Unless you’re a millionaire, the idea of handing over more than £8,000 for a round of drinks seems utterly far-fetched.
But when a high-spending ex-sportsman settled up after an evening at a Manchester nightclub, that sum was – staggeringly – just for the tip.
The total bill came to a scarcely-believable £88,589.60, according to an image of the receipt shared on social media by the ‘exclusive’ venue.
That included a bottle of Clase Azul tequila priced at a jaw-dropping £9,500 and multiple magnums of Dom Perignon rosé champagne at £2,000-a-pop.
Also on the anonymous customer’s bill for a party of 12 were Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Champagne costing £1,500, and Chivas Regal 25 blended Scotch Whiskey at £950.
The service charge tip – calculated at 10 per cent of the bill – amounted to an painful £8,053.60.
Sharing the tab on Instagram, Continental Club wrote: ‘RECORD BROKEN. Some come to sip… others come to set records.
‘The biggest table spend to EVER take place in a club in Manchester.’
The eye-watering bar bill run up by a mystery former sportsman for his table of 12 at a Manchester nightclub
Continental Club owner ‘Hass’ said it was ‘quite impressive’ that one member of the celebrity customer’s group settled the £88,589.60 bar bill on their card without flinching
The venue promises ‘luxury, privacy, and elite entertainment’ and is a popular haunt for celebrities, with ‘premium liquors, and VIP services’ on offer.
Some responses were positive, with one who commented on the tip writing: ‘Wowzers. Lucky staff.’
However others were sickened by the expenditure, the Manchester Evening News reported, highlighting the number of ex-servicemen and women struggling this winter.
‘It’s amazing how easily a few grand can disappear across a bar tab in Manchester,’ one posted.
‘Meanwhile, just outside on the cold, wet pavement, there are men and women who literally dedicated their lives to protecting this country.’
The club’s owner, who gave his name as Hass, said the whole bill was settled by a ‘celebrity client’ who had been in a party of 12 when he visited last weekend.
He told the BBC that members of the unnamed celebrity’s party didn’t flinch when they were presented with the huge bill, which was fully settled in one card payment.
‘Sometimes with a big bill a few people are kind of chipping in but just one person dealt with that, so it’s quite impressive,’ he added.
The club’s post about the monster bar bill sparked mixed responses
Some praised Manchester’s Continental Club (pictured) for attracting such big-spending revellers – but others were horrified at blowing so much on a night out when people were sleeping rough nearby
Hass said the customer was not from Manchester and he did not think he was ‘foreign to spending that kind of money’.
He said while such massive bar bills might be seen in VIP venues in London or Dubai, he hoped the publicity would ‘put Manchester on the map’.
‘We really wanted to raise the awareness that Manchester is becoming that city now where we are on the same level as London and that we can compete with the big boys.’
Indeed in 2012 foreign currency dealer Alex Hope, aged just 23, spent a mind-blowing £203,948 on drinks at a venue in Liverpool – 50 per cent higher than average house prices in the city at that time.
However his extravagance came to a shuddering halt in 2015 when he was jailed for seven years for swindling millions from investors to bankroll his playboy lifestyle.
