Ah, bottle service (also known as table service) – one of man’s greatest tributes to the pleasures of hedonism. Welcome to the good life – drinking exorbitantly marked up alcohol brought to you by scantily clad bottle girls as you black out and run up the tab – you only live once, right?
There is a case to be made for VIP bottle service, however – even for those unwilling to blow a month’s salary on bottle service. In many cases, bottle service can actually be pretty comparatively priced to standard clubbing, with a number of ancillary benefits.
What is bottle service?
You do not need to have bottle service to get into a club. However, if you want some dedicated real estate and are anxious about getting in, bottle service is definitely the way to go. Almost all clubs these days have VIP tables arranged throughout the club.
When you get bottle/table service at a club you are paying the club a premium for bottles, mixers, and table space/real estate. Mixers are pretty standard across most clubs – cranberry, orange juice, tonic water, limes/lemons, etc. If you want energy drinks or bottled water you’ll have to pay extra (but that amount is counted towards your minimum). In addition to bringing out the bottles, bottle service girls also help you make drinks, pour shots, refill your mixers, remove empty glasses, etc.
Each table booking has a minimum spend – that is, the amount you need to spend on alcohol (and for dayclubs, food). The minimums that you are quoted never include tax/tip – which you can estimate to be about 30% (~10% tax, 18-20% tip). Gratuity is usually automatically included in the final bill at 18-20%. As such, whenever you book a table you’ll want to multiply the minimum by 1.3 to figure out how much you’ll likely end up spending. A table with 1k min will run you 1.3k, a table with 5k min will run you 6.5k, etc.
The minimum spend on each table varies based on a number of different factors:
- Holidays
- Day of the week – minimums are almost always higher on Fridays/Saturdays
- The DJ or live performer talent – big names = big minimums
- Table location – the closer you are to the action, the more you’ll have to pay
- Number of people in your party – you might want a 1k table but the 1k min might only come with 4 comps – to add more people you’ll have to increase your min
What are the advantages to getting bottle service?
- You get expedited entry in a VIP bottle service line
- You get real estate – a place to sit, put your things (though make sure you hold on to valuables – people often get their things stolen at tables)
- Bottle service comes with alcohol and comp’ed entry (oftentimes the cost is pretty close to getting in on general admission and buying drinks at the bar)
- If you’re a guy, you can bring girls back to your table
- If you’re a girl, you don’t have to flirt with guys to mooch drinks
- In vegas bachelorette parties can oftentimes get discounted or even comped tables on slow nights – ask us about it!
How much does bottle service cost?
Bottle service in las vegas will cost you anywhere from 150 per guy to 1000 per guy depending on how much you want to splurge. You can easily run up similar bills in other cities as well, but generally speaking your tabs in Las Vegas will be higher than in other cities.
If you have enough guys (or girls willing to pitch in) in your group, bottle service can actually make a lot of sense financially. For example, lets say you have 8 guys and want to go to a top tier club for a top tier DJ. You’re looking at $50 presale tickets or $70 GA at the door plus a tip for the bouncer if you don’t want to wait. Then once you get inside, drinks will run you ~20 per drink/shot. Between buying drinks for your friends and buying drinks for girls, you’ll easily run up a $150-200 tab very quickly.
With a bit of planning and foresight you can take that money and book a table – sure, your table isn’t going to be on the dance floor, but you’ll still be able to enjoy most of the benefits listed above at a comparative price. The key to balancing the equation is having enough guys in your group that are willing to throw down.
Hope this guide was helpful! Be sure to download the Discotech App to see upcoming events and book bottle service at all the top clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.