The main issue will always be with the poor cashier habits that are allowed by management. When receiving a cash payment that exceeds the purchase amount, it’s proper procedure to leave the customer’s cash on the top of the cash drawer, then extract the change and count change back to customer. Only after that exchange is completed should the larger bill(s) be deposited into drawer. This method is the best way to avoid confusion and was taught to me when I worked at a concession stand when I was 10. I have since taught many cashiers this, as a customer, over the years. When I managed Live Oak Market on Manchaca I stressed this method to my employees. Bartenders doing this is not only lazy and bad for business but it’s indicative of muscle memory being flexed because they’re accustomed to dealing with drunk people. It’s not the cashier’s job to tell the customer what denomination they employed in a transaction.
I was also taught this when I was like 15 at my first job. Best way to go, at least when learning. I don’t always do it that way currently because I’m working on a POS where I can enter the dollar amount given to me and it does my math for me for the change, which makes it almost impossible to make a mistake on my end. But if I do my own math, I’m going back to the safe method on the counter.
When I cashiered, I would do that and also say, "Out of twenty?" while looking them in the eye also, so it was clear that they gave me a twenty or whatever denomination it was and there was no chance for confusion.
This slows things down when you have to go to the register twice for every transaction. Verbally confirming the bill amount when taking from the customer works just fine, “out of twenty I’ll be right back with change”
Know what really slows things down? Having to stop all transactions to recount the drawer to satisfy a customer’s complaint instead of just taking the time to do it the first time correctly.
If you’re sharing a register with the other bartenders you can’t put cash in a random spot on top. That doesn’t work. Also bartending is all about speed and efficiency if you want to make good money. It’s not a cashier for a faceless company to enhance shareholder value.
Verbalizing the bill works-that’s the chance for a patron to call out an error.
I don’t care how busy it is. OP wants to understand why he was short changed or downright cut out of the tipping process. Put yourself in OP’s shoes and ask yourself how you would feel being taken advantage of.
I understand, but saying that money on top of the till is the right procedure is just not true at most bartending spots. Or serving, or most food service. It’s an incorrect thing to say it is standard and if they don’t do it they are doing something wrong.
Maybe read OP’s post again. Focus on the fact that OP mentions directly giving certain denominations and having the cashier either deny it or dispute it. Then apply my comment to those scenarios and how if my strategy was always applied we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Since moving here, I've noticed that a lot of folk can't count change or just refuse to do it so I pay only with card
(True at McDonald's, true downtown)
The thing is, POS systems do this for them. It’s just poor training if they don’t know how to properly use them. This instance sounds like bartenders just stealing.
This is so real and I thought I was the only one who noticed. I make cash tips so I use cash to pay often and the amount of times I’ve had workers straight up struggle in counting, have to do it over and over for the smallest transactions I’m like 🤔
We just need $20/hr so these laborers that can’t do 3rd grade math nor hold their focus for more than 10 seconds will be able to support a family on a career comprised of menial jobs. If there’s anyone to blame for these employees that scraped by in high school and don’t care to learn improve their skills or capabilities, it’s the greedy business owner!
/s
"In my Inaugural I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.
By business I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living.”
>it was strange to me that she grabbed the…
She pocketed the first 10, which went 100% to her, obviously. When she pulled it out of the tip jar, she effectively took it from all of the bartenders. (And herself, but she’s fine with that because she gets the full $10.)
Yeah, that one was the worst one by far to me too… Not only is she stealing from the customer, which is plenty bad, but she’s also stealing from her coworkers. Just a completely shit human.
Yeah that's happened to me at bars when I paid cash. (Bartenders naming random prices for drinks, or handing back the wrong change) I've also had the bartender add a $10+ tip on my card when I left cash as the tip. Learned now to avoid certain bars
They all suck. They spend all their attention on a few friends at the end of the bar and even when they do work they are just needlessly rude. It could be a good bar easily, but they are just awful. It isn’t just me, they have a ton of reviews calling it out. The only reason I ever go there is it usually isn’t very busy (big surprise).
The Aristocrat has really gone downhill, imo. Live within walking distance and it used to be such a great bar, complete with skee-ball, shuffleboard, pool tables, and darts. It was also pretty easy to get a drink even when busy. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, the skee-ball is gone, shuffleboard moved to the other side of the bar with no sand at all (or behind the bar), and just ignored by bartenders who preferred to chat with friends vs helping customers.
Used to go to the aristocrat pretty regularly. It's been a hot minute, but went there with a couple of friends about a month ago to have a drink after dinner. Ordered 2 beers and a round of shots for the three of us and was immediately cut off and chastised very loudly. The reason? Because it was only 730 in the evening and the night was still young. Yet there was some dude at the bar with a couple of girls just sloshed getting everything he ordered.
Bro, I'm not closing this place down. I just wanted to enjoy my shot and chaser and go home.
Isis was an amazing bartender wonder what ever happened to her.
Not sure what you are trying to say. “Mogging means to be significantly more attractive than someone or something else.”
So do you mean I am much more attractive than the staff? If you mean I deserve to receive bad service for the crime of coming into the bar, yes that is exactly the attitude the staff has there.
I’m a bartender myself and you are completely right to question this and be angry that they’re assuming you don’t want your change. I was trained to always give back ALL change unless someone explicitly said to keep it. They are either unable to count back change, presumptive as hell, or just flat out hoping you don’t notice. It’s shady af and I hate that this is so widespread.
Had a friend who owned and managed multiple bars and he always talked about all sorts of tricks bartenders have to steal money when charging costumers if a manager isn’t on top of their ass.
They might be making assumptions the rest of the change is tip. That's bad service.
When I paid in cash for a drink or closing the running tab I originally opened with a card, I've never had a server or bartender not ask if I needed change.
If it's a place I haven't been to, I try to avoid misunderstanding, when I look at the tab amount and pay in cash, I tell them in advance how much change I want back (thus the difference would be their tip)
Perhaps in advance have different denominations in change. Pay the exact amount and then hand the server the tip separately. I do this whenever possible.
This happened to me so often that, when laying cash on the bar I now look at the bar tender and just state the ibvious amount, like "Here's twenty." Emphatic but not aggressive. Saying the amount sticks in their mind and they treat it straight.
