tipping at bar
I've always wondered about the etiquette for tipping at a bar. I heard before that at a diner, when you're sitting at the counter you only tip a dollar. I'm not sure if that's true or not.
And then there's sitting at a bar. I don't know what to do whether it's a bar at an Irish pub where I sit on a stool and order a beer and some lunch from the bartender, or whether it's a sushi bar and I'm ordering tea and sushi or bento or noodles.
I think when sitting at a bar/counter, the level of service is generally less than full wait service at a table, so therefore the tip is less. Also, tipping for wait service at a table should depend on the level of service, which can certainly vary. Some restaurants have people ready to refill your water or coffee, or make sure you have everything you need. Other restaurants take your dinner order, bring out your dinner, and then ignore you otherwise (in which case the tip goes down).
And then there's sitting at a bar. I don't know what to do whether it's a bar at an Irish pub where I sit on a stool and order a beer and some lunch from the bartender, or whether it's a sushi bar and I'm ordering tea and sushi or bento or noodles.
I think when sitting at a bar/counter, the level of service is generally less than full wait service at a table, so therefore the tip is less. Also, tipping for wait service at a table should depend on the level of service, which can certainly vary. Some restaurants have people ready to refill your water or coffee, or make sure you have everything you need. Other restaurants take your dinner order, bring out your dinner, and then ignore you otherwise (in which case the tip goes down).
Comments
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bar - $1 for every drink ordered. if after 4-5 drinks you do not get one free. stop tipping.
my 2 cents. -
flynn wrote: bar - $1 for every drink ordered. if after 4-5 drinks you do not get one free. stop tipping.
I think after 4 or 5 drinks you should stop drinking :pukel:
my 2 cents. -
You should tip more at the bar because the bartender has the power to give buy backs and the experience is more interactive so the chance of being remembered is bigger . Usually at bars you don't get charged tax on drinks (unlike at a table) so the check is less a. You should always leave 20% unless the service is very bad . If you go to eat somewhere and you have a mental checklist of things that a server should do to make you happy then just stay home because you will always be disappointed.. don't be cheap, if a bill is $29 dont leave $4 round up and leave $6. It will make you feel good about yourself and it will make someone else very happy.
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OpossumQueen wrote: [quote=flynn]bar - $1 for every drink ordered. if after 4-5 drinks you do not get one free. stop tipping.
I think after 4 or 5 drinks you should stop drinking :pukel:
my 2 cents.
Lol....good point.
But I do think you should consider tipping more for a labor intensive drink like a mojito, etc.... -
yeh. i was talking about beer.
and, stop after 4-5 beers??!! that's just when things get started! =P -
said like a fellow irishman.
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My question wasn't really about ordering drinks. It's about when you sit down at a bar and order a meal. Like at a bar & grill, or at a diner, or at a sushi bar, but the bartender (or sushi chef) is the one taking your order.
Most bar & grills and diners and sushi bars have the option of sitting at a table or sitting at the bar, so this issue must come up a lot. -
just don't leave a quarter
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I usually leave when the bartender isn't looking, I save a fortune that way.
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I don't like/drink beer so I tend to think of drinks as glasses of whiskey or maybe wine. Four of those in a short night would be a very bad night for me. I guess 4-5 beers is acceptable
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i tip 15-20% on food regardless of where i am sitting and then $1 a drink. If I'm only getting drinks then it's $1 per drink OR $1 per round of beers. If I'm out with my husband, I'm not giving someone $2 to pour 2 beers. I'll give them $1 for paying me attention quickly and getting me what I needed. I'll give $2 if we both order "drinks".
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For a meal at a bar, I tip the same as sitting down at a table.
Drinks - $1 a drink. -
wingedearth wrote: My question wasn't really about ordering drinks. It's about when you sit down at a bar and order a meal. Like at a bar & grill, or at a diner, or at a sushi bar, but the bartender (or sushi chef) is the one taking your order.
Most bar & grills and diners and sushi bars have the option of sitting at a table or sitting at the bar, so this issue must come up a lot.
There is only one situation where at the bar I am likely to order a meal (even a lite one) and drinks and it is not in PS.. It is Sophia's in Manhatan, 46th Street, theater district. The bartenders are great and it is somewhat of a hassle for them to deal with the food so I tip the same % as table service. If I have one drink then I calculate that cost to base tip on as if it were food.. same percent.
More than one drink.. I throw in another dollar per. -
Tip the same sitting at a bar as I would sitting at a table, 15-20% or more if the service is exceptional. As for just ordering drinks it's the usual $1 a drink, even if it's a round of beers. Though if it's more than 4 beers i'll tend to stop there (as my friends and I tend to drink cheap beers anyway), but will also occasionally make up for it with $2 tip on my next single beer. And always tip $2 or more when they throw a buyback or a shot on the house at me.
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I subscribe to Carni's tipping formula. This works best when one person buys the rounds and they include two or more drinks. Where N is the number of drinks, tip N+1 for each round. On a buyback, tip 2N.
