Overtip your bar back.
If you have anyone who brings you glasses, ice and other supplies treat him like gold and show him that you appreciate all he does for you. Tell him how much you appreciate him, and tip him so he knows you do even on slow nights.
Then, every once in a while throw him a bone on top of that – maybe $10 or $20 extra totally unexpected and not on any regular interval that can be figured out. That’s psychological just to keep him guessing, but the every day tipping is for real and I’ll tell you why, and how I learned this information.
I had a bunch of barbacks who were ok. The old time bartenders said “Give them a few dollars” which was maybe five bucks or so. Maybe seven or eight on a good night.
But these barbacks were often not too ready to work, or work very fast, so when it was packed and the glassware was piling up, or we ran out of glasses (we ran out all night long, I’d have to restock double or triple high piled highball glasses, rock glasses, Collins glasses, cocktail glasses etc at least five or six times a night… and ice – huge plastic garbage pails filled to the top maybe six or seven times a night…
My life was often hell trying to get my bar back to move. Less money in the drawer, less money in my own pocket, customers were frustrated waiting, customers walked out the door and went elsewhere.
Trust me, especially in a busy bar, tip the guy and you’ll make the money back that same night. My tips went up when I did this. Your own take home tips may not or may not go up dramatically but they won’t go down, and your work life will be a whole lot easier working with a bar back who’s an eager ally, ready to please, and on your side.
Site Author, David Jonathan Curtis: David Jonathan Curtis, a seasoned professional in his fifth decade of bartending and bar management, began his career in Midtown Manhattan, NY, tending and managing bars before diving into Manhattan’s bustling nightlife scene. Over the years, he has mastered high-volume, high-pressure bartending as the lead bartender in both iconic Midtown clubs and Wall Street bars, generating over $1,350,000.00 annually in personal drink sales. He has since extended his expertise to establishments in Georgia and now Tampa, Florida. David’s roles as a Bartending Instructor at the American Bartending School in Tampa, while maintaining a second job bartending, and his years experience of managing bars, and working as a Brand Ambassador along with his extensive professional library of over 1,000 bartending books, highlight his dedication to continually refining his craft. He holds a diploma in Bar Management and is BarSmarts certified by Pernod Ricard.
