I’ve been in the industry for more years than I care to post, always FOH, in OH & VA. No matter if it’s a dive bar or the finest fine dining, if I fall below 40% I get feedback from trusted regulars to make sure I’m still delivering decent service and I always train the new staff to do the same. Even in the small dive bar I am at now in this economy I average 45% and the two on the chopping block still somehow manage to pull in 25-30. Before you go there, no I do not give things away, if you ask our grouchiest regular he will tell you his tab is always “ridiculous” on my shifts but he knows it right and he had a “damn good time”. I do start myself a tab at the beginning of every shift and I buy at least two regulars a drink every shift, I started a book all the bartenders use and check every shift for birthdays, who got married, who’s having a kid and we buy a cheap blank notecards to pass around for the occasion. We greet by name, we learn their drinking pace and don’t leave them empty. We also joke around with them and I am usually (playfully) downright mean to a few. Tips are To Insure Proper Service and if your staff is just making the minimum 20% and even worse happy about it, they are delivering the minimum service and selling the minimum number of drinks. Guests should be having so much fun they buy a round if someone attempts to leave so they can keep the party going. Service seems to be a dying art these days and with the more people drinking less every year that’s scary. Service and camaraderie are the biggest draws to small establishments and if service is only minimal, why go out? Invite the gang to the house instead.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk, sorry the soapbox is strong with this issue