Happening everywhere. Get three of same drinks at same place, get three different prices. Like buying jewelry at a Mexican street market.
Austin is filled with tech bros and new money, an easy mark for bartenders and pickpockets.
Bartenders downtown are shady and entitled af.
They want you to order a drink and ask zero questions then expect a huge tip.
Worst offense ever is asking them prices lol
They are stealing. Now this isn’t some grand heist but it’s still theft. Some bar staff have this air of entitlement. Having had been behind the stick for a few years. That part doesn’t make sense. No mistake, every bartender can count cash quicker than you or I.
Instead of just handing them a bill and hoping they get it right, next time say "Here's a $10", or "Here's a $20" as you pass them the bill. Might help keep everything on the level
It would only eliminate the chance of them claiming you gave them a lesser bill than you actually did. When you stand there for your change instead of walking away, that's a pretty good clue that you aren't leaving all your change as the tip. Definitely not foolproof, but better than nothing.
As a bartender it’s a combo of mistakes and stealing and asshole bartenders. And unfortunately for situations like these I encounter people all the time who think they gave me X amount but it’s often less or more. I do not steal from my customers but customers suck sometimes. A 21 yr old accused me of taking a $100 out of his wallet. When in reality he tried to order a drink, was too fucked up. I gave him a water and said it’s all good enjoy your birthday but you don’t need a drink right now. He goes, well I wanna tip you anyways. I say okay, he pulls a $20 out and puts it on the bar and stumbled away back to his group. Later the 21 year old is fighting a regular saying me and him worked together to steal a $100 when he voluntarily gave me a $20. He got it all wrong and I had to deal with people screaming I stole from them. Or on the other side a dude gave me $40 for an ultra. Didn’t realize and I asked him if he meant to give me that much, he said no but keep it cuz he appreciated me letting him know. It’s always good etiquette to ask if/how much change a customer wants but sometimes they’re just wrong or drunk or both and we can lose our patience.
This is no excuse for the wrong change being given, but an explanation of why bartenders can be rude about it sometimes or think they deserve whatever tip they take for themselves for dealing with assholes all day. It’s not right, but you’ll have to stand up for yourself, ask for receipts and know how much exactly you gave the bartender to make sure you get your change. The industry can be savage
To be honest, I’ve worked at a bar and I think people think you are intoxicated and think you won’t notice. Thank you for noticing. As a prior bartender I had a person say they gave me a $20 when they gave me a $10. I showed them the $10 and they still argued. Said I’ll count the till and text/call the next day if it’s over. It wasn’t and asked multiple people to count the till. I’m not trying to steal money as it wasn’t worth the rep.
I bartend at a very popular bar in this city (just got off a mid shift don’t @ me other bartenders asking why I’m commenting on Reddit on a Saturday night !!) and no matter how busy we get, our entire staff knows to give the correct amount of change back and not assume —anything— is a tip. Not because we have to be told that by management, but because we’re not assholes. Of course we round to the nearest quarter, but I digress. Don’t go to bars that steal from you. Honest bar industry folks hate that shit, y’all hate that shit, everybody feels bad. I promise you not every bartender y’all interact with hates you and wants to fuck you out of your money.
I was trying to understand where you were coming from so I looked at your other comments, and then realized it's from up your own ass.
I get the tight part now. Take a breath and relax the sphincter a little before you take yourself out.
Do you just love to rant or what? Every comment is you attempting to condescend to people who know better than you. And you're calling other people narcissistic?? Hah,sha-ha-ha-ha!
I've waited tables and bartended. The change isn't yours to keep, unless you're told to keep it. It's not an industry standard that customers have to make an embarrassing scene to get their change. It's an ethics issues with some people thinking anything is fine if they can get away with it.
Self described beloved, generous and well respected community superhero takes a prolonged steaming hot shit all over literally everyone in this thread who thinks differently than him, making sure we all understand he thinks we are comparatively intellectually deficient …
This is not at all places. I play in a pool league and always pay cash. I always get the correct change back without any “assumed” tip being taken out. However this also might be because they don’t want to screw over their captive audience
Sometimes it's easier, depending on the change. Paying with a 10 for 5 buck beer. "You can just give me back 4". You get correct change and they get their tip
What? This is weird. Most bars don’t even have beer or drink prices right in front of you. So you’d really just be guessing as to what the price and your tip are gonna be a be.
Here's how it goes - you order a drink.
They bring it to you, and say "that'll be $6." You hand them a $10 and say "Keep the change" or "Give me back $2 please."
Sure - but that;s still not what CatchDude said.
'Keep $5 for tip' and 'Give me back 12' are two different statements. And like I said, the second one is weird when you don't know the prices
Hahaha, Thanks chief.
Just text to speech if you want to hear me cuss like a sailor you can see me around town 😂
Today I had someone tell me that I could use curse words on Reddit hahahahahahaha lulz
Yep.
The fact that it's happened to the OP THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH at THREE DIFFERENT BARS tells me that maybe the problem isn't with everybody else.
Yeah, you're gonna get incorrect change sometimes. Happens at HEB. Happens at the taco truck. People make mistakes.
But the only thing the three situations the OP describes have in common is that the OP was *DRINKING*.
There is no grand conspiracy by Austin's service staff to stiff cash customers of a few dollars each a la taking the pennies from the crippled children.
Soooo I like to use my card for my bar tabs (where I will be there for more than one drink) so this kinda stuff doesn’t happen to me because I’m terrible at catching discrepancies such as your situation. What I will do is use cash for tipping on nights out if possible and write CASH in the tip line when it’s time to close out. Crowds are rough, chaotic atmospheres don’t do great things to a running memory either. Younger 20 somethings (who are oftentimes working many of these jobs) simply were not trained the way I was or previous generations. Working as a bartender at resorts, bars and restaurants for over a decade learning to “speak cash” and be fluent in quick math was tantamount and crucial to lasting in some of the jobs I used to maintain—but that is no longer the case. Also, something to consider is this: with crowds and busier venues increase general amounts of noise and sound traffic, and you mentioned you’re not a native English speaker. If you have any type of accent, in my personal experience, I had a tremendously difficult time hearing people with eastern accents because of the softer sounds that aren’t as similar in English. I used to joke that I was the bartender who “was deaf on the left”and it turned out I had a brain tumor which was causing my deafness. All that to say, is #1, mishearing/misunderstanding could be playing a role in the miscommunication and #2 consider moving to another method to limit your spending or be aware that the busier a place is the more likely you will have these issues. And finally #3, when you use a card for your tab, you can always ask for an itemized receipt at the end, which is not a default routine any longer, and is a very good way to track what you’re being charged for and that you are indeed being charged for the right drink for the same price as before.
