Acting like a baller, tipping singles

[Billybladez66]

I've played tons of bar gigs...some with a tip jar and some without. If I'm getting guaranteed money I always felt good for a dollar..5..10...whatever. So it's all good regardless.
As far as tipping a bartender...dollar a round is standard....if I lay 4 bucks for a beer a dollar is 25%...that's 10 percent more than a standard 15%gratuity...which as far as I know is expected....if I'm on a tab for being in the band I'll tio 10 bucks if the bartender takes good care of me. All I drink is beer unless someone buys me a shot... Then the tips on them, but thanks for the shot!!!!

 

[BawanaRik]

The business says if you are on the tip received end, remember what a server gets paid

 

[Rayjay]

I drove an hour plus for 5 bucks. If you're in it for the money I feel for you

Been there! When I was 19 I drove from Philly to play my band's first gig in Manhattan. Little did we know we'd only make $25 and spend more than that on the NJ Turnpike, the tunnels, and the gas! Plus I think we got a parking ticket. Good times.

 

[BawanaRik]

Been there! When I was 19 I drove from Philly to play my band's first gig in Manhattan. Little did we know we'd only make $25 and spend more than that on the NJ Turnpike, the tunnels, and the gas! Plus I think we got a parking ticket. Good times.

It was. You don't know it at the time but it was

 

[Phildevoid]

God bless Canada. We don't have this problem. The tippers have to put in the minimum of $5 in our jar or face the wrath of looking cheap when some coins rattle in the jar. (incidentally Strippers benefit from this as well).

Ah, I suppose this is the only perk of Socialism.

 

[Rayjay]

It was. You don't know it at the time but it was

Not as much fun as when we played the Wetlands, in the basement, brought down the whole crowd from the upstairs headlining act, and then the owners refused to pay us anything. It was real. It was fun. But, it wasn't real fun.

 

[BawanaRik]

Not as much fun as when we played the Wetlands, in the basement, brought down the whole crowd from the upstairs headlining act, and then the owners refused to pay us anything. It was real. It was fun. But, it wasn't real fun.

I'm in my sixties. I had a blast

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I see it week after week now. These people coming up to our tip jar, all slow, heads bobbing, giving us the eye like "you guys rock and I'm gonna leave you a hard earned tip!" Then you look and it's like $1 or $2. I'd never turn down the money and try to be gracious for the tip, but don't act like a big baller!! By the time we split that up we can each barely buy a gumball!

how much are you expecting?

This is a fundamental problem with how live music is presented now: Club owners put the onus on musicians to bring in the money, not themselves. I, for one, HATE putting out a tip-jar... my buddy had his GF running from table to table begging for tips - and they were getting PAID! What the heck???

Have some pride, man.

 

[Rayjay]

how much are you expecting?

This is a fundamental problem with how live music is presented now: Club owners put the onus on musicians to bring in the money, not themselves. I, for one, HATE putting out a tip-jar... my buddy had his GF running from table to table begging for tips - and they were getting PAID! What the heck???

Have some pride, man.

I'm not expecting anything.

 

[BrewsterRooster]

Last weekend we were doing a local restaurant gig that our [ordinarily] 7-piece group sometimes does as a stripped-down four piece. We put the tip jar out as usual, and it was slowly filling up, and then about two hours in something happened that struck me very funny. Our acoustic player was sitting on a stool right by the tip jar (actually a wooden tip box), and we were slap in the middle of one of his songs. So he's playing and singing, and this kid comes walking up. The kid looked at the money in the box, got all wide-eyed, and loudly asked the acoustic player while he was singing, "Hey mister, can I have a quarter?" The look on our guitarist's face was priceless. He managed to keep singing and playing - never dropped a beat - but his whole expression changed from "I'm totally into this song" to "Are you crazy? Who the hell do you belong to?" and I could not contain my laughter. Guitarist held it together, bass player completely lost it.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

God bless Canada. We don't have this problem. The tippers have to put in the minimum of $5 in our jar or face the wrath of looking cheap when some coins rattle in the jar. (incidentally Strippers benefit from this as well).

You guys don't do the "Great Canadian Change Toss" at strip clubs out east? That is all they do out west. If it is a classy establishment an employee will come out and work the magnet otherwise the girls do it themselves.

 

[jchrisk1]

My girlfriend gets up and heads towards the stage telling all of the tables she passes that she's going up to tip the band and would they like her to take some money up for them. They always give her money. It cracks us up.

 

[kenneffdupriest]

what is this "tip jar" you speak of?

 

[levis76]

Tip Jar? LOL Had a gig where we drove to Detroit (from NY) played and drove home with $4 in each of our pockets.

You guys drove out AND had cash, how'd you manage that? Usually out of towners are robbed, beaten, and left for the wild dogs to feed on.

 

[modulusman]

Just glad my band is good enough to get paid well and not need a tip bucket.

 

[two fingers]

Yeah do it like they do it in Nashville. At some point, the band will vamp a while and someone will talk on the mic while a band member or singer walks around with a hat and also sells CDs. There's an old saying in sales. You won't get their business if you don't also for it.

We did this once at a beach bar. What was hilarious is that I was the guy talking on the mic. I said to a guy who JUST WALKED IN "Hey, you're just in time! We're all tipping the band!" He handed me a hundred dollar bill.

See? You gotta ask.

 

[ThuzzleFump]

Just glad my band is good enough to get paid well and not need a tip bucket.

Ouch.

 

[Jefff]

If you're in it for the money you will most likely be disappointed.

 

[onlyclave]

I see it week after week now. These people coming up to our tip jar, all slow, heads bobbing, giving us the eye like "you guys rock and I'm gonna leave you a hard earned tip!" Then you look and it's like $1 or $2. I'd never turn down the money and try to be gracious for the tip, but don't act like a big baller!! By the time we split that up we can each barely buy a gumball!

Bro, if you're playing the bar on the top of Fleetwood's then I've already blown my wad flying over there and staying in Ka'anapali. You're lucky I don't just buy another overpriced mai tai and keep my tip to myself.

I'll be there in August. I'll look for you. Where you usually at?

 

[BAG]

Dude we still get tons of toonies and loonies in our jar. In fact, because they're coins, the drunk patrons often feel the need to try trick shots to get them into the jar.

That said, we don't mind, because they're drunk and they try a LOT of trick shots. Then they get their friends involved in the game. Then we roll up the $50-60 in coins and take them to the bank.

I've found over the years running bars that if you encourage them to compete with a hoop and backboard connected to a tip bucket (or even the hoop bucket like below) you can increase tips dramatically. It's especially good when you've got groups of blokes competing against each other. Sure, you have to scramble around on the ground to pick up all the missed shots, but it's all money. This is probably not effective in the USA where they don't have $1 and $2 coins.