I have a knack for ending up on bartenders "spill tab" and get comped beers without ever directly asking because I start off tipping well. I know how many beers I drank and what my tab should be so I tip accordingly where it comes out close to the same price. Lots of $5 tabs where I'm tipping $10-20.
My favorite way to phrase it- I spend a lot of money to get free beers.
Absolutely, remembering my drink and name. AND being super friendly to me. Just being fucked with from every angle. Wonder why I still keep going back? Maybe I'm a masochist.
I will never play the "tip the bartender until they like me enough to give me free stuff" game. If I am going out and getting drunk enough for a bartender to get to know me on a personal level that's a personal failing of my own. At that point I owe my liver reparations.
I just tip 15% on drinks and dining out as standard and it can go up or down from there. Just serving a drink I ask for is 15%. Doing it with style and doing me a solid gets you more. Slow service, bad drinks, etc. gets less.
More people are like you than me and that's perfectly fine. I go to the same spots and it's usually where I can bring my dog, during off peak days/hours, and never have more than 2-3 beers. Actually 2 months in of not drinking so I might have 1-2 NA beers or Topo Chicos.
Where I draw the line on tipping well is counter service or to go orders.
It’s weird though, because bringing you a beer is arguably less work than ordering counter service food or even to go. Especially if you’re ordering at the bar. So why does the person who opens a bottle and gives it to you more entitled to a tip than the people who take your order and make your food?
I have done both and I agree that working the to-gos is far more work and way more stressful 97% of the time.
But I’m one of those people that Reddit hates because I tip 20-30% on all food and beverage transactions regardless of what I perceive to be the required effort of the job, and I tend to tip pretty well for shit service too. Idgaf, I spent too many years of my life working for tips, like my mother before me, I’m down to make someone’s day better for a few extra dollars.
And I’m the opposite. I’ve been a server, and a cashier and all sorts of things. But most of my many years in the service industry I didn’t get tipped a penny because I didn’t happen to be in one of the jobs we randomly have decided get tips. The same people I was expected to tip came to my place of work on their days off and didn’t tip me. So I don’t tip unless it makes sense, and only in amounts that make sense.
The way I see it we are in a class war together and punishing people who are on my side in that war isn’t helping anyone and it’s literally just a couple bucks that I’m already prepared to spend.
I suppose. But I’ll bet you don’t tip the cashier who checks you out at the store, or the person who you see stocking shelves, or your mail carrier. This is why i just don’t agree. The vast majority of workers are in this “war” with you, but you’re just tipping the same few roles that society tells you are the ones randomly selected for tips.
Fighting the war is trying to break that culture and getting fairer wages for ALL workers. Not just giving even more money to the few service workers who make more because of those tips. You’re just falling right in line with the status quo by personally paying wages to workers so their bosses don’t have to. All while giving no support to other low paid workers
Btw, not tipping isn’t “punishing” anyone. No one is entitled to tips. In my state servers make the same minimum wage as anyone. So why is not giving them a huge tip for carrying a plate to my table a “punishment?”
I tip every time there’s an option to tip, which includes some retail spaces.
I’m a big believer that every job deserves a living wage, and I define that as enough to feed, house, and clothe yourself and your kids, save for the future, save for retirement, and have some fun/vacation money. I left food and bev because I wanted to not work for tips anymore even though it afforded me the standards I outlined. This should all be accomplished without tips, which should be a token of appreciation of a job well done. Unfortunately we don’t live in that world, but reducing someone’s income to make a point to the ownership class is so fucking stupid I can’t even begin to fathom why it’s considered a viable strategy.
So I’m going to continue to vote for people who support strong labor rights and advocate for better working conditions for everyone. I’m going to make sure my coworkers know their rights in the workplace and encourage people to read up on unionizing.
What I’m not going to do is be a crab in a bucket and yes, punish the wrong people for the system we all live in. Because I’m not a crab.
Edit: also saying that tipped positions are “random” tells us you don’t actually know the history behind tipping, it’s not random at all.
It’s weird that you seem to have some idea that you have the moral high ground but then have no issue being judgmental and insulting to people who have a different opinion than you. I guess you’re a good tipper but aren’t kind to others.
