Originally Posted by
IAH-OIL-TRASH
You couldn't cough up a buck tip for a couple of beers? Not excusing the perceived attitude received, but what's a buck?
Well, I normally wait until I am finished with my session at the bar before I tip. This is natural to me - I don't leave tips in a paying bar until I pay the bill, and then I leave the entire tip. I am normally quite generous with my tipping. I worked my way through college waiting tables and I understand that these folks bust their behinds to serve us in most cases. But this doesn't make tipping a prereq to good service.
I've seen that type of attitude a few times - no immediate tip = bad attitude and slow service. I firmly reject the philosophy that the client is obligated to provide financial gratification to a bartender
and on her schedule -- or else deserves lousy treatment. Remember, it is called a "gratuity" - which is inherently optional. If there is to be a penalty for exercising this choice, then it is more properly called a bill, not a tip. Not to mention the fact that FAs serve w/o tipping and it's not a problem.
It seems to me that this is a decent test of whether or not the barkeep in fact deserves a tip. On the rare occasions that I've received rotten service b/c I do not immediately whip-out cash to reward the server, my very generous tips shrink fast (or even disappear altogether on a couple of occasions when the attitude was really egregious).
What do folks think - is it my attitude that is off?