www.CostaRicaTicas.com

My buddy dated her Mia for a few months quite a while ago, said she was nice but he dumped her for Fernanda the colombian bartender in the DR. He says she is reasonable and they split the rent on their apartment together even though he is there 15-25% of the time, and he complains he always has to pay for the taxi home even if he goes just to pick her up at the BM. He buys her food and brings it over to her and pays for it and meals etc but other than that he says shes not so bad on drilling him for money if those are his biggest complaints. But he always pays when they are out, and sometimes that annoys him because he knows she makes 200-400 a night depending. She saves and squirrels most of her money away and SHOPS with her own money which is nice . If you ask me he shouldnt be complaining she seems very reasonable on all fronts to me. He has never been hit up for big money.....yet. He does seemed stressed sometimes about everyone always hitting on his girlfriend, he will say can you even believe that guy thinks he has a chance... things like that.
Side note he also dated Alehandra the colombian from medellin the HOT one before she started hooking and was named Natalie. Said he paid for everything in the marriot and did her non stop for two weeks, but dumped her because she was boring and really just a whack job real crazy once you get to know her....she was dating some guy in prison at the time as well real smart cookie.
He has never paid any of the above, But he is 38 and has some game relative to the average BM patron, he could pull hotties in the US as well. Having a fat wallet even if you are just average joe 40 and nice and hilarious and fluent does not guarantee all of em, some are not on the market. His spanish is beginning to mediocre at best not really fluent so that is not always a necessity.. effort probably is though.

They are available though, reverse the situation and think if you worked in a bar that women were paying for getting laid..I know doesnt exist but run with it, now if you were working this bar and rich arab ladies were always frequenting the place, if a good looking one kept asking you out you would probably say yes eventually even if you had some back up american girlfriends you like because youd be a little curious at least wanting to learn a little more and see what its like and she was going to pay for everything because that is what the always do.

I would say that Hunters post is pretty accurate. Over the years I have had dates with several of the bartenders in the gulch. But an earlier statment that all were available for a price Well I agree if enough money is involved anything or anyone can be bought but that said, there are at least 3 DR/KL bartenders who would cost you more than even Bill Gates could afford--in other words they are not on the market. There are a few who will date a guy, but only because they have got to know him and like him. Money is not the big issue, but rather having a good time is . There are several who will gladly 'date' a guy for financial gain even thou, yes they do in many cases, make as much as $200-$300 a night (seldom more except on the occiasional very good night). One of these will cost you more dollars than doing several of the 'working' chicas would.

There are several who are very bi sexual and will do 3somes with a guy who has game and will pay for the chica that the bartender wants.(and pay her in most cases). Know one bartender who used to be a hooker full time; (to be honest, several fit this mode I am sure) does not "need the money"; still likes the "chase and excitement of hooking a guy" and therefore on occasion she "dates just for the fun and excitement of it". She has met guys and liked them and "dated" them for a hour or 2 for as little as $50 just because she wanted to do it.

Have never figured out what is the deciding factor in what makes them decide to accept a date with a customer; quess it really depends on the chica and the attraction she has for the guy, and how well she knows him. I am very sure that living here, having the time to spend getting to know her, and speaking the language greatly increase your chances. I am a fat old fart and have no money, and they all know that about me. I have recently had a date with one very hot bartender and have a date as soon as I return from my trip to the states with another one that I concider to be one of the hottest and sexest bartenders in the gulch. But we have known each other for a very long time, have spent many hours just talking, and are what I concider, very good friends.

The "want what you can't have syndrome' is and always has been a fasinating thing, especially when it come to mongers in the gulch who are only here 1 or 2 times a year for a short time going ape shit over the bartenders when there are several hundred hookers just waiting to pluck your brains out; and usually for a lot less than what a bartender will cost you even it you do succeed.

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Don't forget that the majority of working girls are just as good looking. Its some people look at the bartenders in a different way(trophy,what most can't have/afford.)I still think that $200-$300 A night is way off. Remember $1500 a week is good money in the states.$200-$700 a week is probably more accurate.

