There’s a certain expectation for bartenders to always be in a mood for a long conversation with customers, in ways that we don’t expect from most other professions.
Paired with the idea that the customer is always right and the promise of a tip on the horizon, bartenders frequently indulge the behavior even if the customer is being overbearing.
One bartender, however, found that the tip doesn’t always follow, no matter how much you bite your tongue during the interaction.
In a recent video that has racked up over 10,700 views, TikTok creator and bartender Lexus (@lexusjustlikethecar) shared a storytime about an uncomfortable interaction that ended without a tip.
What Happened At The Bar?
In her video, Lexus explains that the interaction took place on a slow weekday night, either a Tuesday or a Wednesday.
A man came in and sat down, she says, telling her, “Oh, my friend’s meeting me in a little bit.”
When the friend arrives, Lexus says the two started dropping names of owners, managers, and other bartenders, seemingly establishing status.
“I guess they want me to know that they know everyone,” she says. “But like, I know them too. So… cool, I guess.”
As the night went on, Lexus says the men monopolized her time, asking her “one thousand million questions” while she tried to work. One of the men, in particular, kept pushing her about her personal life.
“He’s asking me if I have any single friends,” Lexus says. “And he asked me multiple times. Like, ‘Are you sure you have no friends that are single? Come on, hook me up.’”
She wasn’t having it. “No,” she recounts thinking. “No, I’m not gonna do that. Actually, not at all.”
Then It Was Time To Close The Tab
At this point, Lexus says things only got more frustrating. She placed the check in front of the man and stepped away to help another customer.
Then he calls her back over. “He’s like, ‘How much was it again?’” she recalls. “Dude. I put the check in front of you.”
The friend laughs, saying he’s the one who “stole” it.
“Why is your broke little phalanges touching a tab you’re not even paying for?” Lexus says. “Make it make sense.”
After stalling on his phone for several minutes, the man finally handed Lexus his phone to close out the tab.
Then he drops the line. “He’s like, ‘I’m not gonna be able to tip you right now,’” she recounts. “‘But I’m gonna come back and tip you. You’re gonna be here, right?’”
“Sure, buddy,” she recounts saying in her head. “I won’t hold my breath.”
As the man was leaving, he made one last comment that had Lexus in disbelief. “Don’t forget if you have any friends to hook me up with,” he told her.
She found the ask completely unreasonable.
“You still have the nerve to ask if I have a friend to hook you up with when you tipped me zero dollars?” she says. “What do I look like, hooking a friend up with someone who can’t even tip a dollar?”
Should You Tip Your Bartender?
Just like restaurant servers, bartenders are also “tipped employees,” which means their employers can pay them as little as $2.13 per hour. As a result, their livelihood relies almost entirely on tips.
According to a guide by Food Republic, it’s common in the industry to leave a big tip on the first round, anywhere from $20 to $100. This could guarantee generous pours and a good night in general.
For subsequent drinks, the publication recommends doing 20% of the tab for more upscale cocktail bars or $1 per drink in more high-volume establishments. It also advises tipping in cash, even if you’re paying for the tab with a card.
BroBible has reached out to Lexus via TikTok and Instagram direct message for comment.