Tipping Your Bartenders Guide

HERE IS A GUIDE TO UNDERSTAND BARTENDERS POINT OF VIEW 

Hey everyone, I come to you with a super duper uber huge inside secret: Bartender’s don’t do it for the wage.

That’s right. Most bartending jobs provide minimum wage plus tips. Some places that are less tip heavy or have an included gratuity (more on that later) will pay a slightly higher wage. The reason people bartend is for the tips. In a given night, you can make anywhere from a few bucks to a few hundred bucks. Now, this isn’t my current situation, but many bartenders factor in an average tip amount into their budgeting in order to pay the bills.

I am in a lucky position because my bartending job is just some side work for extra cash as I earn my Ph.D., but rest assured- I still get freakin’ pissed when people are cheap.

We have been on a pretty low streak lately at work and the past couple of weeks have been the worst. Me and one other bartender did a 175 person wedding this past weekend. Open bar for the guests all night. Cocktail hour with beer and wine, then ceremony, then full open bar all night including super premiums like Grey Goose and Courvoisier. All in all we poured nearly $3000 in alcohol for the guests. Take a wild guess at what I made…. bet you didn’t guess $9.00 even.

Don’t be cheap, people! A happy bartender is a good bartender. Not only are you helping the person pouring drinks make a living by tipping them, you are also helping ensure that you have a good night.

How to Tip a Bartender

There are essentially two ways to go about it if you are going to be drinking throughout the night. Firstly, you can hook us up early with a nice sized tip. If someone comes up for their first drink and drops a $15-$20 tip, I call it buying the “all access pass.” If you do this, you bet your ass that you’ll be getting served before anyone else, that your drinks will be as strong as you’d like them and that any applicable rules might be bent within reason. For example, at my country club, we aren’t allowed to serve shots at weddings. However, if you buy and “all access pass,” I’m more than happy to fix a shot or two on the down low.

The other way to tip is to be more like the tortoise in parable of the tortoise and the hare. Remember? “Slow and steady wins the race.” A standard tip for a drink at a bar or event is anywhere from 1-5 dollars. If you are going to be making a few return trips throughout the night, by all means drop a buck or two each time. The small tips add up and make us feel like we are being recognized throughout the night. This may not get you the exact same treatment as throwing down a $20, but we do appreciate it and we will be happy see you again. Over time, the little tips add up and we may throw in a free drink at the end of the night or become a little more liberal with our free pouring.

So remember, next time you are out drinking with friends or celebrating at a reception, please tip your bartender. And if you are a bartender yourself or someone in the service industry, don’t forget to build up that good tip karma by tipping others!

<3 Duff

 Posted by Duff (www.mixologytips.com)