Ha! I have one of these that is a “million dollar” bill that some douche tried to tip me. Fortunately I saw it and said, “Nice try, jackass.” But then, I work in a strip club and not a normal bar, so I can talk to the patrons like that. 
I buy a bottle of water, which is 2.00, and I give the woman a five and walk away.
I am not rich. Far, far from it. But the clubs I go to have a small cover charge. The bars in these places are packed with people. The guys are buying many drinks, sometimes whole bottles of Crystal, and they tip very well for the priviledge of being served quickly.
The bartenders know I don’t drink. They remember that I always order a bottle of water. If I don’t tip them well, I will never get my water. Ever.
I will just stand there looking stupid while all the ballers and shot callers get served. Now, the bartenders just quickly give me my water, because they know I won’t await any change and they can just keep hustling, making their money.
See, this is my issue. Maybe it’s just that they don’t like having change in their pockets, which I can kind of understand, but a 10% tip you earn for 15 seconds of work seems pretty good to me.
Well, you’re also making up for their shitty pay for when it’s slower and when they’re stocking and whatnot. Plus they might split their tips with a number of people.
If I’m paying cash, it’s a dollar a drink, period, $9.00 martini or $1.00 Special Export.
If I have a tab running and I’m at the bar, it’s usually around a dollar a drink as well, but the change I recieve works into the equation as well (6 drinks, for $15, they can keep the 5 OR 6 drinks for $14, they can keep the $6) But it’ll usually work out to $1 per drink +/- $1, depending on the change that I get and what I have in my pocket.
I dunno, I tend to go to the divier bars and I always see change in to tip jars. None of my ex-bartender friends have ever said it’s an issue. Plus, most of the times, the bartender has moved on to a new customer and isn’t even around to see if I’ve tipped anything at all. I can’t imagine the type bar where the bartender stands there and watches what you put down and then bitches about it. Not a bar I’d got to anyway.
If I’m running a tab and pay with my credit card, I’ll put the tip on the credit card if I don’t have the cash to cover it. If I do have the cash, I’ll pay the tip in cash. Doing this allows the bartender to keep it for themselves (if they pool tips), or not report it. I don’t care if they want to pool it, or report it as taxable income, or what they do. But paying them in cash, let’s them do whatever they want and a happy bartender is always your friend.
I should also mention that when I wind up going to the same bar and have the same bartender for a stretch I tip REALLY well. If my tab is $10-$15 I’ll usually tip between $5 and $15 (Yes sometimes I’ll tip as much as my tab). Tipping well means your drink is ready before you sit down at the bar when they see you walk in.
Or at least not one you’d go back to.
On anything I keep track of the number of trips they make (including fillers, and a refill of some coke). Each trip is a dollar, and then I start my math.
If they did well, it stands put. If they stayed attentive and nothing sat for too long, I add some. If I had to flag them down… I start subtracting. All of this is informed by my willingness to come back again - and get good service. Sometimes I’m willing to “pay it forward” knowing full well that if I tip a buck a drink, I won’t be waiting next time. And they won’t feel disrespected.
If they aren’t agreeable or are generally unhelpful, I won’t give anything. They seem to understand that, too. Respect me, I respect you - and I’m the customer so we know where the cycle starts. I’m an agreeable chap… I’m not that hard to please.
If I’m running a tab: 20% of the post-tax total.
Normally: A dollar a drink.
If I’m ordering something special (e.g., 40-year tawny, or old madeira), I’ll play it by ear, and offer the bartender or server a taste.
The first time I saw one of these, I though, “You know what would be worse? Giving it to a stripper.” If you’re going to enjoy your demon rum and temptations of Eve, you’re not in a position to be telling them about Jesus, especially if you’re not tipping them.
I’ll give them a buck for the first drink and then usually the change, if it’s 50 cents or above, after that. I’ll bet a lot of bars price their beers at half dollar increments (e.g. $3.50, $4.50) to make it easier to tip.
Usually a dollar per drink. However, at my regular place with my regular bartender, she’ll get some extra big tips every now and then. I don’t **ever **have to wait for a refill and I always get to pick one of the games on the television sets.
Depends on the bar. A crowded bar that I rarely go to? Generally a buck and the change per drink. My favorite bar, that I go to once a week or so? The one that’s my favorite because it’s close to home, the regular clientelle are generally delightful, and the bartenders are awesome? I tip 25% - 50% of my bill and consider it a bargain, given that I’ve usually enjoyed a couple of hours of intelligent conversation, and my bill is often suspiciously small.
I don’t tip anything. My principle is that you should only tip if a server shows you to your seat. When I’m going out to a bar, I’m the one who gets up and waits in line for service. Why should I pay for that? It would be like tipping at Dairy Queen (which actually does have a tip cup :dubious: ). Admittedly all I get is beer or simple well drinks like rum and coke or vodka tonics. If I wanted really complex mixed drinks or demanded a certain brand, it would be easier to justify tipping.
That’s not a principle, that’s a rationalization.
Daniel
Because SOCIETY, of which you are a part of, has decided that the convention is to tip bartenders. Their salary, much like waitresses, is based on the fact that a significant amount of their compensation will come in the form of tips.
It’s seems to me that you are not only cheap, but out of touch with what things should or should not cost. Maybe if you actually tipped, you would actually get some service.
The convention is you tip a dollar a drink, no matter how cheap the drink is. If it costs $4.50, you pay $5.50. If it costs $0.50, you pay $1.50. Keep the quarters for laundry or parking or whatever. If you order a fancy mixed drink or a martini or something that is like $8 or more, throw down a couple of bucks.
If you are unable or unwilling to pay what is considered to be the standard tip, I suggest you either a) earn more or b) don’t drink as much. No matter how justified you feel, unless you have a legitimate complaint about the service (ie NOT they served the hot chick before me) leaving a shitty or no tip makes you look like a cheap prick.
Is this actually the expected behavior, or is the behavior of an above-average tipper? One of my favorite bars specializes in schmancy drinks, the kind that take 3 or 4 minutes to make. I’m very appreciative and complimentary, but I still tip $1 for such drinks, figuring that my $1 tip for beers at the same bar balances it out. Are the bartenders calling me a cheapskate behind my back?
Since a bunch of them are also my friends, I definitely don’t want to undertip them.
Daniel
I’ve very rarely tipped more than a dollar a drink, and I haven’t gotten any dirty looks yet. I think if it’s a bar you go to regularly, where the bartenders know you and stuff, and those drinks aren’t the only thing you order, they wouldn’t mind. But that’s just my opinion.
I used to never tip at a bar, because I thought the same thing as install, but this was when I’d just moved back to the US after being away for 11 years. I was 13 the last time I’d lived here, so obviously I was not very informed on bar ettiquette. When I discovered that I should have been tipping (about four months after I’d moved here) I was horrified. (Moreso because I felt I’d been perpetuating the stereotype that Asians are tight with tips.) I’ve always been very meticulous about tipping since then.
What do you tip on a drink at a bar? The sots on the end stools.
Funnier than cow tipping.