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We were seated and our drink order was taken and brought out by the hostess. Food order was taken by the waitress. Food brought by the hostess and she asked if we needed anything else...bill by the tipless waitress. Our friend who worked there delivered the hostess a very big surprising tip!
Tripping wet from a sale 12 waitresses went to lunch we looked terrible. food was great but service. Its one thing when you make a mistake or spill something on someone. People make mistakes its ok but be humble and apologize. If service is poor I leave a 5 to 10% and leave a nice note what I think yhey should work on. You have to train them some how. Next time they will think about what could have been better. If the food was terrible and service was great 20 to 30%. As a rule I make my customers feel right at home. They keep coming back
We former restaurant employees (front & back of house) and always tip big. All but once, at Shuckers in Woods Hole (Falmouth MA) and it was a combination of poor service and BAD management & bad lobster. We had visited Shuckers well over 100 times in the many years since it opened and the food and service was always great, with good being the worst it ever was. Then it happen. We went one night and one of our party ordered the Boiled Lobster. It is the Cape this should be good. But when the lobster was cracked, it was empty, no meat, strange but it happens and a good restaurant will quickly replace the dinner. However the waitress was no where to be found. When we checked at the bar the said she would come right over. When we checked agaian and told them of the lobster they again said she would be right over. Mind you it was a slow night for the restaurant. Finally when she came and we explained the situation she took the lobster and said she would speak with the manager. When she returned some time later, long after the rest of the party was finishing dinner, she informed us the manager said it was such a long time since the lobster had been delivered he would not do a thing for us as he was sure we ate the lobster and wanted another. Not the case. We paid the check in full (we had children with us and did not want the police involved) and let the waitress know how disapointed we were, that if she had been more attentive and had a better boss we all would be happier but if she wanted a tip she needed to work it out with the manager to credit the lobster dinner. It is such a shame, it was always a great place to go, now we not only do not reccomend it we tell people to stay away and that was 3 years ago. It is to bad the manager could not see that a less than $30 dinner could cost such bad PR.
On incredibly rare occasions service has been so poor that I have not left a tip. On such occasions I make sure that at least the management is aware of it, letting the server quietly know, too (if I can find him/her). I also leave additional tips with the management for a chef/cook who prepared what I felt was an exceptional dish along with my compliments. I also adjust tips based on the amount of time my party has been at the table, sometimes tipping more than the bill if we've been there a long time. I can't see depriving a server of the income they could have received from the table just because we decided to sit there for an extended period.
The importance of communication cannot be stressed enough here. Never leave a restaurant without complementing good service or complaining about the poor service to the manager. That said, the service MUST be EXCEPTIONALLY poor to not leave a tip. Weak service just requires a weaker than average tip. Very good service mandates leaving a higher than average tip.
Hey they have to be tipped.It is skilled work.Taken a plate and cup to a talk takes skills.Didn't you see the 3 year olds in the food court doing it.Or the 88 year old doing it with a walker.But the servers boy there skilled.hey can juggle and carry uh no. well there must be a skill uh they can balance them on there head uh no.well what is the skill i am missing?There in stripper out fit and hot? uh no.well dam i can't find the skill they have.One sec gonna RUN WITH MY PLATE AND CUP AND TALK ON CELL PHONE TO MY TALK.gonna see i have the skills.Hey do colleges offer server skill training?lol good your all tools.
I love the quote from Lee: "gave that WOW service and sometimes got only a 10% tip b/c either they were the sterotypes or just poor people that shouldn't have gone out to dinner in the first place." I guess the solution is for all the stereotypes and poor people to stop going out, so eating places will not have to serve them and staff will not have to be burdened by their presence.
I usually tip around 15 to18% for standard service. 20% for older men and women at diner-type places (usually the service warrents it) but less for the kids because the service is usually much poorer, especially of your a female over 50). 18 to 20% for higher-end spots. But if the service is really poor I'll ask to see the manager and explain a low tip. The real problem I see is that many, if not most, servers share tips with the whole service group...they get hurt too, so I always pay with a credit card, wirte a note on the reciept and speek with the manager if a waiter is really terrible and I tip low. At least they can then spot the poorer servers, find out what the problem is and remidy it one way or another..
I once went to dinner with a group of friends and after an hour the waitress brought our food out. Half of us received our nice, cold food while the other half got nothing. By this point we had all needed drink refills for the past half hour, but of course our waitress wouldn't know that because the last time we saw her was when she took our order an hour before. Needless to say we were a little upset and asked to speak to the manager who simply apologized – nothing else. And to top it off, an 18% gratuity charge was added to our bill as we were a party of 10 or more. Tell me that waitress deserved a tip? By making us tip her for services she certainly did not provide, the restaurant (Buffalo Wild Wings in West Lafayette, IN) only insured that none of us would ever return and tell everyone about our experience.
I am British but have now been living in Vancouver for 5 years, and I have to say I was completely shocked when I first moved here and found that regardless of the quality of service I received, I was expected to give the waiter/waitress a gratuity! It's not that Europeans don't tip, not at all. It's simply that Europeans don't tip as a matter of course. If the service is good, then we are happy to show our thanks for that service by tipping the staff, but tipping because you're expected to is presumptuous, and reduces the quality of service you receive. And as for staff being offended when they don't receive a tip? Don't be, in the vast majority of countries around the world tipping is very uncommon, so people may simply be unfamiliar with the concept.
I tipped low as a teenager, but I did the math, and usually the difference between being a cheapskate and a good tipper is sometimes as low as $1. Also, it helped that my folks were on the cheap side when it came to tipping (10%)
I have no idea how much I'm supposed to tip. Some say 10%, while people in the service industry sometimes say as much as 35%. I usually do 20% for good service because 20% is pretty easy to figure out (multiply by 2 and divide by 10), and it's the median.
I would only leave a 0-5% tip if I got bad service, which doesn't happen too often. Also, I'll cut the guy some slack if he or she has been busy or looks physically tired, but only to some extent.
As someone who has to deal with over 120 employes in the food service industry, I can guarantee you that the service level would decline if I paid them an hourly rate.
So martin your telling me if they got no tip they would not be able to walk a plate and cup to a talk? Boy your works must be on the moron list.Hell a 3 year old can do that.
I live in New Zealand. Tipping here is uncommon, except in places catering to tourists, and we have a legislated minimum wage of, currently, $12.75 an hour. Without a tipping culture, it becomes the manager's job to ensure that waiting staff are efficient and friendly, which (with the inevitable variations) they are. Tipping benefits the restaurant owner by fudging the true cost, and by avoiding the necessity for decent pay and for effective management and motivation of employees. Perhaps restaurant managers and owners need to up their game.
After one particularily bad experience with an exceptionally rude waitress, my husband wrote a note on a paper napkin for her. "Your tip: Don't take any wooden nickles."
I normally tip no less than 20%, more if I get really good service. However on one occasion I left a bartender no tip. It was a bar/restaurant I go to relatively frequently. It was not a busy night, there were maybe 6 people sitting at the bar (the kitchen was closed). I sat patiently with my card in my hand, so she'd know I wanted to order (not waiving it around like a jerk or anything). After I'd waited for 15 minutes while she carried on a conversation with several customers at the other end of the bar she decided to come serve me. At the end of the night, when I closed out my tab, I left no money but I did write a "tip" on my bill. "I always tip at least 20% and this is the first time I've ever left no tip, however in your case, the only tip you deserve is this one: Pay attention to your customers."
Short of an intentional insult or tampering with food, I can think of no scenario in which I would feel justified leaving a tip less than 2.00 or 10%, whichever is higher. I conclude this from the following:
When I go to a restaurant, I am obligated to pay for two services: 1) restaurant corporation; 2) wait service. Restaurant corporations exploit this distinction; using it to justify the meager pay they offer servers. I take these as givens when I go to a restaurant.
Here are two general scenarios of dissatisfaction: poor food (service 1); poor relationship with server (service 2). In the first scenario, I have no justification for punishing the waiter for a kitchen mistake. If the food is that bad then I ought to speak with the manager, owner or both. I am still obligated to pay the server for the time and space I took up. In the second scenario, I try to remember to treat the server with the same respect I would treat the restaurant. Even if the waiter was a total jerk, they deserve to receive what I expected to pay them upon entering. I try to remember that the $3.00 tip is more than the restaurant will pay them for an hour of work. Walking out on a tip to me is worse than not paying for the meal at all (although most restaurants will stick the whole tab on the waiter if you walk out...don't do that either). It's stealing the server’s time and money. I can't do that to a human being and consider myself to have morals.
Obviously the second scenario is more difficult to argue than the first. For anyone unconvinced, let me offer a less black-white alternative for when it may be appropriate to not leave a tip. If you find yourself in a situation of dissatisfaction with the server, ask yourself, "if I was this dissatisfied with the food, would I demand to speak to a manager, refuse to pay, or consider it just an unpleasant experience that I'll remember next time?" If it's either the first or third option, you probably ought to go ahead and tip the waiter.
Its not always about bad service or bad food...there are circumstances where people don't tip regardless of how perfect their dining experience is/was. The complete fact of the matter is that servers make a living off of patrons coming into an establishment-so what is the excuse for not leaving a tip if you didn't have a bad experience-black, white, college student or graduate, with kids or whatever...?
I've left 2 shiny pennies. I want the server to realize that I didn't simply neglect to leave them a tip, but that their service was so horrible that I felt the need to insult them.
I took my wife to a local chops/steak place for lunch. They have a fairly decent menu but she wanted a burger and ordered it medium with certain specific toppings. First, it came with the wrong toppings (which is visible to the server). She took off the stuff that she didn't want and re-requested the stuff that she did want. While waiting for those to arrive she cut it in half, as it was pretty big. Cold and red in the middle, which I agree is a kitchen thing. She sent it back. They didn't make a new burger, they simply put a piece of cheese over the original burger and put it in a salamander. It came back, still red in the middle and cool instead of cold. The server acted like my wife was just being a complainer when the food that she'd ordered couldn't be cooked correctly with two attempts. Two shiny pennies.
TIP AND TIPPING CORRECTLY IS TWO DIFFRERENT THINGS.
15% is not a good tip. Its the bottom of the barrel and anything less is unacceptable unless the service is so bad you have to contact a manager.
18% is a good tip. These days servers have to share their tips with bussers, runners and bartenders. Usually 3% of total sales. So if they average 18% in tips then they take home 15%. IF RESTAURANTS OWNERS PAID SERVERS A DECENT HOURLY AND YOU DID NOT HAVE TO TIP THEN TRUST ME THAT $25 STEAK WILL NOW BE $80 IF NOT MORE.
20% is a great tip and above that is excellent.
Be considerate of the circumstance when tipping. Saturday nights are busy and you may not get that refill as quick. If the kitchen makes a mistake its not the waiters fault and usually that dish is comped or something given for free to make up for mistake. Don't penalize the server in addition to your freebee.
I have left no tip before.
The service was terrible. The waiter, after being told that the fork had leftover rice on it, flicked it off and gave it back to me. Once he saw the look on my face he said he was just joking. I told him that it was not funny and looked for the manager. The manager did nothing but ask who it was.
This waiter got 0% tip and I didn't feel bad about it.
I went home, quickly fired off an email to their corp headquarters and the very next day I got a call from the district manager. He asked question, quickly apologized and sent me voucher for 2 free meals. I jokingly told him I would not be going back to the same location.
Tips are based on service. Terrible service, terrible tip. If it's beyond their control I understand. Now I've had fantastic service and tipped accordingly...
I've worked in the food service business so I am aware
@JEZ
Ive worked in the restaurant industry most of my life in New Orleans and the Dallas area. Your odds of not getting a good tip of at least 15%,which isnt really good, or more go up with Blacks, Group of women, White (trailer), college students, and foreigners except asians, and even sometimes families with kids. Its not a racist thing its just how it is. I give everyone great service and benefit of the doubt. Oh and yes, I am black.
IF RESTAURANTS OWNERS PAID SERVERS A DECENT HOURLY AND YOU DID NOT HAVE TO TIP THEN TRUST ME THAT $25 STEAK WILL NOW BE $80 IF NOT MORE.
Every restaurant should make a IF NO TIP MENU. So when you have a cheap bastard you can show them what the cost of the food would be if the Tipped employees were paid a hourly. Then they would be more than happy to tip.
If the service is inexcusably terrible, then there is no reason why a diner should be expected to leave a tip. I do feel sorry for servers in that diners often factor the quality of the food into their decision as to how much to tip. That's something servers don't have control over. They do, however, have complete control over the way diners are treated. Treat people like crap = don't expect a tip.
I only chose not to leave a tip once. During that experience, we asked our waiter for silverware multiple times, then proceeded to ask every other employee we could find as well. Nobody brought us any, so we ended up eating everything with our hands. Not only did we not leave a tip, we also never went to that restaurant again.
...and in reponse to an earlier post about black people never tipping-I always tip, every member of my black family tips, and all my black friends tip. They even use the apps from their iphones or check with me to see if the tip is above 15%. Comments like that are part of the reason this nation will never evolve.
TIP = To Insure Proper Service. If I give you great service and you still tip bad then my or my coworkers future service will be in tuned with your expected low tip. Here is the chart (this is after taxes):
20% or more -Excellent Service above and beyond whats expected. You will tell even your enemies about me.
18% Great Service – My jolly personality will come out. You will be asking for me next time.
15% Good to Ok service – I am just there to take your order and give you what you need.
Less than 15% – at times you will need to ask for refills, I wont see how you are doing. I will serve your food fast to get you out of my section and the restaurant. Ever had just one bite of your apps and here comes your entree. Im not a nasty waiter but i know some that will put a little extra something in your food and tea.
BON APPETITE!!!!
I must say that for every 1 of you ignorant cheapskates making excuses not to tip, there is probably 100 people that will graciously put their money out in RESPECT to their server. I worked as a waitress and bartender for 10 years-I started out still in high school to take the burden of my expenses off of my parents. When I became a parent, and was attending college full-time, working as a waitress and a nursing assistant-that only paid $7.00/hr-all the while I supported my family by myself and relied on TIPS to close the gaps in my expenses. Many times you will find that restaurants have a high turn over rate in employees, have fill in staff that is not familiar with the high pace time of day, or is simply working understaffed. Many times the serving crew works as a team, if possible, in case someone gets "in the weeds." How many of you can memorize an order for 10 or more people? How many of you withstand a 10 hour shift of non-stop hustle catering to crying kids, impatient senior citizens and unexpected bus loads of athletes coming in to eat. You can bet your last dollar that you will be remembered when and if you decide to patron again when you stiff or leave an unkind remark. My advice to the servers out there is: You only have to endure the ignorance for a short time. As the world turns, so do your tables. Don't let a "stiffer" ruin your night-pray for them that they never have to hustle in your crew shoes.
Tips are just how restaurants slough off to the customers their responsibility to pay their employees. And it works well. Instead of the employee turning to their boss and saying, "You aren't even going to pay minimum wage?", they instead turn to the customer and say, "Where's my tip?". I tip, but it's mostly just because I feel sorry for waiters/waitresses who are being done this way by their employer.
