$1 per drink unless there is some reason for more.

Such as? :D

Some tip for better service, some for discretion, some for late drinks, but there is one universal truth for all of us, "Hotties will usually get better tips".

And then there are those of us that live in places where tipping is not the norm, and service is impeccable. At our locals we would answer the OP with, zero.

I do the standard buck a drink, but if the bartender bothers to smile or is friendly, they get extra...

For each of us the "something more" is different. For me it is choosing to serve me when there are mutiple people trying to get drinks at the same time and ....

Does anyone tip at starbucks?

Never! I just treat starbucks like any other fast food outlet without the tipping.

No. They're paid better than a server, and since I typically only order coffee, it's not like my order is difficult.

I agree with a lot of other people in this thread. $1 seems to be a pretty good tip if the service is decent. It's a rare occasion when I've felt the need to leave anything more than that.

I do, because at 7 am when there's a line out the door at my local Starbuck's, my local barista sees me, by the time i'm at the register, my coffee and my ny times are at the counter ready for me to pay and leave.

that is service.

My self I only drink coffee(with rare exceptions:D) so I usually leave $0.50

I think $1 per drink is too much in most situations in the US these days.

In the days - not that long ago, maybe 5-10 yrs - when bartenders were career professionals who knew the job and knew their drinks, could suggest interesting things etc, I used to tip that much, sometimes more, living in NYC. But those were pros and they deserved it for what they did.

These days, when you cant even ask for a relatively basic cocktail without getting asked by a wannabe-actress to explain it, I dont really top any more in the US for just drinking at the bar - the folks there are probably les skilled than a so-called coffee "barista" at Starbucks. Maybe a couple of bucks at the end of table service for brinks but that is about it. And living in Europe now, I dont really tip at all at the bar, not really the culture for the most part.