Bar
Etiquette: Stories From the U.S Wood
by
T. Katrina Ramser - Part time bar tender
Bar: Defined by Webster's New World Dictionary as "any piece of wood or metal used as a barrier"; "a counter at which alcoholic drinks and sometimes food are served."
Etiquette: "The forms, manners, and ceremonies established by convention as acceptable or required in social relations, in a profession, or in official life."
Not everyone who spends time in bars understands the simple principals of bar behavior. As a rule of thumb, for the customer, the difference from being treated as a chump and being treated with respect is measured equal in proportion to the manners you give to those who serve the drinks.
I do not claim to understand the complexity or dynamics of a librarian, but I know enough to realize I should turn my books in on time, not to talk too loudly within the walls of a library, and to thank him/her for help when my questions are answered.
I am not self-righteous, a know-it-all or a perfectionist. I am simply aware and grateful for professionals, from plumbers to priests, and show my respect through my actions.
Before I became a bartender, I used to pay for an $8 glass of wine with my credit card. On really wild nights, my friends and I would loiter around the bar to finish our drinks. I would order Tom Collins, wait at the waitress station for the bartender to serve me, and tip $1 on an order of eight drinks.
These are minor abrasions and maybe not even understood by many as being inappropriate gestures. Now I myself am a lowly bartender and I realise that the majority of drinkers (old me included) are not aware of how to behave in a bar!
Bar
Etiquette Advice #4: The General Rule of Tipping
Imagine the bar is a country
you want to enter. The bartender is the ruler. The bartender rules under a dictatorship.
That means they say how much, when and to whom. It doesn't matter if you like
this type of government or not. There is just not enough time to do anything about
it. So you must make the government work for you. This can be done by taking care
of the bartender in a way the bartender likes to be taken care of. It will be
amazing how quickly you will rise from peasant to royalty by respecting the bartender's
domain. So the dictatorship can also become a system that responds to capitalism.
The general rule of tipping is that you always do it. You do it if you paid a million dollars to get into the club, if your bartender is your mate, even if you are positive the bartender is madly in love with you and possibly couldn't care.
The bottom line is bartenders are depending upon your tips for survival in the real world. Yes, they have consciously made the choice of the uncertainties in income with their profession. But if you do not like to tip, you should not go out to bars - it's like going to Indonesia and eating your food with your left hand. What's so wrong with this? Well, it's just that in Indonesia, you eat with your right hand because you wipe your ass with your left. So this is considered an insult and a disgrace.
You always tip. The only time you do not tip is if your bartender screams obscenities at you for no apparent reason and throws the drink at you. I know several bartenders who stand directly in front of the change left on the bar in order to tip off (no pun intended) a continual stingy customer. It's not like we own the liquor and make money off it for ourselves.
Colleagues and I have noticed a recent trend lately with male ordering and purposely not tipping while their date waits unknowingly at a table. Beware! We have ways of out-smarting this tactic with really weak drinks to keep these guys from getting unnecessarily laid.
What
can you expect from tipping?
If you are tipping the bartender, no matter
the amount, for the sole response of having made your drinks, technically the
transaction is complete and has been fulfilled. The bartender's attention is always
controlled by the size of crowd. Some nights all a bartender can do is concentrate
completely on serving one order after another. Just imagine having orders shouted
out at you for hours over very loud music - you wouldn't be able to hold much
more in your head either.
If you are gambling for better service, always tip big on the first round. A good bartender should take the time to study your face, know your drink, and maybe even toss you a free shot later if you treat them with respect through money and attitude, no matter how busy they are.
Bartenders are not evil people. They are not out to get you. They are just there to provide a refined service, and good ones take it seriously.
Happy drinking :)