I am generally a good tipper. just last night, I left a $20 tip on a $33 meal. The waitress was happy and smiling/joking the whole night. I know that it is a rough job and that these people do not make a lot of money. On the other hand, I expect good service. If my cup empties, the tip goes down by the minute, if the kitchen is slow, offer me some free bread or something. There are things that are out of the waiter/waitress's hand, but there are things they can do to compensate. If I do not feel the service is acceptable, I will and have left a $0.
Unless you have worked as a server you can't judge if you can leave not tip. I have been in this business for 19 years, am the Director of Operations for a great company but realize sometimes the dominoes that fall are beyond any 1 employee. That being said I can understand it. I will even go back to a place with bad service again assuming it was an off day. If it turns out that's just the way it is then I don't go back but I still tip. Realize the culture is on the management not the server, they just do what is in their power. Also keep in mind people take pride in their jobs, I read the they choose to work minimum wage jobs comments. Ever think of the reasons? Working around school, working around children or anything else that's not your concern. Just know they work because like you they have to.
I remember vividly when I worked as a waitress, and my husband is a former restaurant manager. We know that our servers are paid very low wages, and our tip makes up the remainder of the server's pay. Yes, we've left without leaving a tip a few times, and have spoken to the manager on our way out as an added bonus, for bad service. Why? TIPS is actually T.I.P.S., and means "To Insure Prompt Service". This "gratuity" is a social & financial reward for a server doing his/her job well. Servers should realize that they need to take care of those they serve, and they should understand if they do not do their job, their client will not reward them. For really good servers, my husband has taken the check, held that pen, and asked his server, "What do you think you're worth?" While the server sputters, I smile, because I know what's gonna happen...After we leave, the server is going to open that check wallet and see a "gratuity" that's anywhere from 50% to 100% of the check. Good service should always be rewarded. As for bad service...Well, it's your job. You have a chance, at every table, to either shine or screw it up.
I have had a problem with servers taking more than what I tipped. I would put a tip on the credit card ticket and when I checked my credit card statement found that the server had helped themselves to more than I had designated. One time the server had helped himself to a 50% tip after I had designated 15%. Is that not stealing?? BTW, who deemed a tip should be 15-20%? God only asks for 10%!
So, if I get charged $20 for a dinner, what does it include?? I would assume it includes the meal itself and the service. I could make my job perfect and still rarely get any tips.
Let me ask a question now: what is the tip for the guy who brings a pair of shoes of your size in Sport Chalet?? Or the woman who helps you get the correct pair of jeans at Express? Or the one who tells you where to park at the Staples Center or Disney? Or how much tip should I give Madonna or U2 for the great show they've just thrown? how much for their musicians, audio tech, lighting guy and all of them? why should I give a tip to someone who just brings some staff at my table?? isn't that included in the price showed in the menu??
Just to add to the above post: I am not one of the ones that think the government should support me. I own 2 businesses, work a full time job (2 – 24hour shifts per week), 1 part time job, and do volunteer work at 1 part time job. I am not lazy and I don't receive tips for the work I do. I work hard for what I have and am well rewarded. I treat my customers well whether they spend 50 cents or $2000 a pop. Just remember the customers that don't spend much can still keep your doors open and food on the table if you loose your big spenders!
Why is a tip a percentage of the total tab anyway. Why is a server entitled to more of a tip if they carry out a steak dinner to me instead of a hamburger? It doesn't cost them any more out of their pocket. A steak probably isn't much heavier so it shouldn't take much more energy to carry. I don't know how many tables an hour that a server would normally take care of but say if they take care of 4 tables an hour and each leaves a $2.00 tip regardless of the total tab that is $8.00 an hour plus the "measly" $2.00 an hour that you claim the owner pays you. I'm not saying that servers don't work hard but there are alot of jobs that pay $10 an hour or less where the employee works much harder in alot worse conditions that servers do. And those employees pay income taxes on their entire earnings, not just what they feel like reporting to keep the tax man away. Just think of all of the poor people in this country that think they are entitled to be taken care of by the government and you are cheating them by not paying your fair share of taxes. I know there are probably a few of you that report 100% but I would bet that is the minority. Many places do pay their servers at least minimum wage. How many of you whiners on here tip the clerk when you go shopping or the kid that carries out your groceries (remember the 15-20% rule here. That's good money on a $150.00 to $200.00 grocery bill) or the customer service rep at Wal-Mart that puts up with your whining when you bring back the clothes that you bought 2 sizes too small then discovered you couldn't fit in? Just like any other job you should go to work expecting to make your hourly wage, do your job well, treat your customers and co-workers well and be thankful if you get a bonus!
you are totally right! A lot of Mexicans pick strawberries up in California fields under a terrible sun from 5 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon for minimum wage and nobody says to tip them or help them in any way (in fact they want them to go back to Mexico). Waitresses and bartenders make more money than I do with a diploma!!! But I love what I do and don't bitch about it because it's what I chose. I want to think they love what they do and who cares about the money if you love life?
I understand that tips in European countries are a new concept for them but just the same I always tip well.... but one time in Russia we went to an upscale resteraunt (granted I was in jeans and a t-shirt. After wel placed our order the waiter asked my friend (who is Russian) if I could afford the bill. Needless to say there was noooo tip.
if I use a charge card to pay my bill, I like to leave a cash tip, so the waitstaff won't have to wait for theirs. Once, I signed off on the charge and didn't realize that I didn't have enough cash for an appropriate tip. I told the waitperson that I would go to an ATM for cash and bring back the tip. I could tell they were skeptical. I left and returned in less than 10 minutes with the tip, apologizing that I didn't have cash earlier, and explaining that I appreciate that we all work hard. The manager bought me a drink.
Listen if you eat out and you don't tip at least 15 percent for decent service then don't eat out at all. servers put up with things you wouldn't even believe on a daily basis and trying to make their living and cut them some slack. don't act like your above them either because in this economy people take the jobs they can get and so treat them with basic respect.
I like the tipping thing...if the service is bad, don't tip, but if it's good, tip accordingly...I tip well for good service, and when I go out I get treated like royalty while dining and don't wait or want for anything...it is a great incentive...servers remember it. Granted, employers should pay a decent wage, but I still consider tipping just a normal expense of eating out...sort of like all the excess taxes/fees that aren't in the products list for cellphones or similar services...oh and the same thing with airlines...you just assume there will be a little extra charge from what you see as the 'fare'...
Years ago I carried a personally made tip card. I took a penny, and with a ban saw I cut it in half. I then glued it to a colorful plastic card made from my home computer. I laminated it and looked very professional. Along with the penny came a message, "Tip: You earned this so don't spend it all in one place". I carried this card in my wallet for 2 and half years. One fine morning on my way up to Tahoe with a friend we stopped at a restaurant for breakfast. The wait was unreal, the food was terrible and most of the service was bad, so rude, I left my card and felt "great" about doing it. She deserved it! Other than that, I am generally an over tipper leaving around 20%. Peace!
I am generally a very hefty Tipper. Between 15 and 20% on average when I eat out. Last time i took my GF out to a Chili's the Waiter basically ignored her even when taking her order he looked at and seemed to speak with me. His service also was very slow, and the duration of our meal he almost ignored us except when we called him for some condiments. I payed the Exact amount on the Bill, left 0 tip, and went on the compute and filled out the Online Guest Survey about his really poor service.
Tipping is the biggest scam ever invented! And it goes up every year. It used to be 10%, then it went up to 15%, now it is 18%, and some think 20% is the right tip!
Tipping is a scam invented by the business owners to avoid paying their employees a living wage. It short changes both the customer and the wait staff. It is a brilliant scam. And pits the customers against waitstaff!
Wait staff should be evaluated by their manager, and paid accordingly. I expect a complete service at a restaurant, and evaluate the restaurant as a whole to decide if I want to go back. I don't want to pay the cook, the waiter, the hostess, the busboy, the architect, the band etc separately with tips. It is not my job to evaluate them and pay them separately. I don't go to a hospital and tip the nurses, and the paharmacist, and the Xray technician!
Boycott tipping! Demand a living wage for all service employees! Demand a menu that shows the complete and accurate prices for each item1
I always leave a tip between 15-20%...even if I get bad service. I figure that I'm not going to ruin my night out any more than necessary by get upset about bad service...cause it really can ruin an evening. What I end up doing is never, ever going back to the restaurant again. And I tell my friends and family about it...sometimes even "yelp" about it. There are way too many restaurant establishments in my area to choose from...and I figure a restaurant with bad service doesn't need my business.
(Also...I've been a server...I know how hard it can be. But I also knew that the customer is a customer of the restaurant, not of mine...and the restaurant I worked for had pretty high standards of service. There's no way they'd let a server, bartender, chef ruin their reputation. I would have been fired on the spot if I did some of the things servers on this board have talked about doing to customers!)
Not only have I left no tip but I called the manger that night to make sure he and the waitress knew why. It was a very expensive place in SF and our waitress spent all evening ignoring us and flirting with a table full of men. She earned what she recieved.
I was a server for 4 years in college. I did it for one reason, it paid way better than minimum wage. It was the only job that I knew of that was flexible and paid 10-15 dollars an hour. That was nearly 10 years ago. I always leave at least 15% but I cannot get over how it is only a weird social norm who we have to tip. This notion of tipping a barber has to be the worst. When I go to a restaurant I pay for the food and then tip for the service right. When I go to the barber I pay for the service and then tip because he has a tip jar/line??? If your service is worth more because you do a great job then charge more and people will pay it, but why should I pay extra for good service when 95% of what I am paying is strictly for the service.
How would you like to be "punished" at work by a complete stranger if you were having an off day? Most likely this was the cause behind your poor service. My other co-workers and I understand that if your experience is sub-par your not going to come back, or tell anyone new to stop by. We work in a busy restaurant in New York City, and most of us are able to stop a problem or correct one before it even becomes close to ruining your night. Sometimes however its inevitable, and believe me I feel as upset as you do when it happens, because I take pride in doing my job well. So all I ask is next time you wield the mighty pen at tip time, give your sever the benefit of the doubt if your experience was sub-par. Truth is getting a serving jobs in a nice restaurant involves fierce competitions. Truly nasty or incompetent servers are usually very quickly weeded out before they make it to a table.
I have only done it once, We went to a restaurant that had all you could eat ribs. The waiter took our order and brought the food fast, the problem was he then went on break or lunch or something else, and never came back after 45 min of sitting there waiting for the bill us and 3 other tables grabbed another waiter to get our bill. I left a note on a paper napkin written in ketchup telling him that "your tip must be with the second helping of ribs I wanted". This was at a small town restaurant, and he only lasted a month or so and was let go.
Usually servers have a good reason for bad service, such as not enough help. Also, I do not believe they should be penalized if the dish is poorly prepared, IF they agree to make it right with no hassle. I once had an extremely rude waiter who was not only gave poor service but was nasty while serving our table. He made what was suppose to be an enjoyable evening one that gave us all indigestion. He received no tip and I did not hesitate to tell him why.
I've left no tip before. Food was that bad, service was that bad, restaurant was that bad. But be careful doing that if paying by credit card. Friends didn't tip- but found a $10 tip added to his bill when his credit card statement arrived. My friend disputed it and the restaurant 'claimed' they thought my friend had just forgot tip so they added it. It was fraud- he refused to pay for any of it.
i've not tipped well twice, and talked to the manager both times. i leave a tip though, about 10%, because that person did bring me drinks, and food, and answered questions for me, etc. they were just rude, and seemed irritated to be at work, but i think we've all had those days. as someone above stated, you don't really know what's going on with these people though. for example, the first time i complained to a manager they implied that person had been doing this and wouldn't be with them much longer. the second time, the person had been in a car wreck on the way to work, but still had to work. it doesn't make it excusable (hence the low tip), but i mean it made sense then. i think that whenever someone does something for me, so i can be lazy, that they deserve to get some money for it, and it's worth it to me to have them do it, especially when they'll do it for as little as a couple bucks.
So isn't it great that the free market allows only good servers to keep their jobs and because of this free market there aren't any more bad waiters any more! Way to go free market!
As for "social norms", it varies by region. You can tip a percentage of the bill (10% is still normal in some places in the US, 12%-18% is acceptable just about everywhere. If service is good I often tip 20%. Most people I know don't just tip a percentage, it depends on how many are dining and what is ordered. If you have just two people and you're out for a casual lunch, I will tip around %15. But if you are a group of 10 people and you are eating a very expensive meal with wine and appetizers and desserts, the tip should be quite a bit more. Everyone I know also tips in direct proportion to the quality of service, so if the service is truly awful we don't tip at all, but I've only had to do this a handful of times in my life. Every time it was for being ignored when I was ready to leave. I walked out without paying once because the waitress ignored my table for another table with "more popular" customers.
Not a chance. Waiter/waitressing has got to be one of the hardest jobs out there. They are the front line people that "get it" from the diner. So they deserve a tip each and every time.
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When the service is horrible, I prefer to leave something insultingly low, like a penny, so that they know I think they were terrible and didn't just forget to leave a tip. Good work gets rewarded, laziness gets punished. And for you freaks who want to start defending your imaginary waiters, I'm talking about actual laziness, not them just being busy and overworked.
In general I normally tip 20% for expected service. If it is bad service, I will demand a reduction the price of the meal or a comp meal. If it is better than average 20%. If it is just okay they may get 15%
Recently, mostly because the waiter brought out the wrong item (fried not baked) and then told us that our friends meal would go back to the end of the kitchen line (you don't want to send it back. . .it will take a while). . .we were able to get a meal of 6 comped. Just don't be afraid to take it to the level man. . .take it all the way. My last waiter crossed me, I was told by the manager he was fired and the meal was comped + more.
I had been a waiter in the past, not high end, not cheap. I have also left just a penny for bad service. But I usually tip 15% for ok service, 20% for good service, and have tipped as high as 35% for out of the norm service. When I use a coupon, I tip according to the orignal cost of the meal, not the discounted rate. But I don't tolerate or return when service is bad. Nothing is worse than having a meal ruined by poor service. I have also been known to tip the chef, expecially when they do a really good job on my steak. Don't know if the chef got it, just know that I asked for it to go to them. I have also tipped for good service, but complained and not returned for poor excuses for the poor food quality, it's not necesarily the wait staffs fault, sometime the cook just sucks.
I have a few general rules about tipping and how I judge a server.
How long did I have to wait for service after I was seated?
Did I have to flag down the server for a refill or did they notice it on their own.
How well did they know their menu? Could they recommend a specific wine or beer pairing?
Did they get the order right?
A great server will fit the bill and I will tip 20%-25%
If they are too busy to keep me in beverages 15% sorry you are busy but you are going to get tips from more people so it is a wash for you. 10% if I am eating something spicy, you know I need a lot to drink.
If you get my order wrong or forget something because you thought you could keep track of things in your head you are are now looking at 10%
If you are nasty and are bringing all your drama to work and can;t keep anything straight forget about getting a tip.
Most servers fall into the great service category and in 15 years I have only not left a tip twice and that was because the service sucked so bad.
While this isn't covered here some restaurants actually make servers share tips, all the tips go in one big jar and are then split. These places usually don't have the greatest service.
