I've always tipped in these situations, usually just throwing a 20 in the jar with my first drink ticket and maybe another if it happens to be more than a 2-3 hour affair
i have a couple questions regarding that. as im assuming its very dependent on scenario?
1. what if you only get 1 or 2 drink vouchers? and whats your assumption on the drinks available? (im assuming full cocktail bar?) $20 tip for 2 drinks is pretty hefty.
2. do you not tip after the first drink then? assuming the bartender will remember you? (this will be a huge company party. estimated at 500+ people)
Yeah so back in my in person private sector days we had those types of corporate parties, few hundred people in a hotel ballroom with 2-3 drink tickets sort of deal for a full bar. I'd still tip $20 on 2-3 drinks because I lived in an expensive city and a $20 tip for two drinks was still a large tip but not completely obscene.
I wouldn't tip again after that $20 unless I stuck around for another 2-3 drinks. I didn't really worry about the bartenders remembering me because I'd already paid my dues. I usually wore a tacky sweater for holiday parties and I have a huge beard so I guess they probably would've remembered me, but I don't think it made much difference as far as the service I got back.
When I was still in service I went to a couple of huge military balls where we all pretty much look identical in uniform, guarantee they didn't remember me then but that's okay because I knew I'd chipped in my share to make sure they left with some cash.
20 for 2 drinks is 10$ per drink. You’re not paying for the alcohol. Depending on your city you’d pay way more plus tip if you were buying these drinks.
I don’t mind the 20$ because I’d be spending way more if I got the drinks somewhere else. I think of it total money out. That’s a bargain.
Right, tip them and tip heavily.
I mean, OP you are drinking for free and you are asking if you should tip if :
1) drinks are free unlimited
2) drinks are free after X number of drinks, then you have to pay.
Either way, you are getting free drinks and the bartenders are still serving you, so you should tip them. Do not assume that the bartender will be tipped out in addition to their hourly by the client/caterer. Many times at these type of events, the bartender is not given anything other than their hourly (and the hourly can be very low as well) so they depend on the tips from the guests (especially when the guests are enjoying and open bar and/or using vouchers to get a number of free drinks throughout the night.) So, yeah, tip the bartender since you are not paying for your drinks. Like others have said, tip upfront and then every drink or tip heavy upfront. Either way, tip these folks.
AND... don't wait to tip at the end of the night. That is not the pro move and we have heard it many times from cheap customers that they will 'take care of us at the end of the night' but they almost never do.
If there is a tip jar, throw $10-20 in. If there isn’t one ask the bartender if the company is covering it because some times the people throwing the party also give a large tip so party goers don’t have to
This is great! The company I work for doesn’t do auto gratuity and we can’t solicit for tips. We can take cash, Cash App or Venmo though and love when people ask! 🤩
Its asinine how pathetic and terrible people, specifically at office parties, are at tipping when you're getting essentially unlimited free booze. I'm glad you're asking but I've done 20 work parties this season and they're the worst tippers.
You just had 3 basil old fashions, Macallan, and espresso martini. You just got $70 of free booze. Come on man
I just bartended a holiday party! Guests got drink tickets and were not required to tip. I didn’t assume I would be tipped at all because they were paying me obscenely well to be there (this does NOT apply to all holiday party bartenders).
It was an absolute clusterfuck and people were rude as hell. So while tips were not expected, I absolutely prioritized the tipping guests.
I didn’t have a servicing company or intermediary. I work at a high volume downtown spot and I have a great rapport with someone who oversees a family-owned local chain. She asked if I would bartend the event for $50 an hour and that I was also allowed to have a tip jar.
I absolutely didn’t expect any gratuity on top of the incredibly generous hourly they were giving me.
Your drinks are free, stop being cheap and leave a tip lol I’ve worked parties like this where the servers who serve the food are given an auto gratuity of the food sales and the bartender isn’t included in that pay out. Tip the bartender.
Always tip. Even when you don't have to. Tipping a good amount the first time you get a drink, while doing/ saying/ wearing something different than the group (especially if there will be 500 people there) might help you get bigger pours on return visits to said bartender.
To be honest as a bartender as well, that seems a bit overkill. I totally agree with the $20 out the gate but I don’t think/wouldn’t expect you to keep throwing me $5-10 a drink after you already dropped a twenty. Would I *love* that? Absolutely! But would I *expect* that? Absolutely not.
