Bandmate not tipping the waitstaff - Page 10

lfmn16 · #**181** 08-20-2012, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass12

It occurred to me before you posted this that perhaps there's a little bit of a misunderstanding going on here.

My apologies. Although I do tip the bartender, that's a little more of a grey area for me. You CAN avoid using a waitress/waiter but you can't avoid the bartender.

troy mcclure · #**182** 08-20-2012, 10:43 AM

Well this weekend went better, no drummer tipping problems. I guess my talk with him helped. Let's see how long that lasts.

bass12 · #**183** 08-21-2012, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lfmn16

My apologies. Although I do tip the bartender, that's a little more of a grey area for me. You CAN avoid using a waitress/waiter but you can't avoid the bartender.

No problem. Easy to see how things could get confusing.

Wesley R · #**184** 08-21-2012, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

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.

You are a wise individual.

viper4000 · #**185** 08-21-2012, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

In fact NPR had a news bit during the Olympics about racist slurs used by restaurant servers, and "Canadian" is a word commonly used to mean "bad tipper", in turn used to refer to non-white customers.

I didn't want to be the one to bring this up, but it is definitely a racial slur as well.

StereoPlayer · #**186** 09-09-2012, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tommy504

I used to bartend and there was a certain guitar player who never ever tipped. Trust me, bartenders and waitstaff as a close knit group. They give each other professional courtesy between bars. They hang out and talk. They know who that guitar player is and they know who your drummer is-and can't stand him. Every bar he goes to will see him coming and may even make him wait for service if it's not too obvious. At minimum, they talk smack about him behind his back. It is not a reflection on your band, just him. He's more popular than he knows!

I tip very well in band situations... When I arrive to the gig, they are friendly and smiling!

Sometimes I get "looks" from other band mates...but...I ALWAYS have a cold water/pop in my hand!
AND, my friends, at my table, get great service too

!

StereoPlayer · #**187** 09-09-2012, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

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.

I have too remember to tip the sound man, if there is one. BEFORE I play!
I'm sure I would be better off

bluewine · #**188** 09-09-2012, 02:45 AM

I don't drink, however beer and soda are usually free of charge. All of the band members know and tip the bartenders generously.

It's good business.

Blue

modulusman · #**189** 09-09-2012, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluewine

I don't drink, however beer and soda are usually free of charge. All of the band members know and tip the bartenders generously.

It's good business.

Blue

Do you still tip even though your drinks are free?

Gaius46 · #**190** 09-09-2012, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by modulusman

Do you still tip even though your drinks are free?

Yes. Tips are For the perform of the service. Cost of the item has nothing to do whether or not you tip the person.

Biggbass · #**191** 09-09-2012, 08:14 AM

i always tip the waitstaff well, despite the band price of the drinks or food. my daughter worked her way thru college as a waiter which also helped me realize the importance of gratuitites to service workers. When you consider that you, as a musician, are making (lets say) $100 for working the same 4 hours that the waiter is making $2.10 per hour for, it's well within your bugdet to compensate the waiter for the personal service you get during your time there. Either way it will be remembered and your service will reflect it the next time you are there. I'd say your drummer is a scumbag who treats everyone with the same lack of respect. His future playing music with people of integrity is limited.

bluewine · #**192** 09-09-2012, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by modulusman

Do you still tip even though your drinks are free?

Yes

modulusman · #**193** 09-09-2012, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaius46

Yes. Tips are For the perform of the service. Cost of the item has nothing to do whether or not you tip the person.

My thoughts exactly.

troy mcclure · #**194** 09-09-2012, 09:35 AM

I maker it a habit on freebies to tip as we go. No one else in the band does, they tip at the end. The drummer now tips after I spoke to him.

A lot of bar gigs, we pay our tab after we get paid, so we tip then but last night our server was already gone by the time they settled up. ( Bar totally screwed up the bill charging for food that never got cooked and not comping us $15 per man as usual..they made good and it just took a little while) I said make sure Lisa gets this and handed over a $20 from the band. Who knows if she will see it, we only play this place quarterly.

Not yet · #**195** 09-09-2012, 09:41 AM

We tip out the staff at the end of the nite when we get paid or if we have a favorite we throw out a $20 at the beginning

jungleheat · #**196** 09-09-2012, 02:14 PM

Does anybody else think maybe tips should be based on "degree of difficulty" and/or quantity of items and not on price (at least not entirely)? Or maybe half and half?