I don't got out to eat very often, so I've never run in to horrible service. I'm not very picky, but I wouldn't hesitate to leave no tip if the server made no effort at all. Normally though I tip around 25%, since I don't go to very expensive restaurants and I don't order anything to drink but water. As long as the server comes not long after we arrive, gets the order at least close, comes once or twice to check after the food is delivered, and doesn't take forever with the check, then I have no problem.
I'm usually an overtipper after working in a service industry in San Francisco where I was paid largly in tips. But once, years ago, I was out with friends and after the food was brought we never saw the waiter again. After eating I stopped several others to find our waiter so I could pay, but nothing. Friends slowly left to go out and smoke and eventually I was there by myself. After 20 more minutes I left.
What next tipping the drug dealer for a sack of dope, i've worked in the restaurant business before and i left it because i wasnt satisfied with the wage, maybe the waiters like too be stiffed by their employers but they shouldnt take it out on paying customers who go to eat not make the employees happy.
I have left no tip one time. At an IHOP the waiter or whatever he was, was flamboiantly gay and insisted on touching me even after I told the wierdo not to then I waited for 15 minutes on my tab while i was now almost late for work and he was just enjoying his convo with his co-worker oblivious to my table. Other than that waiting staff always deserves a tip of a minimum 15% if not 20-25%
@Julie and Joy, your technicians (nail care, massage therapist, esthetician,hairdresser etc) do not get 40, 60, 7o dollars. We get a small percentage of the price of the service. We've paid for our training and continue learning throughout our careers with continuing ed classes, and yes, gratuities are an important part of our salaries. I would also mention that in addition to the financial aspect of a gratuity, we're "gratified" by your acknowledgement of our skill in making you look or feel better.
I've also worked as a cocltail waitress( many years ago) at a ship/restaurant called the Moshulu. The practice was you came to work with a "bank", this was our own money. When the clients ordered their drinks, we paid out of our personal banks and we're reimbursed when they paid their check. So if anyone left without paying, it was the cocktail waitress who bought their drinks not the establishment. Sadly, on a busy night, it wasn't a rare occurence. So to the people who think it's so funny to skip out on your tab, please think about the person you've cheated.
Very Busy Waitstaff can be the result of mgt not having enough people to do the job. I've never done the job, can tell the difference from one who is organized well, and one who doesn't want to be there. A good waiter will make you glad you came by staying on top of what you need to have an enjoyable experience, and can be found througout the meal in case you need a refill, or something wrong is discovered. Great management will foster a team approach that helps all their staff do a super job. Poor management sets every employee against the other through indifference or lousy planning. If I'm really pleased w/ the service, I will make a point to tell management about it, in addition to decent tip. At the opposite end, it's a long time before I go back. - one time I tipped 99c, when waitstaff was hard to find throughout the meal, ... empty water glass, eventually got up and filled the glass myself ... no one noticed or cared, but they had a lot to talk among themselves as they sorted thru the change I left behind.
I almost never tip below $5 dollars. There have been 2 or 3 times i have tipped 2 or 3 dollars because the ppl were extremely rude to me but i have never left no tip. These ppl Work day and night w/ no benefits tbh work crap jobs for crap wages. Idk if they still do it but i remember when their pay was below minimum wage and they rely solely on tips. That was years ago tho and i'm not sure about nowdays... Everything is so hectic.
Yes.., I have left a penny on the table. Why.., I was in a city that I was 'not' familiar with including the restaurant. The food and service was that bad, that I did leave a penny in protest or to make a point to the waitress and owner. Sometimes a picture says a thousand words.., the 'penny' was my thousand words. Enough said..
–Indians, Persians, and Arabs are all about the same when it comes to tipping. They leave about 5-8% on average I'd say and they're also some of the most difficult to take care of. They let their children behave like savages and they never say please or thank you.
–Black people tend to be the neediest tables and they always complain about something right before it's time to pay the bill even though I checked back with them numerous times throughout the meal. Then they leave less than 10%
–Asian-Americans are usually pretty decent tippers but Chinese nationals on vacation usually leave nothing or almost nothing.
–Whites are divided into two groups, the ones with money tip awesome for awesome service and 15% otherwise. Hillbillies tip 10%
–Hispanics in my area usually tip decent, usually just less than 15%, especially if they have a family member in the industry.
Yes these are broad generalizations and there are always exceptions but anyone who waits tables in southern CA like I have for the last 10+ years would agree with me for the most part
Wow Jeff, 10 years or waiting tables and still whining. Try getting your G.E.D and a career. Any adult serving for ten years should be fired and replaced with a 16 year old. Its sad that a teen can battle for your job after 10 years. I would hate to be your children, all my friends go out to eat and see my dad serving tables, wow your a disgrace to the adult working force. Your a fucking loser dude. You have the nerve to talk about different races not tipping well but your and old ass washed up server looking for an huge tip. Get a life and a career.
well said Bozo, nobody put a gun to your head and said go work for a quarter of minimum wage and try extorting hard working people tryin to get some dinner, and what is up with the punching customer in face for not tipping, thats exactly why you dont get tipped and im glad you dont
I think its OK to leave a low tip, however, even if the person is blatantly rude and inattentive I will still leave at least a penny tip, along with a talk to her/his boss. With less than normal service I assume that a person is/could be having a bad day. (Who can honestly say they haven't had one) Regardless of service, unless the poorest possible level, I try to leave 15%, for exceptional I have been known to leave 20%-30%
No, there's no way I could get by on $400 a month. But that's why I don't wait tables. And I'm really good at my job, or I wouldn't get paid for that either.
Tips should be earned, not expected. Waitstaff should get paid a living wage to do their basic job, and tipping should be for those waitstaff who provide exemplary, above and beyond service.
Yes, they **should** get paid a decent wage, but they don't because the restaurant owners have successfully lobbied for an exemption to the minimum wage law, on the basis that their wait staff are getting tips. Nice circular logic, huh?
I think every job should pay crappy wages with no benefits, and all employees should have to rely on tips. Then wait for the crying and moaning from the same folks who have no respect for servers.
But I would think it is worst to give a tiny tip – like a penny or five cents – to a waiter than no tip at all. Talk about a slap in the face! It would sting more if that penny or nickle were in your glass of water, which I have seen people do before.
Tipping is part of the cost of the meal. If you do not want to tip then do not eat in restaurants that require tipping such as fast food restaurants. If you have bad service contact the manager to find out why. Things happen in restaurants that are beyond the server's control. If it is the server's fault and they did nothing to remedy the situation then a lesser tip I think is warranted.
I know the momentum is way against me here, but I wish we could break through the idea that we have to pay extra for good service. I look at the price in the menu and expect the food, service, and atmosphere to be part of that price. If the restaurant can't provide these without an extra hand out from the customer (tip) something is wrong.
Let's pay the wait staff fairly and get away from this tip system. 15%, 20%... how about 0% no harm no foul.
"Tipping is part of the cost of the meal. If you do not want to tip then do not eat in restaurants that require tipping such as fast food restaurants."
First of all, restaurants do not "require" tipping. Gratuities by definition are not required. I have worked in the restaurant biz for a while and the cost of the meal is a fraction of the menu price. The high prices of food at restaurants is due to the fact that there are other operating expenses like waitstaff and utilities. The American tipping culture did not come about because of economic necessity. Many restaurants throughout the world function perfectly well without tipping the waiters. Our tipping culture came about because some people believe it encourages excellent service. I have found that sometimes it does just that, but not always, which is why tipping is not mandatory!!!
When you go to Macdonalds do you tip? How about Burger KIng? I'm sure the answer is no. When you go to Starbucks or Peets I'm sure you do because they have their little tip jar out and if you put something in it you will never hear a thank you. By the way starbuck's employees make as much if not more then a Macdonald's employee. I only tip at good sit down places where you have good wait staffs.
Here's a GOOD story;
Went on vacation to Greenville, SC two months ago and found an amazing cigar bar and restaurant. Met an INCREDIBLE server, who took great care of us. Were so pleased with the place and the server that we became friends with the waitress, went back almost every night we were in town and tipped her close to $500 over three days. Didn't feel bad about it one bit either, she earned every dime and more!
So where exactly is the GOOD part of your story? Either she left you with happy endings, in which case you paid fair price for a whore or you're just an idiot like a 19 year old who was overwhelmed by a good looking woman.
I took my children, ages 2 and 4, to our neighborhood Thai restaurant for lunch. We went there often as a family for dinner and I would take them there every now and then for lunch by myself. They knew us. On this day, the kids were actually behaving quite nicely and not really making that much of a mess. Sure, there was a bit of rice sprinkled on the floor and a spoon or two was dropped, but we had done WAY worse in the past, there and at other places around town. Towards the end of the meal, one of the servers came to our table and told me I had to clean up the floor and that my children made too much of a mess every time we were there. I was speechless. We usually DO clean up a bit if they make a really big mess and every time we are told 'NO, NO, don't worry about it...every kid makes a mess. We will clean it up..no problem.' And I usually leave a few extra dollars to make up for the mess we've left behind. I asked her "Are my children the only kids who eat here and make a mess?' She said "Your kids make a big mess and you never tell them to stop. You have to teach them" I was boiling at this point, because I consider myself to be a very considerate person and am constantly using opportunities like this to teach my children how to be considerate. She doesn't hear what I am teaching/telling my children. They are still learning how to eat, for cornsake. I left no tip and we haven't been back. I've told all of my friends and everyone was outraged. I was bummed out because we really liked going there..close to home, food was great, service was fast, they have a big fish tank that the kids love. I just can't give them my business again.
You say your kids were "actually behaving quite nicely" this time, which speaks volumes about their past behavior. Just because in the past the staff has excused you doesn't mean they were being honest, maybe they were just hoping your kids would behave better eventually. Fact is, they chose to lose your business because they couldn't deal with your children. If that isn't telling, I don't know what is. And if your children cannot eat out in public without making such a huge mess that the staff has to speak you , perhaps you should keep them at home until they can eat a little less messily. Or at ta restaurant where the food is more child-friendly. You say they aren't getting your business anymore, but I bet they don't want it.
I work in customer service and have done so for about 20 years. I don't expect a tip for doing my job (that's essentially what you are doing is performing your job duties and what is expected of you). Those of you that expect tips shouldn't. It's an added bonus and essentially money you didn't really have in the first place so don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Yes there are crappy customers but you know that when you take the job just deal with it, grow up and stop whining about your job. You are lucky to have one as most don't these days.
You, my uneducated friend are an idiot. Keep your eating out limited to the EZ Mart please. Customer Service is not the same as serving. You worki in a call center, so how would anyone tip you? Over the phone? Yeah right. Tip your server or choke on your fried chicken you dumb red neck.
Wow. Calm down alo25. Obviously you don't agree... no need to start name calling.
I think tips are a good thing, but I think what Char might be hinting at is the sense of "entitlement" some servers project onto their customers. I'm sure you've experience a horrible waiter who somehow still thinks he/she deserves a hefty tip. A "tip" is a reward, a voluntary "good job!". If the service sucks, why would I give the customary 15% minimum or any tip at all?
And to those current or fomer servers who complain about serving... I have to agree that you could always find another day job. I'm just sayin'...
Wow someone is a bit bitter! Sorry to burst your bubble my uneducated friend, but I have been on both sides of the deck on customer service. I have worked both as a server on the front lines, a manager and as a customer service rep so before you go and judge people I suggest you mind your mouth. It's people like you that make it bad for the people who genuinely work hard and deserve tips. I never said I don't tip in fact I do quite well, but I don't think people should expect it that's the difference. By the way I don't eat at EZ Mart or whatever the hell it is, I am far from a redneck, and I certainly wouldn't eat anywhere where you worked. I would take my business elsewhere where someone who actually deserved a tip earned it. You reap what you sew! Now who's the idiot?
Why should I calm down when people are bragging about how they help cause financial problems for servers. You all deserve a punch right between the eyes if you have ever left no tip or a tiny tip. Poor service or not. Servers should get paid more and we should all pay for it through more expensive food, but that is not how it works. Therefore, we as decent people should pay the customary 20%. I do not go to a retail shop and pay for my goods at cost or less. That would be a detriment to the shop owner. I don't want to hear your sob stories about bad service either. Man up and pay for your friggin service. Or do the work yourself.
Char, your still the idiot. I'm no server, nor have I ever been. What I am is a decent person who understands what my responsibility is when I dine out. OKIE DOKIE SMOKIE
It's a good thing you don't work in the service industry because you wouldn't last 24hrs. I too am a decent person and I think most of us on here are. What we are simply saying is that tips are not a requirement as you kindly put it they are a gratuity contingent upon exemplary service. You don't provide it , you don't get it it's that simple. Your argument about buying goods in a store is not a valid argument. Are you required to pay a tip to the store clerk? No. Why – because you are paying for the merchanside sold not the service. I agree that servers should get a better wage but if you are really concerned about it then lobby your local government for change because whining about it on here isn't going to solve a thing.
If someone decides to work for an employer as a server, they should demand fair pay or not take the job. If they do take the job and accept minimum wage, they shouldn't expect customers to make up the difference between what their minds deem fair pay and what their employers deem fair.
Having said that, I think tipping is a great way to give somebody something EXTRA for any EXTRAordinary service. If a server provides something above and beyond fair service, I will gladly offer a comensurate gratuity.
Tip is commensurate with service. Being former restaurant employees and owners, we "get it". We have left a very low tip for absolute crappy service (just short of being ignored) – but that was accompanied by a constructive conversation with the floor manager who we hoped would do the same. We have left 20+% for a "newbie" who tried her hardest on her first night, did very well, and accepted "tips" on even better service. Once we each picked up the dinner receipt. A couple of days later I realized what we had done and that our waitress had received no tip. When we visited the place again, I gave her 25% tip in cash, apologizing for our stupidity. Service is also dependent upon the customer. Rudeness will beget rudeness. Be courteous and mindful of what is going in the whole place. Control your kids. If your server is doing their best, and the kitchen f's up, don't take it out the server, especially if the server does everything in their power to make it right. Things happen. I wish everyone could take a hospitality course in high school so they understand the front and back of the house and what happens in and between each, and be better educated consumers.
Why do people assume that everyone is obligated to give tips?
Tips shouldn't even be expected unless a server demonstrates impeccable service and does extra things they aren't paid to do. This show of entitlement is a little obnoxious, to be honest.
They chose to work at that restaurant w/ minimum wage. They're not forced to live off that money. If they really wanted to, they could get a good-paying job somewhere else. It's not the customer's problem that the server doesn't earn enough money to fend for himself. We eat out to feed ourselves, not to worry about someone else.
They chose the job because of the tips they can earn. Some people don't mind a little variability in their income if working harder can lead to more pay. Take away that tip incentive and restaurants will either have to pay higher wages to attract talent which they'll pass along to diners, or the quality of employee will drop drastically and you'll get true minimum wage style service. People that have never served tables before seem to think that they'll just get to save a little money if our society stopped tipping servers and that they'll still be able to boss someone around for an hour and have a good time. Seriously, some people behave in restaurants like they're 5 yrs old and own the place and we indulge them because they're paying part of our salaries. If you're no longer paying part of my salary then there's a good chance you'll get your as s kicked for talking to me like that instead of, "I'm terribly sorry for that sir, I'll take care of it right away."