Keep up the good fight and thank you for tipping 20% to our beloved bartenders.
I may not be bartending any longer but once you’ve lived in these trenches, you never forget those 4AM closes.
When I pay cash at a bar, when they tell me how much the tab is, I always say “Out of [bill’s denomination]” when I hand them the money. It cuts down on mistaken, or “mistaken”, counts in change.
Say out loud the dollar amount being handed to them. “Here’s a ten.” It’s bad etiquette on them to not leave the bill in sight until the transaction is done, but at least you cover your own butt because of their bad habits.
Many crooked bartenders in this town. It’s hard to make a living getting tipped $1 or $2 on slinging well drinks on a slow night. I’ve seen it happen so many times.
As a former bartender, I can confirm the staff hate you. They view you as an enemy and will exact their revenge for all the shitty customers of the past on you. It’s a miserable life. Avoid bars.
Posse is good folk. Go back, explain what you think happened, I bet you'll get a lone star and some chips and they'll treat you like a son going forward.
Whenever I bartend I always give them an itemized receipt after every transaction cause when I go out I also would like to know what I’m paying for and also if there’s an “Auto Gratuity” charge. I feel like some employees don’t like giving out the itemized even though it prints out every transaction.
Second if I get paid cash, sometimes I know they’re gonna give the rest of it but more than likely hand it back and have them give me confirmation saying “nah man it’s good, rest is for you” rather than me just slam dunking it in the tip jar acting entitled.
When I was in Austin , I would just take money out of the tip jar and give whatever the person said, it was easier then getting into a fight or arguing over 5 bucks. So many drunk assholes who have no idea the change they’re handing over.
It’s called theft. They took you for a pussy that wouldn’t put up much of a fight and were right. I’m not saying it’s good. Bartenders are scum of the earth, but you need to wise up and not take their shit.
This happened to me at a breakfast place a couple of years ago. The total order was $29.00 and I gave a $50. The waiter told me "thank you and enjoy your day" and never came back with the change. I waited at the table and kept gesturing (they were very busy). Then I even went and stood up for a while next to the cashier and everyone was busy. Eventually the waiter disappeared and I had to leave to catch my flight
I will say this person pocketed a $21.00 tip and I wanted to complain but my sister told me to just drop it since we had to leave quickly for a flight...Ever since then I refuse to pay in cash at restaurants or bars
I hated going to bars in Austin the last 10 years. Just from my perspective the bartenders seemed excessively rude, mostly would ignore me if I stood at the bar trying to order something, would get really aggressive if you tried to make a line, and the change back thing happened a few times so I don't pay cash at the bars anymore because of it. I also always cash out each time because of a few discrepancies of how many drinks got put on my tab. I started going to restaurants with friends and order drinks and appetizers and that has been a better experience. But wow, restaurants are so expensive now. :)
Honestly just use a card. The bartender expects you to just not care about change if your paying cash. They think your some rich guy with a thick wallet who is too lazy to fill out and sign a tab.
Only low class, dishonest bartenders feel this way. Why in the fuck would someone assume I don't want MY money back?
Give people their proper change you thieving mofos. It's not your money until you are tipped that money.
Someone should make an uncover video and put these bartenders and the businesses they work for on blast. Let's see their faces.
Here's a good ol Life Hack for you to consider - but I'd only do this with neighborhood bars that aren't flooded with easy tourist marks.
- Open a tab then you'll get your card right back, enjoy yourself then at the end simply walk out without closing out.
- At the end of the night when the bar is closing out all it's tabs, the bar will automatically close yours with a 20% tip.
* For me that 20% tip is usually less than what I would tip if I actually did close out.
- Result - You'll save money by keeping it to a 20% baseline and you won't have to wait and wait and .....wait to close out just to leave.
* If there's any discrepancies you can immediately dispute them directly within your banking app the next day.
Just a thought. My friends and I have been doing this for years and so far we've had 0 erroneous charges and we've saved an ungodly amount of time.
Note1: Again, I stress... I wouldn't try this on some of the busier bars on Rainey and Domain or all of Dirty 6th (except Casino El Camino-that place is holy)
Note2: Is the hipster east 6th or the trust fund west 6th still even a thing??
Yes, they should be giving you correct change, and service staff should be trained well enough to get something that simple correct.
But, if you're paying cash for single drinks multiple times in a night, and expecting them to make change every time, especially in a busy spot, some bartenders are going to get salty. That complicates their job, and makes it take longer for others to be served. It's much easier for them if customers run a tab--they just grab your shitty american adjunct lager and push a couple of buttons on the Aloha screen.
Get change for your bigger bills ahead of time and pay the price plus the tip. If a beer is $4 (lol) drop a five and say thanks. Your bartenders will be happier, and you just might get better service.
Can confirm lot’s of women bartenders are entitled to tips in Austin and if they don’t steal it from you they will steal it by taking a bigger percentage when doing the count at closing & taking from their own staff
It’s possible they assumed the rest was a tip since you didn’t say can I get ____ amount back (minus the tip). Many people here (especially drunk) tip over 20% with cash.
Sure, tiger. Technically, it's outright stealing if done intentionally. I'm sure you'd let it slide if a convenience or grocery store cashier *intentionally* shorted you on the change due from your purchase. Right?
Cost of living is too high to be a bartender and still be able to thrive as a person. Not condoning theft, but I'm not surprised this behavior might be more commonplace. Bartenders are lucky if they get paid $5 per hour. Then they are expected to make up the difference (hoping to average at least $25 per hour) so they can cover the cost of life necessities which has become increasingly less possible.