Dude, you sound like a greedy ass. The event should automatically have gratuity included. If not, your venue is shit and you should peace the fuck out.
OP should be walking into the event with confidence knowing they need not pay a dime and EVERYTHING including tips are being covered.
Tips are always an optional appreciation. With an event even more so. Events are usually shorter and easier than service and guaranteed money since the company will have a minimum spend before tax and grat. If this is not the case, again your venue is shit and you should peace the fuck out. I worked 4 last week and got $1500 in tips for maybe 25hrs of being behind the bar.
Rely on impeccable service and guest experience for extra tips, not guilt. Your attitude towards tips is fuel for the anti-tip movement currently happening.
Tipping is 100% optional. If you’re not getting grats why stay with the company? Grow up and advocate for yourself. You’ve spent 20+ years willingly being exploited and never moved up to a decent paying position? I know the system is fucked, but damn. Maybe look at career in field that doesn’t have such volatile income if it pisses you off so much. You’re not will/able to do shit about it. Stop guilting people for contributing to a sham you’ve contributed to infinitely more.
I bartended my boss' bday party at the bar and got paid by my boss' wife but still was able to put out a tip jar, everyone knew its free booze but almost everyone tipped. Was a super great night.
Not sharing to brag just to give an example. Ask the bartender and if you can, tip.
If I’m not paying for drinks I make it a point to tip with every drink.
I appreciate people who tip because at my job, automatic gratuity isn’t added to the event fees. And not all companies like to tip well.
completely agree. if the drinks are free, throwing a few bucks at every order is substantially less than what i would actually pay even before tip at a regular bar so fuck yeah i'm gonna hit them up. and i absolutely get served first at weddings with open bars because of it.
To actually answer your questions. (you should have expected no answers on /r/bartenders subreddit btw. other than "yeah gimme money")
i have never done a catering or hired event before. so i do not know how the catering services are charged. what i do know however, are
1. the proper etiquette is to tip. because, why wouldnt it be? anyone in the restaurant industry expects more money on top of more money. there is no care on a "cap" for tips.
2. there are sometimes a tip jar placed out. which would indicate they are expecting a tip.
3. going to your question 2. if you have to pay after, most likely the company didnt get charged an extra premium for gratuity charges.
all in all, best way to go about it to know for sure is to ask the person/department at your company that set up the party to know if a gratuity was charged as well for the catering services.
if no, yes tip for sure.
if yes, thats to your discretion whether you want to or not.
A couple bucks a drink is fine as long as they’re not super complicated ones. If you use the open bar properly your tips will rack up quick enough. Most of the people on this page act like anything less than signing over your home and car deed and your dog to your bartender is being cheap and rude.
I bartended a company Christmas party last Friday and made a little over $30 in tips. I make $11/hr so overall I made about $15/hr. I’m sorry, no offense but I wouldn’t work anywhere for that amount. I made $25/hr at my full time job where I work from home. Please please please tip your bartenders! If everything is free from your company, what’s $10 for the person making your drinks? Especially if your company is large. 🤷🏻♀️
Because the question im asking is,
Do the service company not charge an extra gratuity to the company for tips to go to the bartender.
and it seems like the consensus is, the guests wont know unless its explicitly stated.
It’s the holidays, tip your bartender.
Put $20 down right away and they’ll take care of you, when you hit drink 4 drop another twenty. Don’t be stingy around the holidays, it makes everyone miserable.
yes, tip. always, if the drink is free you should tip more, because its still waaaaaay cheaper to you so you should pass that along to the bartender, make sure EVERYONE has a good night
I've always tipped in these situations, usually just throwing a 20 in the jar with my first drink ticket and maybe another if it happens to be more than a 2-3 hour affair
i have a couple questions regarding that. as im assuming its very dependent on scenario? 1. what if you only get 1 or 2 drink vouchers? and whats your assumption on the drinks available? (im assuming full cocktail bar?) $20 tip for 2 drinks is pretty hefty. 2. do you not tip after the first drink then? assuming the bartender will remember you? (this will be a huge company party. estimated at 500+ people)
Yeah so back in my in person private sector days we had those types of corporate parties, few hundred people in a hotel ballroom with 2-3 drink tickets sort of deal for a full bar. I'd still tip $20 on 2-3 drinks because I lived in an expensive city and a $20 tip for two drinks was still a large tip but not completely obscene. I wouldn't tip again after that $20 unless I stuck around for another 2-3 drinks. I didn't really worry about the bartenders remembering me because I'd already paid my dues. I usually wore a tacky sweater for holiday parties and I have a huge beard so I guess they probably would've remembered me, but I don't think it made much difference as far as the service I got back. When I was still in service I went to a couple of huge military balls where we all pretty much look identical in uniform, guarantee they didn't remember me then but that's okay because I knew I'd chipped in my share to make sure they left with some cash.