So if you dont tip next time they will do something to your food, food should be free then, i think the real problem here is owner for being cheap and not paying their employees what they worked for. maybe its better to stay home or hit up fast food joint if everyone does that then the waiters wont have a job to complain about, ive solved the problem
I have two daughters who are waitresses while going to college. It never ceases to amaze me how poorly some customers treat these young kids and what they expect from them all for a paltry trip at the end of it all. They are not your indentured servant.
I have only not left a tip once and it was only because it was really, really awful. Also, I wasn't footing the bill, my boyfriend was, because I might have left a dollar but... oh well. The story goes like this:
My boyfriend and I went to the Cheesecake Factory in our city. We got sat pretty quickly, our waiter greeted us after 5-10 minutes and we got our drinks. Waited another 20 minutes, which was fine because we enjoy each others' company, but still a bit long. Ordered appetizers, they were out fairly quickly. No complaints until it came time to order entrees.
I ordered some type of salad, and he ordered a burger with no mushrooms. I get my food, no issue, but his burger had the undesired mushrooms. After waiting another 15 min. to get our server's attention, we alerted him off the issue and said he'd re-place the order. He sent over his manager (it wasn't that big of a problem, but I suppose it's customary at Cheesecake Factory to send a manager to any table with a complaint), who was EXTREMELY rude. (I know that his job probably sucks, being yelled at by frustrated or generally cheap a$$ customers looking for free stuff all the time, but he certainly rubbed us the wrong way.)
After 45 minutes (!) the burger still wasn't at the table, and I had finished my meal since my boyfriend told me to go ahead and eat. He asked to have his boxed to go, and when it arrived at the table... SURPRISE... it wasn't. Another 20 minutes to get it boxed. We were told that his burger would be taken off the check. So, we go to pay and look at the check. They had double charged for the burger and only took off one of the charges. They definitely tried to pull one past us or something. Anyways, we decided to pay with exact change in cash (who knows how long it would have taken to get back a credit card!), circled the double charge and wrote "Seriously? This is terrible!" on the receipt and scurried out of there.
I felt guilty, but that was unacceptable in my opinion. Needless to say, haven't been to a Cheesecake Factory (anywhere!) since.
TIPS (back in the day) stood for "To Insure Prompt Service." One was supposed to give your server money in advance to ensure good service. Now a day people think you HAVE to tip. No. You don't. Wait staff get paid to do their jobs. Their job is to SERVE people. Anything over and above the paycheck should only be paid in REWARD for OUTSTANDING service. Not for simply doing what they are employed to do.
I always tip, but if the service is on par with the basic job description, I tend to be a fan of leaving 3 pennies or a nickle and a penny. It leaves more of a sting that simply not leaving anything (where the waiter/waitress may just think I forgot.)
If I am a regular somewhere, I always tip the minimum 15%. I obviously enjoy going to that place to be deemed as a regular customer, if I didn't enjoy it I wouldn't go back.
Well Meesh, I agree that you have the right to leave 3 pennies and a nickel but I think you're obligated to announce that intention to the server as soon as you sit down. If you don't, you're just being a cheap, sneaky a-hole.
I'm not seeing the problem on here for the most part. Servers- Work hard and do your job. We all do, to earn the money to tip you with. Patrons- Don't stiff your server for no good reason, or for something beyond their control.
I am a big tipper, however one time the service was bad and the attitude of the waiter was very rude, he added a 20% service charge that I have never paid.
I used to be a very generous tipper. Still the case with a few places I frequent. It has become so annoying though to find tip jars appearing everywhere. Most all are outright ridiculous. I think the homeless men at the busy intersections would do better if they traded in their "drug-free disabled vet" signs for a simple tip jar. One question I have....when would a 20%+ tip be just too much? At what price point? Nowadays even average dinners out easily exceed $100, unless you stick to diners and such. It just feels like leaving a $25+ tip is a bit much.
I never tip zero because I don't want any confusion about whether or not I forgot to leave a tip. I consider myself to be a pretty good tipper (15-20% for good service, more for exceptional service). If service is very poor, however, I tip with pocket change to make my opinion clear.
I have always tended to tip 15-20% (sometimes more if the wait staff is THAT good) and the only time I do not leave a tip of any kind is if the wait person is extremely rude (and this has only happened a few times in my life..) I would never stiff the wait staff just because the restaurant is being poorly run by management or because I didn't like the food (that is the problem of the cook, etc.)...
In Oregon, even restaurant wait staff make minimum wage (here it is well over $8/hr). They fought to have the watiers make minimum wage and now theywant tips too. We don't tip everyone else who provides us services so why should we tip wait staff? When they relied on tips, I did. Now that they are guaranteed to make the same wage as the store clerks, fast food staff, and everyone else, I only tip when the service is exceptional. If everyone who provided services received tips, then it would be different.
Did you tip the checkout clerk at the grocery store?
Be careful when asking for total equality. You might get it.
I frequent a lot of the same restaurants, and I always receive good to excellent service. I tip minimum 20%, but for outstanding service, 25% plus. Only ONCE did I not tip. It was at a popular Mexican chain, and the server brought my son (who was 4 at the time) the wrong food. He started eating it and she came back and YELLED at him. She got in our faces, screaming "What kind of people eat the wrong food?! You don't do that!" She yanked his plate away, came back, and threw the correct order down. It was so bizarre, it was like witnessing performance art. Short of THAT, I tip well and always have good experiences with waitstaff.
If you are a regular customer of a place and you are known for not tipping I sure am glad to know you are naive enough to think your cheap behavior does not lead to people cleaning their arm pits with your bread. next time you go home and have to sit on the toilet with bad runs after eating out just try and think if you have half a brain why that is.
Tell me how that in CANADA, we pay the servers minimum wage + tips and the prices are pretty much the same as in the US. when I was working 3 years ago I was making 7.75 +a decent amount of tips because I was good at what i did.
Now the minimum is 8.75 and still the prices are not that high. A good 16oz steak supper is 20-25$ a plate
I am going to guess that it is because we are a very litigious nation, suing over spiders found in our salads, and hot coffee that was too hot. I'll bet the insurance is astronomical. Just a wild guess though, I don't really know why.
If the labor laws were changed to mandate a living wage or even minimum wage for wait people, this would be a non issue but there is no legislator I know who has the guts to do it.
To the waiters and waitresses that gossip about bad / non tippers at the hostess stand and in the kitchen...nobody cares. If I lived my life caring about what everyone thought, I would order in. To the black people that don't tip...stop demanding more from your government and demand more from YOURSELF! White people don't owe you anything, just like other races don't owe you anything, and vice-versa. My g-d! How does a discussion about freakin' tipping become a debate about friggin' race?!?!?! We are losing it people! Stop the insanity!
I always leave a tip, and if the service is really bad to prove my point, instead of leaving no tip, I will leave something very low cause I think it more insulting,..............and the get the point that they could have earned a nice tip but hey, you just lost it!!
Wait staff work like this: you get paid less per hour because tips take you over. In the end, you make at least minimum, unless you really suck. That's the deal you agreed to. You “tip” is not a forgone conclusion, and even Miss Manners will tell you that tips are customary, but also tied to the level of service.
Hearing servers on here getting weepy over getting stiffed here and there on tables makes me laugh. I say this as a former bartender, I never ever reported more then minimum wage for tax purposes. It’s a cash economy and the vast majority of servers abuse it.
If you ignore me, bore me or pester me, you’re tip declines. If you are prompt, get my order correct, serve me with a smile, answer my questions and are available without being annoying, your tip increases.
My favorite server story: We were seated and never saw our server. I found the phone number of the place on my menu, used my cell to call and ask for the manager. I said “see that guy on his cell phone waiving at you? He hasn’t ever seen his server. He’s leaving because nobody ever came to take his order” Our meal was comped, but we never went back.
So let’s not forget this axiom: the owner hired you and the owner pays you. Nobody held a gun to your head and made you take that job. If you work in a service industry where your compensation is tied to your level of service, THAT’S YOUR CHOICE.
I lived in Japan for an extensive period of time. There was no tipping in the restaurants, but the service I recieved was almost always impeccable. You are invariably greated with a welcome by the staff and a crisp bow as you leave, and I am talking about the mid-price restaurants here. The wait staff seemed to understand that providing good service was a part of the job requirement (not to mention human decency). Service is what you should expect as a customer, you shouldn't feel obligated to pay extra if you actually want to be treated with respect. The food was also incredible and usually cheaper than the prices I pay in California.
I love trying new restaurants, and find the service in Cali good in general, but the whole mindset that I'm contributing to when I give a tip (which I always do) makes me cringe especially when I remember all of the restaurants I visited in Japan with superior service and food that would have considered tipping an insult and absolutely not necessary.
Tips are earned, they are not a right. If a server does a good job, (Friendly, attentive, refill drink, accuracy) I am generous. However, poor service will result in a low tip, or none at all for extremely bad service. I was in a store the other day. I had a buffet, and got water. When i got ready to leave, I had to wait with 8 other customers for 10 minutes while the person with the swiping card was located to check us out. No tip. That is unacceptable. However, 99% of the time, I am generous with tips for good service. Remember, servers are not doing us a favor by serving us. They have a job to do...and it is one that i have done too. Do your job, get a tip...it is just that simple.
It does not matter to me one bit how much the meal costs! Whether I spend a lot or little, if the service is bad they are not going to get a dime! It is all based on the service. I have no problem in spening a lot on tip even if my bill real low, but service with a smile goes a long way.
Once I had no cash and the restruant could not tip on the credit card recipt. I asked for the mailing address and mailed the waitress a check. I felt so bad.
We had service so bad, waitress was terrible, food was under cooked... So we left a Canandian penny with a note saying it was worth 12% less in the US.
Most servers/ waitstaff are whiners. You guys make plenty of money on average. If you don't think $600-$800 per week in cash is good income, then try an hourly job where the average in the U.S. has fallen to around $10/hr. Marinate on that!
Why do waitress and waiters expect the tip as part of their income. It should be seen as an incentive. Such as a work related bonus in the corporate world. If you have a life style that is dependent on your tips it would be wise to tone your life down. A job that requires absolutely no education and vocational training, yet they all expect 15-20%? I have been taught by restaurant owners that you are not supposed to tip with the taxed total. As you would not want to tip someone based on your purchase and taxes paid to the government. If you bought a sandwich for $50 and Gov't charged you a $50 tax, would you still give a $15-20 tip? I didn't think so. There are other small details I have been taught of how to tip properly to command respect as a consumer, while being respectful of your service as it is their livelihood (so we shouldn't expect perfect service like they are a slave dependent on our orders). Respect should be given both ways.
funny story – i once found a dead spider in my salad at Chilis, I was so disgusted I actually almost vomited at the table. WHen the manager came over she explained to me that it was not their fault because Chilis did not grow their own lettuce in the back....she was completely serious..........i ALMOST laughed.
it's all about service. I always tip on dinners... better service, better tip. Lunch is a different story. If i get poor service while dining out for lunch.. you don't get ANYTHING. the way it goes.
Tip the Owner WHAT THE MEAL WAS WORTH – and let him pay his employees. If his employees don't provide good service – tell the owner he did not provide a good dining experience so you will be PRO-RATING THE PRICE OF THE MEAL.
You bet I've left restaurants without leaving a tip! I do it without apology under several circumstances. If I observe that the waitress is standing around and not taking care of her customers or taking her job seriously, I won't tip her. To me, it's ridiculous that restaurant goers have allowed themselves to be duped into thinking it's their responsibility to pay for their meals AND pay the staff. Paying the staff is a cost of doing business; it should come out of what you pay for the meal. A tip should be something extra that's conferred for service that was above and beyond. Instead, staffers now expect that tip and act like you've done something wrong if you don't give it - even if they didn't earn it. Meanwhile, the business owner who pays the staff person less than minimum wage takes home an even greater profit because he doesn't have to worry about that cost of doing business. Wait staff have the right to make a decent wage, and business owners have a right to a profit. But neither party is entitled for customers to pay extra to cover those things.
This is typically the excuse of a person that fist would balk at the price of a meal with labor cost put into it. You probably can afford to pay more than 10 bucks for a plate. Just admit you are just a cheap and lazy fat hick that no doubt is the one that makes the most ridiculous demands that will never meet you expectations and thus stiff the poor server that had to endure your nonsense for 45 minutes because your too dumb to even fry your own egg in the disgusting messy trailer you live in.
I can tell you as a person who worked for tips black people never tip. call that a stereotype but it happened virtually all the time so at what point does it become a fact?
i totally agree – i'm not a racist either but my boyfriend is a pizza delivery man. he gets stiffed EVERY single time he delivers to a black person. he now hates them.
Should I also pity telemarketers? If your job sucks, get a new job. There is no one to blame but yourself if you get: a lousy tip, yelled at, hung up on, etc.
We know who you are. We talk about you at the waitress station. We share stories and we recognize your faces. As a matter of fact we talk about how bad your hairstyle is and how much your wife looks like a wh*re. Eat at home because if you come back to the restaurant a second time, we WILL f*ck up your sh*t.
July 9, 2010 at 2:15 pm |
From the EMT/Police Officer/Firefighter to the Waitstaff: When you f*ck up our sh*t we know who you are! We talk about you and wait for the day that you need our services! And when you do.............you get the same professional service that any other person would because we do not stoop that low! We hold ourselves to a higher standard than you. And even when we save your life or a family members life we rarely get so much as a thank you much less a tip, not that we would accept it if it was offered, because we are only doing our job and doing it well. Even in the worst environments that most people will fortunately never have to experience. And as far as pay......most people in emergency services work 2 or 3 jobs just to be able to take our families out to eat occasionally. Stop your whining and do what most other people do when they don't make enough to survive. Get another job or change professions. And yes I do tip sometimes but usually only when service is above and beyond what should normally be expected. When restaurants start having trouble filling positions they will be forced to do what every other business has to do. Charge enough to cover expenses & pay a decent wage. People will still go out to eat and the total cost shouldn't be much higher. We get screwed at the gas pump every time we fill up and we keep on driving because it is our way of life. Same thing with eating out. And as a bonus people would probably still tip for excellent service.
to the EMT person. why should we thank you for saving our lives it is your job? when we get the $20K bill in the mail 2 weeks later for your ambulance to show up you end up killing us anyway. you sound a little bitter there. maybe you should tell the people above you that find it acceptable to charge tens of thousands of dollars for your 10 minutes of services to perhaps pass a little tip on to your sorry struggling life. until then you should tip the person bringing out your food to feed your fat lazy butt.
You sound like an arrogant punk cop. You give your profession a bad name. My profession has me working closely with emergency responders like the ones you mentioned and many of you have a chip on your shoulder that for some reason gives you the impression that not tipping is okay. Well, it's not. Be careful on the side of the road this evening.
Brilliant plan. It would probably work if everyone in the country did the same thing, but it's not reasonable to think that that will EVER happen, so you're justifying screwing the people who serve you food. Jerk.
LETS NOT FORGET ABOUT OUR PIZZA DELIVERY GUYS EVERYONE!! many of you may think the pizza establishment pays its drivers but they really dont. My boyfriend works for Dominos, he pays for his own gas and usually puts over 300 miles on his car everytime he works. Its horribly frustrating when he drives 20-30 minutes for a delivery and does not get a tip, he relies on tips for his income, he just wasted all that gas driving to your place for free basically. TIP YOUR PIZZA MEN!!!!!!!
