Bandmate not tipping the waitstaff

troy mcclure · #1 08-12-2012, 01:08 PM

Drives me nuts we wait months to get into a decent club and our drummer (it's always the drummer) runs a $40 bar tab night 1 and doesn't tip because he wants to keep his tab running to night 2 as the place pays us on night 2 of the weekend. So he takes his childish hostility out on the waitress.

He seems to have a persecution complex. Every time we play a bar, either they charge too much for drinks, the drinks are too small or he doesn't like the pay situation or any control of the set timing.

I explained to him, he represents the band when doesn't tip...he just doesn't get it.

Exploiter8 · #2 08-12-2012, 01:15 PM

Sounds to me like he's there to get drunk, not play music.

X8

smogg · #3 08-12-2012, 01:17 PM

Some people are just lousy tippers period. What ya gonna do? It's their right to tip or not. I just make sure I take care of my servers and bar tenders so I get good service all the time. I can't/don't worry about anybody else in the band.

Winfred · #4 08-12-2012, 01:17 PM

Some people seem to never miss a chance to complain or play the victim, and then be passive aggressive about it.

Your drummer should tip the waitstaff, unless they're horrible.

Exploiter8 · #5 08-12-2012, 01:23 PM

The waitstaff doesn't work for him, but for the owner of the bar that also employs the band. The part-timers in the band don't have the seniority that the full-time waitstaff does. If he thinks he's better than them, let the waitress's biker boyfriend take him out back to explain it to him!

X8

gjbassist · #6 08-12-2012, 01:36 PM

If your drummer is running up a $40 bar tab in one night IMO he needs to go! You need a drummer that is there to play not get drunk! I'm all for having a couple of drinks during a gig but it sounds like he is getting carried away. Also, he should tip regardless of the amount.

smogg · #7 08-12-2012, 02:01 PM

If the band is paying "show price" for drinks, that works out to about 6 mixed drinks or 8 beers @ $40. If you allow for set up, tear down & actual play time you are only talking about one (1) drink an hour. So $40 is nothing on a Fri or Sat night when a band is playing. Tab would not be the issue here, treating the bar staff poorly is definitely an issue though.

fenderhutz · #8 08-12-2012, 02:04 PM

I usually throw a the bartender a 5'er when I walk in. If I get more than a couple drinks I throw in more. I usually get my drinks quick the rest of evening between sets.

plankspanker13 · #9 08-12-2012, 02:04 PM

The bar staff are your coworkers. Respect is mandatory.

gigslut · #10 08-12-2012, 02:08 PM

If the band is paying "show price" they are paying themselves. BL should at least negotiate day prices for drinks. Many places I play either comp drinks until the band abuses the privilege, or we get a deep discount.
Regardless, it is uncouth to take it out on the wait staff. They don't make policy. Band members should keep in mind that waitstaff reports back to management (who are often absent during the gig) about the band. That slow night might not have been your fault after all

Conversely, that great ringup might have been in spite of a lousy performance.

smogg · #11 08-12-2012, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gigslut

If the band is paying "show price" they are paying themselves. BL should at least negotiate day prices for drinks. Many places I play either comp drinks until the band abuses the privilege, or we get a deep discount.
Regardless, it is uncouth to take it out on the wait staff. They don't make policy. Band members should keep in mind that waitstaff reports back to management (who are often absent during the gig) about the band. That slow night might not have been your fault after all

Conversely, that great ringup might have been in spite of a lousy performance.

Point well taken. Around here working at a B/C circuit level, it is either Good pay & buy your own drinks or Average pay and deals on drinks. Very rarely do we get both, but again I'm not working the A circuit.

But def agree with don't blame the bar/wait staff. They don't make the rules they just have to work with in them, as should the band IMO.

DanNowhere · #12 08-12-2012, 02:37 PM

when I have a bar gig, I don't consider myself an employee at the bar, I consider myself a customer. nobody gets paid to drink. I tip even if the drinks are free. Nobody likes a cheapskate, especially wait staff, and trust me, they remember this stuff when it comes time to decide whether to book your band again or not.

rockinrayduke · #13 08-12-2012, 02:40 PM

Agreed completely with Dan.

Phalex · #14 08-12-2012, 02:41 PM

You guys need to negotiate free drinks........

I would frequently stiff the bartender (bartender not a waitress bringing me a drink) at my favorite venue until I got paid on Saturday night. It was kind of a ritual. I'd throw him a twenty, and say "Thanks for everything Mike. I know I stiffed you all weekend". Then he'd start to protest, but he always wound up keeping it in the end.

It was less than 10% of my take, and totally worth it the next time we'd play there.

There was one night he tried to get me trashed just for fun, but I pulled through just fine in spite of his best efforts.

jonas_24112 · #15 08-12-2012, 03:45 PM

I observed a band member tip $0.50 cents on a $14.50 tab a couple of gigs ago. I tipped the bartender extra for the insult.

This same guy had to "borrow" my tuner 3 times at Friday nights gig. I have a nice poly in line tuner, which means I have to turn off my amp and unplug my bass so he can plug in to the tuner. He also is using my one if my Hardwire tube overdrive pedals cause his digitech distortion pedal is crap. I would feel sorry for the guy, but he's made some serious cash with this band this year and has invested nothing back. I told him to take the $100 he made at Fridays gig and buy himself a good tuner, but in much less pc terms.

gigslut · #16 08-12-2012, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanNowhere

I tip even if the drinks are free.

I tip more if the drinks are free. They worked just as hard to bring them too as they would if I had been paying. I already saved a bundle, why not give back a little? On the road a lot of meals are comped. I always tip the waiter based on what my bill would have been had I paid full price. It never hurts to get on the good side of the staff. Managers often rely on them for reviews of bands at their club.

troy mcclure · #17 08-12-2012, 03:59 PM

So the $40 bar tab was him and his GF..we do get 5 free beers a gig at this venue.
We normally get a bucket a guy, or 1 free drink per set or $15 bar tab per member depending on the gig.

I am with gigslut...I am aware the wait staff reports back to the owner, otherwise it would be none of my business if he tipped or not. I almost feel like I need to take tip money for the bar off the top of each members pay. I tip even if they give me a glas f water.

ON the ONE · #18 08-12-2012, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plankspanker13

The bar staff are your coworkers. Respect is mandatory.

^^^^This people.

Edward G. · #19 08-12-2012, 04:15 PM

Nobody likes a cheapsh*t.

Even if your drinks are free, tip on what they would have cost normally.

If you want to stand out in a good way, tip well. It'll make you welcome wherever you go.

hrodbert696 · #20 08-12-2012, 04:27 PM

Not to mention that if the waitresses complain to the management that your bandmates run up tabs and don't tip, it's a strike against you if you want to get rebooked back into the place. Your drummer's behavior is potentially jeopardizing the whole band's viability. Straighten him out or kick him out, period, the end.