Tipping well and talking to to your bartender is generally a good idea, unless you aren't planning to go back. -
xlizellx wrote: i tip 15-20% on food regardless of where i am sitting and then $1 a drink. If I'm only getting drinks then it's $1 per drink OR $1 per round of beers. If I'm out with my husband, I'm not giving someone $2 to pour 2 beers. I'll give them $1 for paying me attention quickly and getting me what I needed. I'll give $2 if we both order "drinks".
man i would hate to be a bartender waiting on you whe you order a round:
"5 buds please"
"here ya go."
"heres a dollar. don't spend it all in one place."
it really does not take much more effort to make most mixed drinks these days. 1part liquor 1 part soda, stir. same for wine. -
xlizellx wrote: i tip 15-20% on food regardless of where i am sitting and then $1 a drink. If I'm only getting drinks then it's $1 per drink OR $1 per round of beers. If I'm out with my husband, I'm not giving someone $2 to pour 2 beers. I'll give them $1 for paying me attention quickly and getting me what I needed. I'll give $2 if we both order "drinks".
Seems wrong to me - its a buck per drink in my book - order 5 drinks, leave 5 bucks tip.
I'd imagine most bartenders would agree w/ me.
American bartenders anyway, there's the whole sub-strata of tip/no tip when drinking abroad. -
Mougar wrote: On a buyback, tip 2N.
Hell no.... you never, ever, under any circumstances tip on a buy back... maybe you tip extra on the next drink.. or tip them out on the end of the night, but to tip on a buy back is flat out wrong.... and insulting. Don't do it. -
you should tip more on a buy back . if your at a table and are bought a round of drinks you should tip as if the drinks are on the check
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Drunken Revival wrote: [quote=Mougar] On a buyback, tip 2N.
but to tip on a buy back is flat out wrong.... and insulting. Don't do it.
I find it hard to believe tipping a bartender too soon would insult them. I'd wait to tip only if I was running a tab, not paying/tipping after each round. -
Agreed, it's a delicate and grey area.... and my stance is normally to tip often and tip big. However, when a bartender gives you a buy back it's a gift, a token, a gesture. almost sacred.
I find it hard to believe tipping a bartender too soon would insult them. I'd wait to tip only if I was running a tab, not paying/tipping after each round.
You don't piss on it by throwing down a dollar. Trust me. The bartender will take it and smile, but inside they will be thinking what a novice you are. -
Drunken Revival wrote:
Agree with this...
Agreed, it's a delicate and grey area.... and my stance is normally to tip often and tip big. However, when a bartender gives you a buy back it's a gift, a token, a gesture. almost sacred.
I find it hard to believe tipping a bartender too soon would insult them. I'd wait to tip only if I was running a tab, not paying/tipping after each round.
You don't piss on it by throwing down a dollar. Trust me. The bartender will take it and smile, but inside they will be thinking what a novice you are.
$1 + any loose change per drink if its an odd amount (Like $5.25 or something). The only exception is if there is a pitcher involved, in which case it depends on the circumstances...
18%-22% for food
If there is a buyback, the next drink tip is $2.00 -
no bartender ever gets upset when they receive a tip
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the rule is simple: if you can't afford to tip, and tip well, you can't afford to drink at a bar...
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I think everyone on this thread agrees with each other, kinda, for once. There are a lot of different ways to get there.... fuck it, if you want to tip on a buy back nobody is going to fault you. I don't do it - I guess I'm just a little old fashioned that. It's a way to say "thank you", or "I'm sorry", or "you're done", or "stay for another you don't pay for that sort of thing.
This thread is a bit dead. Lets talk about all the "newbies" on here... all these dubious and tipping newbies. -
flynn wrote: [quote=xlizellx]i tip 15-20% on food regardless of where i am sitting and then $1 a drink. If I'm only getting drinks then it's $1 per drink OR $1 per round of beers. If I'm out with my husband, I'm not giving someone $2 to pour 2 beers. I'll give them $1 for paying me attention quickly and getting me what I needed. I'll give $2 if we both order "drinks".
man i would hate to be a bartender waiting on you when you order a round:
"5 buds please"
"here ya go."
"heres a dollar. don't spend it all in one place."
it really does not take much more effort to make most mixed drinks these days. 1part liquor 1 part soda, stir. same for wine.
If it's five mixed drinks, that could take some effort so a $1 per drink might make sense, but $5 for a bartender to pop the caps off a few Bud bottles? Sounds kinda insane.
Bars in NYC like to fleece people any which way they can, so I'd rather drink at home. I have better quality beer and whiskey than most bars anyhow. -
Bars in NYC like to fleece people any which way they can, so I'd rather drink at home. I have better quality beer and whiskey than most bars anyhow.
um...so why did you ask how much to tip at a bar? -
flynn wrote:
Because I was asking about food, not drinks.Bars in NYC like to fleece people any which way they can, so I'd rather drink at home. I have better quality beer and whiskey than most bars anyhow.
um...so why did you ask how much to tip at a bar? -
Mougar wrote: I subscribe to Carni's tipping formula. This works best when one person buys the rounds and they include two or more drinks. Where N is the number of drinks, tip N+1 for each round. On a buyback, tip 2N.
Dude, don't give away all my secrets! :twisted:
Tipping well and talking to to your bartender is generally a good idea, unless you aren't planning to go back.
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