Tipping: Why Don’t Black People Do It?

Coming off of a 90 day, 11 event, 3 city tour, a few things are clear: black people (henceforth known as “we”) are never pleased, and we don’t tip bartenders. Let’s focus on the latter in this post.

I’d like to think the people who attended our events have, at least, a modicum of disposable income (despite the tough economic times). And let’s assume for a minute there is no cover charge for an event with 2-3 complimentary drinks offered. That should free up, at least, $10 for people to tip the bartenders, right?

Wrong.

In keeping with the theme of 2009 (for me anyway), let’s use this as a “teaching moment.” [For the record, I’ve advertised over 3,000 events in the past 7 years, so don’t think this problem is confined to the events I was involved with recently. It is a recurring theme across America]

So what are the causes for not tipping at a complimentary admission/drink event? Several things immediately come to mind:

• Maybe people thought tipping was not allowed?
• Maybe people didn’t get good service?
• Maybe people don’t know how much to tip (is it 20%, $1 per drink, etc?)
• Maybe people are just cheap bastards?
• Are the standards different based on geography?

Who knows?

Can some bartenders or venue managers weigh in on this with expectations?

Gosh darnit, let’s figure this thing out. If we do, we can mark off that “box” on the mental checklist of the powers that be.

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