Mckibbins Irish Pub — Restaurant in Montreal

The Journey of a Beer

This is a short story on the tipping culture in Canada, and the extreme entitlement it creates.

Deep in the heart of golden barley fields, a farmer rises at dawn. His hands are rough from years of toil, but he takes pride in his work. He nurtures the crops, battles the elements, and harvests each grain with care. He loads the barley onto a truck, never once thinking to ask for a tip.

At the malting house, workers soak, germinate, and roast the barley, transforming it into the foundation of a great beer. The air is thick with the scent of caramelized grains. They shovel, they sweat, they perfect their craft—no tip jar in sight.

The malt travels to the brewery, where brewers measure it carefully, mixing it with water, hops, and yeast. Steam rises as they brew, tasting and adjusting, ensuring perfection. Fermentation begins, weeks pass, and they watch over the beer like devoted parents. Not one of them asks for extra cash.

Bottlers and keggers work tirelessly, sealing the liquid gold into glass and metal. Truck drivers haul the beer across cities and towns, navigating traffic and deadlines, all without demanding a gratuity.

Finally, the beer arrives at a bar.

A greasy, lazy bartender pulls a tap handle, filling a pint glass in seconds. With minimal effort, they place it on the counter, then look up with expectation, immediately bitching for a tip.

Meanwhile, the farmer, the maltster, the brewer, the packager, and the driver all carry on with their work—never once expecting a tip.

If you don't like your salary, take it up with your management and your government, little guy.

I don't owe you anything, if am feeling generous enough, I might tip, IF your service is exceptional.

Otherwise, stay quiet and do your job like...

A group of 5 friends and I went to the pub late at night, around 1:30am. I had been trying to stop drinking at this point, and had picked up some poutine in a small container on the way to the pub since it was unlikely anywhere would have food options this late at night. Upon arriving and sitting down at a table, the waitress went around the table asking drinks for everyone. When she got to me, I asked for "A water please" since I didn't want to drink anymore and was really thirsty. The waitress Samantha gave me a lecture about bringing outside food into the business (who's kitchen was closed at this time, so I couldn't get food there) and not ordering anything to drink, and then just was incredibly off-putting and rude. I was pretty confused since the rest of my party was getting drinks and I just wanted a water, nothing too intricate or unheard of. If I was alone just asking for a water I would have understood, but that wasn't the case at all, everyone else in my group bought a drink and I was just hanging out with friends. She left and returned with the drinks and never brought me anything. Any of my friends could have asked for a water and then given me theirs, so there wasn't any additional process needed. It was one of the weirdest and rudest experiences I've had in a restaurant in recent memory, I've never been refused water at a pub or restaurant in my life, but I guess there's a first time...

I really don’t like to give 1 star reviews, and I don’t do so very often at all - but I’ve been sitting here at the bar waiting to get my cheque for the past 15 minutes. I’m from Dublin, and while visiting Montreal I thought I may as well check out a local “Irish” Bar. The female bartender “serving” me is on her 3rd shot of liquor, chatting the ears off 3 obvious male regulars. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, in fact I know that’s super important to tend to your regulars - but this person was taking the “you know what!” I was sat at the bar for a good 10 minutes before she came over to me. She wasn’t busy at all, like I said, she’s having a great time with the guys on the other end of the bar. I ordered the “Home Made Chips” and the Potato and Leek Soup. They weren’t home made chips. If any Irish person looks at these they’d tell you right away those are not real home made chips! They look kind of burnt too! The leek and potato soup that probably came out of a can or a packet came with a rock hard stale bread role. Look at my other reviews, I don’t ever write reviews like this but this was actually a seriously awful experience. Maybe this place would be alright another night - but based on first impressions, I’d never go back here nor would I recommend it to anybody. There’s better Irish pubs in town with a more Irish feel and much more...