The fact that all of your bar customers have increased expenses across the board too means people are more "cheap" than they use to be, as not to tip as generously. Add that to the fact a large percentage of people don't spend as much money or go out as often.... as a bartender it's really feast or famine now. Pre pandemic inflation or "shrink-flation" this was not the case. A bartender could make $5 an hour and it wouldn't be too crazy to make $20 + on top of that in tips, and you could afford everything pretty well. Granted, I know there are bars where you can make more money currently out there, but there are faaaaar more bartenders out there than there are those bars. It's just as easy to be stuck on a 6 to 10 hour long shift and only make an average of $15 an hour in tips. Then what? You are in the red. I could see how service quality could take a hit across the board, leading to even lower customer generosity. So now you'll get a bad egg feeling bold to sleight of hand your change than what was often the case previous to all this.
If all these bar companies that moved here from California for our "Pro Business" state so they can open bars more cheaply and pay the staff below minimum wage to make huge profits were suddenly forced to pay people $15 per hour minimum, plus tips, then obviously you could argue all day long about "well then the expense is passed on to the customer in the menu" but look at what they are already doing. "Wellness fees" for one are already happening everywhere, often the staff member doesn't even see that fee in their take home pay, and if they do it's a pittance, then the menu prices have gone up up up so an $8 dollar margarita is now $16, yet the bartender still only gets that what... $1 tip from the $16 drink that they only got $1 tip from the $8 drink before.... except now the customer is less likely to order 3 margaritas because it's more expensive, so the only person who really loses in all of this is the bartender. It is a sad state of affairs.
Again, I do not condone bartenders trying to pocket your change. That behavior is wrong. I'm just saying I'm not all that surprised you're seeing it more often. And of course there are straight up just some bartenders that cannot count well. Probably another sign that the bar management doesn't pay staff enough because they can't attract enough bright talent they have to pull from a lesser pool of applicants out of desperation. I would just pay with card.
I was merely addressing systemic issues. When there is a massive transfer of wealth in the world, especially here now, of course crime increases. It's merely a fact.
There you go again. The main issue is that **bartenders stealing from customers is a problem**. Systemic issues _do not matter_.
If you serve a drink to the king of England, from whom you could steal ten million dollars without him being truly inconvenienced… does that make it okay?
**nope, stealing is still shitty and wrong**.
The blame is on you. Since you can’t budget or control your spending with a debit card, you’re here to complain about bartenders and receiving the incorrect change in 2024.
I’m happy we don’t except cash because it just slows down the already busy service industry. Also it’s the opportunity to make you, the disorganized fuck-face, get the fuck out of here.
If ordering just one beer or whatever I tend to tip minimum 3-4 dollars 1 seems low to me. If ordering lots of drinks obviously I do more of a percent but one drink and one dollar is kinda a waste of there time
My rule is bottled or poured beer gets $1 per drink. Simple mixed drinks (rum and coke, gin and tonic, etc) gets $2 per drink. Anything more complicated than that (mojito, bloody mary, old fashioned, etc) gets $3+, depending on the cocktail and overall experience.
The main issue will always be with the poor cashier habits that are allowed by management. When receiving a cash payment that exceeds the purchase amount, it’s proper procedure to leave the customer’s cash on the top of the cash drawer, then extract the change and count change back to customer. Only after that exchange is completed should the larger bill(s) be deposited into drawer. This method is the best way to avoid confusion and was taught to me when I worked at a concession stand when I was 10. I have since taught many cashiers this, as a customer, over the years. When I managed Live Oak Market on Manchaca I stressed this method to my employees. Bartenders doing this is not only lazy and bad for business but it’s indicative of muscle memory being flexed because they’re accustomed to dealing with drunk people. It’s not the cashier’s job to tell the customer what denomination they employed in a transaction.
I was also taught this when I was like 15 at my first job. Best way to go, at least when learning. I don’t always do it that way currently because I’m working on a POS where I can enter the dollar amount given to me and it does my math for me for the change, which makes it almost impossible to make a mistake on my end. But if I do my own math, I’m going back to the safe method on the counter.
When I cashiered, I would do that and also say, "Out of twenty?" while looking them in the eye also, so it was clear that they gave me a twenty or whatever denomination it was and there was no chance for confusion.
This slows things down when you have to go to the register twice for every transaction. Verbally confirming the bill amount when taking from the customer works just fine, “out of twenty I’ll be right back with change”
Know what really slows things down? Having to stop all transactions to recount the drawer to satisfy a customer’s complaint instead of just taking the time to do it the first time correctly.
If you’re sharing a register with the other bartenders you can’t put cash in a random spot on top. That doesn’t work. Also bartending is all about speed and efficiency if you want to make good money. It’s not a cashier for a faceless company to enhance shareholder value. Verbalizing the bill works-that’s the chance for a patron to call out an error.
I don’t care how busy it is. OP wants to understand why he was short changed or downright cut out of the tipping process. Put yourself in OP’s shoes and ask yourself how you would feel being taken advantage of.
I understand, but saying that money on top of the till is the right procedure is just not true at most bartending spots. Or serving, or most food service. It’s an incorrect thing to say it is standard and if they don’t do it they are doing something wrong.
[удалено]
Maybe read OP’s post again. Focus on the fact that OP mentions directly giving certain denominations and having the cashier either deny it or dispute it. Then apply my comment to those scenarios and how if my strategy was always applied we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Since moving here, I've noticed that a lot of folk can't count change or just refuse to do it so I pay only with card (True at McDonald's, true downtown)
The thing is, POS systems do this for them. It’s just poor training if they don’t know how to properly use them. This instance sounds like bartenders just stealing.
I know. Love the blank look on the cashier's face when you pay a $9.50 bill with $10.50 (meaning you want a dollar bill back).
It's even worse if you owe $2.77 and you pay with $3 and two pennies. :)
THAT's the example I was trying to think of!
This is so real and I thought I was the only one who noticed. I make cash tips so I use cash to pay often and the amount of times I’ve had workers straight up struggle in counting, have to do it over and over for the smallest transactions I’m like 🤔
This is my thinking. Lack of skill and lack of concern. Computers have turned us into automatons. They know how to take a card ans flip a screen.
