Dollar a drink. For the free Coke you could toss in an extra buck if that’s all you’ve been drinking, but if you’re just taking a break from booze or want something with some food the bartender is going to be content with a dollar. Free Cokes are sometimes the same thing as a glass of water for people that have been drinking all night. And yes, you ought to throw a buck for a glass of water too if that’s all you’re ordering.
A buck for all three.
I’ll drink in villa’s bar. I’m avoiding Omniscient’s.
How could it be illegal to add a gratuity, when restaurants do it all the time? It’s right on the menu.
Great cite to minimums being illegal on credit and debit cards. Not sure how that applies to mandatory service charges on people who don’t sign, but I am sure the font of all truth as to bars can tell us.
Now I am blushing.
Unfortunately, I am out of that business, and now practicing law. My experience these days is consuming rather than providing, though I do the odd guest appearance. I was rather good at it in the past.
However, I think the difference between Omniscient’s view and mine comes from the kind of places worked at. I worked at and now drink predominately in neighborhood kind of joints. It seems he works at a college kid dominated place. I’d rather avoid that scene on either side of the bar. However, I’m going to pains to try to make clear my observances aren’t universal by any means.
It doesn’t count unless it is someone else’s hand, dude. 
Interesting. The bars I frequent in my town, generally working class, are all cash only, and they have ATMs to accommodate. My regular place has a blender that’s permanently broken. $1 tip per drink no matter if it’s water or top shelf is the general patron practice. As for the “when you get a moment” technique, I use that just to get in line, as one of my fave bartenders has tunnel vision sometimes and forgets to look at glasses.
Logged in to second this. Long Island drinkers are more likely to need to be cut off, more likely to puke, and also more likely to be cheap fux.
Try as hard as they might to imply otherwise, that’s not a requirement. Most have a disclaimer indicating “for your convenience” or thereabouts. If you don’t want to pay it or to reduce it you just need to inform your server. That’s not really at issue though since the customer is there and able to consent and sign. Doing so on a abandoned card without a signature is a whole different kettle of fish.
I did some Googling and couldn’t find any specific cites. There’s quite a bit discussing the 18% gratuity on restaurant tabs and there seems to be little legal merit debated and more discussion of what etiquette is. I found one cite from a proposed ordinance in Michigan that dictated that in order for a business to automatically add a gratuity of service charge it had to be posted in clear view at the register, on the menu AND printed on the receipt. No idea if that was passed or if other states have similar laws.
I have nothing to contribute except one tidbit.
The bar I frequent most is a popular “beer” bar in Chicago. They recently stopped accepting debit/credit cards and went strictly to cash. They said cards slowed them down too much.
Maybe. But I’ll take the bartender that doesn’t get pissed off over “when you get the chance…”.
I think the OP has been moderately answered satisfactorily. So new questions generated from the answers in this thread:
Why don’t bars just charge more $ for harder-to-make drinks? They already charge an amazingly large mark up on every single drink. And they also differentiate in price between top and bottom shelf. Why the hell not charge extra for a blended drink?
For Brits: really no tips for bartenders? Interesting. I kind of agree that tipping should be, you know, a tip - something EXTRA - for better than normal service (I’ve gotten tips working at a bookstore - if that’s hard to imagine - there should be a similar threshold for other services). OTOH It’s for some bizarre reason legal here to give certain workers a much lower hourly salary/commission/whatever compensation because of the expectation that they will get a lot of tips due to social custom. And therefore, well, with the knowledge that not giving a tip actually pragmatically results in an anti-tip for my waiter, how can I stiff them? I’m not sure how to reset social and legal inertia, but restaurants should really just pay waiters the normal minimum wage (or better) and tips should remain an under the table reward for better-than-normal service.
Or else - well I guess in some countries, everything is expected to be bartersville. But I’d rather just have a one listed price for one specific item/service and any extra goings on can be negotiated on a separate basis, or be considered a gift by both parties.
And yet almost EVERY gas station charges more for CC than for cash.
And they’d rather pay less taxes too, so cash is always better.
It’s odd you can’t find a cite anywhere, given that (a) this happens all the time and (b) you were absolutely certain it is not only not permissible, but also constituted fraud. Given the seriousness of that crime, I find it absolutely impossible to believe it hasn’t been prosecuted.
The situation actually runs as follows:
[ol]
[li]By handing your credit card to the bartender you agree to pay for all items purchased[/li][li]Sign posted in the bar informs you that if you neglect to close your tab at the end of the evening, a 15% gratuity will be added[/li][li]You are, by opening the tab, consenting to this, much as if you ate at a place that automatically adds 15% gratuity to the check[/li][li]You still have the option not to pay - if you call and dispute the charge, I would imagine it is encumbent on the bar to remove the gratuity aspect, just as, if you refuse to pay the 15% gratuity listed on the menu, you don’t have to pay it[/li][li]It is harder in this situation because of something you have done, not the bar. You left without paying, and therefore cannot challenge it at that time.[/li][/ol]
Now, it is possible this practice may be illegal, and may also be fraud. I don’t think it is, however, though I don’t do a lot (or indeed any) fraud work. But it is going to take a little more than your say so for me to believe it.
I’m interested to know: What’s the average wage for a bartender in the US? Because in pretty much every bar in Australia that I’ve ever worked at or drunk at, if the barstaff were getting $1 per drink served they’d be making something in the region of $50/hr or so on decent night, before they even got paid.
Having worked in bars here (where tipping isn’t done, fortunately) I can say I really didn’t find it especially annoying when someone wanted to order a multi-drink cocktail, unless it was something “Weird”.
Most places I know had a “Menu” of cocktails and basically said “If what you want isn’t on here, you’re not getting it.” I don’t think I ever had anyone ask for a Long Island Ice Tea, but I did make a few daiquiris (mostly from a slushy machine, to be fair) and “Tropical” cocktails in big glasses with lots of garnish and umbrellas in them. In those cases I enjoyed making them, just for a change of pace from the usual pour a glass of beer/mix bourbon & cola stuff that we usually did.
FWIW, I really don’t think there’s $1 worth of effort involved in opening a bottle of beer (or just pouring one) or mixing spirits and post-mix in a glass etc. Probably just as well I don’t drink at bars when I’m in the US, from the sounds of it…
That must be regional, because I don’t see that much around here. (In fact, I’m not even sure I’ve seen cash discounts in Chicago proper–only occasionally in the suburbs). But I do know what you’re talking about, and I believe the way around is that the credit vendor agreement doesn’t allow credit card surcharges, but cash discounts are okay.
Yes. Merchants can offer a discount for cash and cash only, but may not charge more for credit card purchases than they do for other tenders (checks and debit cards, basically).
Citation, from Visa’s article on checkout fees.