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Another Question

BabyDoc
Wayfaring Stranger
If you go to a bar or a club where someone is celebrating and they have an open bar. All the drinks are free. My question is do you tip your cocktail waitress:

a) nothing
b) same as you normally would if you were paying for your drink
or
c) more generously than normal

24 comments

  • shadowcat
    •
    16 days ago
    An open bar is free because someone else is paying. I's assume that other person is taking care of the staff and therefore no tips would be necessary.
  • funonthaside
    •
    16 days ago
    $1 per drink
  • shailynn
    •
    16 days ago
    B or C for me. Heck I’ve even consistently tipped when I was the one paying for the open bar.
  • skibum609
    •
    16 days ago
    C
  • Puddy Tat
    •
    16 days ago
    B. They're providing the same level of service. I tend to tip less for "simple" drinks (like a shot or straight something on the rocks) and more for "complicated" drinks like a frozen drink on he beach.
  • twentyfive
    •
    16 days ago
    Depends on what kind of open bar
    My typical is either B or C dependant on who the sponsor of the event is
  • whodey
    •
    16 days ago
    B or C depending on the event and who was paying for it.
  • wallanon
    •
    16 days ago
    If drinks are being comped I'll usually tip a little more because I'm still coming out ahead. Plus an open bar usually means the staff are hustling more to keep up.
  • mike710
    •
    16 days ago
    C has worked great for me in that situation. I went to a New Years Eve party at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas one year. It was about $100 admission with a free bar afterwards. I went with several people and we arrived as it opened. I tipped $10 for a round of drinks on my first and subsequent rounds. As time went by, the no-line bar turned into a 10 minute wait bar. However, when I went up towards the bar, my bartender noticed me and waived me to the front every time. Sometimes, one good deed deserves another does work.
  • ancientlurker
    •
    16 days ago
    Tip to reward good service. Or you can go with "tip to induce good service", sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
  • drewcareypnw
    •
    16 days ago
    B at a minimum... they're working that gig on the premise that they will get tips.
  • mogul1985
    •
    16 days ago
    B
  • Manuellabore
    •
    16 days ago
    B should get you the velvet rope service, since so many don’t tip in that circumstance
  • Jascoi
    •
    16 days ago
    B.
  • Muddy
    •
    16 days ago
    b
  • Dolfan
    •
    16 days ago
    Like 25 said, it depends on the nature of the situation. Most of the time it'll be B. But if for example it's a club sponsored party where the venue is picking up the tab, I'll up my tips a little. If it's a situation where I know the person paying is a big tipper, I may go with option d and tip a little more stingy.

    I often change my approach in those situations though. When I'm buying drinks at the bar, I tip for every drink since there is already an exchange of money. If I don't have to pay for each drink, I'll often toss the bartender $20 or something for my first drink and then not have to bother getting out my wallet the rest of the night. I think that change in approach isn't that uncommon, and I think it gives many the false impression that people aren't tipping.
  • gammanu95
    •
    16 days ago
    I always tip. Typically $1/drink, but the first tip is always double because I want the bartender or waitress to remember me for faster service.
  • DrStab
    •
    15 days ago
    I have hosted a few events with open bar; the event location will charge you gratuity for staff, so they are taken care of. They probably will often have a tip jar, go ahead and throw a dollar in now and then.
  • Icey
    •
    15 days ago
    Id tip like $2 a drink. If its premium then like $4.
  • skibum609
    •
    15 days ago
    In today's world if you have enough cash to enjoy life, you have a moral obligation to tip decently.
  • motorhead
    •
    15 days ago
    Look up the Emily Post rules of etiquette at a wedding for example. What DrStab said is true. Tips are generally included in what the host pays to the event staff so tipping is not required. But I think what skibum said is correct.
  • Hank Moody
    •
    15 days ago
    I tip a little more than usual unless the host expressly tells me no tipping. While 20% is a good guide for bar drinks, percentages don’t equate as well. It takes just as much effort for someone to get me a Jim Beam as it does a Pappy Van Winkle. I just try to take of bartenders and servers and the karma usually comes back.
  • Hank Moody
    •
    15 days ago
    take CARE of bartenders…
  • mogul1985
    •
    15 days ago
    "In today's world if you have enough cash to enjoy life, you have a moral obligation to tip decently." Moral Obligation? Tips are for good service, not virtue signaling. Originally, a tip at a restaurant, "to ensure promptness" was started back in Europe in like the1600s. It was about a reward for good service. The server had to work for it, not just show up to do their job. And sure, wages at restaurants and bars seriously depended on tips.

    This whole tipping thing is out of control. There was a place for a tip at a Firehouse Subs I went to last week. All he had to was take my money and make the sandwich as ordered. THAT does not mean he gets a tip for doing his job. I did round-up to the Fire Fighters Fund that Firehouse Subs is know for, that's different.

    I'll drop a good tip if I think it is worthy, not out of "moral obligation". When I traveled a lot, at airports when I saw military at a food court place, I'd ask to speak to the manager, give him/her $50 and tell them to pay for the service person(s) in line. Food at airports is ridiculously expensive. On a trip back from Germany, my last connection was ORD-COS, and I was in First Class on the last segment as there was no Business Class as I had on the others 2. I saw a soldier get on, and I told the flight attendant I wanted to trade seats. He turned it down. I did that for thanks for being a soldier.
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