I'm still steaming...

scottickes

scottickes

Joined
Oct 27, 2005
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2,527
I was on a business trip and had drinks at the same place two nights in a row. The first night the bartender was this young punk/wannabe tough guy kid. I thought he was ok though, until the second night.

The first night my buddy and I had two drinks a piece. The tab was $16 even. I gave him a $4 tip. 25% isn't bad for a tip at all.

The next night a young woman named Amber was the bartendress. The tab was just over $24. I gave her a $6 tip. Still about 25%.

The bar has two separate bars, with one upstairs and one downstairs. They always close the upstairs bar at 10 p.m. and the downstairs much later. Well, I took my drink with me from upstairs to downstairs on the second night and finished at the bar the young punk was working at the second night. As I was sitting down he said, "Do you need another drink Scott?" I told him I was done and just finishing this one up. He then said, in front of about a dozen other patrons, "Thank God, I don't think I could have held my temper if you had given me another skimpy tip".

The little twerp. He doesn't realize that I've been friends with the bar owner/manager for about 10 years and that my company spends between $5000 and $10,000 a year at that hotel, lounge, restaurant per year. I was going to ask to see her, but one of the other employees that I've known for a long time went and told her instead.

I got an email from the manager/owner yesterday informing me of her regret at what had happened, expecially since most of the people that drink and eat there are my customers (it's a small town). She also told me not to worry about him, because she fired him.

Little twerp. Don't you hate it when someone thinks that you owe them a living for pouring four beers.

Ickie
 
That is pretty rude. That's almost like the dilemma as whenther or not to tip folks at the chinese food buffet.:confused: I would be pretty pissed too if the bartender said that to me.
 
hat is why a Samuel Bell style dirk is such a useful tool in an urban environment.........a more permanent solution than Miss Manners:D
 
scottickes said:
Remind me to never go out to dinner or for drinks with you. I "never" stoop to someone elses level. Ever. ;)
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I forgot to mention that it has never happened to me. I'm a very good dinner guest and I also like to tip 20-25%. Never got complaints tho. I don't think that bartender will ever be a bartender again. :D
 
That is amazing! Always let the other guy be the a-hole.
This young man, stepped rite up. Hopefully he learned something.

Fred
 
The whole story came together in the phrase "young punk/wannabe tough guy kid"........................ Nothing else needed to be said, the story was almost predictable. But it's so, so fine when things work the way they are supposed to.

I have experienced treatment like this many times over the years, most often if takes place on the phone though. I make it a point to ask names and jot notes so when I complain I've got my story straight. I'm sure I get shrugged off most of the time but occasionally I hit one just like you did Scot and maybe someone learns a lesson in life and engaging brain before opening mouth.

SYn

Syn
 
Maybe next time he'll engage brain before opening mouth. I'm afraid with my temper I'd have given him a cussing, then if he's that stupid the situation would have gone south. Now I remember why I don't go to bars much anymore.
 
Ooooo that pisses me off!:mad:

I would of told him..."well heres a god tip....whatch your ass when you go out to your car tonight!";)

I was a waiter and a bartender in the past so I always tip good.

The thing that gets me is places that have tip jars on the counter like dunken donuts! I'm supposed to tip the guy handing me a coffee?????:thumbdn:

Sorry that happend to you...glad that guy got canned!
Mace
 
for me if its a good bar i tip a buck a beer or better . now that said if all that have to do is pour a few drafts and make a few xxx and coke drinks they get less that is less they are just hella good at there job

one bar i love to go to has 35 + taps and 2000 beers downstairs so they get the better tips cause they have to know there stuff and always let me know when something new i would like is in
 
My parents went out for their anniversary couple years ago, might be ten now. Anyway, they got crappy service from their waitress, not to mention a real poor attitude from her, and crappy food. They waited for their check for what seemed like forever. When the bill came, my father checked to see if a tip was included in the bill, it wasn't, so he paid for their meal and drinks, and went to their waitress. Tapped her on the shoulder, pointed to another waitress, gave her the tip for the meal and drinks, and said to their waitress that treated them like scum of the Earth "Honey, I just gave your tip to her, maybe you'll treat the next people in here better than you treated us tonight."
 
Im shocked that some people think they deserve 25% of a purchase price just because they poured a beer into a glass. He's lucky he got that much as far as im concerned. No offense to any bartenders here, but unless they are hand delivering the drinks to your table, pouring four beers from a tap is about as much work as the guy handing me towels in the bathroom. I dont tip the grocery store guy who bags my groceries, so why should i tip 25% to a guy whose biggest job description is pulling a handle to allow liquid to flow into a glass?

