Bottle Service Tipping

[canmore]

sorry for whats probably a very obvious post but i did search and didn't find a direct answer. i'm heading to tao in a couple of weeks and our crew (three males) have arranged bottle service with a $700 minimum. it was arranged with a tao (not independent host) and tao adds a 20% grat automatically. just wondering what do we tip the host when we arrive? thanks for helping a newbie just looking for a smooth and drama-less night out.

[Guest]

$100, but no less then $50. Depending on the level of service you received.

[clientele]

$100, but no less then $50. Depending on the level of service you received.

just curious...what if u called the club and booked the reservation with them...had no special requests and were walked in by..who knows...what would be the expected tip then or is there one?

[Guest]

$100, but no less then $50. Depending on the level of service you received.

just curious...what if u called the club and booked the reservation with them...had no special requests and were walked in by..who knows...what would be the expected tip then or is there one?

I would still tip the guy that walks you in and sits you down. Maybe even get there card and name if they provided good service. That is if you plan on partying at that particular venue ever again.

[YellowandNavy]

$100, but no less then $50. Depending on the level of service you received.

just curious...what if u called the club and booked the reservation with them...had no special requests and were walked in by..who knows...what would be the expected tip then or is there one?

Tao is a large club and there are many table locations. If you don't want to be stuck in the restaurant level table or corner table far way from the action tipping your host is a good idea.

In most cases your tip to host can change your table location.

[clientele]

$100, but no less then $50. Depending on the level of service you received.

just curious...what if u called the club and booked the reservation with them...had no special requests and were walked in by..who knows...what would be the expected tip then or is there one?

Tao is a large club and there are many table locations. If you don't want to be stuck in the restaurant level table or corner table far way from the action tipping your host is a good idea.

In most cases your tip to host can change your table location.

makes sense...ive never made a reservation by calling the club but i wasnt sure if tip is "always expected" kinda like tipping at a restaurant or if the person walking you back with the generic reservation would understand that most likely there wouldn't be a tip...like picking up takeout...sorry for the bad analogies

[CraigLombardi]

I saw this thread and posted another as a result. Great topic, and I am sure this has been gone over but here are my 25.7 nickels on the topic:

Today vs. Future. If they did more than you feel is necessary today - then tip them well. If you are anticipating to use them again in the future, you got their number, you are going to give their number to your buddy who is coming next week, they came to make sure you're doing good, sent girls to your table, and will go above and beyond for you in the future thus making you "the man" - then tip them even better.

Hosts can make the night club experience for you so much better when they are at the top of their game.

[MikeyTantalo]

$100, but no less then $50. Depending on the level of service you received.

just curious...what if u called the club and booked the reservation with them...had no special requests and were walked in by..who knows...what would be the expected tip then or is there one?

no tip may get no table some times... or that will go from lounge downstairs to opium room upstairs... or opium to main room.... tips are what drives a club buddy...

a good tip and ok minimum is better than 0 tip high min

[sfnate]

It sounds like he already has a minimum set up, and is just wondering how much to tip a someone to walk him to his table if that guy is just reading his name off a list.

At this point you dont know the guy walking you in from a bum on the street, so you're really only tipping to be nice or to get a better location. On your walk in, you could try asking where the table is, and then hinting that you'll give a good handshake for a better place. Or, if you're feeling like gambling, start with the handshake and hope they reciprocate =)

[BMoreLas]

Seems to me like it's a bad idea not knowing who is walking you in. I'm heading out in May and I plan on getting a host off of JC, having the proper handshake ready for the host and the right bouncer, and paying upfront (which includes collecting from the soon to be too drunk to pay guys in the group upfront).

I want to get all the business out of the way so that if I get too drunk to count, I don't have to worry about it. Is $50 a good handshake for a bouncer, or does that depend on how many are in the group?

[sfnate]

and paying upfront (which includes collecting from the soon to be too drunk to pay guys in the group upfront).

oh geez.. never pay up front.

[iamkhai]

At first I thought this was about tipping the server. I am not sure how I feel about the forced 20% tip to her. What if she sucks or has a bad day and just "phones it in" because she knows she is going to automatically make a certain amount of money.

In my opinion it should be a forced tip to the host who sets up the deal. Then you can go above and beyond based on your interactions when booking and table location.

A host does not have the luxury of not being nice as there is no guarantee that they will see anything AND they did all the work to get you into that location. Just seems kinda bogus to me.

As for what to tip the host, here's my plan for my trip. Right now it's just 2 of us, but it's about to change to 4 of us and maybe 5. I am planning on tipping anywhere from $50-$100 myself for the service that I have received so far and up to the point of finally meeting said host. I am doing all the hard work in negotiating and talking to each host and so far they have been fantastic. I plan to tip. As for the rest of my group, I am instructing each of them that they need to tip as well, anywhere in the $20-$50 range.

This seems like the best thing to do from my perspective.

[AnthonyHyde]

DO NOT.... i repeat... DO NOT use a reservation line.

[clientele]

$100, but no less then $50. Depending on the level of service you received.

just curious...what if u called the club and booked the reservation with them...had no special requests and were walked in by..who knows...what would be the expected tip then or is there one?

no tip may get no table some times... or that will go from lounge downstairs to opium room upstairs... or opium to main room.... tips are what drives a club buddy...

a good tip and ok minimum is better than 0 tip high min

couldn't agree more...just didnt know what standard protocal was...i know most on this forum are reaching out to specific hosts...sometimes with specific requests..so i would think a tip would always be in order...didnt know if this was still the case for an "assigned" person that was walking in a random name with only a potential minimum discussed with the "club" (not a particular host) no location preference...etc...again just wasnt sure of the industry standard

for instance i probably wouldnt tip a host/hostess for walking me to my table at a restaurant unless i was getting or asking for a special request

[sfnate]

At first I thought this was about tipping the server. I am not sure how I feel about the forced 20% tip to her.

you can thank the people who would buy 4 bottles and then tip $50 bucks. I'm totally cool with the forced tip in situations like this.

What if she sucks or has a bad day and just "phones it in" because she knows she is going to automatically make a certain amount of money.

eh.. girls like that don't make it in LV