re: Why do people pay for bottle service?

If you have enough people who will eventually drink a bottle worth of the same thing, it almost works out assuming a place does $350 for a bottle vs $12 for one drink. Plus you usually get a table that is otherwise unavailable, and you avoid waiting for drinks at the bar.

I've only done it as part of a company group, so I'm not defending it from a cost perspective. But it's nice to make your own drink the second you want it and be able to hang out in a roped off area for a while.