Thread: Are my guests supposed to tip the bartender if I am already paying a mandatory 20% gratuity on the bill?

I am having a wedding this summer, and my wedding package includes all food and drink (open bar). I am being charged a 20% gratuity on all of that. So are my wedding guests supposed to be tipping the bartenders when they get drinks? Or would I put up that "no tipping please" sign? I don't know the etiquette on this. Thanks!

I would ask your venur regarding that, or re read your contract. I believe that tipping is not mandatory and if tip is included it is not necessary. If there is no tipping needed the venue should put a sign up.

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That sucks about you having to pay for it but I think it is just there choice if they want to tip them as well or not

Tipping the bartender is optional. I would also check with your venue to see if that gratuity includes the bartender or is it just the wait staff because some venues use the built in gratuity for the wait staff but not the bartender or the maitre'd.

If your guests want to tip the bartender though, leave it up to them. Tipping is to their discretion and if they feel the bartender deserves it, then so be it. We had two bartenders at our wedding who took care of our guests really well and were terrific, so our guests were more than happy to tip them...after all, they're not paying for drinks but they are showing appreciation for their service.

Unless you've been walking around telling people "it's an open bar, don't bring cash," your guests will likely come armed with a fist-full of fives and ones for the drinks at your wedding, just incase it's not open. Most people then, upon the realization that the drinks are on the house, will tip the bartender as a courtesy (standard is $1 per drink served).

Short answer is YES, people will probably tip. As far as forewarning people NOT to do so, talk with your venue about putting up a sign which reads something along the lines of: "beverages and gratuity provided courtesy of the bride and groom"... but I'm not so sure that it'll end up reflecting so positively on you. It may just seem like you're going out of your way to make sure that the bartenders don't get "double" tipped. Remember, when the venue tacks on gratuity, the servers are getting who-knows-how-much in their PAYCHECK, at a later time. If your guests tip, that's cash in their hand at the end of the night.

Don't put up a sign. Let your guests decide whether or not the service warrants a tip.

It would be Really tacky if you put a sign up that says no tipping. If you are already tipping 20%, then the correct thing that I tell my bartenders is to not have a tip jar out, but if someone gives you a tip, it is okay to accept it and put it in your pocket or under the bar in a non visable place. Let the catering company know this and usually a high end catering company, like the ones I refer, already do this. Good Luck!

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