Tipping At An Open Bar

Its Evolution Baby

Depending on the length of the party I usually tip twice. Maybe 5 bucks with my first order, and another 5 on my last drink. If its going to be a long party I may just drop a 20 in the jar at the beginning and I will usually get ridiculously good service the rest of the night because of all the cheapos who don't tip anything.

GreenTeaDisease

I always forget to...:)

even the time I was at a wedding and the bar tender thought I was cute or something so kept bringing me jack and cokes all night...forgot to tip him...oops.

mookie9999

GreenTeaDisease wrote:

I always forget to...:)

even the time I was at a wedding and the bar tender thought I was cute or something so kept bringing me jack and cokes all night...forgot to tip him...oops.

Is that the same way that I always "forget" to bring my wallet when my boss takes me out to lunck?!?

mookie blaylock 10

jbalicki10 wrote:

Confession:
I use to tip more often when I was younger.
Now that I am older, I don't tip as often because I value my dollars more. I follow these rules:
1) If dinning with a waitress/waiter - 20 percent (This is part of their salary)
2) If delivery - 20 percent (Part of their salary)
3) At a bar - 1 dollar per 2 drinks or 20 percent if you tab (part of their salary)
4) Open bar - Your lucky if I give you a dollar per drink. Unless they serve it with a smile and have good customer service. Then I dont mind tipping more.
(They are already paid well. If not, get a better job then)

Otherwise, forget tipping anything else.
1) No to barbers (I already paid you good money)
2) No to tip jars when I pick up a pizza/food (I did all the work)
3) No to tipping the mail man or garbage man (I have crappy service here, otherwise I would tip them if they actually talked to me or didnt do a half ass job)
4) No to tipping movers. I already paid a good price to move. I never got tipped when I was a mover. Now I ever asked for a tip or expected one.

if you're not willing to give up even a buck at an open bar, then good luck to you finding someone to give you service. if i'm busy and i've got a group of people waiting for free drinks, am i going to serve you for giving me nothing?...or will i serve the person who has been treating me right all night? hmmm....something tells me you are waiting through a few groups of people...

any experienced bartender is going to make sure you have a shitty night if you want to do the same to the bar staff. you get what you give, and if you give nothing, then expect to get the same.

GreenTeaDisease

mookie blaylock 10 wrote:

if you're not willing to give up even a buck at an open bar, then good luck to you finding someone to give you service. if i'm busy and i've got a group of people waiting for free drinks, am i going to serve you for giving me nothing?...or will i serve the person who has been treating me right all night? hmmm....something tells me you are waiting through a few groups of people...

any experienced bartender is going to make sure you have a shitty night if you want to do the same to the bar staff. you get what you give, and if you give nothing, then expect to get the same.

but isn't tips usually included in the price of the open bar?

actually reading your description of an "experienced" bartender, I just think that's a "shitty" bartender. an open bar usually occurs at a party, such as a wedding, where the hosts are saying "these are my guests, I am covering the costs." While I think it is nice to give a few bucks tip, I don't think all those guests should be expected to or else they receive "nothing." you are not the host, it is not up to you to decide who gets service. You've been paid to serve this party and make all the guests comfortable, not just the ones who tip.

jbalicki10

GreenTeaDisease wrote:

but isn't tips usually included in the price of the open bar?

actually reading your description of an "experienced" bartender, I just think that's a "shitty" bartender. an open bar usually occurs at a party, such as a wedding, where the hosts are saying "these are my guests, I am covering the costs." While I think it is nice to give a few bucks tip, I don't think all those guests should be expected to or else they receive "nothing." you are not the host, it is not up to you to decide who gets service. You've been paid to serve this party and make all the guests comfortable, not just the ones who tip.