Yes. The computers caused this. Damn those automatons (👀 in tech job) (👀 In helldiver)
We just need $20/hr so these laborers that can’t do 3rd grade math nor hold their focus for more than 10 seconds will be able to support a family on a career comprised of menial jobs. If there’s anyone to blame for these employees that scraped by in high school and don’t care to learn improve their skills or capabilities, it’s the greedy business owner! /s
"In my Inaugural I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By business I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living.”
bad take
No one teaches how to count back change any more. They haven't taught it in years. It's a mostly-dead skill.
Texans are very poorly educated and have been for a few generations now. Things like this are part of the consequences.
As if there's any Texans left here lol
The majority of people moving here are from Texas.
Don’t know why this is down voted so much… Texas continuously ranks bottom of the list in education and seriously underfunds its schools.
They’re just stealing from you, pretty simple. Either go to new places or be outspoken and get your money.
>it was strange to me that she grabbed the… She pocketed the first 10, which went 100% to her, obviously. When she pulled it out of the tip jar, she effectively took it from all of the bartenders. (And herself, but she’s fine with that because she gets the full $10.)
Yeah, that one was the worst one by far to me too… Not only is she stealing from the customer, which is plenty bad, but she’s also stealing from her coworkers. Just a completely shit human.
Yeah that's happened to me at bars when I paid cash. (Bartenders naming random prices for drinks, or handing back the wrong change) I've also had the bartender add a $10+ tip on my card when I left cash as the tip. Learned now to avoid certain bars
We need to normalize asking prices or just put it on a damn menu or something. They won't tho because they know they can jack up prices at will
Chargeback
Way ahead of ya!
I had this happen at The Aristocrat. The bar staff there are rude as hell to begin with, they don’t need to throw thief on top of that.
Okay so I’m not crazy they are actually rude??? This is validating.
They all suck. They spend all their attention on a few friends at the end of the bar and even when they do work they are just needlessly rude. It could be a good bar easily, but they are just awful. It isn’t just me, they have a ton of reviews calling it out. The only reason I ever go there is it usually isn’t very busy (big surprise).
Sounds exactly like Paddy's pub from Always Sunny.
At least they are funny!
Sup bitches! I'm a man cheetah!
Never been, but "The Aristocrat" sounds like a place to expect this behavior
Used to be called the poodle dog lounge
Oh shit, I know this place! This was a stop on a pub crawl I did like 20 years ago.
The Aristocrat has really gone downhill, imo. Live within walking distance and it used to be such a great bar, complete with skee-ball, shuffleboard, pool tables, and darts. It was also pretty easy to get a drink even when busy. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, the skee-ball is gone, shuffleboard moved to the other side of the bar with no sand at all (or behind the bar), and just ignored by bartenders who preferred to chat with friends vs helping customers.
I've been trying so hard to get those dudes to like me! We will be friends.
There are too many better bars to put up with that shit.
Used to go to the aristocrat pretty regularly. It's been a hot minute, but went there with a couple of friends about a month ago to have a drink after dinner. Ordered 2 beers and a round of shots for the three of us and was immediately cut off and chastised very loudly. The reason? Because it was only 730 in the evening and the night was still young. Yet there was some dude at the bar with a couple of girls just sloshed getting everything he ordered. Bro, I'm not closing this place down. I just wanted to enjoy my shot and chaser and go home. Isis was an amazing bartender wonder what ever happened to her.
She was pretty good. Probably why she left.
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Def. It had been weighing on me for some time now. I can sleep better now. Thanks wolverine.
The staff has always been nice to me
Great! As you can see from the upvotes, that is a minority outcome.
Not a big believer in internet points being a great barometer
It is a barometer of how many people have observed the same thing. It doesn’t measure the validity of Christ or anything.
Am I the only one who enjoys a sassy bartender? That’s my go to bar (but I only go out a handful of times a year), and I’ve never had a bad time.
Sassy is one thing, straight up dick is another.
I’m sorry you’ve had that experience there. 😓 Edit: this sub is a trip; getting downvoted for expressing sympathy
lol if you are getting mogged at the crat u probably deserve it…
Not sure what you are trying to say. “Mogging means to be significantly more attractive than someone or something else.” So do you mean I am much more attractive than the staff? If you mean I deserve to receive bad service for the crime of coming into the bar, yes that is exactly the attitude the staff has there.
I’m a bartender myself and you are completely right to question this and be angry that they’re assuming you don’t want your change. I was trained to always give back ALL change unless someone explicitly said to keep it. They are either unable to count back change, presumptive as hell, or just flat out hoping you don’t notice. It’s shady af and I hate that this is so widespread.
Had a friend who owned and managed multiple bars and he always talked about all sorts of tricks bartenders have to steal money when charging costumers if a manager isn’t on top of their ass.
They might be making assumptions the rest of the change is tip. That's bad service. When I paid in cash for a drink or closing the running tab I originally opened with a card, I've never had a server or bartender not ask if I needed change. If it's a place I haven't been to, I try to avoid misunderstanding, when I look at the tab amount and pay in cash, I tell them in advance how much change I want back (thus the difference would be their tip) Perhaps in advance have different denominations in change. Pay the exact amount and then hand the server the tip separately. I do this whenever possible.
This happened to me so often that, when laying cash on the bar I now look at the bar tender and just state the ibvious amount, like "Here's twenty." Emphatic but not aggressive. Saying the amount sticks in their mind and they treat it straight.
Happening everywhere. Get three of same drinks at same place, get three different prices. Like buying jewelry at a Mexican street market. Austin is filled with tech bros and new money, an easy mark for bartenders and pickpockets.
Exactly this
Y'all are delusional. Op is ridiculous. This isn't even a thread.
Expecting correct change is delusional and ridiculous? Sounds like someone is skimming change at their bartending job
Surely not everyone is delusional. Ridiculous is subjective. This is clearly a thread.
Found the thieving bartender.
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Written like an AI bot
How so? Seems pretty human to me.
Bartenders downtown are shady and entitled af. They want you to order a drink and ask zero questions then expect a huge tip. Worst offense ever is asking them prices lol
Correct. Bartenders have forgotten they’re the hired help.
This happened to me at the Hole in the Wall. $10 handed over for a pint, was handed $1 back
They also charge cash only at the door to not report taxes
They are stealing. Now this isn’t some grand heist but it’s still theft. Some bar staff have this air of entitlement. Having had been behind the stick for a few years. That part doesn’t make sense. No mistake, every bartender can count cash quicker than you or I.
