Bartending is a profession where you can earn some extra cash over and above your salary. You may encounter many occasions to earn tips from your customers.
Often you come across customers that may give you extra cash as a tip if they go satisfied with your servicing. You only should know the right thing to do at the right time.
When do people give tips? People often give suggestions when they are happy, and they like the person servicing them. Someone warm, affectionate, smiling, attentive & prompt is probably likable to anyone.
Golden Rule of Tipping
There are certainly some tips or ways that help you to be more likable, which will allow you to get tips quickly from customers. How you approach, interact, and behave with your customers will help you appease your customer. A happy and satisfied customer will have a high probability of leaving you with a good tip amount.
With a variety of customers in bars, at times, people with different backgrounds come to your bar. You can make them happy too, and get tipped at the end.
Some tips to attract customers and bag better tips.
These tips will help you to earn some extra & easy cases, especially in the tough times. The times when you have taken cash loans to your door. These tips will help you to pay weekly.
Even in situations where you have taken personal loans for bad credit from any private lenders, this extra cash can come in very handy and as a boon.
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Provide extra value.
Go for GEM – going the extra mile. Do something extra for your customers. Go above and beyond what the customer needs help with. For example, you can provide a printed version of a direction or map when a customer asks for directions to a destination.
Or take some extra pain in making them understand the map, directions, and even the close landmarks so that they reach ease. This gesture of helping extra definitely will earn you brownie points.
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Acts of kindness and generosity
It is a fact that generosity and kindness are communicable. When someone receives or sees a genuine act of kindness or generosity, they are likely to feel like returning the generosity.
Being kind and keeping a generous attitude will make you likable. Customers will applaud your genuine efforts and reciprocate. If you go beyond and extend your kindness, especially towards the end of the experience of customers, they are likely to remember.
They are likely to feel like repaying the same to you and the chances of you earning some tip are higher.
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Eye Contact
Offering eye contact is one of the tips that will allow you to establish rapport. Remember to keep it in moderation. The other person should not experience any sense of threat.
Keeping a smile with eye contact makes a winning combination.
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Be courteous and Polite
Always greet and introduce yourself while meeting the customer. Anybody likes to be greeted by the person they know. Introducing allows you to establish a subconscious relationship with the customer.
Be polite and make them feel comfortable. Make them feel you are there for them, and enjoy the time.
Once the guests are seated, politely say, “please, make yourself at home”. I’m here to ensure that you have fun. Please let me know what can I do to achieve that please.”
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Be proactive and remember
Every individual has some or other unique preference when it comes to drinking. Remember the drink preference of the customers.
Be proactive and offer to repeat the drink preference. Any customer would like you to remember their preference, giving it a personal touch.
Along with that, you have to know your menu inside out. Remember it by heart, and learn the details of every item on the menu. Go the extra mile and learn more than just the ingredients of the items you have on the menu.
For example, what suits whom, what effects it gives, or how to tackle the effects, etc. This proactiveness and in-depth knowledge will make you stand aside from the rest. Customers like a person who has a thorough knowledge of their products.
Be armed with some extra information. While customers are selecting their drinks, you can offer your insights and help them choose the right drink for them.
Asking if you can help them choose or help in getting the best value for money or helping them find the right mix of drinks for them are ways to give them something extra in servicing experience.
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Attach Personal Touch
Make an order look like you are putting in extra effort and making it personal. Ask for what else you can add to their drink.
Do not forget to check back with customers about the drinks. Never hitch to ask if anything else can make it a better experience. It will make it better for the customer and make you look like you are making an extra effort to improve their experience.
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Be a Performer
It isn’t your job to entertain them, understood? But nothing stops you from being a performer. Be humorous, make them smile, and have a good time. Often bartenders with a certain level of skills to mix and make cocktails earn them an extra edge.
You are not the clown, but it should not even stop you from putting on a show for your customers. If it intrigues them, they stick to you servicing them and eventually leaving you good tips.
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Be a Gentleman
This goes without saying. You must have manners. Use the magic words – Thank you and please. Always address them as sirs and madams.
You can always carry a pen and paper with you. You never know when a customer may need one, and you come out as the man of resources.
Initiating a conversation wouldn’t harm you. Often you may find conversing with the customer helps you break the ice and help you serve them better. But be sincere and polite. Always remember as a thumb rule to not get involved, just a listener to make them talk and earn the tips at the end.
Always have your recommendations ready. Know them inside out and why you recommend that to the guest.
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Miscellaneous Tips
Never let your customer go without asking them for anything else to be done. Always ask if you can be of any help or what more you can offer. Ask if they need you to book a cab, or give directions or any other help they may need (going beyond and providing extra value)
Never leave a glass empty at the bar. If the customer is sitting at a bar, give a small glass filled with water, and keep it filled.
Let your customer experiment. Introduce new things by taste-test of something which they haven’t tried.
Conclusion
Even though you get the salary for your job, there is nothing wrong with earning extra. Using the tips mentioned above, you not only earn extra as tips, but you will also improve your servicing. These will make you a better bartender, standing aside from the crowd.
