Gen Z are just as likely to open a bar tab as anyone else

The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.

Why we asked: I have often said that my favorite sub-genre of journalism is the New York Times “trend” article. That’s especially true of the “this generation does this crazy thing” variant. So of course I had to click right on the headline that proclaimed, “Gen Z Doesn’t Want to Start a Bar Tab.” I searched low and high in the story for the data on which they were basing this claim and found… a link to a story discussing this “growing phenomenon.” I clicked through to Daily Dot and again, combed through for the research. Here is what this “trend” is based on: “TikToker Haley filmed her reaction after viewing an American man’s tweet from a few days earlier. The tweet complained about how Zoomers close out after each order instead of opening bar tabs. It also blasted the younger generation for a lack of bar etiquette, claiming it was “psycho behavior”.“ 

Both articles feature some cherry-picked anecdata. But if only there were a way to quantify such behaviors… Thankfully, I gotta guy.

What we found: 45% of 21- 34-year-olds say they open tabs at bars vs. paying round-by-round. Which is profoundly different than 35- 54-year-olds of whom 52% say they open tabs. Oh wait, that’s not all that different after all. So maybe, just maybe, this “trend” isn’t really a trend.

I mean, sure, this takedown is based on a single agree-disagree, which seemed about the right amount to budget for this endeavor. But if you are really interested in learning more (say you own a chain of establishments with bar service and a generational shift could portend efficiency issues in a world where complicated cocktails and mocktails are already slowing operations more than a simple beer or wine pour would) please reach out and we can dive deeper. Also, if you’re an editor with an idea for a story and you’d like to put more data in your anecdata, let me know. I gotta guy who can help.