If you didn't get service, you got no food, so you don't eat, so you leave no tip, but there should be no bill.
How about being realistic here. You mean inadequate service.
Again, I maintain failure to tip can be taken as forgetting, and if one has truly received poor service, this is better conveyed that it is inadequate by significantly undertipping.
On the Take-out debate, I worked at a busy small restaurant as the head cashier/hostess/assistant to the general manager with tons of other duties including running the take-out. Maybe some take-out orders are simple but many are complex requiring special handling. It's not easy or simple to pack a 3 course meal with all the accompaniments for two so that it arrives hot with-out spillage or other damage. This was in West Hollywood so that there were many huge orders from various entertainment companies, were talking hundreds of dollars with all sorts of strange requests. Some tipped most didn't. I once made 75 espresso/cappuccinos it took forever plus I had to keep them hot, not a dime. I was paid slightly more then the wait staff but not much and as it was LA so the cost of living was astronomical especially for the starving student I was. Have a heart and tip.
I have never NOT tipped. Primarily because NOT tipping might be taken as FORGETTING to tip. IF service was TRULY bad, and IF it TRULY was the waitress/waiter, and NOT the kitchen, on the RARE occasions that has happened to me, I have intentionally UNDERTIPPED way below 15% to send a message: unsatisfactory.
However, I can honestly say that I have done that once, maybe twice, in my entire life, and I am 52 years old.
The rest of the time I have always left 20%. Not 15%, but 20%.
And I stress again, that problems with the KITCHEN are NOT the fault of the waitperson. How they cope with it is a reflection on them, granted. I have ONLY seen ONE waitress refuse to accept that the kitchen (fry cook) was wrong, and she was highly obnoxious with both of us.
We both ordered the same thing in a 24-hr dinner: two eggs over medium, grits, toast, bacon.
Mine came back over medium. My friend's came back over WELL done. VERY well done. Solid. I mean SOLIDLY solid.
He pointed out, nicely, "This is not medium" and she instantly went ballistic and argued that it was. He countered he used to be a fry cook (true) and that he knew what "over medium" was, and that was not it. She continued to argue, so loudly, that everyone could hear her lashing out at him with her mouth.
I pointed out we BOTH ordered the SAME thing.
She agreed.
I then countered that IF HE was RIGHT, then MINE was WRONG, that they could NOT BOTH be RIGHT, because they were VERY DIFFERENT.
I kid you not, she looked like she wanted to slap me into next week. I thought she was actually going to get violent.
Needless to say, she got no tip. It did not help any that the fry cook was standing off in the distance, giving us the look-of-death, as if he wanted to murder us, too.
Ordinarily, if service is really bad, I leave the normal 20% and then never go back. Let the owner figure it out.
However, about 15 years ago I left no tip at the Santa Fe Cafe restaurant & bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I knew they served until 11 PM and I came in with my girlfriend and her sister at about 10:45. I'd worked in many food places and knew that the staff ordinarily want to start cleaning up a little early, so I assured the waitress that it was fine if they didn't want to take any more food orders and that we could just get a couple of slices of pizza around the corner and then return for drinks. She assured me that it was OK to order food and seated us. We quickly ordered food and a bottle of wine. The sister decided that she wanted a beer instead, so I indicated that we'd only need two glasses with the bottle. The sister then changed her mind, so I told the waitress that we'd need a third glass. The waitress then brought three glasses filled with wine AND an unopened bottle! Not only was this more wine than we wanted, but the three individual glasses cost as much as a second bottle! The waitress was American-born and spoke English with an American accent; there was no language problem. She was not busy; we were the only diners at that time. A Mexican busboy with limited English then stood 6 feet from the table, stepping forward to ask "You finished?" whenever one of us stopped shoveling food into our mouths to actually speak. I left no tip. I felt VERY good about it.
The worst service I ever had was at this nice little mom and pop place we used to frequent often. The waitress brought me a glass of coke but not a straw. I usually never drink directly out of glasses but I was really thirsty and had already waited a while. I took a drink, looked down as I was doing it and there was red lipstick on the glass. The waitress comes back around and low and behold the lipstick matches. She had given me her own cup inadvertently. The really really screwed up thing.. she had a herpes sore on her FACE!!!!!!!!
Do you think I left a tip? Hell no. I seethed about that one for weeks.
If you give me poor customet service, you get nothing and the manager/owner gets feedback.
If you give me average blah blah........ you get nothing
If you excel and make my visit enjoyable than you get 20%
I do not leave tip unless the service was phenomenal. Its ridiculous to expect tip. The history behind tips is that rich people would hand out money to servants as a show of gratitude. Now everyone is conceded and give money out to show they are better than everyone else. No! I wont stand for it! No tip for you...why? because you don't deserve my hard earned money for being capable of writing down an order and bringing a plate back to my table. Get a real education hippy!
@Lee: What a moronic way at looking at the worl. "Poor people should not be eating out"..
Do you intend to supply other do's and don'ts for porr people?
getting paid $2.75 is just plain silly. But expecting to get tipped 25% no matter what is not too clever either. Ask a restaurant owner wether he would preffer that poor people stay home? Frankly this % is just made up bullshit.. Were people tipping 25% in 1980? I have no clue, but I'd be interested in knowing..
@Patrick: You sir are an idiot for using the language you do for no apparent provocation.
Waiting tables is a tough job. Especially if it's what you do as your primary job because if it's your primary job you want to work at a busy restraunt to make more moeny, but of course that means a lot more work. However, if you worked at some rinky-dink dinner then yeah, it's not as tough a job. My family owns both a small cafe/dinner and a large Restraunt bar with a formal dinning room and waiting in the large restraunt is way way harder.
Whenever I"Choose" to go to an upscale restaurant to dine I fully expect to get my monies worth this includes not only the meal but the service. I have spent all of my working life in restaurants and I know the problems which crop up in any establishment..BUT, that is not the customers problems as the customer I do not wish to hear excuses or reasons for poor service. If the establishment cant't get it together close the doors and open a shoe shop.
The tip I leave reflects the service I got. I'm a standard 20% tipper. If I get service that is expected or better I leave 20%. The worse the service gets, the worst the tip gets. Leave my beverage glass empty and the tip goes down. Drop the check off while I'm still eating and the tip goes down. If the server is rude, the tip goes down. If the food is late I assume it's a busy kitchen and it has no affect unless the food is cold which tells me it's been sitting there waiting for the server to get it.
My standard is 20-25%, 100% if the check is less than $10.00.
To get 25% the waiter(ess) must at least greet me within 5 minutes of my being seated...an offer to order drinks within 5 minutes has been known to get them 30%, especially if it is busy. I have been known to slip them a 5 or 10 if they are very fast on the drink order just to let them know that I will pay for service.
So I used to waitress and got paid $2.83/hr plus tips and that was only 5 months ago. I liked the job because you meet new people but you really have to have a good attitude to do it. There was a night or two where I might have forgotten to get something someone asked for but I mean were only human, we mess up. No big deal. I really hated the tables where people were rude the whole time and always trying to blame you or get free food out of it and I had to sit there and take it because paying my bills depended on getting tips from people. I have had people just walk out on me or leave 2 dollars on a hundred dollar bill, and I would give the money back to them and say "I think you need this more then me". If you can't afford to tip people the 15'20% tip, then don't go out to dinner. It's a whole nother story though if your server is rude to you the whole time and just gives attitude, then they really don't deserve a good tip, but if they forgot to bring you something, don't hold it against them. It's hard having 8 tables and remembering who got what and who needed what refill...so I think you should tip everyone the minium amount, unless they are just completly awful.
When I was a young, single mom I relied on tips to make my bills – I also made sure I worked my butt off to get good tips. TIP use to mean "to insure promptness" – a few times in recent years the service & attitude of the server was SO bad – I did not leave a tip. My daughter informed me I should be noting that when I signed the cc bill – to make sure the server and their supervisor knew this was not over looked – the service was that poor.
Most of you are arrogant, rude, idiots. And terrible people. Don't go out to eat if you don't want to tip! I don't care if you received the worst meal of your life served to you by the worst server in the history of man kind you should still leave a 20% tip. Go ahead and write your stupid little note about why the service sucked if you want, too. Actually decreasing someone's tip in front of them is about the most mean spirited thing a person could do! Do you know all of the circumstances that went into them not serving you as promptly as you would like? NO YOU DON'T. Cut the people a break.
I have no problem saying that I would knock some teeth out if I were a server who didn't get tipped.
The arguement that you shouldn't have to tip because you already paid for your food is absurd! You don't tip the restaurant owner becuase he has already marked up your food to make a profit. The server does not have that luxury. They rely on the decency of the patrons. It's obvious that there is not much decency in most of you though.
I'm a young, college educated, middle class, die hard republican, card carrying NRA member and I realize that my views on this issue may be actually be a bit left of center but by God it annoys me to no end that people actually believe tipping is optional. Get over your sorry selves. Stay home and eat a ham sandwich you cheap SOB's.
Also, for those who say "get a better job" or "adults shouldn't be working for tips".....shame on you. Not everyone had mommy and daddy pay for college and everything along the way. Some people just plain cant afford to go to school whether it be money related issues or personal. So instead of being an arrogant, pompous crazy person, realize that not everyone is as fortunate as you. To some, thats all they have. To the kids in college doing the same thing, they are working to earn a living while going to school TO GET THE BETTER JOB. Provide them with the tip they need to do so..... Unfortunately, its people with this mindset who create financial destruction like the US is in today.
Hey, Businessman,
Tipping is NOT a way to distinguish the best wait staff employees. The large majority of restaurants combine the tips from all the waiters and waitresses and divide it evenly to prevent bad feelings among the staff.
I try to leave 15% – 20% if the service warrants it, but i do not believe that tipping should be expected. It should be earned. Many a time i have left a penny. But I also leave a note explaining to the person why I did so.
I also don't believe in the "built in" tip of 15% for parties of 6 or more (or 7 or 8 depending on the restaurant). I have been known to deduct it from the bill before paying. I will gladly explain to the manager that the service was lousy and i'm not tipping anything.
I am a waiter at applebees and anyone who thinks its ok to not tip at all is ignorant. I get paid 4.50 an hour to slave and serve tables to all their wants and needs. First of all if you have never been a waiter or waitress dont even comment on this page. YOU HAVE NO CLUE what your talking about if you havent. No matter what tip 20% or stay at home. I speak for all severs everywhere!!!
Back in my twenties I walked in a mexican restaurant after long backpacking trip in the southwest. None of the staff seemed to whont wait on me. One young lady did and she was happy to do it. I gave her one hec of a tip.
I can tell than most of these people do not go out in NYC or LA. If you ever tried to bail on your tip, chances are the server, or possibly the manager, will chase you down to get it. Still try don't want to pay? FIne. A lot of restaurants will BAN you from coming back. Here in NYC, 20% is standard and anything less is just rude. After reading some of these posts, it's no wonder that a lot of restaurants in SoHo and the TImes Square area (both heavily populated with tourists) are automatically adding tips on the bill regardless of the amount of people in the party.
A very intereting and enlightening topic, with some serious opinions.
Personally, I have never not left at least 10%, and that was due to VERY horrible service;; not being acknowledged by server, cold food, lack of attentiveness. Though I also either asked to speak with a manager or follow up w/ specifics so that it can be corrected.
Generally, I will leave 20% for good service, and up to 35% for great service. At more casual eateries, where the food prices are actually reasonable I leave at least 25 – 40%....this is with efficient, friendly and professional service.
I agree that if you cannot afford to leave a 15% tip, you should not go to a place where you are waited on.
Buffet staff, really depends on what they do.....fill beverages, clear plates while dining – miinimum $2 a head.
This really piqued my curiousity, so I looked up the info. http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
there are indeed states that permit employers to pay the palty $2.13, with a "tip credit" to arrive at the federal minimum
wage of $7.25. "The following five states, not included in table, do not have State minimum wage laws: Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Also not included is Georgia, which exempts tipped employee under the law".....which is just plain appalling to me!
The tip credit is a benfit for employers. If you are a sevice employee be sure to check out the link above, know your rights and if you're working for an employer lthat is cheating you out of your required pay, turn them in to your wage and labor board.
Okay now I have two things I want to bring up: Why are there tip jars at "Starbucks"? I don't tip the cashier at Home Depot.
Lastly, what is the proper tip to leave when you order either several rounds of dinks w/ dinner or a couple of bottles
of wine? I leave about 20% of the total bill – food/drinks – more depending on if the server does more than open the bottle.
I do have sympathy for the extreme nonsense waitresses/ waiters have to put up with (though not an excuse for poor service).
I literally waited tables at a Ruby Tuesday's for ONE NIGHT. I was tortured by an African American family for an hour, falling all over myself to make them happy... in the end, their bill was comped and I got no tip. The other waitresses said it happens all the time. I never went back or waited another table in my life.
So to those of you who work hard and do a great job, thank you. I go above and beyond to be polite, friendly and non-demanding. But if you're rude and uncaring about your job, you get nothing.
If you rely on tips...pick a new profession. It isn't my responsiblity to pay your bills, that's the responsibility of the person who HIRED you. Take your complaints to them. Ask them for more money. They own a business–I don't, so I frequently tip 10% or not at all.
I do tip & more than 15% for good service. They should pay these people a salary like in Europe. On a recent trip there I found out that tipping is not customary and service was no different than here.
i DONT HAVE A HARD TIME, ITS EASY YOU PAY YOUR BILL AND WHEN YOU GET YOUR CHANGE , WHETHER IT BEING TEN CENTS OR TEN DOLLARS YOU PUT IT IN YOUR POCKET AND WALK OUT,
I have to call BS on the whole "eating out is more expensive in Europe, because servers get paid more." I grew up in Europe and the cost of food and restaurants is not more that it is in the US. You do not get free refills on your soda though and if you want water with your meal, you will usually have to order bottled and pay for it. It is true many servers are not as "overly friendly" as they are in the US, but that is more of a cultural thing in many places, especially in Northern Europe. Another example is that Russians don't smile unless there is a funny situation (smiling equates to laughing there).
All of this being said, the only time I did not leave a tip was when I saw my food sitting on the pass for 15 minutes while the waitress cleaned silverware. When she finally noticed our order was there and brought it, I asked her to replace it,as it was cold. She refused. I paid for my drinks and appetizer and did not tip. She had it coming.
Same thing – expensive entrees came out with salad. they were surprised we sent them back. Sat under the heat lamps for 20 minutes then on a tray for another 5. Told the mgr I didn't want them at that point. They then pretended to make new ones and all they did was slather sauce on them. They ended up taking them off the check but the dishonesty cost them.
Cool! I did not know about the Google maps review!
There was one other time when a restaurant manager was being a total jerk when we inquired why our food took very long to get to us (tables that were seated 10 minutes after us had received both appetizers and entree and we still had nothing). He tried to tell me it was the lamb chops we ordered (medium). I know exactly how long it takes to cook a medium lamb chop and I called BS on him. He would not admit the kitchen had cocked up and lost/forgotten our order. The poor waitress was mortified and I felt bad for her, because this was not her fault. I still tipped her well. Even though the whole experience was crap, it was not due to the waitress. That restaurant got S-listed by us though; I will never eat there again.
