I’m told bartenders ring bells behind the bar everytime they get a big tip. The theory behind this I’m told is that it subconciously makes the customers leave bigger tips.
I happen to know this is not true, since I almost never tip a bartender more than a dollar. But seriously ladies and germs, what is the deal with this ritual? Is it just a strange tradition? Or is the bellringing something that has absolutely nothing to do with tipping???
In my dad’s bar the bell was rung when someone used profanity, and had to put a quarter in a jar as a fine. This custom, I assume, is as lost as my mom’s recipe for the pickled eggs that were in another jar back there. (2nd offence: you had to eat one of the eggs)
At the bars I frequent that have a bell it is generally used to signify that someone has bought a round for the house.
Also, for a while Pabst was supplying bells, in exchange for which they asked that the bartenders ring the bell each time someone ordered a Pabst Blue Ribbon.
It’s nothing that subtle. You ring the bell so you can call attention to the bigshot who left a large tip. This encourages two things:
The bigshot gets the recognition he desires.
Wannabe bigshots are reminded that if they follow suit, you’ll create the same racket for them.
Bartenders quickly learn that they can benefit from the shrapnel of a large ego. Some people love to overtip bartenders to look like high rollers, bartenders obviously like to encourage these people. But it works the other way, too. I was gently taken to task once by a gentleman who was tipping heavily but didn’t want us [the bartenders] to make a scene. He said, “I’m not trying to impress anyone but you guys.”
stoli
“There’s always a little dirt, or infinity, or something.” -Feynman