Now Mike I know you are a big tipper, so think about this---and I said "as much as $200-$300"---on a good Saturday night in the REY the follow might be the case:

400 guys --4 dranks each
$1 tip per drank each
minus the non tippers like me, lets say 100 guys
plus the big tippers like you-$2 each drank, again lets say 1oo guys
using this the non tippers and the big tippers balance out so--the total is $1600.
Then add in the 5% idiots who tip $50-$100 on a $25 tab. Lets say $75 in tips for the night each guy in this group.= $1500 And this is probably a low figure if you have ever noticed the number of drunks throwing money at the bartenders.

total=$3100
12 bartenders spliting the total tips= $258 per bartender

Not saying this is accurate, just is based on my opinion based on what I have observed and what a couple of the bartenders have told me over the years. And I am talking about the 5pm till 1 am shift, not the day time or early morning shift.

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Remember, that's the tip *IN ADDITION TO* the government mandated "servicio" of 10%. However, this 10% gets split more ways (managers, bouncers, barbacks, etc..).

I personally think $200 is a bad night for a bartender at the HDR. $300 at least average, and $400-500 quite regularly. And, it wouldn't surprise me if they walked out with $1000 on some rare nights when the place is packed.

That's also not counting the "errors" in giving back change

I just remembered one other thing I left out of my tip income figures---

the 10% tip that is added to every drank.

1600 dranks at say $3 each= $4800 X 10%= $480 =$40 per chica. add this to the $258 for a total of $298

Hell any way you look at it, even the $40 is well above the average income in Costa Rica

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

My apologies i thought you were talking a daily basis.I,m sure fridays and saturdays are there big daysbut the rest of the week will bring down that average.FYI-I tip J and G(dayshift BM) very well all others get the coins and an occassional 1k note at the end. As a side note the girls can get pretty testy when they screw up as they have to pay for screw ups.After a big score many don't show up the next day. I also think i,m a decent tipper but not a big one with the exception of ZB girls.I also understand why one wouldn't tip. I also hope were only talking about nighttime DR and KL bartenders as i don.t think dayshift makes as much or has the opportunities to .In the end your right for CR its a great job no matter what shift.I also know that i could be wrong and your estimates are right there are alot of people who tip off the charts and that would certainly bring up there average.Just some thoughts/facts

Again an apology.I did not seee the last part about nighttime only until after i posted.

Can a bartender make 200 to 400 in a night? Yes, they certainly can, but that is not the average. On average they make 2 grand a month which depends on the shift and the bar. Their hourly wage is less than 2 bucks. DR bartender amiga wrote the following....

The words of a DR bartender. Take it or leave it. The only statement in writing from an actual bartender on this subject... that must be a first.

Berk....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

Not according to my DR amiga bartender. The 10% is handed over to the bartenders at the end of the shift working whatever bar. They tip the clean up chico with the broom 5 mil or so for the shift and that's it. No one else gets a slice of the "pie"... e.g. 3 chicas working the lobby bar... they split the 10% between themselves and tip the broom chico.

Berk.....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

Then the HDR is an unusual operation. Most bars/restaurants in Costa Rica use the 10% servico in exactly the way described by the Mad German with the possible exclusion of the manager but with the addition of the kitchen staff. Naturally the distribution of the the service charge varies from establishment to establishment but most bars do not give the entire proceeds to the bartender or to the wait staff in restaurants.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I believe the bartender. If you can post a written statement from another bartender with a different description of how tips are distributed that would be great.

Berk....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

A written statement? Would you like it notarized as well? I do not see any written statements from your amiga bartender. All I see is the the same thing the Mad German and I have provided which in a courtroom would be called hearsay. But if you think a written notarized statement is necessary lead on amigo. Not sure how you are going to scan that statement onto the forum but I guess there are ways for the computer experts here to advise how to do it.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Let me correct myself. The statement that I quoted was from an email about the average compensation of DR bartenders written by a DR bartender. The statements by me concerning the distribution of tips is based on a conversation with an actual DR bartender while sitting in Cafe Mundo back in October 07.

If your statements, ID, are based on actual conversations with a DR employee then say so. I don't believe they are so find a bartender or other employee with the DR and post their side if it differs.

Berk....

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FRUITCAKE... and you thought it was something you eat! Not on CRT!

It really doesn't take a lot of brains to do the math. $2000 a month would mean an average of $500 a week. If they work 4 days a week, that's $125 a day/night. That's incredibly low, considering how much money gets thrown in the tip jar. Either the management is robbing them, or they're not being honest.

I can see a day shift only making $100, but not night shift. Just the 10% servicio alone is half that, and many gringos tip nearly 50% in addition.

Then, consider how many times we've heard the stories about "errors" in giving change. How many times doesn't it get caught? How much more does that add to their takehome every night? It's happened to me twice, and I don't spend that much time there.