If the service is good, I tip 15%. If it's excellent, 20% plus I round up. If the service is bad, I leave around 10%. It also depends on why the service is bad. If the server is not too busy, and just disappears, he may get even less, but I would never not leave something. If the service is bad because they are over worked, and have too many tables, I will leave 15%.
As a former server i have a very hard time leave no tip. What i find works the best, and worked the best against me is to leave a 10% tip, because for some it is their only compensation, and then leave a note on the credit card receipt. Managers always see it. Now i leave not only negative feedback but also tell people when they are doing a great job.
I am usually generous when tipping. There was 1 occasion where the service was so terrible that I left a penny for the tip. I wanted the waiter to KNOW that I did not appreciate the poor service. If I had left nothing, he could have thought I forgot to leave a tip.
I know this is restaurant related but I suppose it counts. Some friends and I took a limo to the airport and we were greeted by one of the rudest people I've ever encountered. He threw our luggage around, threatened to just leave us because we were running a little behind etc etc. Long story short, when we got to the airport I had to pay the bill which I did on credit card. On the tip section I wrote in a negative number and took it off the total bill. The driver didn't notice and just stormed off. About a week later the owner called me. I explained the situation and informed him he was lucky I paid at all!
So not only have I left no tip at all I actually left a negative tip for horrible service.
I once had a waiter come back to me and tell me thats it, you dont have any more money. Bill was $85 and i left him a 10 dollar bill for tip, I should have told him well if you dont want it give it back but I was feeling friendly and just said sorry thats all I have. And if waiters are not getting paid minimum wage then they should start looking for another job that does. I worked for outback steakhouse as a busboy in high school and let me telll you they were greedy when it came to sharing the tips.
Once left a restaurant after a 2 hour wait for food (after we ordered) with the meals in a to-go box. Needless to say there was no tip, after we found out we owed $50 for our meal that was cold and 2 hours late!!!!
I was a waiter at a high profile joint. I waited on more stars than anyone in the world. I usually leave at least 20% and if they sucked I tell them. If I got stiffed I totally deserved it and was ready for it. But if I got a wussy tip it was just because you are a cheap arse all the time and just try to justify it by who knows what.
NOTE TO $$$ SEAFOOD WAITERS – You didn't work any harder than the diner waitress that took care of me at lunch so beware – we are on to you.
Someone posted a video from Reservoir Dogs about tipping. This video was always funny to me. I would NEVER do this, but I have felt the impulse one or twice with truly horrible servers. That hardly ever happens though, I always like to tip really well so that they are happy to see us again (I have kids).
For takeout who never tips for takeout food......Unless you are at McDonalds, who do you think makes your salad, puts the food in to go plates, gets the silverware, butter, condiments, bread, puts the drinks in paper cups aqnd then puts it all in a bag? This usually takes more effort and time than serving someone sitting at a table.
Tipping is uncommon in many other parts of the world. We could do away with the practice in the US, or at least seriously change it to the point where tips are only for "above and beyond" type service, if employees were paid adequately by their employers. Yes, that would raise prices. I have absolutely no problem with that if the increases went to employee pay. But I think it's unlikely that restaurants would ever pay salaries equal to what good waiters and waitresses are making with tips today. How many restaurants would pay servers $20/hr or more? No, you'd be getting $10-12 at most places. And every penny of it would be reported to the IRS. Food servers are most likely better off with today's tipping system - warts and all - than demanding the alternative.
I understand the people who are waiters depend on tips , but WHY should we have to help a biz. cover their payroll? You work at a factory building widgets the guy who buys those widgets isnt expected to go tip the weilder who made that widget -the company figures his pay into the products cost. The resturant industry needs to be changed to pay a reg. wage like all other companies do. WAIT SOMEONE GO TELL NOBAMA THE GOVERMENT NEEDS TO TAKE OVER....I mean regulate the resurant industry
It's directly DUE to government regulation that waiters/waitresses/bus people make less than the minimum wage – sine government thinks these folks are getting money "under the table". Actually, in my state, waiters/waitresses are obliged to declare a certain % of their sales as income – whether they had it or not. Well, that's the way it was 25+ years ago, I should say.
Dont you get it? If you dont tip then the price of eating out will go up to cover the lack of tips and make up the higher wages, you will pay for it in the long run anyhow.
Some years ago I was in Rome and one Restaurant had a sign: Please don't tip our employees, if you do, you are insulting them; We paid good benefits and good pay........... No comment.... Tipping = insulting a human being.....
I typically leave a 20% tip if the service is good. That figure goes down exponentially based on the quality of service I receive. By service I mean from my waiter or waitress. If the food was bad but the server did everything I expect they still deserve the tip for their service. There were a few occasions where I didn't tip at all because of VERY poor treatment by the waitstaff. I'm not demanding when I eat out, and I don't make significant changes to the items on the menu I order, and I'm always polite. I'm not one of those cranky people that don't leave a tip out of meaness or give my server a hard time. Being in the customer service business myself though, I just can't excuse poor service when I see it.
As an ex professional chef, I've had cause to leave no tip, but just one time. The service was so horrible. My partner was denied a wine, yet 15 minutes later another table ordered and got the wine. I had to commandeer a steak knife from another table when our meal arrived, which was delivered by a bus boy – as were our coffee. The only time I saw the waiter again was as we left, when he brought the manager and accosted me about no tip at the front door. After informing him that it was no mistake, I stopped talking to him and spoke with the manager, at length, suggesting that our waiter was more interested in closing his station than in serving his guests. I think the waiter probably got an earful from the manager, and I never went back.
I cannot remember any other time I've tipped less than 18%.
I was a waitress in college...my daughter was a waitress in college. It is hard work, physically and sometimes emotionally. I appreciate the efforts that men and women (very often young men and young women) make so that I can enjoy some time out. If a waiter or waitress is really really bad (I mean rude) then I won't tip. That has happened once in my lifetime. Otherwise I tip 20%...it is nice to be nice!
One time comes to mind.
At Outback Steak House my steak was very undercooked so I foolishly sent it back for additional cooking. It came back burned to a crisp. I guess the cook was insulted.
I have to disagree with the reasoning of leaving a bad tip for the waitperson here, unless somehow the waitperson was complicit in your not receiving your steak in the manner you had requested, or if the service was indeed bad. If I pissed off the cook by pointing out to the waitperson that the steak was underdone and then received something back that was obviously ruined out of retaliation, I would speak to the manager and have it taken care of (or not, depending on the competency of the management). But trying to show your displeasure to the cook or to the overall establishment by not tipping the waitperson just doesn't make sense. Did you pay the bill in full for food you did or did not eat, but clearly did not want to eat because someone went out of their way to ruin it? With the steak I would not want to pay for something that was purposely ruined. That's where I would take issue, not with the person who may have been doing their job perfectly well. A restaurant patron may feel justified in not giving what is indeed a gratuity, ie not a mandatory expenditure when the cook or bartender doesn't give you what you asked for or something substandard. If the waitperson did their job, they should not be penalized. Though they are the person you are dealing with, that shouldn't automatically make them the human whipping post, which many customer service people are considered to be by some of the entitled people they are unfortunate enough to have to serve at times. On the other hand, I have been the recipient of every level of service in places ranging from fast food to fine restaurants, and the feeling of paying good money for lousy service – burned. And no one likes that. But I try to tip accordingly for service rendered to the person making $2 an hour. Yes, they chose to be a waitperson, yes, they make in inhumanely substandard wage and maybe restaurants should pay more per hour than a sweatshop worker in a third world country makes, but the system is what it is, and the person doing their job shouldn't be punished because someone else is careless in what they are doing or is surly toward you.
If your service is bad, leave a comment card or speak to the manager. That will go much further than ripping off someone who fulfilled an obligation to you – no matter how poorly they performed.
The issue I have with what you have said Cathy, is that they have fullfilled a service to me, no matter how poorly they performed. I am sorry, but if they fell down on the job because they are inept and do not have pride in their level of service, I will NOT leave them a tip. Because imho they have not fullfilled their assigned job function.
They are there to assure that our experiance is really good one, and if they are off talking to their coworkers and ignoring my table, they most certainly have not performed as expected.
Cathy, the only time my restaurants ever considered gratuity to be expected was when a room or large table were used by one party for the entire night. No, I refuse to consider gratuity to be obligatory. That said, with one exception, I've never had service so bad that I stiffed the waiter. I guarantee that while telling the manager might – might – help ensure the waiter won't tank my evening next time, I am paying him or her or them for the service I receive on the night the tip is delivered.
Yes, there have been times that I have left no tips. If the service is that bad, you better believe that I have no problems sending home a message. Now if the food is bad, and the service is really good, I will still leave a tip for the server. Because they have done a really good job staying on top of my table.
Generally though, if I receive really poor service and/or food, I will follow up with a letter/email to the management of the establishment. And will include the details of such in my food reviews.
I nornmally tip but its getting harder and harder. Why should I subsidize a major resturant chains payroll. they charge insane prices and we are expected to pay a tip to help them pay their employees, they then make muli-millions in profits . my wife always makes sure we tip because im getting to the point to say screw this. If everyone would stop tipping. The folks who wait tables would go to work elsewhere and then these places would have to pay their people a living wage.
My wife walks with a cane, and Pizza Hut uses its handicapped spaces as parking for the delivery trucks. I finally complained to their home office, and they sent me a card for a free pizza. When I presented it, the cook snarled "So it WAS you" and refused to wait on me. So I never go to the hut anymore, and Papa John's is the place for me and Frank Carney now.
The amount of tip I leave is generally related to the quallity of service I receive, like most people. I have only once not left a tip because of the service. The waitress had come over to the table to take our order and got to the point of pulling out here quest check pad and said, "Are you rea..." when a freind of hers walked in. she stopped in mid sentence, turned and seated her friends and took their order. They had their food before she came back and took our order. When I confronted her about this she said that we told her we weren't ready. I called over the manager and with the watress present explained why she wasn't getting a tip. The manager explained that we wouldn't receive a bill either. As they walked away the manager told the grumbling waitress that she would dock her for the meal if she could. That's the only time. But the service was extreamly poor. It was a resturant my wife and I frequented and were shock at the service we were getting. The waitress was not one we were familiar with. We thought about getting up and leaving but really wanted to see how far the waitress would go.
I will leave a tip when I want to leave a tip, and how much I leave is how much you get....PERIOD. Resteraunt work is the ONLY profession (if you want to call it that) where the owner is to cheap to pay for the labor of their workers. Ask Adam Corolla! He makes sure his workers don't have to live off of tips and pays them a salary.
If you don't like how I tip....TS, man! Nobody HAS to tip, it's a courtesy......
Lets be honest, most people tip because they are too embarrassed to leave nothing. It has nothing to do with great service. Do you tip your mother when she cooks a great meal?
When I go out to eat, I consider the menu price of my meal to be the cost of the food. I consider the tip to be the cost of the service. I like that I am allowed to pay for the service based on the quality of service received. If the tip was included in the menu price, then I would be forced to overpay for below average service.
I have a hard time figuring out what to do when takeout is involved. I cannot tell how much work the takeout person does versus the cooks and this person didn't have to spend 30 min's running back and forth to the kitchen filling up my drinks and fetching napkins etc like a waiter would if I were eating in at the restaurant. Also, I don't know if the restaurant pays them a decent wage to begin with or not. It would be nice if there was something to let people know what is involved.
I left a quarter tip one time for really bad service and terrible food. When we left the restaurant the cook came running and started yelling at me and my family including my toddlers. He also threw the quarter at us. We told him his food and service was terrible. I think twice before leaving a small tip bcos of bad service.
Just this weekend, I left no tip for only the 2nd time in my life (25+) years of tipping). My kids were starving. Server failed to EVER bring out the appetizer after being reminded multiple times before and after the main entrees arrived. She offered no explanation or apology. An apology alone would have earned her probably at least a 10% tip had she made the effort. My glass sat empty for 25 min. The entrees took an inordinate amount of time to come. We were all ticked by the end of the meal. Not only did she get no tip, but I specifically wrote on the check AWFUL SERVICE! since it was my only recourse. A tip is not a God-given right, particularly if the service is awful. I don't get paid if I don't do my job right.....why should she. On the flip-side if the service is good I have no issue with giving a 15-20% tip.
"real" starving children do not get the LUXURY of being waited on at all....you should be on your knees thanking GOD your kids aren't really starving! Ingrate!
Valerie, actually I get on my knees and thank God every day that my 7 year old son is alive becuase he has survived acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosed at age 3 and has also surved a relapse in his central nervous system requiring 4 years of chemotherapy and CNS radiation therapy. If you've ever had a child on high dose long term chemotherapy you would know what the word starving means, dumb-!
Mark save your money from tipping and start investing in some good therapy. I know its hard what you are going though, but it seems you are a bit angry at the world.
My funny story. I was on business travel and had wrapped things up successfully so I decided to treat myself to a great meal. It was a snobby place but excellent food. When it came to paying the bill my credit card busted. I had enough cash to leave a $.23 cent tip on a $60.00 dinner. The entire staff gave me the evil eye as I left. Got to the parking garage, couldn't pay to get my car out and had to walk about two miles back to my hotel. Serves me right I guess.
Black people except me tip poorly- my friends tip higher than me, and I do 15-20%. My aunts tip 15% on delivery, and higher in person. You're simply ignorant, and probably a bit bigoted.
If the service was so bad that I would not leave a tip I would have left the restaurant before the tip was ever an issue. I'm pretty tolerant but bad attitudes turn me WAY off and down right nasty attitudes will get you told about yourself and then walked out on.
15% for average, 10% for below average, 20% for above average; extra if I or my kids were misbehaved; less if the server is rude. I also do it on the card if they were questionable and in cash if I like them more.
I think that 15% as a minimum regardless of the behavior of the server is the attitude of a person who has never waited a half an hour for food to be told that they forgot or lost your order and it will be ready in another half an hour, forgot to bring it right away when it was ready, overcharged you and then were rude to you on top of it all. The server is supposed to save you time and to make you feel like not making it at home yourself would have been less work and more pleasant. I think there are occasions that 0 tip is appropriate. (In the case that I describe above – I pointed out the overcharge and said that is her tip. If she wanted to get her tip, she will need to correct it. I did not have time at that point to stay and sort it out. No clue if she got "her" tip or not). Did not go back to that restaurant either.
Frankly, I typically give some small amount if it is a restaurant I ever intend to return to no matter how bad the server is. I do not set a bottom line though and I think that servers are unwise to do so. To think well I am going to give this person poor service and be rude to them and it will only mean that I will get 15% instead of nothing... There should be a little concern that all of 15% might not be there.
Lastly, my understanding is that the restaurant is required to make up the difference if the server does not manage minimum wage, but who wants to admit that to their boss? So, yes, they are minimum wage, but if you are nice to your customers and prompt with your service, you generally are getting more than minimum wage. It is hard work and much appreciated by me, but to expect someone to pay for lack of service and rudeness... I don't get that.
