Tip jar

Q: Some of my friends tip a dollar a drink in bars, others tip a dollar a round. Is tipping service-based and will tipping more get me better service or stronger drinks next round?
—Erin P., Lincoln Park

A: We went to two polar opposites of the bar spectrum for the answer. Dorian Lelay Ghelfi, bartender at Sofitel's posh Le Bar, claims standard tipping should be 15 percent ($3 on a $20 round), but says that even if you only have coffee you should tip at least a dollar. At Ukrainian Village's gritty Gold Star Bar, bartender Mont DeWolf says that a dollar a drink is standard across the board, whether you're grabbing a bottled beer ("like 90 percent of our customers") or you're ordering a Cosmo. "A dollar a round is never good," DeWolf says. "A $5 tip on a $20 round means that I'll probably buy that group's round on their third." Ghelfi reiterates the gesture, saying that "no one will admit it in front of their boss, but if someone is an awesome tipper and there are 25 other people, I'm going to go to them first. Great tippers get great service—it makes a connection and gets you remembered."
Throw us all of your eating and drinking questions. We can handle it. E-mail eatoutdrinkup@timeoutchicago.com.