The Bar Tab Fiasco – The Story
We had a birthday event for my friend Erin this past Friday night. It was taking place as Geisha A Go Go in Scottsdale. My friend Erin loves singing karaoke and this place has private karaoke rooms that you can rent. Her plan was to rent the large room and invite some of her closest friends to participate in some karaoke fun with some drinking thrown in. Upon arrival, Mike, Hollie, and I opened a tab for our drinks with my credit card. I’m not sure how many other groups did the same, but it appeared that a majority of the partygoers had. As the night moved forward, it was becoming apparent to me that rounds of shots that were being ordered were not being placed on any particular tab. At the end of the evening, we not only had our own tabs but also a room tab that needed to be covered. The room tab was $350 and some change! The remaining guests all chipped in $20 towards the main bill but that was not enough to cover the whole thing. We were still $76 short. I ended up covering that part while another person covered the extra $$ for the tip. Anyway, it was a complete fiasco and ended up costing me over $100 for alcohol that I never even touched the whole night (I was sick and the DD).
So what’s the best way of avoiding this type of situation? I’m thinking that we should institute a “cover charge” next time to make sure that our final bill is covered, even by those who leave early before the final bill arrives.
Venting session complete.