I've had two occasions where I did not leave a tip for the waitress I did however after speaking to the manager made sure the kitchen and bussers were tipped. I've waited tables and managed restaurants therefor tip generously but on one occassion the waitress belittled us the entire time, could not split the table correctly between just two checks( took 3 attempts and still was not correct) and was so rude I could honestly state I've had sent her home for her outlandish behavior. The other occasion was lunch at a corporate chain, the manager sat us, brought us our drinks, took our order , brought us our food and checked on us. Our waitress was conversing with teh table across the way looked at us once and after we were done eating asked us once if we wanted a refill which we delined so she dropped the check. I tipped the kitchen as I know management is normally unable to accept and I tippped them $10 on a $30 check as my meal was hot and wonderful. (pardon sp errors my laptop sucks)
Lee's Roadside Grill in St.Maarten has the worst service and I left $5 to the waitress who started arguing with me and wasn't gonna give me my cc back. The food wasn't worth the experience.
As former waitress and bartender, I usually tip around 20% unless service is exceptional, then more. While working, I regularly made 30-60% of my sales in tips simply by taking care of buisiness and doing my job. I only had one experience where I have NOT tipped a waiter. Instead, I tipped the busboy, who made sure I had everything I needed and took care of the table. The waiter did not. I also informed the manager of this, so as to prevent a problem for the busboy! Sure, I had nights where I made very little, but that is the job.
Also, a secret for other wait staff: I started buying EVERY regular at least one round of what they usually drank around the holidays as a way to say thank you for their business. Never once walked out of the bar without $150-$200 in my pocket AFTER paying my bar tab. Again – take care of business and say thank you to your regulars.
And for those who care – I always paid what was required for taxes and reported as mandated by law!
Service was so bad once that I didn't pay the 10% service charge that was included in the bill. The waitress told me that I had to pay. I gave her my business card and told her to press charges. I have no problems no paying if the service is no good – this does not include cold or bad food, its not the servers fault if the kitchen screws up.
My approach to tipping is to start at 15% and go up or down as my expectation is met or not. I'm very easy to please in a restaurant setting so getting 15% is not hard at all but rarely do I go higher then 20%. I don't ask much of a server bring our drinks, take our food order, keep us informed if there is a problem with our order if it's taking longer then normal, bring our food to our table, and check up to make sure everything is ok. I'm also not one to ask for substitutions on most items. For example I took the family out to eat at a place that I frequent. The server was prompt but not overly friendly as he appeared busy. Our food came out and everything was either wrong or burnt. I informed our server of the problem and simply asked for it to be corrected. The food was corrected even though I had had better there. I surmised that the normal cook was not the one cooking on this day. The server was quick to correct the problem. For that I left a 15% tip as he did everything in his power to make it satisfactory. The bill was paid with a credit card and later I noted that he had not added my tip when the final charge was submitted. I can only guess he didn't feel it was deserved.
I did work in a restaurant as a buser while going to school. I worked with a waitress and got to see first hand what she had to deal with. She did tip me and the cook. But it was a team effort. If I kept the customer happy by keeping glasses full and dirty plates cleared and the cook did his part by cooking food correctly she got better tips and in return we got better tips from her. There were a few occasions where the cook did poorly and she refused to tip him but gave me a good share cause I helped her still get a decent tip.
I wait tables every Friday night and I can say yes I have been snubbed a time or two. Was it for the right reason maybe, maybe not. As a waitor your just the messenger it kind of sucks not being in control of everything like cooking the food, making sure what your serving is great quality etc. You can really only do some much and you take the good with the bad. Yes the hourly wage sucks but that should be a driving force behind how well you can sevice others. I have waited tables for 3 years now and I love it. I love the atmosphere interacting with people and just the rush of everything week in and week out. Like others have said beings I know first hand what it is like I always tip big because until you put on there shoes you have NO IDEA how many things they have to make sure goes perfect just to make a single dollar. So knock on wood leaving for work now hoping to make that money tonight!
One time I was at a bachelor party, and I probably drank 24 beers. I left to get some air and I wandered off to a local diner (Rio Diner in Woodbridge) to get some food in my stomach. I ordered a Monte Cristo and fries, and basically proceeded to make a horrible mess out of the table. It probably looked like a map of Asia made out of food. I went to the bathroom for a wiz, and when I came back my table was cleaned up, and my food was gone. I heard the wait staff say "we thought he was homeless". I demanded all new food, and they brought me new fries. After consuming the fries and knocking over all the condiments, I left a $100 tip.
She was the worst waitress ever and I'm a waitress, so I know. She was so busy chatting with her friend at the counter she ignored me, the ONLY CUSTOMER in the diner at the time other than her friend. The food was not what I ordered. She ignored me waving at her to come over. After paying and telling her that he service was lousy and the food not what I wanted, I waited outside looking in as she found the penny. It was PRICELESS! she deserved it!
I tip based on the attractiveness of the waitress and the amount of flirting being done. Waiters are a different story. My tip to them is to go lay brick, or work in the lumber yard like a real man.
I'm going to Fuddruckers tonight. For those not familiar, you order, get your own drinks and utensils, pick up your food at the counter and dress it how you want. There are no garbage cans, or places to return your dishes, you are expected to leave everything on the table for the bussers. So my question, do you leave a small tip for them? Most of the food is on simple plates, etc, nothing fancy. Just curious what other people do at that restaurant, thanks.
If I have to pick up my own food
If I have to get my own refills
The waiter doesn't get a tip. That is just how it goes. Freaken Nordstom cafe will refill your drinks but you have to wait in line, order, bring a freaking card to your table. When I become the waiter, I get the tip.
Why should tipping be decided on the price of the entree and not the amound of people at the table.
You can order a 5lb lobster for a 100 bucks! Server gets 15% on bringing you out one item.
Now you go to a diner; have a 6 course meal that cost $25 dollars with all the trimmings. This server at the diner worked way harder than the server at the lobster place; why should they get a larger tip?
It should be a flat rate; a per person rate; no matter how much you order like they do in Europe.
I will be the first to agree with not tipping a hostess for handing over the takeout food already bagged up; however there are some restaurants, Applebee's and The Cheesecake Factory for example, who have a special service for takeout. I do this for Applebee's. A lot of people dont realize that I take their order over the phone, make sure they get everything that theyordered and package it in appropriate containers, bag it up, and bring it out to their car when they get there. The only thing the kitcehn staff does is cook the hot food, everything else is my doing. While, I don't feel entitled to get a tip from anyone, to me it is an acknowledgment of the work that I did for my customer–even a dollar is like a thank you to me. I also think the people who have problems tipping, even when they eat in the restaurant, are the people who have never worked in the industry. Now, if there was bad srvice or some other issue that the restaurant could not or refuse to recify then I would not leave a decent tip either.
The least I have left for a tip is a quarter. Our service was so bad that I wanted to walk out leaving nothing. A friend told me that the server would just think I forgot to tip. He suggested that I leave a dime. Too bad I only had a quarter.
When I was 16, I had just broken up with my girlfriend, and it was Valentine's Day. My Dad and I went to Coco's and the hostess got me a cherry coke after seating us. Our "waitress" took our order and asked if I wanted a refill of my coke, and I said yes, but it's cherry coke. She smiled and left. She came back later with a regular coke. After a few minutes of trying to flag her down, I reminded her that it was a cherry coke. THIS was her condescending response (to the best of my memory): "Well, sweetie, we just ran out of the cherry juice, so I would have to go all the way to the back of the storage room to get some more." So, with my Dad's permission. I left her two pennies. Happy Valentine's Day to you too, lady!
I'm in it for escalation, I would of said "that is fine, but if you can't deliver the product I ordered then you will remove the cost from my bill. If you have a problem Uh, send over the manager. "- preferably after you gotten the food.
Leave no tip? If the service is poor, then I live a poor one, maybe 10%. If it is too poor to deserve that, I am talking to the manager and probably not paying for the meal, never mind a tip. If it is good service (which is usually the case), 20%. If it is great service, I have no problem giving tips upwards of 40%. Waiters work very hard and they should be rewarded for that work. Those who leave nothing? I don't buy into the "nothing is what they deserved argument". Be a man (or a woman) and demand good service. Don't get it? Talk to the manager. Do get it? Do the right thing!
I was raised to tip, from waitresses/waiters, pizza delivery drivers, hair stylists, etc. If you receive terrible service, not only should you not tip or tip very little, you should speak with the manager and let them KNOW why you are tipping thus. Otherwise, they won't know that your server was incompetent – they'll think you just forgot or were too cheap to tip. Believe me, I know – I used to deliver pizzas and you'd be surprised how many people do not tip or tip very poorly. I was one of those delivery people that customers called the store to praise. I was prompt, polite, friendly, and advised the customer of upcoming specials and answered questions about the food. I pet their animals, talked with their children, complimented them on their lovely homes, etc. If your pizza is late and/or your driver is rude, call and tell the store! No one wants "bad" people working for them! For the most part, I received excellent tips from my regular customers but sometimes I was stiffed. Sometimes Iwould get people that insisted the delivery charge was intended to be a tip. WRONG! The delivery charge is split between the driver and the store and is intended to offset mileage. It costs drivers a lot of money in gas, wear and tear on tires and engines, etc. and higher insurance premiums. If they went more than two miles one way to make a delivery, they were already losing money, so tips are very important to the drivers. I know of a prominent church that once ordered over $800 worth of pizza for a function, we gave them a half price discount, and they stiffed the poor driver after he carried all those pizzas in! Another church would tip around $35 or more each time we went there and boy, we loved delivering there!
Please, remember your pizza delivery drivers too when you tip. I don't deliver anymore, but I myself, tip generously!
1st thing is the T.I.P. means "To insure prompt service".
2nd is that I was a waiter at good well known restaurant on the West Coast while in school. I have respect for Restaurant workers.
That being said everyone should be aware that Waiters and Waitresses are only taxed on a max of 8% of reported reciepts/income which is less than 8% tips on average as many bills are paid in cash and restaurants under report.
Lots of folks simply double the tax when making a tip. Tips used to be 10% of the bill prior to tax. This was engineered to move to a 15% standard of expectation and many restaurants even include the tip pre charged on the bill up to 18%!
*The IRS has negotiated deals with many food service workers where they pay a set "VERY LOW" percentage for income taxes.
IMO you shoulld be able to tip what you as a patron feel is fair and not be obligated beyond a minimum. The idea isn't to provide high end restaurant waiters with life time employement with high wages. It's to pay them accordingly and this is not skilled labor. Some in So Cal and NYC make well over $100K including bartenders and pay nothing.
I work in the industry in SoCal, make would make about $34k a year, if that's all I did and were able to work 6 shifts per week, and am taxed on 12% of sales. That's about what I take home in tips after tipping out. Your hearsay information<my firsthand information.
Recently, at a local restraunt, the server argued with me. I said "I didn't order the big fries" he was like "yeah you did" and that was enough to get zero tip. I was going to dock the bill (less than the final bill) but he threatned to call the police. Easy enough, I ended up complaning getting him fired, and the entire bill refunded. Stupid server.
What I hate about articles like this is that it always brings out the people who have waited tables complaining about how terrible the rest of us are. Of course what they fail to realize that the reason they are so angry with everyone is because they were such horrible servers and in return got terrible tips. We do not care that you had to take a million orders, run back and forth from the kitchen all night, and got stiffed by some party because they were unhappy with your performance. If you wanted a steadier paycheck and could only work in the food industry there is always a McDonalds hiring. I know, I know the pay is terrible, but if you were intelligent enough to do half the things you claim you did as a server you would be manager with benefits in no time at McDonalds. Just saying that servers need to stop complaining. Those of us smart enough to not have to work as a server are sick of hearing you complain. If I wanted food cooked someone else brought to me and then hear the complaining I would have just stayed home and let my wife cook. Moral of the story is work is hard yet food/beverage servers seems to complain the most. Honestly the janitor at my 6 yr-old son's school complains less than you do and he does not receive any tips for cleaning up vomit all day.
Before I get bashed by the Trolls, I know my punctuation is atrocious and for that I apologize. I am just fed up with the high and mighty attitude servers have. YOU SERVE FOOD, I DO NOT CARE IF YOU THREATEN TO SPIT IN MY FOOD YOU ARE STILL WORTHLESS. Anyone dumb enough to take a job that potentially pays worse than the salary of an indentured servant deserves to be treated like garbage. But then again the world needs ditch diggers too.
Can anyone explain why African Americans don't tip? It is well known throughout the restaurant and food service industry. To the point in which many wait staff will argue over who takes tables of African Americans because they know they will not get a tip. What is the cultural bias behind this?
Are you half retarded? Everyone also knows that African Americans comprise the majority of individuals under the national impoverished income bracket. These people are poor and have less money than you and I. Surprise? You should be happy to serve these people, they are spending the little amount of money the got for an outing, let them have their time and dont expect anything in return. Your still getting above minimum wage!
This is, most likely, due to a human fallacy called "Confirmation Bias." Human beings start with a view and consistently look for examples to prove their view, and ignore evidence that does not. I.e. you remember every African who doesn't tip, ignore the ones who do.
I've never seen any true reporting information regarding tipping by sex/gender/race. Usually it is a random server person who makes this comment. As such, it could be an issue with the servers (are servers more likely to be racist/etc due to lower socioeconomic status).
Uhm, this is utter nonsense. Having worked as a waiter in college, I don't recall ever thinking this (I am white by the way), or hearing anyone I worked with ever express this view. In fact, thinking back to the times I remember getting stiffed, seems it was always white people. And by the way, the folks we most hated having to wait on were the college kids, who were almost always white, and who always seemed to have nothing better to do then hang out at the restaurant, buying very little, making a mess, and leaving little if no tips.
I have only once left no tip. The waitress was TERRIBLE! We didn't get menus for 20 minutes after being seating; we had to flag down a busser to get drinks for us. We didn't get our appetizers or salads until AFTER our entree's were served. And the entree's themselves took wayyyy too long to get. So we left without leaving a tip. The waitress followed us out of the restaurant and asked why we didn't leave a tip. I simply said YOU SUCK AS A WAITRESS and called the manager. And I was also 19 yrs old at the time. I think if I were to have the same experience at this age (34), I would at least leave something.
I always leave a decent tip, even for not so great service, if the server at least tried. They might have been very frazzled and forgetful, but I don't blame them, being a server can be a tough job sometimes. The one time I didn't leave any tip was for a waiter who deliberately ignored my friend and me. He took our order and then we never saw him again for ANYTHING, as the bus boys delivered our food and refilled our drinks. I think because we were two young women, around 19, he didn't take us seriously as patrons and figured we didn't need good service. It felt good to leave the exact amount due on the check, down to the last penny. He ran after us as we were leaving and said, "Was there something wrong?" We told him he didn't pay us any attention the entire time we were there, and he stormed away. What a jerk!
For all you whiners out there about how HARD it is to be a waiter/waitress and how much you bust your arse....if you don't like it, then get a different job....I am not saying you don't have a hard job but that is what it is...a JOB. If you can't do it right then you shouldn't be doing it and I am not going to pay you for doing a poor job. I wouldn't be paid for doing a poor job and I might even be fired for it. I tip very well if the server is great and goes out of their way to help me and make me feel comfortable, isn't that YOUR JOB??? Why else would I go out and spend money at a restaurant if I wanted poor service???