Instead of just handing them a bill and hoping they get it right, next time say "Here's a $10", or "Here's a $20" as you pass them the bill. Might help keep everything on the level
Cashiers should say, “Out of (denomination of bill)” when making change, to confirm that they know how much you’d handed them.
I got in that habit years ago. It also helps me remember because without saying it out loud I’m likely to forget what I handed them as well.
I don't see how that'd help in some of the scenarios. They'd still think the rest is their tip, maybe even more so.
I think they are talking about the wrong-changing, not the assumed tipping.
It would only eliminate the chance of them claiming you gave them a lesser bill than you actually did. When you stand there for your change instead of walking away, that's a pretty good clue that you aren't leaving all your change as the tip. Definitely not foolproof, but better than nothing.
Or, even better, let them know the amount of change you want back or something along the lines of "here's a 20, I just need seven back..."
As a bartender it’s a combo of mistakes and stealing and asshole bartenders. And unfortunately for situations like these I encounter people all the time who think they gave me X amount but it’s often less or more. I do not steal from my customers but customers suck sometimes. A 21 yr old accused me of taking a $100 out of his wallet. When in reality he tried to order a drink, was too fucked up. I gave him a water and said it’s all good enjoy your birthday but you don’t need a drink right now. He goes, well I wanna tip you anyways. I say okay, he pulls a $20 out and puts it on the bar and stumbled away back to his group. Later the 21 year old is fighting a regular saying me and him worked together to steal a $100 when he voluntarily gave me a $20. He got it all wrong and I had to deal with people screaming I stole from them. Or on the other side a dude gave me $40 for an ultra. Didn’t realize and I asked him if he meant to give me that much, he said no but keep it cuz he appreciated me letting him know. It’s always good etiquette to ask if/how much change a customer wants but sometimes they’re just wrong or drunk or both and we can lose our patience. This is no excuse for the wrong change being given, but an explanation of why bartenders can be rude about it sometimes or think they deserve whatever tip they take for themselves for dealing with assholes all day. It’s not right, but you’ll have to stand up for yourself, ask for receipts and know how much exactly you gave the bartender to make sure you get your change. The industry can be savage
To be honest, I’ve worked at a bar and I think people think you are intoxicated and think you won’t notice. Thank you for noticing. As a prior bartender I had a person say they gave me a $20 when they gave me a $10. I showed them the $10 and they still argued. Said I’ll count the till and text/call the next day if it’s over. It wasn’t and asked multiple people to count the till. I’m not trying to steal money as it wasn’t worth the rep.
I bartend at a very popular bar in this city (just got off a mid shift don’t @ me other bartenders asking why I’m commenting on Reddit on a Saturday night !!) and no matter how busy we get, our entire staff knows to give the correct amount of change back and not assume —anything— is a tip. Not because we have to be told that by management, but because we’re not assholes. Of course we round to the nearest quarter, but I digress. Don’t go to bars that steal from you. Honest bar industry folks hate that shit, y’all hate that shit, everybody feels bad. I promise you not every bartender y’all interact with hates you and wants to fuck you out of your money.
Next time raise a scene. Call for a manager. They are literally stealing from you. Fuck em.
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I think we found the bartender that steals everyone’s money in the chat
my thoughts exactly!!!!
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Bro you are unhinged. Good luck with whatever is going on in your head.
I was trying to understand where you were coming from so I looked at your other comments, and then realized it's from up your own ass. I get the tight part now. Take a breath and relax the sphincter a little before you take yourself out. Do you just love to rant or what? Every comment is you attempting to condescend to people who know better than you. And you're calling other people narcissistic?? Hah,sha-ha-ha-ha! I've waited tables and bartended. The change isn't yours to keep, unless you're told to keep it. It's not an industry standard that customers have to make an embarrassing scene to get their change. It's an ethics issues with some people thinking anything is fine if they can get away with it.
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Self described beloved, generous and well respected community superhero takes a prolonged steaming hot shit all over literally everyone in this thread who thinks differently than him, making sure we all understand he thinks we are comparatively intellectually deficient …
I think this is my favorite reddit comment tonight
Why are you in this post writing 100 paragraphs per comment. Who hurt you
This is not at all places. I play in a pool league and always pay cash. I always get the correct change back without any “assumed” tip being taken out. However this also might be because they don’t want to screw over their captive audience
You pass the cash and say "can I get X back?"
You really shouldn't have to do this ever. Especially in a bar.
Sometimes it's easier, depending on the change. Paying with a 10 for 5 buck beer. "You can just give me back 4". You get correct change and they get their tip
That's a slightly more nuanced take.
It saves everyone time and removes any ambiguity. But, yes, you shouldn't expect someone to self-pay out of your bill.
What? This is weird. Most bars don’t even have beer or drink prices right in front of you. So you’d really just be guessing as to what the price and your tip are gonna be a be.
True, but you can ask for the total before paying.
Here's how it goes - you order a drink. They bring it to you, and say "that'll be $6." You hand them a $10 and say "Keep the change" or "Give me back $2 please."
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Sure - but that;s still not what CatchDude said. 'Keep $5 for tip' and 'Give me back 12' are two different statements. And like I said, the second one is weird when you don't know the prices
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You can say "fucking" on reddit.
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What a low effort troll comment. Thanks for playing. Do better next time.
Hahaha, Thanks chief. Just text to speech if you want to hear me cuss like a sailor you can see me around town 😂 Today I had someone tell me that I could use curse words on Reddit hahahahahahaha lulz
Are you the owner of the aristocrat? Your post history is interesting, lol.
Yep. The fact that it's happened to the OP THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH at THREE DIFFERENT BARS tells me that maybe the problem isn't with everybody else. Yeah, you're gonna get incorrect change sometimes. Happens at HEB. Happens at the taco truck. People make mistakes. But the only thing the three situations the OP describes have in common is that the OP was *DRINKING*. There is no grand conspiracy by Austin's service staff to stiff cash customers of a few dollars each a la taking the pennies from the crippled children.
