Ok, so, last night Jessica Simpson came into my bar. She got really wasted…and she got me really wasted. That girl loves her “buttery nipples.” I can barely remember what happened after we closed, but I do remember her coming behind the bar, grabbing me, and…

Sorry. Had to get your attention. So now for the real post.

The amount of comments about tipping from my last post left me with no choice for this one. Okay, as with most (if not all) issues, there are two sides to the tipping thing. I will try to do both of them justice. Since I also manage the bar that I bartend at, I do get to see both sides.

The employee side: I think servers/bartenders definitely get offended when they receive anything less than 20%, at least at all of the places where I have worked in NYC and L.A. When I am managing, and a server tells me they got less than a 10% tip, I’ll go to the table and ask the customers how the service was. I would never ask them to give more money, but I try to let them know, in a sly way, that what they left was insufficient, unless they were trying to make a point. For the most part, I agree with the offense that servers/bartenders take (although personally, I only get offended when a tip is less than 15%).

Now, here comes the major issue. Most restaurants/bars give their employees minimum wage + tips…which means most employees are counting on their tips. For this reason, when I go out, I will never tip less than 20%, unless I have ridiculously terrible service (which only means the direct service from the server/bartender; I would never cut their tip if the food came out slow or something, since that is not their fault). If that does happen, I usually ask for a manager, because leaving no tip, or a crappy tip, only affects the server/bartender, as opposed to letting the management know, which actually might make some sort of difference.

That being said, I normally tip between 20-25% if I have good service, and more if my service is great. I also tend to tip bartenders more, maybe because I am one, but also because I know they have to do more than just serve (i.e. dealing with drunken horny obnoxious customers, etc.). I understand my tipping is not normal, as I am “in the business” and “feel” for the server/bartender.

The guest side: I understand that in other countries there is no tipping, but in MOST of these countries, the servers/bartenders are getting about $15/hr., if not more…so as much as I’m sure anyone would appreciate extra money, they don’t NEED tips. In the U.S. though, it is customary to tip. I know a lot of people tell me that they start out planning on leaving a 15% tip and then either make it more or less, depending on the service they receive. There definitely is pressure to tip 20%, which I do not think is always warranted. Like I said, I have trouble leaving less than 20-25%, even for just “good” service.

I think that guests in restaurants/bars today do have more pressure with tipping, especially when the hot shot next to you throws a $100 bill at the bartender, as your filling out your $10 tip on your $50 bar tab (which is still a great tip)! I also think that some people that go out a lot, maybe even every night, feel they don’t need to tip as much, versus the guest who only goes out on a rare occasion and then might leave more. Some people are also just negative people, and will tip bad just because they’re miserable. I have yet to find a way around these peeps.

Hmmm…I don’t really feel like I did the guest side justice, which leads me to believe I really am just too biased to write this post. Well, as always, your comments and questions are welcome and greatly appreciated.

P.S. One girl I work with, who is an amazing server, got $0.07 on a $53.93 tab last night. She’s hot, so I think the girls she was serving were just being jealous bitches, and maybe I’m wrong, but just trying to make another point: the tip is not always about the service.

P.P.S Jessica Simpson really did come in, along with Britney Spears, but no drunken stories to tell, sorry. I’ll try to get them more wasted next time.