I disagree with Huerta88, no one expects you to tip a dollar everytime a server refills your soft drink in a sports bar, even the servers, that’s just ludicrous, and it isn’t customary. 15-20% of your tab or a dollar per alcoholic drink piecemeal.
Yeah, that’s crazy to me. Don’t get me wrong, if I just get a soda or something and my tab is a few bucks, I’m not going to tip 25 cents or anything (I’ll round up to a few bucks), but I don’t sit there and hand the server a dollar or two every time she refills my Coke.
One of my best clients is a sports bar (I do their satellite systems, TVs, projectors, sound, security systems and IT). I can ask around, but folks must tip well, as they have no problem getting or keeping servers, and some have been there for a decade or more (they seem to value competence higher than boobage).
But sure, I suppose if you are going to sit there like a schlub just nursing a diet coke for three hours, and having her refill it every 15 minutes, and not imbibing food or alcohol as an individual, then you should probably compensate the server for that… But I’ve never really seen anybody just order a bottomless softdrink in a sportsbar and sit and watch a game and then tip based on the cost of the softdrink, people invariably order food, or come in groups that have drinkers, so everytime a server gets someone a cashmaker beer or drink they can simultaneously bring you a refill with no extra inconvenience.
It would be interesting to know if the servers have any idea how their tips compare to normal restaurants. I am thinking a sports bar server is working 3 hours for one tip per table during a football game whereas a regular restaurant server is probably getting two tips per table per hour at busy times.
In a 3 hour period, that is…
Sports bar server: 1 tip/table
Regular server: 6 tips/table
But I imagine a bunch of drunk men in a sports bar are a little easier with their wallets than folks in a regular restaurant, what with the copious amounts of beer and all. Not out of necessity or anything, just because of the fact that drunk people like to throw money around.
Oh sure. There you go painting us all with the same brush. 