Demanding Pop Drinkers

[Nita G]

Where I live and work, most bars charge .50 more per drink (no matter if alcohol or not), once music starts. This is the same for band nights or for karaoke nights. This helps them pay for entertainmen.... if people complain, it does them no good. The thing is, all of us have to pay for our entertainment. If we go to the movie or a ball game, we always have to pay.... it costs to have entertainment. Those enjoying it, need to be paying for it.

[djBe]

Staff at clubs with food are trained to refill for free, that's the nature of the business. At non-food bars, the bartenders will sometimes refill for free in unspoken return for greater tips. Either way the night's take is down and it makes the karaoke look bad. So I often coach mgts about the need to charge per drink for soda, and the simple fact that soda markup is 1000 percent... a dime at most for a dollar coke. I recommend selling bottled water for karaoke and in fact for all non-dining patrons at all events. Some take my advice, some don't. I recommend $1.50 for soda, coffee, tea, bottled water or sweet-tea so the server has a decent shot at the fifty cents.

In the case of a singer who intentionally comes to shows to freeload, he/she is someone who is not your friend and could care less how his/her cheapness makes you and your livlihood look to a clubowner, who may or may not realize that karaoke as wholeprovides entertainment value to the whole bar, singers or not.

In any case, you will always be better off if you can persuade mgts to charge for soft drinks, it definitely helps their bottom line.