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What the room generates

8 minUpdated 2026-08-02

Drivers one, two and three. Before any question about how the money is split, there is the question of how much money crosses the bar at all — and that is decided by the room, not by you.

Driver 1: check average

The check average is what a typical tab comes to. It is set by the menu, the neighborhood, and whether there is food.

A room built on draught beer and shots has a low check average by design. A room built on a cocktail program with fresh juice and a wine list has a high one, because each item is priced several times higher and because guests order in a different pattern — a cocktail, then a second, then wine with food, rather than six beers.

Food matters more than new bartenders expect. If guests eat at the bar, the tab carries the food as well as the drinks, and in a percentage-tipping room the tip is calculated on the whole thing. A bar with a kitchen and a bar without one are different businesses even when the drinks are identical.

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