[redonion]

Over the past few months I've become a regular at a local bar. I'm friends and on a first name basis with a few of the bartenders and usually get there early on fridays before it gets crowded and talk sports with the bartenders and other regulars, etc. I'm a generous tipper (~$1.50 per beer).

Last night the bar was decently crowded and the bartender I'm most tight with saw me with an empty glass and said "hey, need another beer?" and filled me up. He placed the beer down and immediately turned around to start serving other customers and never asked for money (he also knows I know the price). This has happened before and I've stuck my arm out with money in it and they end up grabbing it. This time I just waited for him to ask for the money and he never did.

I tipped him, but felt like I may have "stole" the beer. Is there any chance he forgot to grab my money and was not subtly hooking me up here? I'd like to know what the protocol is for future situations so I can save money but at the same time avoid looking like I'm trying to avoid paying.

[Ensam]

Relevant:

[Pyre]

yeah it was probably implied that you'd pay, who knows? its not like you bankrupted the bar right there.

[Beyond Borders]

I get free drinks a lot - especially in the states. If I'm unsure I'll try to flag them down and offer, though, and if they don't want the money they'll just wave it off or say it's on them.

I think it's common courtesy to drop a healthy tip on the gesture, but I've never quite been able to figure out if there's a standard or what rule I should be following either.

[Hades]

I drink so much at bars that every now and then a free beer gets thrown my way. So what? If you're tipping the till is not going to suffer. Most bartenders balance the cash register with the tip jar anyway.

[TheBMan]

Its harder for bartenders to give away liquor because it can be monitored more closely but its pretty easy for them to slide a few tap beers your way w/o paying. He was hooking you up.

[thegmanifesto]

(11-23-2013 06:04 PM)redonion Wrote:  

I'm a generous tipper (~$1.50 per beer).

Depends on where you live.

He might hate you.

I don't think I have tipped under $2 for a drink since the 90's and I was 19 or 20 or something.

[TheBulldozer]

Tip heavy early on. Getting a drink and throwing a $10 or $20 down on your first drink is much more effective than getting 10 drinks and putting one single out each time.

[CaP7]

A lot of bartenders have an allotted number of free drinks they can give away each night. Custom loyalty and service. Bars need regulars to build a critical mass of clientele.

[Biz]

Bartender protocol is usually tip how much the drink is.. It's easiest to give away draft beer, esp when it's busy.

It also depends on the venue, it's a lot harder to give or receive a hook up if it's say a corporate restaurant or bar.

[pairofgreenthumbs]

They may very well have forgot to ask. I wouldn't be concerned or think that you "stole" it. I bartended for many years and a lot of companies will give the bartenders a certain amount of drinks they can give away. Also many bartenders know how to scam the business to be able to give away drinks to create a reliable customer base. Regulars deserve the occasional free-be but just never assume your entitled to it. Keep going along the way you are. $1.50/drink is an excellent tip so whether they are offering you a free drink or forgetting to ask for the money, you are safe in bartender's eyes. No need to worry!!! You should offer to buy them a shot every once in a while. I once worked at a bar where we were allowed 2 shots a night but had to drink them out of coffee mugs and have to ask the boss so they could keep track. I would always ask for my first one, then drink as many as I was offered without getting too drunk until I had to cut myself off or until my manager noticed me doing one and then I would tell him it was my second of the night. Ahhh those were the days

[AneroidOcean]

Seriously and jokingly:

That bartender wanted just the tip.

[Mufasa]

Yea it was a free drink--getting free drinks is pretty much a combination of a few things but typically its 1) tipping well & 2)becoming a regular/friend

I think McQueen talks about this

but they were hooking you up with free drinks. You've become their "friend" of sorts and they are taking care of you for taking care of them (your tips).
One time at a bar I have on lock one of the bartenders that im unfamiliar with charged me full price. the next drink I stopped her and asked her why she did that since no one else did:
"Ive never seen you before and I have to charge you because some guys say they will tip well and never do"
we cleared up the confusion and I made sure she saw me tip her and it never happened again.

Another move I've pulled is whenever I'm served quickly at a bar I make sure they see me tip them nicely--on some occasions this has led to free drinks but its typically just cheaper drinks (half-off on mixed drinks).

To keep the hookup going its a good practice to tip if they give you discounted or free drinks. Its really just a show of good faith that youre their homie. like if the bartender charges you 4 dollars for a $10 cocktail tip them $3 or $4 because you would have spent that money anyway. doesnt have to be the full price but in my example it cost me 7-8 bucks which is still a discount and they get a good tip--think of their hookup as an incentive to tip better. Every once and a while tip them so the total cost adds up to what the original cost would be or more (clutch move that keeps you in their good graces). A good timing would be when you order a lot of drinks and they give it to you on the cheap.
Like if you order 10 shots and the bartender charges you $25 dollars its totally reasonable to tip $10-$15. Shows that youre appreciative of them taking care of you even though you probably could have got away with a >$10 tip.

This could be in my own head but whenever I have used cash instead of a card this process is expedited.

Lastly: "shake a hand make a fr[a]nd" you clearly have done this since youre on a first name basis: if they like you they will take care of you and same goes with doormen. Im pretty sure I also got this from McQueen but when I go to a place where I dont know the doormen or a place where I do know them I always ask if they need water or a drink or something and when I leave I make sure to tell them to be safe and throw some dap with them. If its closing time I'll even make some small talk as people are getting kicked out.
One of my friends was super buddy-buddy with the bartenders at another bar (all the sudden he was getting discounts on bottle service and invited to bartender after parties) so I asked him how he pulled it off. He said one night he and a friend were there at closing time and offered to stay around and help clean/pick up--fucking genius. Im not sure if this was a special case situation but it sure as hell worked lol

edit: ive only done this once and i was really drunk so I dont recall my exact moves: play dumb
Me: said something about the price and that I would tip more if it was cheaper
bartender: something about not all people tipping well
Me: some bullshit that got her to give me drinks cheap
bartender: *gives me a drink and charges me less*
me: *tips nicely*
hope that helps lmao

[jimukr104]

Or just don't drink at the bar and you won't ever have to think about tipping someone for giving you a bottle of beer at a 500% markup.

Never tip at full price expensive drinks.

Disclaimer- I went to bars to get chicks NOT drink so my advice is irrelevant.

[AneroidOcean]

(11-18-2014 03:29 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  

Or just don't drink at the bar and you won't ever have to think about tipping someone for giving you a bottle of beer at a 500% markup.

Never tip at full price expensive drinks.

Disclaimer- I went to bars to get chicks NOT drink so my advice is irrelevant.

You're advice is not irrelevant, but if you think that the markup on the alcohol at the bar has zero value and it's just complete highway robbery, you're missing a lot.

What you're missing also, is that the path to not getting served full price expensive drinks is to be that guy that tips well, brings a lot of people (who spend money) to the establishment, and that are actually decent/cool people as well.

Not actually that hard of a thing to do and it reaps HUGE rewards (not just in discounted alcohol, but in girls being enthralled with your "perceived power" within the venue).

But if you're not into paying a markup or spending significant effort to get access and ADVANTAGE with hot chicks, that's okay too.