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 | New York City Tipping Reviews | Tips 21 - 30 of 40 |  |
 | |  |  | Tipping: If you don't tip, don't go out in NYC | |  |  | |  |
As a former NYC bartender, and a native NY'r, I'm here to tell you that most bartenders get between $25 & $35 for the entire shift they work, and the rest is all tips. It's rare that they're even paid a minimum wage! A bartender can make or break your good time at the bar. Most people agree, and that's why it's one of the most competetive jobs going.
Ok, they may seem like they're getting rich, but perhaps that is their only shift at the bar? Add that to their high cost of living & their possible $1200 rent, and they're getting by like any new yorker.
If you got this far, perhaps you'll find your way into a good NYC bar, and not some tourist trap. A good bar has a buy back policy, meaning that every 3 drinks you buy, your 4th will be free. If you're not tipping, you're not gonna get that buy back, are you?
Yes, $1 a drink is standard, Of course if you're treated like pure & utter ***, it's a different scenario, isn't it? take your stuff & walk.
Now that I've left NYC for Europe, I can tell you that I wish we had the tipping policy over here!
It breeds brilliant customer service skills.
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| | | | Tipping: Tipping 101, from a service worker. | | | | | |
Here is a tip for everyone, be pleasant to your servers. In most instances, they are working hard to improve their lives. There is nothing worse than a table that just acts plain rude, and treats a server like they are from a lower class. I have regular customers who, while they might not tip so great, I enjoy serving them, because they are warm, and they can bring a smile to my face. (Unfortunately I can't pay my rent with a smile...)
I am a bartender/waitress in a NYC restaurant. Let me tell you a little about the service industry. The government sets the minimum wage for servers much lower than the minimum wage for other jobs. Our hourly wage is usually less than $4/hour. Out of that money, almost all of it goes to taxes, so our checks for those wages are usually for less than $5, per week. We do not get health/dental insurance, sick days, vacation time, etc. Out of our tips, we tip out other people in the restaurant: runners, bussers, barbacks, bartenders, sommeliers, expeditors, etc. When I am serving, at least 30% of my tips go to other people in the restaurant, more if I have made an unusual amount money, or if someone on the support staff really helped me out a lot.
Many restaurant workers are actors, singers, and students. Our days are filled with auditions and classwork, so many of us are only able to work part time. I, personally, am a full time student, juggling about 16 credits with a full-time job.
Although we don't always get paid so well, restaurant workers that I know are all very giving and generous with their time and money. I don't know any worker who would tip less than 20% even for just OK service. This amount is not expected from normal folks, but 18% considered a descent tip. And believe me, if you tip 10% and/or act like a jerk to your server, they will remember you, and the next time you come in, you probably won't get top-notch service, because our time is better spent trying to help the customers who appreciate our hard work.
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It seems Brits share at least one trait with many Americans...when they travel abroad, they expect that things ought to be the way they are at home. I don't particularly enjoy paying double what everything is worth in London, but I do. If you think tipping is tough in New York, try Milan - they won't even seat you at some restaurants without adding an extra charge, called a coperto, just for sitting down at a table, and then there is a 15% gratuity added to the bill, upon which you are expected to tip an additional amount.
Like it or not, different countries and cities have different customs and ways of life. Being a visitor to New York does not exempt you from them. Wages for service personnel in the US are quite low, and these people really do depend on tipping for their livelihood - besides which, as someone else pointed out, most of them don't get health benefits as people do automatically in other countries, including Britain. If that's inconvenient or incomprehensible for you, stay home by all means. It's true that tipping is commensurate with the level of service, but even for indifferent service I have never, NEVER left less than10 percent at a restaurant; I will, however, mention the server's inattentiveness ot the management on my way out.
Bottom line: realise that things are different in various places, accept it, be polite, and know that what you put out into the world comes back to you multiplied.
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Look I know that the tipping customs are different in Europe, but for cryin out loud leave a decent tip. I noticed that a lot of the people complaining about the custom are from Europe and I just want to remind you that we don't have a lot of the benifits that you have, like National Health Care and higher wages. Many service people in NYC make about two dollars an hour. I work in a resturant and sometimes cringe when it is a European who is picking up the check. I pay my bills and put myself through school on the tips that I earn. I am not saying that you should reward bad service, but keep in mind this is our custom and please respect it.
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New York City
on November 26, 2004
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on March 28, 2006
