How Entry Fees Work: Three Systems
Flat cover charge: you pay 500 to 1,500 PHP and enter — no drinks included. Consumable cover: you pay the same fee but receive drink vouchers of equal value, making it effectively a drink deposit. Free entry: no fee, the venue earns from consumption — the dominant model in Poblacion. The guestlist overlays all three: register via Instagram for free entry and priority access. Not using the guestlist is leaving up to 1,500 PHP on the table.
Bottle Service Pricing in Detail
Tanduay rum or local gin: 1,500 to 2,500 PHP. Absolut Vodka: 3,000 to 4,500 PHP. Johnnie Walker Black: 5,000 to 8,000 PHP. Grey Goose: 7,000 to 11,000 PHP. Hennessy VSOP: 10,000 to 15,000 PHP. Don Julio 1942: 25,000 to 40,000 PHP. Armand de Brignac Champagne: 80,000 to 150,000 PHP. All bottle prices are subject to the 22 to 24 percent service charge and VAT addition. Always ask whether mixers are included — they often are not.
What Your Final Bill Really Looks Like
A group of four at a BGC club orders: one bottle of Johnnie Walker Black (6,500 PHP), mixer set (800 PHP), eight cocktails at 450 PHP (3,600 PHP), four imported beers at 200 PHP (800 PHP) — subtotal 11,700 PHP. After 22 percent service and VAT: 14,274 PHP. Plus cover charges for four at 500 PHP each: 16,274 PHP total, or 4,068 PHP per person. Without the 22 percent factor, the group estimated 13,000 PHP — the real number is over 16,000 PHP.
