So I'm going to an open bar event in a week or so (went last year, def got my money's worth...could barely function on super bowl sunday, and my gf was feeling the repeated double shots of jose ). we are paying for dinner, and the facility, and the open bar, of course. its also been included in an email that tip isn't included...last year i gave $15(i think, it gets fuzzy at the end) think that sounds good for a tip? thanks

ps-i searched and had no luck

I tip a buck a drink-hosted or open bar.
If I am in a new bar and the bartender is not a snot then I tip $5 on the first drink.

Honestly $15 sounds a bit slim if you drank the entire night. (I guess it depends on what it takes to make you barely function ).

I try to tip about 20% if service is bad and 30%+ if the service is good based on the approximate retail value. So if the double shots are normally, say, $10 (been a while since I bought shots so my number might be a bit dated), I would drop $2 to $3 per go. A more current example for me would be in a casino on the strip. I was gambling in the Palazzo (part of the Venetian) last night and was tipping $5 per round of cocktails or...later in the night....coffee and water....for me and Dillwoman.

I've found, time and again, that servers in open-bar or any kind of free event figure they are going to earn less and if you tip ABOVE what is acceptable, they will pay you back with good service, perfect drinks, and a better time. YMMV

To be clear, you're one of the patrons of the open bar, and not the organizer, right?

I would second bigguy's advice -- give a nice tip for your first drink, like $5 or $10, since it's probably equal to or less than what you'd spend on it.

From then on, I would look at each drink as a chance to be generous with your tips, $1 or $2 for complicated drinks, since you're not paying for it (on the margin, at least).

Doing this should have you getting served in a timely fashion, which can be important in an open bar scenario with a lot of people!

If I'm gonna drink a good few at an open bar, I always start with a 20$, may be more later on if there are rounds of shots involved.

JP

Really? You must be from the same school as JayhawkCO!

I could ask my daughter in law next time I see her, but what does/should a bartewnder make in nightly tips?

I give a buck or two a round in his/her fishbowl.

I'm not a huge drinker, but I'd feel safe in stopping after the 10th round or so

a couple of bucks a drink should suffice unless the you want to get blasted then go with the 20 bucks up front.

Almost nobody tips bar staff in the UK, very unusual... unless you are sleazing on the barmaid.

At events with an open bar, I follow Bigguy's lead and tip big and noticeably at the beginning. A $20 early goes a long way later when the line is five deep and you want another beer.

this will probably work, id just have to use the same bartender...thanks for all the advice everyone...now if only one of you could give us a ride back to my gf's place!

Ouch. Sorry I take care of my own.

At an open bar type of event, to be honest I tend to gauge the kind of crowd I'm attending the event with. If I'm with a bunch of people who I'm guessing aren't tipping at all, I'll probably start off with a tip of $10-15 to start then maybe go $2-3 a drink. If everyone is getting wasted and tipping, generally just the $2 a drink suffices. In the case that the original $10-$15 didn't really get me any expedited service, $1-$2 a drink is just fine.

Chris

I really don't get it...tipping someone for pouring a drink or opening a bottle and charging you 5 times the normal cost of the alcohol? Why?

It is like tipping at McDonald's because they hand you the food from the warmer...

I harldly ever tip for someone pouring a beer or getting something out of the fridge and taking the cap off.

I tip well if I can tell the bartender what type of flavor I'm in the mood for and they make a good drink, then I feel they provided a service. I also tip if the drink involves mixing more than 2 liquids.

I have the same policy for coffee places. Seriously, I'm not gonna tip for plain coffee and no refills. If they actually have to do something other than pour from a pot or lift a spout I'll tip.