“Thank You, Jeeves” (1934); “Much Obliged Jeeves” (1971). These are just novel titles. I can’t answer for the actual text. However if you read the books and stories you’ll find that Jeeves is always the one in control.
I never worked night clubs - either in the UK or the US. I was a pub barman in the UK, and worked both in a neighborhood beer & shots sports bar and in a student type bar, as well as doing a lot of catering party bartending (which sucks).
A night club bartender would likely work harder than I did, and earn a little more. It just wouldn’t suit my personality as well, so I never looked for that kind of work.
I would work 4 or 5 nights a week, from 7 until 2 am (3 am on Sundays), with often another hour cleaning up time after. For that I got $40 a shift. On top of that I got tips. I earned MUCH more than I did in the UK, obviously. A Friday or Saturday shift would tend to be around $150 on a bad night, to $200 or more on a good night. Out of that I would tip the cook out around $20. The Tuesday/Wednesday shift was much more variable. A very slow night would be $30-$40; on average more likely to be $80-$100. Maybe a little less, thinking about it but this was a while ago (13 years about).
I’ve certainly done worse jobs. Bartending tends to attract a certain type of personality, and you need to have that personality (if male, other skills help female bartenders) to do well at it over here.
They aren’t. What bartenders do get annoyed by are the people who decide not to tip, using as an excuse that the owners should pay them a higher wage. Because those people don’t actually do anything about it - they don’t boycott the bars, and tell the owners why. Instead, they chose to keep their own money in their pocket, and invent a bullshit excuse for it.
Tipping is part of the social contract. If you don’t pay till the end of your tab, and aren’t planning on going back to the place, there isn’t a “benefit” to you for tipping as such. But by not tipping, you are simply free riding on the other customers in the bar, and that is kind of a dickhead thing to do.
Certainly bartending is a good job here, but it bartenders here tend to be a LOT better on average than bartenders in the UK. It isn’t surprising. Especially when younger, you can live a good life as a bartender - pay your rent, your bills, and have money in your pocket for your nights off. You just couldn’t do that where I was in the UK (Oxford, late 80s/early 90s). Being a full time bartender was not financially worthwhile, and so a lot of people were working the job for extra cash, after a full day’s work elsewhere (I was after teaching). When tired after a day’s work, you just aren’t going to be as good as the job.
US bartenders also tend to serve a much greater variety of drinks. Now you working in a night club would do a lot more cocktails than I ever would in an Oxford pub, but the drinks in US bars tend to be more complex generally. Free pouring is also a skill you have to develop - I’ve never worked with optics or jiggers over here. I remember a couple of months ago being genuinely surprised that a local bartender (in a sports bar, not a fancy type of place) couldn’t make a good Manhattan. Turns out she was usually a waitress and was just filling in, but every regular bartender should be able to make one without question. When I worked in a pub back home, a Bloody Mary was vodka from the optic and a bottle of premade tomato juice cocktail, with maybe some extra Worcester Sauce if the punter wanted it. Over here, when I worked Sunday brunch, it was a far more in depth process (I would bring in fresh horseradish to grate myself, etc). I also never once got asked for a Martini in a British pub.
Bartenders do have it good here. But in return, they provide service (in general) way higher than you get in British pubs. Same in restaurants, though I agree with a later poster saying that it can at times get too in your face. Generally I find, though, when I say something, the waiter backs off. Except in crappy chain places, but you tend to get worse waiters and over-involved management there. Hence I don’t tend to go to those places.
Mr. Pink caved to peer pressure and pitched in for the tip.
I tend to agree with the original poster. If all you are doing is pulling a handle or cracking open a bottle of beer and handing it too me is that really worth $1 in effort? I wish I could get paid $1 just for opening a beer and handing it to someone. But for some reason restaurants are immune from paying minimum wage and it’s expected. I think the real debate is why should restaurants be immune from a law everyone else has to abide by? Yes it’s dumb but, I’m not going to deny someone their wage. But, I tend to avoid bars because even the crap beer is expensive.
No, he didn’t. He was told by Joe Cabot to throw in his buck because Joe had paid for his breakfast, and Mr. Pink conceded that he should throw in given that Joe had picked up the check.
That’s what I said!
The pressure.
The peer.
The cave.
And the pitch.
I tip only because of fear for getting listeria or other food poisoning.
I hardly ever go out to eat at a restaurant because I can get the same nutrition at home for 1/4th the price.
But whenever I go to a restaurant I get harassed by the waiter asking if “is everything ok?”
No, it is not ok if you keep harassing me while I eat dinner.
How are you going to get food poisoning if you don’t tip? By the time you tip, your meal is done.
I somehow doubt that that was his or her intended meaning. As I’m sure you knew.
Then again, I could be completely wrong. :rolleyes:
Of course, many others who share your former profession scoff at the 15% base gratuity rate and insist that 20%, or even 25% should be the base rate, the very arbitrary nature of such thereby engendering much enmity and discontent.