Member-only story
Tipping is Ultimately About Power
In a traditional English pub, you do not tip the barkeep. Not “it’s optional” but it’s actually a faux pas. Things are a little different in the chain gastropubs that most Americans think are restaurants, in part because they fill the same basic ecological niche as T.G.I. Friday’s. (Pro tip. They are not restaurants and have a different ordering etiquette).
It is an insult to give a traditional barkeep a tip. What you might do is say “Have one for yourself,” which authorizes them to take the value of a drink from yuor change, and even then you only do that if you know them. That’s for regulars. Or if you are ordering a large round of drinks. It’s simply not done.
Why?
It’s actually pretty simple. In a true local, being behind the bar is the prestige job. The one you want.
So, guess who is often behind the bar?
The owner of the business. The business might in some cases be a franchise, but it’s still common in traditional pubs for the boss to be the one pulling pints.
When you tip the boss you are implying he isn’t making enough business to keep himself afloat. It’s rude.
Elsewhere in the U.K., tipping is optional.