Wow, $16 a day....Very good to know. We also go in December. Of course we always tip but now that I know this I will be sure to be a little more generous.
Would love to know where you got this infomation. I know a lot of bartenders that would like to know where the rest of their paycheck is and how they get those free rides to and form work. Catching 2 seperate buses home is a pain. Jamie
We got to talking to an english speaking manager at a nice bar on the Isla and he told us that the wait staff gets about 50 pesos a DAY...plus tips. That is like $5 a day.....it broke my heart. When we drove around the island...we saw rental signs that said $350 pesos to $750 pesos a month.....they work just to have shelter....and looking at some of the places on the island....especially in "the colony"...shelter looked minimal.
Yeah.. the bartenders earn about $6 a day at TTR. The ones that have been there a long time and are on the higher end of the scale make about $8 a day. So you can see why they would love to make the $16 that D&E are quoting. So if you can pass along the source of your information I'll let them know who to go talk to. And yeah Tfordy... a bartender on his own cannot afford rent. Without tips there is no way to pay the biils. That's why last year's Swine Flu was so bad for them. Even if they were working they were going broke. A lot of folks point to the tips included in the AI fees. Once you split that across everyone that works there, with management getting their cut, a full hotel nets them about $30 a month. So you can see that for all the work those guys and ladies put in they get a paycheck of about $60-$65 every 15 days after local taxes and union dues. Just something to remember when you ask yourself.. "Do I though that extra buck?" Jamie
If one perticular bartender is being really good to you don't put the tip in the jar. Pull him to the side or wait until he's getting off and give it to him personally. Tips in the jar are shared by them all.