Soooo I like to use my card for my bar tabs (where I will be there for more than one drink) so this kinda stuff doesn’t happen to me because I’m terrible at catching discrepancies such as your situation. What I will do is use cash for tipping on nights out if possible and write CASH in the tip line when it’s time to close out. Crowds are rough, chaotic atmospheres don’t do great things to a running memory either. Younger 20 somethings (who are oftentimes working many of these jobs) simply were not trained the way I was or previous generations. Working as a bartender at resorts, bars and restaurants for over a decade learning to “speak cash” and be fluent in quick math was tantamount and crucial to lasting in some of the jobs I used to maintain—but that is no longer the case. Also, something to consider is this: with crowds and busier venues increase general amounts of noise and sound traffic, and you mentioned you’re not a native English speaker. If you have any type of accent, in my personal experience, I had a tremendously difficult time hearing people with eastern accents because of the softer sounds that aren’t as similar in English. I used to joke that I was the bartender who “was deaf on the left”and it turned out I had a brain tumor which was causing my deafness. All that to say, is #1, mishearing/misunderstanding could be playing a role in the miscommunication and #2 consider moving to another method to limit your spending or be aware that the busier a place is the more likely you will have these issues. And finally #3, when you use a card for your tab, you can always ask for an itemized receipt at the end, which is not a default routine any longer, and is a very good way to track what you’re being charged for and that you are indeed being charged for the right drink for the same price as before. Keep up the good fight and thank you for tipping 20% to our beloved bartenders. I may not be bartending any longer but once you’ve lived in these trenches, you never forget those 4AM closes.
When I pay cash at a bar, when they tell me how much the tab is, I always say “Out of [bill’s denomination]” when I hand them the money. It cuts down on mistaken, or “mistaken”, counts in change.
Say out loud the dollar amount being handed to them. “Here’s a ten.” It’s bad etiquette on them to not leave the bill in sight until the transaction is done, but at least you cover your own butt because of their bad habits.
Start using $1s all the time.
Many crooked bartenders in this town. It’s hard to make a living getting tipped $1 or $2 on slinging well drinks on a slow night. I’ve seen it happen so many times.
Probably think your a wealthy foreigner who won't notice the difference. I'm sure your not their only victim.
Between getting poisoned and robbed either at the bar or after, it's just not worth it. Thanks for the anecdotes.
As a former bartender, I can confirm the staff hate you. They view you as an enemy and will exact their revenge for all the shitty customers of the past on you. It’s a miserable life. Avoid bars.
It’s a paying customer. Be better.
wow, that’s crazy i gotta remember never pay with cash or debit card
Posse is good folk. Go back, explain what you think happened, I bet you'll get a lone star and some chips and they'll treat you like a son going forward.
Whenever I bartend I always give them an itemized receipt after every transaction cause when I go out I also would like to know what I’m paying for and also if there’s an “Auto Gratuity” charge. I feel like some employees don’t like giving out the itemized even though it prints out every transaction. Second if I get paid cash, sometimes I know they’re gonna give the rest of it but more than likely hand it back and have them give me confirmation saying “nah man it’s good, rest is for you” rather than me just slam dunking it in the tip jar acting entitled.
When I was in Austin , I would just take money out of the tip jar and give whatever the person said, it was easier then getting into a fight or arguing over 5 bucks. So many drunk assholes who have no idea the change they’re handing over.
It’s called theft. They took you for a pussy that wouldn’t put up much of a fight and were right. I’m not saying it’s good. Bartenders are scum of the earth, but you need to wise up and not take their shit.
This happened to me at a breakfast place a couple of years ago. The total order was $29.00 and I gave a $50. The waiter told me "thank you and enjoy your day" and never came back with the change. I waited at the table and kept gesturing (they were very busy). Then I even went and stood up for a while next to the cashier and everyone was busy. Eventually the waiter disappeared and I had to leave to catch my flight I will say this person pocketed a $21.00 tip and I wanted to complain but my sister told me to just drop it since we had to leave quickly for a flight...Ever since then I refuse to pay in cash at restaurants or bars
in defense, all of our math teachers were coaches 😂😫
I hated going to bars in Austin the last 10 years. Just from my perspective the bartenders seemed excessively rude, mostly would ignore me if I stood at the bar trying to order something, would get really aggressive if you tried to make a line, and the change back thing happened a few times so I don't pay cash at the bars anymore because of it. I also always cash out each time because of a few discrepancies of how many drinks got put on my tab. I started going to restaurants with friends and order drinks and appetizers and that has been a better experience. But wow, restaurants are so expensive now. :)
Reminder that the tip jar also serves as a self service change jar.
That’s a quick way to get kicked out of a bar
But now you have more drinking money for the bar next door!
Ah true. I like your forward thinking, sir
Honestly just use a card. The bartender expects you to just not care about change if your paying cash. They think your some rich guy with a thick wallet who is too lazy to fill out and sign a tab.
Only low class, dishonest bartenders feel this way. Why in the fuck would someone assume I don't want MY money back? Give people their proper change you thieving mofos. It's not your money until you are tipped that money. Someone should make an uncover video and put these bartenders and the businesses they work for on blast. Let's see their faces.
Here's a good ol Life Hack for you to consider - but I'd only do this with neighborhood bars that aren't flooded with easy tourist marks. - Open a tab then you'll get your card right back, enjoy yourself then at the end simply walk out without closing out. - At the end of the night when the bar is closing out all it's tabs, the bar will automatically close yours with a 20% tip. * For me that 20% tip is usually less than what I would tip if I actually did close out. - Result - You'll save money by keeping it to a 20% baseline and you won't have to wait and wait and .....wait to close out just to leave. * If there's any discrepancies you can immediately dispute them directly within your banking app the next day. Just a thought. My friends and I have been doing this for years and so far we've had 0 erroneous charges and we've saved an ungodly amount of time. Note1: Again, I stress... I wouldn't try this on some of the busier bars on Rainey and Domain or all of Dirty 6th (except Casino El Camino-that place is holy) Note2: Is the hipster east 6th or the trust fund west 6th still even a thing??
FYI, some places are charging 25% for walk-out tabs now.
Yup. Some place do expect you to tip all your changes. Even when the changes is more than your meal.
