may be expected there. also, you only have to tip if you want another drink and dont want to be completely ignored.

Linas · #6 05-10-2009, 11:39 PM

I like to give the bar tender a nice tip off the bat, say... $5. This way if the bar is busy, they will remember you and take care of you before other people who might have been waiting. Then maybe a dollar every other drink or so.

**cheezewiz** · #7 05-10-2009, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Passinwind

Yep, even/especially when I'm working in the club too.

Yep.....ESPECIALLY then. I don't want to spend half my break waiting in line for a drink.

MCBTunes · #8 05-10-2009, 11:51 PM

Depends, if I am running a tab I'll take care of it and the tip at the end of the night. if I am paying cash for each drink it is tip as you go.

Unrepresented · #9 05-10-2009, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Passinwind

Yep, even/especially when I'm working in the club too.

I've gotten mixed responses on this. I've played clubs and been told by the bartenders that they don't expect me to tip because I'm working there.

As a patron, I'll usually drop a buck for a beer, another buck or two if I'm getting a fancier mixed drink.

tplyons · #10 05-11-2009, 12:13 AM

I usually tip a buck a beer. It's a minimum of a dollar every time I get served. A buck per mixed drink, but if it's just a beer or two, that'll go for a dollar as well.

More upscale place... I stick with a buck or two per beer. Same for mixed drinks.

nathan · #11 05-11-2009, 12:19 AM

yeah I've been tipping about a buck or two each time like you guys are saying. At first, I didn't know I should tip often... it was a little weird at first, haha.

i_got_a_mohawk · #12 05-11-2009, 01:41 AM

Working in a bar for 4 years, tips weren't too common over here. Mainly from some europeans or larger groups.

Wish I had worked in a bar in the US if they get tipped for every drink

jruberto · #13 05-11-2009, 01:48 AM

Tip early and often.

some advice on tipping while gigging...
Tip well!! Especially if you are getting comp drinks! If a place (or a bartender) is kind enough to style you out when you play there, you should take care of the staff. With drink comps I tip around 1/2 the value of the drink, if I get a $4 pint for free I'll tip at least $2, often more. If you get dinner on the house, make sure you add up a rough total for your dinner bill when you have the menu in front of you so you can calculate an appropriate tip based on how much your dinner would have cost...

(Part of that is just being nice, but another part of it is the next day the owner is going to ask the staff "hey, how was the band last night?" and if you didn't tip them they are going to say that you sucked.)

vene-nemesis · #14 05-11-2009, 02:00 AM

How much do you guys pay for a beer or a mixed drink?????

Absentia · #15 05-11-2009, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vene-nemesis

How much do you guys pay for a beer or a mixed drink?????

2$ for the beer (every bar has a cheap crappy beer on the cheap)
and
1$ every time I go up to the bar

Shots are depend from bar to bar from 3-6$ so I try to stay away.

mixed drinks? ewwww, sooo much sugar and people wonder why they get hangovers.

Sartori · #16 05-11-2009, 04:30 AM

A dollar a beer. I don't lay down a huge tip, but I do tip consistently. I've found that bartenders seem to like that.

Once it's resulted in me getting a Guinness on the house.

Usually, at places I've been to more than once, I don't have to wait long to make my order, or for it to be delivered.

BurningSkies · #17 05-11-2009, 05:50 AM

A buck a drink is pretty standard, no matter what the price of the drink.

Phalex · #18 05-11-2009, 06:29 AM

Tip $5.00 on the first drink, and a buck thereafter. The drinks get stronger, and the service gets faster.

Passinwind · #19 05-11-2009, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

I've gotten mixed responses on this. I've played clubs and been told by the bartenders that they don't expect me to tip because I'm working there.

I get told that quite often. I just say "I know" and tip anyway. Even if I'm on a tech service call, I want the staff to at least act happy to see me come in the next time. But I've seen many gigs where the band members literally can't afford to tip, and the staff generally understands when that's the case IME.

EricF · #20 05-11-2009, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

Tip $5.00 on the first drink, and a buck thereafter. The drinks get stronger, and the service gets faster.

Yep. That's about the pace I usually use - subject to some adjustment if I'm buying drinks for other people at the same time. NEVER less than $1 per drink - even if it's a free glass of water.

Also, when we're playing a club, we always make it a point to learn the names of the bartenders and give them a shout-out during our set - especially if they're hot chicks!