And yes, my past experiences have an effect on my current beliefs. That’s how things work
Tipping a bar tender for a beer or shot is so weird. Lots of people argue against tipping at to go or quick service places. But all of those people are doing 100 times more work than the bar tender who just took a bottle top off for you or poured some liquid in a glass real quick.
Meh, I only tip $1 per beer I order but the bartender at my local spot has known me for a few years now and still “forgets” to put a beer on the tab every now and then. It’s becuase I’m nice to her, not becuase I tip massively.
Sounds like we have different perspectives. Your view seems to be solely focused on the transactional aspect and I try to look at it from the human interaction. This isn't something I do with EVERY bartender, it's the places I'm a regular at with the people I vibe with. Not trying to sway you to my way of thinking. Do what works for you and makes you happy.
so are you tipping for free drinks or do you think tipping wait staff is ok? i tried tipping the bartender once for heavy pours on a redbull vodka, i tipped $10 and it was light. i went to order another one and a different bartender served me even though the other was right there, the pour looked just as light so i stopped tipping and ordering sicne i figured these girls must think im tipping them for attention and not free booze.
I'm with you that I never see the same bartender more than one night. But for that reason I try to tip more on my first drink, 50%+, so when the bar is busy they see me and take my order first. The rest of the drinks I round up to tip 15-25% and they're still cool. Works most of the time.
You don't have to be going out to get drunk. I shoot darts and throw bags in leagues. We're at our home bar every other week. The bartender obviously knows me and the team. Having a few beers while you hang out with your friends and opponents is a good time.
Just understand that the thirstier/hungrier you are when you walk in the door, the more it will directly affect your perception of time. This has been studied and proven.
Most of the time when someone says that they had to "wait 15 minutes for a server to come over," it's more like 5 minutes. They were just really hungry and that made it seem like more of an ordeal. If you don't believe me, check your watch next time you enter a restaurant/bar, and check it again when your drinks arrive. Compare that to what it felt like and you'll see what I mean.
That's not to say you don't get hosed sometimes. I have had bad servers, and I have been a bad server at times. It happens, but more often than not, the person complaining is just being a bit of a drama queen due to low blood sugar.
I was a pretty severe alcoholic and I was never a regular at any bar. I was just thinking to myself I don’t know what time bars legally close in my state. I rarely went to them.
I don’t go out and drink often but when I do it’s usually the same 3 places for the last 5 years or so. And it’s always for events which I feel makes me more memorable.
I’m also at the age where if I drink in my hometown, every bartender knows me because we went to school together.
Ok, I’m just imagining the bars I’ve been to with people 5 deep lined up in front of the bar and I’m wondering what you want the bartender to do besides poor your fucking drink.
Also, don’t be a jackass. You have no idea what this person’s life is.
My wife and I lived about 1/2 mi from a local brewery in SW VA, both our apartment and the brewery had those hourly bicycle rentals and our apartment gave us the first hour of every rental free.
We would routinely go to that brewery and drink and shoot the shit with the bartender, probably 5 beers for me and 2-3 for her, and get a like $10-12 tab. So many times I tipped $20+.
I'm glad at least one person gets it. I'm getting all these replies and it seems like they're all coming from rigid, uptight individuals. Like it's not that hard to be kind and friendly and that's where a lot of this results from. It's fine people don't get it, I'll stay in the minority of folks getting hooked up.
I've gotten free drinks on more flights than I can count. No tips involved, just being generally friendly.
Exactly. We were fine just drinking and talking, but if he does us a solid and gives us a low tab, the least I can do is give at least some of what I already expected to pay as a tip.
My basic rule on comps and discounts at places where I’m a regular is to tip my normal amount for the full tab PLUS half of whatever discount was applied. $17 normally for that burrito and drink? $4 tip. $13.50 because he “forgot” to charge for the drink? $6 tip.
I go to a bar in Tampa that charges you for 1 drink only if you’re a bartender and get on well with them. Obviously they expect to be tipped well and we most definitely make it worth their while.
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u/LinkOfKalos_1 2d ago
You were paying $70 anyway. It doesn't matter