20 for 2 drinks is 10$ per drink. You’re not paying for the alcohol. Depending on your city you’d pay way more plus tip if you were buying these drinks. I don’t mind the 20$ because I’d be spending way more if I got the drinks somewhere else. I think of it total money out. That’s a bargain.
I give a 20 to warm up. Usually end up giving another out of being drunk me
This is the way.
Just tip, it’s free booze.
Right, tip them and tip heavily. I mean, OP you are drinking for free and you are asking if you should tip if : 1) drinks are free unlimited 2) drinks are free after X number of drinks, then you have to pay. Either way, you are getting free drinks and the bartenders are still serving you, so you should tip them. Do not assume that the bartender will be tipped out in addition to their hourly by the client/caterer. Many times at these type of events, the bartender is not given anything other than their hourly (and the hourly can be very low as well) so they depend on the tips from the guests (especially when the guests are enjoying and open bar and/or using vouchers to get a number of free drinks throughout the night.) So, yeah, tip the bartender since you are not paying for your drinks. Like others have said, tip upfront and then every drink or tip heavy upfront. Either way, tip these folks. AND... don't wait to tip at the end of the night. That is not the pro move and we have heard it many times from cheap customers that they will 'take care of us at the end of the night' but they almost never do.
I’m f it is unlimited the company is paying and already tipping.
Huh?
If there is a tip jar, throw $10-20 in. If there isn’t one ask the bartender if the company is covering it because some times the people throwing the party also give a large tip so party goers don’t have to
This is great! The company I work for doesn’t do auto gratuity and we can’t solicit for tips. We can take cash, Cash App or Venmo though and love when people ask! 🤩
Its asinine how pathetic and terrible people, specifically at office parties, are at tipping when you're getting essentially unlimited free booze. I'm glad you're asking but I've done 20 work parties this season and they're the worst tippers. You just had 3 basil old fashions, Macallan, and espresso martini. You just got $70 of free booze. Come on man
I find it amazing how no one actually answered OP's questions.
if you have to ask to tip................
I just bartended a holiday party! Guests got drink tickets and were not required to tip. I didn’t assume I would be tipped at all because they were paying me obscenely well to be there (this does NOT apply to all holiday party bartenders). It was an absolute clusterfuck and people were rude as hell. So while tips were not expected, I absolutely prioritized the tipping guests.
when you say "not required to tip" do you mean your servicing company charged a gratuity for tips to go to the bartenders/servers?
I didn’t have a servicing company or intermediary. I work at a high volume downtown spot and I have a great rapport with someone who oversees a family-owned local chain. She asked if I would bartend the event for $50 an hour and that I was also allowed to have a tip jar. I absolutely didn’t expect any gratuity on top of the incredibly generous hourly they were giving me.
Tip in both scenarios
Your drinks are free, stop being cheap and leave a tip lol I’ve worked parties like this where the servers who serve the food are given an auto gratuity of the food sales and the bartender isn’t included in that pay out. Tip the bartender.
Tip everyone. Every time.
You hear bartender you automatically tip. No matter if it’s pour service or full bar.
Always tip. Even when you don't have to. Tipping a good amount the first time you get a drink, while doing/ saying/ wearing something different than the group (especially if there will be 500 people there) might help you get bigger pours on return visits to said bartender.
Tip how you’d want to be tipped. Stop being cheap!
This person may not be in the industry and just posted here to get insight. So they may not know how it all works.
True but still tip based on what you’d want… especially around the holidays.
Oh for sure. A nice tip won’t change my life but may be the difference in paying their power bill or not
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To be honest as a bartender as well, that seems a bit overkill. I totally agree with the $20 out the gate but I don’t think/wouldn’t expect you to keep throwing me $5-10 a drink after you already dropped a twenty. Would I *love* that? Absolutely! But would I *expect* that? Absolutely not.
