Originally Posted by
MarqFlyer
Just out of curiosity, where do people think the tipping thing ends in a club?
For example, if I am eating the free cheese and crackers and the cleanup person comes and takes my plate, am I supposed to tip him/her as well? In a restaurant, although you don't typically tip them directly, the busboys do get (or at least are supposed to get) a portion of the waitstaffs' tips. Is it different in a club? The general direction of the responses here are that the bartenders should be treated the same as they are elsewhere, so do you people who said yes also tip the cleanup people in clubs, or are they somehow different from the bartender (and the busboys in restaurants)? Or are the bartenders expected/required to split their tips?
In a typical American restaurant/club there's a sort of tipping hierarchy.
Bartenders sit atop this hierarchy. Waitstaff next. Support staff (bussers, barbacks) at the bottom. However, bussers and barbacks make at least minimum wage...usually more...before tipout. Waitstaff and bartenders make 1/2 min wage (except in Las Vegas and California).
How it's supposed to work is: Bartenders 'tip out' only the their barbacks (if they have one). Afterall, the barback keeps the beer and bottles stocked, the kegs rolling and the ice full. Generally, only really busy bars have a barback. I've worked bars with three backs, as well as with none. If there's no barback, the bartender keeps all of the tips he makes.
The waitresses/waiters get screwed. They tip out both the bartenders (who have been busily making drinks to keep the waitresses' tables happy), AND the bussboys, who get the tables ready for the next round of guests so the waitress can keep their tables turning. (FYI...'tipout' generally means giving ~10% of your tips for the day. Just like a customer, however, the waitress can 'adjust' this amount based on the performance of the people who help them). I've worked a club on a Sunday night, just me behind the bar because we were expecting no business and an entire wedding party shows up and closes the bar down...I left with over a grand (in cash) in my pocket. I've also worked a slammed New Years Eve party where the drinks were included (reference 'open wallets' post above)...and didn't have enough money to pay for parking when the night was over. It all evens out.
You can get really good at judging what your night's going to be like just by the crowd: Ahem....here we go....I love gay men!! No...I'm not. But gay guys tip! So do wedding parties and young lawyers celebrating passing the bar. There are certain other groups who don't. We'll leave it at that.
Go to a big, slamming restaurant and watch the madness. It works amazingly well....or it completely collapses and goes in the weeds. IMHO, if a young person can spin the gears of a well-oiled bar/restaurant on a busy Friday night, roll with the punches while keeping a smile on both his face and his customers' without any drama....that person can do ANY job in the world, and do it well. Remember, there's no formal training for that job...you have to learn it on your own....and learn it fast.