Tipping in a bar

[Morrisonker]

I was working behind the bar last night and as a customer gave me a �5 note for his pint (�2.50), he said 'and one for yourself'.  I thanked him and turned to put it in the till.  I asked a fellow barperson how much i should take and he said �2.50 because that's roughly how much a drink is. When I turned back to the bar the customer was still there waiting for his change.  I got flustered and just gave him all his change back.

So, how much do people expect you to take when they say to take a drink for yourself?  I've been working behind a bar for over 6months now and I'm still not sure about it.

[Casey]

I think it depends where you work. When I worked in a pub we just took 20p when the customer said 'take you own' unless they said otherwise. But some classy bars take as much as they like which is why I never offer them a drink!! Can you not ask the landlord?

[milly143]

I've worked ina few pubs and whenever someone offered me a drink I would just take a quid out of the change. I think that's fair enough really.I think I would be a bit annoyed if the barstaff took 2.50 when i offered them a drink.

[landie]

If you got 50p from every customer you would be doing OK. More than that is taking the ****.

[rja211077]

if i did it (and i don't these days, as it's gone well out of fashion), i'd actually want the bar staff to get themselves a drink (i realise it would have to be a soft drink), rather than just pocketing the cash. so i would expect the actual change that came from the drink purchases. if you don't want a drink, then politely refuse saying 'no thanks, i've just had one - maybe later' and give them the full change.

[Rooser]

This all depends on where you work, who the customer was, and potentially, how much bravado you have. I find that the customers who say this do so in the understanding that they are offering you a drink, in which case you of course thank them and say which drink it is you are going to have. If you think you can get away with it, double vodka redbull, if it looks dodgy, always plump for the "half a lager". Soft drinks take the Michael as they're free to the staff anyway and your bar should have a system in place to account for drinks that have been purchased for the staff. Mine does. Ultimately, if your tipple is pints of fosters, just keep racking them up, the better behind the bar you are, the more likely it is that you'll have drinks for nothing when you're off.

[Scarlett]

They are only offering to be really, so how about the cost of a half? So, about a quid?

[5029]

We used to take �1

[lottie82]

Where I worked we used to take a pound, your not taking the P*** then.

[Jooleebobs]

I agree with Casey - I think 20p is more than enough and you are being a bit cheeky to take more than that unless the customer offers. However I don't agree with tipping full stop as I've never understood why it only applies to certain professions - nobody ever tips me for the work that I do so why do bar staff, taxi drivers, waiters etc receive extra money on top of their wages?