At a bar do you open a tab or pay as you order each round?

[cockatoo]

I recently saw a tweet where an older man was complaining about younger millennials/gen z not opening a tab but paying for drinks individually, as he considered this bad etiquette.

 

I've only ever opened a tab in bars that have a policy where they require you to do this. In most normal pubs or bars I'd pay for each drink as I ordered it. What's your experience of this?

Edited July 22, 2023 by cockatoo

[1000 forms of queer]

always close cuz i will either forget my card or end up spending too much (and carelessly buying ppl drinks)

[Nazareth]

Pay as you go is a lot easier. I don’t drink anymore, but whenever I did use to open tabs with friends I’d always be the one to pay more than what I even ordered because we’d split the bill. 

[OnlyManInTheWorld]

Always pay as I go

[Alldeezy]

Pay as I go. 

[simplywohoo]

depends, if it's my go-to bar i open a tab but otherwise i pay as i go

[May]

always pay as you go

 

ive never opened a tab and the overwhelming majority of places don’t even let u do it in england

[Quiqui4eva]

I’m way too paranoid to ever keep an open tab

[JoeAg]

for me usually a tab, but when i had just turned 21 i’d do pay as i go

[Jormungand]

Pay as I go if I'm with coworkers or regular friends, open tab if I'm with my best friend.

[DamianSolo]

I'm having no more than two drinks, so I'll just pay as I go.

[Daddy]

I'm not an alcoholic so I pay as I go. A tab would make me feel nervous as a bar owner.

 

Also bad etiquette is so outdated