Think about it, is it any harder to pop the cap on an $8 beer than on a $2 beer? Of course not. To me, anything over $1 tip for a single beer seems excessive, considering it takes about 30 seconds to actually serve it (and the whole transaction maybe takes 3 minutes when include ordering and paying if you're not using a tab). Let's do some math... 3m per drink, at $1 tip for each, equals $20/hour for the bartender. That's not counting the 5-10m you usually have to wait until the bartender deems to acknowledge your presence if you aren't a hot girl or wearing flashy clothes indicating you might be rich.

Even WITHOUT an hourly wage, that's a pretty damn good living.

Now, don't get me wrong, I have a part time delivery job, so I LOVE getting big tips (especially when the place is nearby and I take a salad and a pizza and the total is like 33 bucks and they give me $40). But delivery is a bit different than bartending which is a bit different from waiting tables. I can only do so many deliveries per hour, so if I'm not averaging $4-6 in tips for each one, it's not worth my time. And unlike a bartender, I actually DO have overhead, because I have to pay for the increased wear and tear on my car, insurance, gas, etc... Weirdly, I've heard that 10% is the "accepted" rate for deliveries. What the hell? The driver is actually coming out of pocket to bring you food while you sit on your lazy a$$, while a waitress just shows up to work and brings food and drinks to your table from the kitchen a few feet away yet she gets 5% more? Makes no sense to me.

Anyway, I understand if you ask for some elaborate/obscure mixed drink that takes a little more effort/time you should probably tip a little higher, but to me, $1 for an average beer or "rum and coke" seems more than adequate, unless the service is really excellent.

Biggbass · #**197** 09-11-2012, 09:44 AM

We play a regular gig at a local Tex Mex place...nice big patio, great food and drinks, where our fans love to come spend the evening with us. We've been playing there for about 8 years and bring in a full house crowd. There is a waiter there that always takes good care of me. He brings me water during the load in, a big tumbler of tea for my mic stand-bev-holder when we kick off our sets, and has a plate of hot crispy beef tacos ready for me when we take our first break. He knows the routine. And despite having a packed house and servicing a dozen tables he is always there for me when the music stops, has a fresh tumbler of tea for every set, and a top shelf margarita or Patron shot, if I give him the signal. He is also there till the end, after the load out, with a roadie of iced tea for my drive home. Our tab is comped by the owner so I'm not out anything for the food and drink. But I always tip him at least 25% of what my bill would have been...and always in cash. And if I'm in there for lunch, I make sure I sit in his section and tip him well. His standard greeting when I walk in is, "How are you my friend?...It's good to see you!". So over the course of a year I probably tip this man a total of a couple of hundred dollars. That's not going to change either of our lifestyles...but it sure does make the time I spend there more enjoyable and keeps the good vibes going.

Stewie26 · #**198** 09-11-2012, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biggbass

We play a regular gig at a local Tex Mex place...nice big patio, great food and drinks, where our fans love to come spend the evening with us. We've been playing there for about 8 years and bring in a full house crowd. There is a waiter there that always takes good care of me. He brings me water during the load in, a big tumbler of tea for my mic stand-bev-holder when we kick off our sets, and has a plate of hot crispy beef tacos ready for me when we take our first break. He knows the routine. And despite having a packed house and servicing a dozen tables he is always there for me when the music stops, has a fresh tumbler of tea for every set, and a top shelf margarita or Patron shot, if I give him the signal. He is also there till the end, after the load out, with a roadie of iced tea for my drive home. Our tab is comped by the owner so I'm not out anything for the food and drink. But I always tip him at least 25% of what my bill would have been...and always in cash. And if I'm in there for lunch, I make sure I sit in his section and tip him well. His standard greeting when I walk in is, "How are you my friend?...It's good to see you!". So over the course of a year I probably tip this man a total of a couple of hundred dollars. That's not going to change either of our lifestyles...but it sure does make the time I spend there more enjoyable and keeps the good vibes going.

I like stories like that. You both take care of each other. Sounds like there is also a mutual respect between the two of you.

pickettj · #**199** 12-31-2012, 05:15 PM

Thankful birds · #**200** 01-02-2013, 02:08 PM

I'm not sure how many of you have worked in the bar/restaurant industry. I was a bartender in college and was previously a waiter. What some of you may not realize is that at most places your waiter/waitress typically pays out a percentage of sales to the bartender, busboy, potentially doormen, barbacks, etc. Normally it's between 3-5%, and I have seen it as high as 10%. The bartenders frequently also payout a percentage of sales to barbacks, and possibly a doorman.

Not tipping is remembered by everyone in the club, including the owner who will undoubtedly hear about it. It's a sure way to never be invited back. But that's not really the point- people who work these jobs are typically placed on a lower minimum wage scale, with the understanding that tips will make up and likely exceed the difference. When you don't pay, you are actively making people pay money for the privilege of serving you. If you don't have the money or the inclination to tip, don't order.