Next time students go to pay for a drink, they should take into account the price of speedy service.

People pour into bars every night of the week in Bowling Green and are forced to answer the question of whether or not it is worth it to drop a dollar in their bartender’s tip jar.

How much you choose to leave might just effect how fast or how high of quality your drinks are for the rest of the night.

Bartenders make most of their money from tips because their base pay is usually only that of a server in a restaurant- so they really depend on the generosity of the customer to pay the bills.

“I can hit rent on a good weekend,” bartender Brandon Stratton said. “If you make good drinks and use some of your tip money to give people drinks, they tip better and keep coming back to you.”

Stratton said the average tip should be anywhere between $1 to $3 depending on the quality, price and alcohol content of the drink.

“People who are drunk usually tip better, especially if you flirt with them and put on a good show,” Stratton said.

Ziggy Zoomba’s owner, Bob Everhart, said bartenders should serve better tippers more quickly and has seen bartenders pick out customers over a thirsty crowd because of good tips.

But good tips usually aren’t a problem in a college town like Bowling Green.

“College students are usually more generous tippers and less demanding than most older customers when they aren’t even good tippers,” Everhart said.

Stratton also believes college students tip well, and based off his experience, said people within the ages of 21 to 35 generally tip between $2 to $5 per drink, especially if it’s not the first time they have enjoyed a drink or a conversation with the bartender.

But sometimes slow service is not the bartender’s fault, and a crowded bar provides customers with a good opportunity to practice patients.

Besides tipping, Everhart said there are some general rules of etiquette bar hoppers should abide by.

“Expect to be carded,” Everhart said. “People who turn 21 two weeks ago and act like it is some big offense to them every time anybody asks to see some ID.”

Self control will also determine service.

Everhart said not to expect service if you are intoxicated because it is against the law to serve somebody who is clearly inebriated.

But getting smashed is what Jonathon Neu, junior, believes bar-hopping is all about.

“I try not to get too blacked out that I can’t walk home on my own,” Neu said.

And for students who have similar drinking agendas to Neu’s, they must remember to always remain courteous and responsible.

Everhart, who resembles the statue of Zeus he keeps behind his bar, said he is a firm believer in standing behind his staff if a belligerent customer tries to start anything.