A:
We asked Jean Scott, who’s spent innumerable hours ordering drinks at gaming machines over the past few decades, and here’s what she told us.
"There’s no 'rule' about how long it’s proper to wait for a drink you’ve ordered from a cocktail waitress roaming the slot floor.
"If you really want the drink, but you’re done playing or you simply don’t want to lose money while the drink is being delivered, it’s perfectly acceptable to quit and sit, then wait until the drink is delivered and leave.
"If the wait seems unreasonably long, you can and should leave without guilt feelings. The cocktail waitress isn’t out anything, other than having to carry the extra weight of an undelivered drink on her tray and losing the potential tip from you."
We should add that we answered a question (4/3/15) in which a Vegas bartender claimed slot-floor cocktail waitresses have to pay 25 cents per drink poured for her customers. It isn’t true, but there are a couple of tip issues that arise.
One is related to the IRS, which estimates tip income for tip-position workers, such as cocktail waitresses. The other concerns a waitress' lay off, or the percentage of her tokes that she shares with the bartenders and/or bar backs.
But we seriously doubt an unserved drink here or there would impact either of those situations. If a cocktail waitress is so slow, or has such an adversarial relationship with her bartenders, that enough drinks don’t see their players to hurt her financially, she probably won't last long in the job.
Jean Scott concludes, "One needs to be thoughtful in this area. Don’t order a drink if you know you’re leaving the machine in just a few minutes. However, you’re in charge of how long you stay at your machine and you aren’t obliged to hang around and play longer than you want to when a drink order isn’t delivered."
Update 02 February 2017
"Don't ever feel guilty for up and leaving if the server doesn't bring your beverage in a timely manner. Yes, they do have large areas to cover however they know there's likely a toke coming so the better ones will bring em quickly. This is where you find your stiffs and Georges. (Hats off to David McKee.)"
"No question, I just wanted to thank you for answering that question. I've often wondered that myself, I've only left a couple of times before a drink arrived because I'd been waiting so long. Sometimes I think waitresses bite off more than they can chew, at aren't very reasonable with how long patrons should wait. The best way I've seen is at Harrah's in Laughlin, they have one person with an I-pad walking around and taking orders. It is then sent directly to the bartenders and the waitresses simply bring it to you, very efficient. They won't let you tip the person taking the order, but you can tip the waitress."
"The BEST cocktail ordering service was at Harrah's in Tunica, which I think may be closed now. [Editor's Note: Yes, it closed and was demolished in 2014.] There was a 'pad' on the machine, similar to getting slot dollars, promos, etc., where you could actually order the drink - by alcoholic or no, by type of liquor, and by drink type. It was fabulous! No one came around except to bring your drink. I thought that would catch on, but doesn't appear that way as that's been 5+ years ago."
"Nobody can make you spend $40 at a 'dead' machine. Thus, we have moved down a bit but stayed in the area while waiting for an ordered drink. Our time limit is 15 minutes. If the drink is MIA, then the girl has lost us. (See my other comment this week about a poor drink girl who needed GPS.) No one can penalize you for 'free parking' a little bit. In over 15 years as a casual player, I have yet to have a drink 'revoked' for it! Please 'gimmee a break."
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