CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Gen Z has been picking up the tab a little too often, according to some bartenders.
An increasing number of bartenders in the Commonwealth and beyond have said the newest set of legal-aged drinkers are choosing not to start a tab. Patch Orlovsky has been bartending for two decades and said most of the 21 to 25-year-olds nowadays are paying after each drink they order at Cambridge’s An Sibin.
“Not everyone does. I would say here, maybe 20 percent start tabs,” said Orlovsky.
One possible explanation is that Gen Z has been consuming less alcohol than previous generations. According to researchers, only around 20 percent of people under 28 years old consume alcohol regularly. Orlovsky said he thinks it might have to do with this generation coming of age during the pandemic, as the trend really started to pick up in the last “year and a half to two years.”
“The younger generations didn’t have that experience of going out with [an] older brother, older sister, or even family that goes to bars and opens tabs,” said Orlovsky.
When bars start getting packed, keeping bar tabs open can help save the bartenders some time when turning around orders.
“I like to keep it fun and give a ribbing sometimes where I’m like, ‘You sure you don’t want to open a tab this time?’” said Orlovsky. “On high-volume nights, it can be a little bit frustrating. It’s not generally that terrible here though, because it's not like we’re dealing with a hundred people at a time.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.