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You finish a drink at the bar, friends arrive and a table opens.
You grab your glass, head to the dining room and ask a simple question: “Can you transfer my tab?”
For bartenders, that routine request can come with an unexpected cost.
“Logistically, it’s not difficult,” said Dawn Kenney, owner of Players Locker Room, a sports bar and restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida. “Our software is actually very capable of switching who’s serving them.”
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Modern point-of-sale systems, she told Fox News Digital, can move checks between bartenders and servers with just a few clicks.
But ease doesn’t mean it’s not problematic, especially when it comes to tips.
Transferring a bar tab to a table can complicate matters when it comes to who gets the tip. (iStock)
While a tab can be transferred, tips often can’t be easily divided once service changes hands.
“We do not have our system set up to where it’s easy for us to split tips,” Kenney added.
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That gap between service and compensation is where frustration can creep in, particularly for bartenders who’ve already put in the time.
Taylor Lowry, a bartender at Grease whiskey bar and restaurant in West Palm Beach, Florida, said transferring a tab can mean losing out entirely.
“We also lose the tip on that check, which is frustrating if [the customers] have been at the bar a while,” she told Fox News Digital.
A bartender at Players Locker Room in Jacksonville, Florida, transfers a tab to a table. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)
Because not all systems function the same way, the experience can vary widely from one bar to the next.
“Some systems don’t allow you to transfer checks,” she said.
Industry norms have developed to smooth over those differences.
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At Kenney’s bar, time spent matters more than the request itself.
“If the person’s been sitting there for a couple of hours, usually I let them — the bartender or server, whoever — say, ‘Hey, can I close you out?'” she said.
Bartenders prefer to have customers close their tabs before moving to a table, especially if they’ve been there for a while, one bar owner (not pictured) said. (iStock)
On the other hand, she said, “If you just sat down and started your first drink, just transfer it. It’s not a big deal.”
Some bartenders are more understanding than others.
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“If they’re waiting for a table, and they don’t hold up the bar seats for too long, I don’t mind transferring the check,” Lowry said, noting that courtesy goes both ways during busy shifts.
“We’re not here to make people upset.”
Generational habits can complicate things further.
Kenney said older guests tend to be more attuned to tipping etiquette.
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“I think that they are much more conscious of tipping than a lot of the younger people … unless you’re in the industry,” she said.
Lowry said she sees that play out behind the bar, especially during busy periods.
During busy nights at a bar, paying for drinks as you go can slow a bartender down. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)
“The younger generation likes to cash out for their drinks as they go rather than starting a tab” — which takes up more of a bartender’s time, she said.
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If someone is insistent about transferring a tab, Kenney will let it go to avoid any conflict, she said.
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“We’re not here to make people upset,” she said.
“We’re here to try to make them enjoy the place and come back.”
