Bartenders say one common request costs them tips…
You end a drink at the bar, associates arrive and a desk opens.
You grab your glass, head to the eating room and ask a simple query: “Can you transfer my tab?”
For bartenders, that routine request can come with an sudden value.
“Logistically, it’s not difficult,” said Dawn Kenney, proprietor of Players Locker Room, a sports activities bar and restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida.
“Our software is actually very capable of switching who’s serving them.”
Modern point-of-sale systems, she told Fox News Digital, can transfer checks between bartenders and servers with just a few clicks.
But ease doesn’t imply it’s not problematic, particularly when it comes to tips.
While a tab may be transferred, tips often can’t be simply divided once service modifications arms.
“We do not have our system set up to where it’s easy for us to split tips,” Kenney added.
That hole between service and compensation is where frustration can creep in, notably for bartenders who’ve already put in the time.
Taylor Lowry, a bartender at Grease whiskey bar and restaurant in West Palm Beach, Florida, said transferring a tab can imply dropping out completely.
“We also lose the tip on that check, which is frustrating if [the customers] have been at the bar a while,” she told Fox News Digital.
Bartenders reveal the most common request that could lead on them to not obtain a tip.
Because not all systems perform the same means, the expertise can range widely from one bar to the next.
“Some systems don’t allow you to transfer checks,” she said.
Industry norms have developed to clean over those variations.
At Kenney’s bar, time spent issues more than the request itself.
“If the person’s been sitting there for a couple of hours, usually I let them — the bartender or server, whoever — say, ‘Hey, can I close you out?’” she said.
When a buyer says, “Can you transfer my tab?” has damage bartenders the most in receiving tips as when a tab is transferred, tips often aren’t simply divided once service modifications arms. Mayatnikstudio – stock.adobe.com
On the other hand, she said, “If you just sat down and started your first drink, just transfer it. It’s not a big deal.”
Some bartenders are more understanding than others.
“If they’re waiting for a table, and they don’t hold up the bar seats for too long, I don’t mind transferring the check,” Lowry said, noting that courtesy goes both methods during busy shifts.
Generational habits can complicate issues additional.
Kenney said older company have a tendency to be more attuned to tipping etiquette.
“I think that they are much more conscious of tipping than a lot of the younger people … unless you’re in the industry,” she said.
Lowry said she sees that play out behind the bar, particularly during busy intervals.
“The younger generation likes to cash out for their drinks as they go rather than starting a tab” — which takes up more of a bartender’s time, she said.
If somebody is insistent about transferring a tab, Kenney will let it go to keep away from any battle, she said.
“We’re not here to make people upset,” she said.
“We’re here to try to make them enjoy the place and come back.”
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