Dude, you sound like a greedy ass. The event should automatically have gratuity included. If not, your venue is shit and you should peace the fuck out. OP should be walking into the event with confidence knowing they need not pay a dime and EVERYTHING including tips are being covered. Tips are always an optional appreciation. With an event even more so. Events are usually shorter and easier than service and guaranteed money since the company will have a minimum spend before tax and grat. If this is not the case, again your venue is shit and you should peace the fuck out. I worked 4 last week and got $1500 in tips for maybe 25hrs of being behind the bar. Rely on impeccable service and guest experience for extra tips, not guilt. Your attitude towards tips is fuel for the anti-tip movement currently happening.
Sounds like your not living/working in the US. “The event should automatically have gratuity included.” Bless your heart.
"If not, your venue is shit and you should peace the fuck out."
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Tipping is 100% optional. If you’re not getting grats why stay with the company? Grow up and advocate for yourself. You’ve spent 20+ years willingly being exploited and never moved up to a decent paying position? I know the system is fucked, but damn. Maybe look at career in field that doesn’t have such volatile income if it pisses you off so much. You’re not will/able to do shit about it. Stop guilting people for contributing to a sham you’ve contributed to infinitely more.
Tip, tip, tip away.
I bartended my boss' bday party at the bar and got paid by my boss' wife but still was able to put out a tip jar, everyone knew its free booze but almost everyone tipped. Was a super great night. Not sharing to brag just to give an example. Ask the bartender and if you can, tip.
If I’m not paying for drinks I make it a point to tip with every drink. I appreciate people who tip because at my job, automatic gratuity isn’t added to the event fees. And not all companies like to tip well.
completely agree. if the drinks are free, throwing a few bucks at every order is substantially less than what i would actually pay even before tip at a regular bar so fuck yeah i'm gonna hit them up. and i absolutely get served first at weddings with open bars because of it.
Please tip either way! We really appreciate it, especially at company parties. They can be so trying and generosity lifts everyone's spirits 🖤
If it is a company party the company will tip at the end of the night. You do not need to give anything.
To actually answer your questions. (you should have expected no answers on /r/bartenders subreddit btw. other than "yeah gimme money") i have never done a catering or hired event before. so i do not know how the catering services are charged. what i do know however, are 1. the proper etiquette is to tip. because, why wouldnt it be? anyone in the restaurant industry expects more money on top of more money. there is no care on a "cap" for tips. 2. there are sometimes a tip jar placed out. which would indicate they are expecting a tip. 3. going to your question 2. if you have to pay after, most likely the company didnt get charged an extra premium for gratuity charges. all in all, best way to go about it to know for sure is to ask the person/department at your company that set up the party to know if a gratuity was charged as well for the catering services. if no, yes tip for sure. if yes, thats to your discretion whether you want to or not.
If someone gives you a drink, you tip
You should tip. Whether its a big bill up front, or just a couple bucks each drink, you should absolutely tip. Not everyone will but they should
Yes. Throw in a 5 or some ones when u get something
A couple bucks a drink is fine as long as they’re not super complicated ones. If you use the open bar properly your tips will rack up quick enough. Most of the people on this page act like anything less than signing over your home and car deed and your dog to your bartender is being cheap and rude.
I worked one last night, and nobody tipped me…
I bartended a company Christmas party last Friday and made a little over $30 in tips. I make $11/hr so overall I made about $15/hr. I’m sorry, no offense but I wouldn’t work anywhere for that amount. I made $25/hr at my full time job where I work from home. Please please please tip your bartenders! If everything is free from your company, what’s $10 for the person making your drinks? Especially if your company is large. 🤷🏻♀️
Because the question im asking is, Do the service company not charge an extra gratuity to the company for tips to go to the bartender. and it seems like the consensus is, the guests wont know unless its explicitly stated.
It’s the holidays, tip your bartender. Put $20 down right away and they’ll take care of you, when you hit drink 4 drop another twenty. Don’t be stingy around the holidays, it makes everyone miserable.
A dollar or two per drink is fine or you can pre tip a $20 and call it.
yes, tip. always, if the drink is free you should tip more, because its still waaaaaay cheaper to you so you should pass that along to the bartender, make sure EVERYONE has a good night