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A bride and groom are livid that we moved their honeymoon fund box off our bar and onto a separate table.
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I bartend at a pretty fancy golf course, most of the event are weddings. To give you guys an explanation I have to define the different types of bars we have:
Cash bar- everyone pays for drinks with cash or card and were allowed to have a tip jar out to encourage tipping
Ticket bar- the host of the event hands out a certain amount of tickets but people are also allowed to buy drinks with cash or card. The ticket drinks are considered “hosted” so we get an automatic 15% grat but we only receive 60% and the rest goes to “the house”. We are allowed to have a tip jar out because people can pay for their own drinks.
Host bar w/ certain items available for cash- normally a host bar covers the basic liquors, beer and wine. So any other premium brands are allowed to be bought with cash or card. We are allowed a tip jar out because people can buy their own drinks
Host bar w/ nothing available for cash- every drink is covered up to a certain limit. We are not allowed a tip jar out because no one is buying their own drink and because of the automatic 15% grat.
However..... we get capped at $250 an event for a host bar, the rest of the 40% plus any extra money goes to the house where we’re pretty sure they use to pay wages...
For example if we have two bartenders working and the total drink sales comes to $6,678 15% would be $1,001.70 of total grats. 60% would be $601.02 divided by two bartenders would be $300.51 each. But we would get capped at $250.00 so the 40% we don’t receive plus the additional $100 goes to the house...
This particular event was a host bar where nothing was available for cash and a $10,000 limit for only 190 people. At first there were only two bartenders scheduled which is normal but because the limit was so high I was asked to help out so we didn’t have to give our extra tips to the house.
I showed up at 3:00pm to start setting up. As I was counting inventory one of the bridesmaids came over and placed a box on my bar right where the tip jar would normally be with a sign that said “honeymoon fund!”. I didn’t say anything because my back was turned and I wasn’t planning to make an issue before they went out for the ceremony. This has happened to me once before and we just moved the box to a table by our bar.
I mentioned it to the coordinator and she said that because they were spending so much money they would make a stink about it if it wasn’t at least at the bar. I hate confrontation so I left it and messaged the other bartender who has worked there longer than the coordinator. She came into work and mentioned it to our boss who said “it’s a policy that any sort of honeymoon fund or anything to do with money giving is not allowed to be associated with the bar because in the past people have accused the bartenders of taking money”.
I’m sorry but honeymoon fund boxes are tacky! Your guests are already spending a chunk of money to come and probably already gave you a gift... we ended up putting it on a table close to the bar but not on the bar. I only saw one person walk over and put a $20 in their box.
Throughout the night we served drinks and connected with the wedding guests, they were such a great crowd! One guy in particular worked at a nightclub and asked where our tip jar was. I held up a tip jar under the bar and said we have to keep it down here, he tipped us generously and so did a lot of other people. If it’s a hosted bar people either assume we’re already getting a tip or tip more. Who are we to deny someone for tipping us for doing a great job?!
Anyways, at the end of the night the groom started screaming at my co-worker who was the only bartender on about us moving the box. He demanded to get whatever cash tips were given to us to be put on their honeymoon fund. The bride wanted to deal with it later but over comes one of the bridesmaids who started amping them up even more. She started screaming saying that they demand that they don’t have to pay the 15% because their wedding guests wanted to tip us more...
Tomorrow they are having a meeting with my boss about the situation. What do you guys think of the situation? Are we in the wrong for moving the box and accepting more tips?
Update: still haven’t heard anything! -.-
Update: not sure of the details but we’re still getting our tip and the bride and groom are happy! Thanks for your support and comments on this matter.
Top Comment:
Obviously people didn't want to give the bride and groom their tacky honeymoon money and they did want to give you cash tips for your service.
Seems to me that they just hopes that people would mistake the honeymoon box for a tip jar. It's completely ridiculous that they want your money. The box was well in sight and people just did not want to donate. Hopefully your boss will either get them a discount from the money off the house or tell them that no rules were broken and the extra cash was given to you and not for their honeymoon. That this would have been more vague if the honeymoon box was on the bar as then it might be confusing wether to give the money for the fund to the bartender or to put it in the box (and vice versa with tips). And even then it would be very unlikely.
I hope they complain about it to the club owner friend and that he tells them the harsh truth: nobody cares to pay for their honeymoon.
Two hedge fund managers walk into a bar...
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They buy it, tear it down, and build a 40 storey skyscraper.
Top Comment:
Is a 'Honeymoon Fund' jar in bad taste?
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My fiance and I are doing a DIY wedding and we're on a bit of a lower budget with help of family to begin with. But we're paying for the majority of the wedding (catering, venue, honeymoon). I've been told by a few of my bridesmaids that they've been to weddings recently with something similar to a honeymoon fund, either a jar at the head table for guests to put tips, at the bar for donations when getting drinks, or other placing like by the guest book. I've seen this on pinterest as well and I thought this was a fabulous idea due to the fact that we could use all the extra help financially.
My mother, on the other hand, thinks that this is rude and obnoxious to ask guests of this. Now, I could see where she's coming from, but at the same time if this is a normal, I would love to use this idea.
Thoughts? Have any of you done/will be doing a honeymoon jar or a tip jar?
Top Comment: I think it could be seen as rude because most people will have already bought you a gift by the time they get to the wedding. This seems like asking for a second gift. I would recommend having a Honeymoon Fund instead of or in addition to your regular registry.
Snack Bar NCOIC’s...
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Did you have to get an EIN from IRS to make an organizational bank account? I took over the snack bar (PN) and our Superintendent wanted a Square setup so we could combine our stripe fund and snack bar into one account. I went to Wells Fargo on base and they told me I needed to setup an account with the IRS and all this crazy shit. Then I asked if I should just open it up in my name and they discouraged it because of tax purposes or some shit.
How do you guys set it up? I’m not trying to get hounded to do taxes on a damn snack bar every year...
Top Comment:
Do you get paid for operating the snack bar? Or do you have snack bar employees? Is the money from the snack bar someone's claimable income?