Cocktails and Dreams
Toronto, ON
Female, 29
I work as a bartender at one of Toronto’s most popular bars. This is a job for which you always have to be 'on'. You see some crazy things, meet interesting characters, and grow a thick skin very quickly. I love my job.
favorite: cracking open a beer. Least favorite: anything that requires shaking, layering or multiple ingredients. We all dread making martinis, and/or shots that have 5 ingredients. They take so long to make and yet you're still making the same in tips!! Plus martini drinkers are typically uber particular.... never a good quality in a customer.
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Yes, $1 per drink is a good tip however that is for a typical drink. You have to remember that bartenders make minimum wage and live off their tips. Therefore if the bill is $100, you should be tipping the standard 15% if not more. I base my tips on the amount of the bill and the effort put into the service. i.e. if you order martinis all night you should tip more. In the time that I take to make your martini I could have made 3 drinks for other customers, therefore tip accordingly.
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That is a great question!! I was going to look this up but then I thought… that really wouldn’t be as interesting of an answer as me saying ‘I have no bloody idea!!’. My bar staff is not allowed to drink while working. That does not stop anyone. I have put vodka in water bottles, baileys in coffee, beer in take out coffee cups, and had other staff members be on the look out while taking shots. We look out for each other and it’s something that’s expected in the industry. It’s difficult to be around people drinking all night every night and not partake.
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At my bar there are typically 3 bartenders working on Friday and Saturday night. We pool our tips and at the end of the night we divide the tips by the amount of hours you work. It works very well because we all support and help each other through the night.
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Good question!! There is never pressure from my employer.... however I work in a bit of a 'grubby' bar. They are impressed if I wear jeans that don't have holes in them. I typically put on a bit more makeup on weekends but thats purely for a.better tips, and b. to pick up. Hey... working in a bar I don't get to go out on weekends, therefore thats my time to pick up too! ;)
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An appropriate tip for a bartender…..hmm….that’s a tough call. I am of the mind set that just because you work at a bar doesn’t mean you deserve a tip. Customer service is key in this field as it is in any. However with that said, the expected or ‘appropriate’ tip is $1 per drink. As a bartender we make minimum wage, and minimum wage for someone in this industry is lower than the standard minimum wage. We live off our tips.
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Never! They really wouldn't be friends if they did that would they? I've found my biggest issue is friends showing up and expecting to get free drinks. When you ask them for money they can get almost offended. I love to help out when I can but sometimes it's just not possible. It is difficult being on a completely different schedule from people with 'real' jobs, but the way I like to look at is that I'm making money while they're spending it and I still get to be social and go out! Best of both worlds? At least that's the thought that sucks you in!
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