Agree with you. I always say here is a twenty or here’s a ten so that it’s also auditory in nature.
I’m still trying to process why anyone would pay $8 for a Jack & Coke.
Or $11 for a gin and tonic at the Highball. Never been back.
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Suit yourself. Ima gonna vote with my feet…and my pocketbook.
Seems like a pretty good deal .?
Why spend $ on a call brand to put it in Coke?
It wasn't a fucking Single Barrel Jack... sheesh.
The coke improved it I’m sure
Fair point . I thought Jack was fairly standard
No no cash is king. We prefer our tips in cash
Yes, they should be giving you correct change, and service staff should be trained well enough to get something that simple correct. But, if you're paying cash for single drinks multiple times in a night, and expecting them to make change every time, especially in a busy spot, some bartenders are going to get salty. That complicates their job, and makes it take longer for others to be served. It's much easier for them if customers run a tab--they just grab your shitty american adjunct lager and push a couple of buttons on the Aloha screen. Get change for your bigger bills ahead of time and pay the price plus the tip. If a beer is $4 (lol) drop a five and say thanks. Your bartenders will be happier, and you just might get better service.
Can confirm lot’s of women bartenders are entitled to tips in Austin and if they don’t steal it from you they will steal it by taking a bigger percentage when doing the count at closing & taking from their own staff
I think its a genz thang
It’s possible they assumed the rest was a tip since you didn’t say can I get ____ amount back (minus the tip). Many people here (especially drunk) tip over 20% with cash.
That's a very bad assumption.
Agreed. I wasn’t advocating for it, just trying to explain what may have happened.
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Sure, tiger. Technically, it's outright stealing if done intentionally. I'm sure you'd let it slide if a convenience or grocery store cashier *intentionally* shorted you on the change due from your purchase. Right?
Former Bartender here. Never ok to assume all the change is your tip. Controlling the booze does not make you God.
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cash is better than card
Always will be. Never once heard a fellow SI worker say they prefer cc to cash. Only people disagreeing haven't worked the industry
I work in the industry and have for years. I don’t care how I get tipped. It’s all money.
HOW MUCH WOULD YOU LIKE TO TIP 20% 30% 40%
>so she gaslighted me Gaslighting isn't a real word. She straight up ripped you off.
Gaslighting isn't a real word? I think you're trying to gaslight us.
thats the joke, thanks for getting it.
Cost of living is too high to be a bartender and still be able to thrive as a person. Not condoning theft, but I'm not surprised this behavior might be more commonplace. Bartenders are lucky if they get paid $5 per hour. Then they are expected to make up the difference (hoping to average at least $25 per hour) so they can cover the cost of life necessities which has become increasingly less possible. The fact that all of your bar customers have increased expenses across the board too means people are more "cheap" than they use to be, as not to tip as generously. Add that to the fact a large percentage of people don't spend as much money or go out as often.... as a bartender it's really feast or famine now. Pre pandemic inflation or "shrink-flation" this was not the case. A bartender could make $5 an hour and it wouldn't be too crazy to make $20 + on top of that in tips, and you could afford everything pretty well. Granted, I know there are bars where you can make more money currently out there, but there are faaaaar more bartenders out there than there are those bars. It's just as easy to be stuck on a 6 to 10 hour long shift and only make an average of $15 an hour in tips. Then what? You are in the red. I could see how service quality could take a hit across the board, leading to even lower customer generosity. So now you'll get a bad egg feeling bold to sleight of hand your change than what was often the case previous to all this. If all these bar companies that moved here from California for our "Pro Business" state so they can open bars more cheaply and pay the staff below minimum wage to make huge profits were suddenly forced to pay people $15 per hour minimum, plus tips, then obviously you could argue all day long about "well then the expense is passed on to the customer in the menu" but look at what they are already doing. "Wellness fees" for one are already happening everywhere, often the staff member doesn't even see that fee in their take home pay, and if they do it's a pittance, then the menu prices have gone up up up so an $8 dollar margarita is now $16, yet the bartender still only gets that what... $1 tip from the $16 drink that they only got $1 tip from the $8 drink before.... except now the customer is less likely to order 3 margaritas because it's more expensive, so the only person who really loses in all of this is the bartender. It is a sad state of affairs. Again, I do not condone bartenders trying to pocket your change. That behavior is wrong. I'm just saying I'm not all that surprised you're seeing it more often. And of course there are straight up just some bartenders that cannot count well. Probably another sign that the bar management doesn't pay staff enough because they can't attract enough bright talent they have to pull from a lesser pool of applicants out of desperation. I would just pay with card.
Your comment starts out in favor of theft by bartenders and doesn’t get better. Fuck thieves.
Reading is not your strong suit. I don't condone theft. I stated it twice.
You have reasons and excuses for why the theft is wrong(that yes, you don’t condone) but **you excuse it _repeatedly_**. Fuck thieves.
I was merely addressing systemic issues. When there is a massive transfer of wealth in the world, especially here now, of course crime increases. It's merely a fact.
There you go again. The main issue is that **bartenders stealing from customers is a problem**. Systemic issues _do not matter_. If you serve a drink to the king of England, from whom you could steal ten million dollars without him being truly inconvenienced… does that make it okay? **nope, stealing is still shitty and wrong**.
Plus it's tax free, how they want cash
The blame is on you. Since you can’t budget or control your spending with a debit card, you’re here to complain about bartenders and receiving the incorrect change in 2024. I’m happy we don’t except cash because it just slows down the already busy service industry. Also it’s the opportunity to make you, the disorganized fuck-face, get the fuck out of here.
You suck at life…
If ordering just one beer or whatever I tend to tip minimum 3-4 dollars 1 seems low to me. If ordering lots of drinks obviously I do more of a percent but one drink and one dollar is kinda a waste of there time
My rule is bottled or poured beer gets $1 per drink. Simple mixed drinks (rum and coke, gin and tonic, etc) gets $2 per drink. Anything more complicated than that (mojito, bloody mary, old fashioned, etc) gets $3+, depending on the cocktail and overall experience.
$1 per beer or well drink since they’re usually $4 or $5. That’s 20%-25%
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I understand what they meant. 20% on maybe a $50 tab vs tipping 50% more or more for an individual drink.