Some people work 99% on tips and I can understand that, but people who expect an over-the-top tip can expect the opposite from me. Most people who deserve good tips dont expect them...they do good work and deserve them.
 
I wonder what would happen if I put a tip jar on my table at the next show?:eek: Or better yet...stand out front with a tin cup!
Mace:cool:
 
A few weekends ago i went to NY and a guy literally pulled one bag from my trunk while i wasnt looking and placed it on the curb 10 inches away, then stood there looking for a handout. He was pretty insistent, basically standing there with his hand out. When i didnt pay him, he looked all pissed off. What the hell is wrong with people? I know enough hard working folks who are squeaking by money-wise to refuse to tip people like that and not feel one ounce of guilt.

Whats the equivalent? "Ok i will make you that knife, but i expect a tip each time I complete a step in its fabrication"

I wanted to say "sorry dude, but if i paid everyone who helped me perform tasks that didnt need help and without asking, i wouldnt have enough money to stay at your hotel"
 
I have a favorite sushi place. The owner/chef is now a good friend (even if I can't understand half of what he says) and I make him knives. I eat there once a week, usually. His daughter is the main waitress. When I walk in, after the "anyong and kamsahapnita"and such, My Sapporo is already at my spot at the counter. Kyung fixes me all sorts of great appetizers, dishes, and special sashimi most of which are not on the menu. I never fill out and order, and I never leave hungry. The check comes and it is always for $32.06, irregardless of how much I have been served. The ticket says: $21 for sashimi deluxe, $4 for a Sapporo, and tax. I put a $50 bill in the folder for the bill and tip to Sarra, and a $20 in Kyungs jar. Now it may seem excessive to tip what really amounts to more than 100% of the bill, but I have figured that I get about $100-150 in first class sashimi for that. Sometimes he doesn't even charge me. When I bring my family and friends for a special dinner (birthday) he may charge me $200 for eight people and serve up $500-600 in specialties.
When he has family get togethers for things like July 4th, New Years, his birthday, etc. , I am always invited. If you have never been to a Korean shindig, you are really missing a party. It is a feast and fun event until 2AM at least. Karaoke is a required part, we won't go into the amount and variety of Korean spirits to be sampled.

Moral of the story - You often get far more by being a good tipper where you are a regular.
The other point is ,I know that they both can use it. Running a small, out of the way ,sushi restaurant is not the most profitable of businesses. They have families to care for,too.
Many of the young women who bar tend and waitress are raising a kid or two on their own, and desperately need that tip money. They often don't make much in salary, mainly tips.

If the service sucks, don't tip.
If the food sucks, remember that the waitress/waiter didn't cook it. Tip her/him.
If you don't like the place (unclean dishes, restrooms,noisy,etc.) - tell the manager, not the waitress. She doesn't own the place, and may get in trouble for taking your complaint to the boss.
Final rant - Don't fuss at the waitress or any sales person (Like the checkout girl at the grocery store) about the prices. They don't set them and they don't profit from them (beyond the tip percentage).

Final comment - Throwing a drink at or slugging a bartender or threatening to get even later is childish. It never shows you are the better person. It may show that you are as big a jerk or bigger,though. It also might wind you in jail and then who is laughing at who. Tell the owner or manager, calmly what happened. They don't want unhappy customers.
Stacy
 
Thats sorry behavior, and it got him the proper reward. Dipwad. Can't imagine him being a successful bartender. The guys where my wife and I worked in Ft. Lauderdale were GOOD. They worked their area like a pro. The top guy cleared 70K. When it was slow I watched him work the crowd. He was a master. No tricks, or flipping bottles, just good personable service, and properly poured drinks.

Its cool the manager got rid of him. Thats proper service.
 
David Schott said:
so why should i tip 25% to a guy whose biggest job description is pulling a handle to allow liquid to flow into a glass?
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Either you haver mastered that technique, or you have never tried it. It looks easy doesn't it? I have been a liquor licensee for 33 years and have met many people who have said 'pouring a pint is easy'. I usually say 'OK, you pour a pint and if it OK, you can have it. It is usually a disaster with far too much head. Then I pour a drink, show them the difference, give them the one I poured, and drink the one they poured.

It is controlled by a number of factors, how fast you open the tap, how you angle the glass, where the beer hits the glass edge and the distance from the tap to the liquid. All the factors are monitored and altered as the glass is filled. If the beer doesn't have enough head, you can press the tap backwards, usually only needed if the beer in the keg is a little flat.


In the UK, bar staff don't get tips, but customers might buy them a drink for consumption after the bar closes.
 
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