I know a few bartenders primarily the Lobby Bar. I generally get good service and leave a little extra when it's all said and done. Here's an example of a good and bad experience last week.
The Bad - I'm sitting with a long time amiga at one of the tables between the Deli and Lobby bars. Andrea, who knows me, but not too well comes up and asks what I would like to "take". I say "X" beer por favor. She proceeds back to the Deli bar (I can see her the entire time) and starts to chat with another bartender. This goes on for over 5 minutes with no beer in hand. To remedy the situation I walk up to the Lobby bar and am immediately served "X" beer which I pay for. I sit back down with my amiga and 10 minutes later here comes Andrea claiming I need to pay for the beer.
Yea, right. I explain she was too damn busy talking to serve me so I served myself at the Lobby bar and paid there. "I'm sorry" she says. "No problem... no propina" I claim. She, of course, walks off unhappy. Will she learn? Not a chance.
The Good - Walk in at 7am and sit down at the Lobby bar. A familiar bartender is working, but doesn't know me and I can't recall her name. She's DAMN GOOD LOOKING, but that's beside the point. The following conversation takes place in Spanish. "Good morning"... "what would you like take"? "Good morning. Cappuccino... por favor". MUCHO GUSTO! flows off her tongue. What? Mucho gusto. You're kidding me? Listen, I can't tell you how many times I have sat at this bar and ordered "X" drink over 2 1/2 years. You are the very first bartender that has ever indicated that it would be a pleasure to serve me. You are way too polite! Of course, she had a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon and cheerfully proceeds to fill my request. I leave her a 500 colone coin as an extra propina.
I think the over all mediocre service is a result of the bartenders being paid very well for what they do providing ordinary service. There's no incentive to do better. According to one bartender there is a new rule they are trying to implement... no more jeans... only dresses and short skirts in an attempt to garner more propinas. Phuck that. I tip for good service... not T&A. That's a concept they have yet to learn.
What do they get paid? Day and evening shift $120 every 2 weeks deposited into the bank account. Night shift $140. Day and evening shift $1.50 per hour. Night shift $1.75 per hour. Add in the service to the bill (paid daily) and the extra propinas and it comes out to somewhere around $1,200 a month. As my DR bartender amiga explains this to me at Cafe Mundo... "IT'S BIG MONEY IN COSTA RICA"... and, as I said, based on mediocre service.
Berk.....
P.S. Over all and in general the bartenders work you just as hard for your money as the hookers on our side of the bar. One complete moron from CA in his late 50's takes "Karla" (morning shift Lobby bar) shopping and all kinds of crap. He spent 3 hours in line at the US embassy for "tourist visa" papers thinking he gonna get her to the US. Geez. She's taking him for everything she can get. He believes with in a few months it will all work out and they will get married. I didn't tell him any different. He can learn on his on.
. I usually have a friend that has a room there where we can mix our own. The service is great as long as its on the second floor 
! I try to do all I can on my own & thats not so much for cost savings but to know it was done right. If you have something as simple as your oil changed down there you better be watching them!!!! They know every trick in the book as they smile with the bill.
