Like it's not bad enough that customers are being taken for an extra 20%, but are bartenders charging customers full sail for a drink and then pocketing the money themselves? One Little Birdy saw it happen over the weekend at a new hotspot in the Lower East Side, telling DBTH,

After reading how Goldbar charges tips without the customers knowing, I saw something - the bartenders stealing money from drinks and putting it towards tips at [redacted by DBTH].

I was at [redacted by DBTH] last night, I ordered 2 drinks, the bartender said $25. I gave him $40, he only punched $10 into the register, gave me back $15 change. He still "charged" me the $25, but only rang in $10. Basically, he kept $15 for himself, put it in the register, and at the end of the night, the leftover money in the register is a tip. Anything above the total Z out, would have overcount aka his tip. This is super shady. If I was the owner of this place, I would be pissed. The bartenders are stealing money!!

I was going to mention something to him, but I didn't want to put him on the spot then and there.

Having an old-school register, called a "banger" , is great to avoid paying taxes, but it doesn't eliminate employees stealing money!

Every good bartender will throw their favorite customers a buyback now and then. It keeps them coming in and helps pad their tips. But we can't support a bartender fleecing both the consumer and owner for a full drink and pocketing the money. Times are tough, but not tough enough to promote stealing.

In response to Goldbar's automatic gratuity charge, a helpful commenter calling themselves SLA Rep reminds us that this practice is entirely illegal unless an establishment clearly states the policy in writing.

If you realize you have been charged a Gratuity on ANY check that has not been stated clearly in writing that a charge will be given(Re: 8 persons or more at a table) on the menu- IT IS ILLEGAL.
Ask for an ITEMIZED receipt- Keep the receipt, make a copy of it with your Credit Card Statement showing the charge(or cash receipt) and leave a verbal complaint along with a return receipt USPS mailed copy to
A) The Better Business Bureau at (212)533-6200 AND the SLA at (212) 961-8378.
The establishment will get a fine, a written warning, and could induce a visit from the IRS to go over the accounting and Tip procedure.

With so many customers ordering drinks without consulting a menu, it seems that even if Goldbar displays its tipping policy, it is still operating in a grey area. 10 Birdy points to the first person who can mail us a copy of their cocktail menu.

More from the automatic tip files. A Little Birdy writes "i noticed on my receipt at goldbar that i was charged 20 percent gratuity on a cash transaction from a waitress, which i didnt realize & tipped her on top of this. is goldbar the only place where they charge 20 percent gratuity even on cash transactions? and do they do this at the bar? the bartenders rarely give receipts, so i dont know, but always tip them." Bottle (or is it table) service usually comes with an automatic tip, if you are paying cash or credit. It pays to read your bill.