I fully agree. If the person goes beyond his call of duty, (IE remembers what I am drinking, or puts in a lime etc...), then a tip is warrented. Otherwise, at an open bar were the tip was already paid by the host, good luck!

mookie blaylock 10

GreenTeaDisease wrote:

but isn't tips usually included in the price of the open bar?

actually reading your description of an "experienced" bartender, I just think that's a "shitty" bartender. an open bar usually occurs at a party, such as a wedding, where the hosts are saying "these are my guests, I am covering the costs." While I think it is nice to give a few bucks tip, I don't think all those guests should be expected to or else they receive "nothing." you are not the host, it is not up to you to decide who gets service.

it's always different everywhere. any open bar i've worked has never included a tip percentage. don't be afraid to ask the bartender if you are unsure. i've worked plenty of those and worked my ass off for an hour or so with no money coming in, then you gradually slow down until people start to get the point. there's nothing worse than working your ass off for a night for people getting drunk for free, not making a cent in tips, and going home with less than minimum wage for it.

i've worked a few weddings and that's different. usually the bartenders are friends of the wedding party and are half shitfaced themselves.

i'm saying that if i've got a private party with 300-400 people and there are a couple of us working...if you're not tipping, you're not getting served. it's only common sense.

eyedclaar

Where do I find these open bars that you speak of? Actually, I might like to see my wife again some day so don't tell me...

mookie blaylock 10

jbalicki10 wrote:

I fully agree. If the person goes beyond his call of duty, (IE remembers what I am drinking, or puts in a lime etc...), then a tip is warrented. Otherwise, at an open bar were the tip was already paid by the host, good luck!

you get the "long pour". :D

SENROCK

GreenTeaDisease wrote:

you are not the host, it is not up to you to decide who gets service. You've been paid to serve this party and make all the guests comfortable, not just the ones who tip.

thats true but it still helps if you show some love to the bartender. i find in doing so, my drinks often taste BETTER or, have more alcohol and arent watered down like the free drinks in vegas!!!

LONGRD

My friends & I usually get a big jug and some glasses or buy two or three glasses and tip a dollar or two.

GreenTeaDisease

eyedclaar wrote:

Where do I find these open bars that you speak of? Actually, I might like to see my wife again some day so don't tell me...

"open bar" means the host of the party is paying for drinks, as opposed to a "cash bar."

So like if you're at a wedding or a company party, an "open bar" means the guests get free drinks. If it's a "cash bar" it means if you want a drink you pay for it like a normal bar.

prism

I used to bartend at a couple of different resturants...in that case if you wanna keep getting good drinks coming to you fast, then make sure your giving a decent tip.

I've also bartended lots of open bar weddings and I certainly never asked for or even consider getting tips and i don't remember anyone ever offering any either. people got good, fast drinks from me anyway without any thought as to a tip. with personal parties such as weddings tipping just seems tacky

now an office party would be different, though I think that before putting out a tip jar I would ask whomever is managing the party first, I wouldn't just do it. although in such case that if people offered me tips anyway that i would've refused them

Its Evolution Baby

The people who don't tip at an open bar are probably the same people who don't tip at casino's. And then they complain why the cocktail waitress is taking so long to get to them.

Also these people are working there butts off to get us drunk at these parties and it doesn't hurt to throw in a few bucks at the start or end of the night. I'm very sure that these bartenders are not going home to million dollar homes when the gig is over.

Heineken Helen

mookie9999 wrote:

That's true. By the time I wake up tomorrow this thread will be 18 pages long 16 of them will be Helen's responses.

Hmmm... 8 responses by yourself already good going! And yep, I checked :cool:

That's funny, when we were VIP at the Doors reunion in whiskey a go go in sunset and it was free bar... it didn't even occur to me NOT to tip with every drink, and tip well... cos the drink was free so I thought it may as well be quick too

So it's amazing that some of you lot are saying no... you tip at a bar where you pay for the drink but you won't tip when the drink's free?

dunkman

tipping... at an OPEN bar?..

*faints*

catefrances

tipping? what is that? isnt that something country kids do to sleeping cows for amusement?

RolandTD20Kdrummer

I always tip...............the bottle once it touches my lips...

mookie blaylock 10

RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:

I always tip...............the bottle once it touches my lips...

best reply yet.

acoustic guy

You should always always tip at a regular bar or open bar, whether its a wedding, party whatever. The gratuity the bartender makes on a open bar is not that much. Don't be dicks. Just tip a dollar for every drink if thats all you can swing. It goes a long way. Who can't afford to tip a dollar per drink? You would get the drink whether it was open or not right? So your saving a few bucks per drink.

So uncool not to tip. You look like a dick.