MR. BLUE: You know what these chicks make? They make shit.
MR. PINK: Don't give me that. She don't make enough money, she can quit. (Mr. Blonde laughs.)
EDDIE: I don't even know a fucking Jew who'd have the balls to say that. Let me just get this straight. You don't ever tip, huh?
MR. PINK: I don't tip because society says I have to. Alright, I mean I'll tip if somebody really deserves a tip, if they really put forth the effort, I'll give 'em something extra, but I mean this tipping automatically is for the birds. (Eddie laughs.)I mean as far as I'm concerned they're just doing their job.
MR. BLUE: Hey, this girl was nice.
MR. PINK: She was OK – but she wasn't anything special. MR. BLUEWhat's special, take you in the back and suck your dick? (They laugh.)
EDDIE: I'd go over 12% for that.
MR. PINK: Hey Look, I ordered coffee, right? Now we've been here a long fuckin time, and she's only filled my cup three times. When I order coffee, I want it filled six times
MR. BLONDE: Six times? Well, you know, what if she's too fucking busy?
MR. PINK: Words "too fucking busy" shouldn't be in a waitress' vocabulary.
EDDIE: Excuse me, Mr. Pink – the last fucking thing you need's another cup of coffee.
MR. PINK: Jesus Christ – I mean these ladies aren't starving to death. They make minimum wage. You know, I used to work minimum wage. And when I did, I wasn't lucky enough to have a job society deemed tip-worthy.
MR. BLUE: You don't care they're counting on your tips to live? (Mr. Pink rubs two of his fingers together.)
MR. PINK: You know what this is? It's the world's smallest violin playing just for the waitresses.
MR. WHITE: You don't have any idea what you're talking about. These people bust their ass. This is a hard job.
MR. PINK: So's working at McDonald's, but you don't feel the need to tip them, do you? Why not? They're servin ya food. But no, society says don't tip these guys over here, but tip these guys over here. That's bullshit.
MR. WHITE: Waitressing is the number one occupation for female noncollege graduates in this country. It's the one job basically any woman can get and make a living on. The reason is because of their tips.
MR. PINK: (pauses) Fuck all that. (They all laugh.)
MR. BROWN: Jesus Christ!
MR. PINK: Hey, I'm very sorry that the government taxes their tips. That's fucked up. That ain't my fault. It would appear that waitresses are just one of the many groups the government fucks in the ass on a regular basis. You show me a paper says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it. Put it to a vote, I'll vote for it. But what I won't do is play ball. And this non-college bullshit you're giving me, I got two words for that: "Learn to fuckin type." Cause if you're expecting me to help out with the rent, you're in for a big fuckin' surprise.
MR. ORANGE: Hey – he's convinced me. Give me my dollar back.
trash like this has no place in a open discussion. Where is cnn now i get slammed left and right by the moderator and they let this trash through. i guess its ok to us jesus's name in filth like this but loed help you if u say any thing about muslims
If I have to leave a poor tip I ALWAYS get a manager involved. As a former bartender and waitress I have no qualms whatsoever about making sure a manager knows when there employee has done a poor job but I also make sure I commend an employee for a job well done as well. I think it is only fair that a manager knows the good and the bad.
I don't understand tipping. Maybe it's where I'm from (rural south), my parents never tipped, restaurants here never expected tips, the only people I can remember seeing leave tips when I was a kid were horny guys trying to get in the waitress' pants. The food cost what was printed on the menu. Even now a couple of decades later leaving a tip feels extremely strange/wrong to me. How hard is it to pay your employees a decent wage instead of making me guess what I should be paying for my meal??
My state isn't on the list so I'm not sure how that applies here. But either way I still think it's a screwed up way to do business. It's like turning your employees into panhandlers.
Actually I have two college degrees with a solid minor in math that includes a year and a half of calculus. It's the system that seems bizarre to me, not the math. I don't understand why I'm expected to bribe someone just to get them to do their job. If the food is supposed to cost 20% more than the menu price then add 20% to the prices on the menu. Considering some of the nasty comments from people who work in the field (or at least claim to) I may quit eating out entirely. Cooking is not that difficult and I don't think I want you people around my food. Now you get none of my money, happy?
I tip, but I don't believe in it. I believe EVERYONE should be paid a decent wage. Tips are supposed to be a special thank you for service – not a requirement or expectation. I DO NOT put money in those "tip" jars in mall food courts, or anywhere I have to order, wait, get my own drink and take my own food to the table. In complete contrast to that, I over tip servers who impress me with their attitude and ability.
I remember going with some brits to a bar in nyc for a office celebration of sorts. We must have spent over a $1,000 dollars on the tab and the british manager was basically refusing to pay any tip. He said, they should get paid a proper wage in the first place. The waiter who had been busting his ass was furious but didn't say anything that I am aware of. I was horrified and embarrassed.
I used to be a busboy one of my first college jobs. I saw what the waiters were making and said "you've got to be kidding". I mean in this restaurant, some mondays absolutely no one would show up so how are they going to get tips? and then they would get some hairbrained conventions where this woman's idea of a tip was to leave a note with scripture on it.
I will always try to tip 20% even when I am unemployed. If you have had any service at all, they deserve a tip and keep in mind that if you tip well, they will treat you well when you come back.
oh oh i have something to say, i want to weigh in on tis all-important issue – so people can read it and think, oh my, that mark sure is a deep thinker.
I only did it once, where I left no tip, but the girl was to blame. The waitress waited on us, but sent others to bring our stuff out to us. When my then hubby needed a refill on his soda, she never bothered to get him one. She saw his glass was empty and that he had nothing to drink. She didn't care. She stood there leaning against the wall where the soda machine was, looked right at us, and was gossiping with a co-worker. My then hubby even held up his hand like a kid at school does, and she ignored him. I had to split my soda with him so he could wash his food down. When it came to having our basket of fries brought to us, she sent someone else to our table with it. When it came to time to serve us our meal, she had a busboy who barely spoke English to bring it to us. And when it came time for the check, another waitress brought it to us, while our original waiter just stood in the same spot gossiping. We were so furious, we left no tip, and never when back to that location. We went to another one of their restaraunt's a few towns away, and they treated us great. So yeah I've done the no tip, but with a darn good reason. You don't work for it, you don't get it. If she had tried, we'd have been nicer.
One time, as my fiance and I were leaving a popular chain restaurant, our waitress (who had given us poor service in the first place), accosted us to ask why we didn't tip her. Although I thought my fiance had done so on his card, I guess we just forgot. When she walked away, I went back to our table and left a penny, along with a note that read, "Here's a tip: it is both tacky and unacceptable to ever ask a customer why they didn't tip you."
I completely disagree. If no tip was being left – you should have gotten management involved – it would have been a learning experience and would have allowed the manager to try to make things right with you. As far as her approaching you, I guess it depends on what, and how, she asked about the lack of tip...if she thought she gave good service it would have been good information for her to have...
I have great respect for quality servers. Just think, if no one ever became a waitress or waiter again, the only places to eat would be fast food places. There are good servers and bad ones, just like any other profession – and yes, it is a profession. I have a college education and run a computer network, but the only job I was ever fired from was waitressing...It takes a very special person to be a server in a restaurant.
All blacks should be sent this article and thread to read. WHY, oh, WHY do black people not tip? It's a known thing in the service industry that blacks are either going to straight up stiff you or leave 5 to 10% tip. Usually the prior. It's also a well known fact that blacks are the biggest complainers about the food or service AFTER they have eaten 80 percent of the food they have received. Always looking for a freebie.
I once had such terrible service many years ago that I ripped a ten dollar bill in half which would have been a decent tip and left it protruding out the top of the check folder. I always heard one could go to the post office and be reimbursed for a torn bill, don't know if it's true but I felt great leaving it for a tip. I always tip well, around 20+% of the total bill and understand most servers work their butts off. I hope my tip encouraged this waitress who was rude and an idiot, not just having a bad day, to find a different job.
One time my mom's burger was thoroughly raw inside. She showed the waiter who said he would take it back to have them finish cooking it. After a bit he brought it back and it was covered with more ketchup than before it went in. I told my mom to cut it open and low and behold it was exactly just as raw as before. We didn't know what to do. Was it the cook or the waiter at fault? Clearly someone didn't want to do their job. We chose to tip the waiter but we didn't ever go back there. Who wants to get e coli or some other food borne illness?
I do a good job at my place of business...where is my tip? I do tip, when appropriate. My problem is why is it already assumed we should start at 15%-20% no matter what. A tip should be b/c someone went above and beyond. The comment that wait staff do not get paid much regularly is old. Sounds like your problem, not the customers...I don't get paid what I think is fair either, but you know what, I can get another job if I chose.
are you guys serious? throw a couple bones (literally $1 or $2 more) and call it a day. why so bitter about a couple bucks? will that change your lifestyle? suddenly you can go get yourself a ferrari? or does it make you feel like you didn't get "taken" by a WAITER/WAITRESS? does it make you feel like you stood up for yourself? grow up, and just leave a couple extra...
I don't think I would consider myself to be a difficult customer. I thank the wait staff for filling up the water, I am attentive when the specials are listed. I say "please" and "thank you", am appalled when people snap their fingers at the waitstaff, etc. I think I am a nice customer. I once visited a restaurant that I visited infrequently. (I wouldn't say I was a "regular.") Throughout the meal, the service was "iffy" – the waitress was snarly, the service was slow (the restaurant was not busy at all.) No one filled the water glasses. I ordered a soft drink, and got an iced tea. I am not a difficult customer, so I drank the iced tea. The food was really good. I had a coupon for a 20%t discount. When I received the check, I left a 15% tip on the amount BEFORE the discount. The waitress took the bill and the money. She asked if I wanted change, and I said no. She looked at the tip – which I thought was pretty generous, given the service and the fact that the tip was based on the full check, not the check less the discount. She rolled her eyes and made the ugliest puss. I said, "Oh! I must have made a mistake, please let me re-figure my tip." She brightened up and gave me the wallet. I took the tip back, and just paid the bill. The restaurant closed two days later.
Tips are earned for above and beyond service. In a buffet cafeteria where food is served with an ice cream scoop and the grace of dishing out dog food, there's no tip for you. Being attentive, serving a wonderful meal, making people at the table feel at home and wanted and there is a good tip for you. By the way, why should one feel compelled to put money in a tip jar at a fast food restaurant or for carry out?
After working in the restaurant industry, I have less tolerance for bas service. Its not that difficult to try to make your customers happy, especially since people are generally reasonable (with some exceptions of course!). I try not to leave nothing for a tip, because then the server may think that I forgot to leave a tip. So if I'm trying to demonstrate you gave BAD service and don't deserve a good tip I will leave a few cents.
Ever go to an all you can eat buffet and they have a server that brings you drinks? What's up with that? Should I feel guilty for not tipping the drink person? I'm already up getting my own food, I can get my own drink!
I used to work food service, so I know how hard the job is. For that reason, I almost always tip at least 15%. HOWEVER, with particularly heinous services, I leave a 10% tip and a full note (couple of napkins if necessary) about why it wasn't more. This happens when the waiter doesn't heed whatever I have nicely asked, reminded, 2 or 3 times.
The government started taxing tips because people were doing it so much. If we just stopped tips all together the government won't tax them and they can make a livable wage without the work that the next customer will stiff them. Tipping, and the subsequent taxation of tipping has actually made it harder for waitresses.
it's funny how people need "excellent" service for a decent tip. when i go out with friends or colleagues for lunch, and the wait staff is decent (brings food out on time, refills drinks regularly, etc.), they still tip 10-15%. so what does the waitstaff have to do to get 20% tips? give them a BJ??? lap dance??? for f sakesm, tip the person reasonably. so i always end up having to pad the tip when we're leaving so that we don't look like bunch of cheap douchebags.
I was really surprised at the sheer number of posts to this one topic. I have seen fewer posts to what i would consider a huge hot topic button. I have only not tipped on about two occassions. Both times were because i had horrible rude servers. I do not tip to be yelled at, ignored, have things plunked down on the table hard enough to spill drink onto my clothes, or any other form of abuse. I do not pay extra for this sort of thing. I do not skip a tip because someone got my order wrong, i am human too, I do not skip tips because the check was a bit odd and needed extra work to fix. I am human too. I do not skip a tip because the steak isnt cooked to my perfect requirements, my mom never cooked it to my liking and i would never say a peep. But i will not pay for abuse. That is insanity. I also insist on speaking to managers for rudeness, to say hey, not only didnt i tip, but i don't intend to return. But i am not rude while saying so. I worked in the ER, with people at their absolute worst, on the worst day of their lives and i have been yelled at, spit on, attacked, screamed at and all manner of things. but i was never ever rude. Ten years of this. So yes, waiting is a hard job with insane demands, but it can be done without abuse.
I've always tip well even when the service is really really bad. I just can't bring myself to do it even though the person clearly did the worst job ever. I generally grit my teeth and smile anyway. The thing is though in the end the poor service can come back to haunt them anyway because generally I never return to that restaurant again. If enough people have a bad experience the waiter can contribute to the demise of the restaurant and eventually may get laid off.
I usually tip over. But, I rememer recieving a fish fillet that was still FROZEN in the interior (was said to be FRESH on the menu). When I told the waiter I couldn't eat it, he LAUGHED, and then he returned the SAME piece to the kitchen so the outside was burnt, but the inside was FINALLY cooked. I have NEVER eaten at that restaurant again (though I visit that city frequently). I wrote on the Visa receipt with NO tip, uncooked food and waiter laughed. I had worked as a waitress before, and I was appalled!
I work in an office setting and they always ordered chinese for delivery from one place for many years before I started working there. The delivery person was always really polite and eager to deliver to our location. I finally found out why though after I placed my order for myself one day. You see at the office when placing an order we would take the total figure out the 15% tip and then divide that ammount among the people who were ordering. It wasn't until I placed an order for myself that the total was higher than the 8% tax, upon investigating the restraunt automatically charges 15% for tip and includes that in your total. In the end the delivery driver was being tipped twice.
Alright CNN, quit raising this stupid debate. People on either side will not be persuaded one way or the other. Tipping in a restaurant is the most divisive social issue where both sides refuse to budge from their beliefs.
Except your job pays you enough. Tips are allowed by restaurant owners to be counted towards minimum wage of servers. Many of them make below minimum wage, because tips are expected to make up the difference.
Let me educate you, if you do not make enough in tips, your employer is required by law to make up the difference. This also may indicate to the employer that the server is not any good.
Wait staff depend on tips. Whether or not you like this fact is irrelevant.
I know this. Therefore, when I step into a restaurant, before I am seated, I am agreeing to pay a 15% tip.
What I expect in return is having someone wait on me. If I don't get something or prepare something myself then that is fair.
If the service is good, the percentage goes up from there. If the service is bad, oh well... 15% it is (A bad server will not last long and will likely be fired)
If there is something wrong with the food by fault of the kitchen (undercooked, overcooked, just plain wrong) I expect to have that item removed from the bill.. it does not change how the server is treated.
If there is a coupon for a 2-for-1 entrée or something like that, my tip is based on the amount that the check would have been. I will also tip more if I am occupying a table longer than usual (this too can cost the server money if it is busy and people either need to be turned away or sent to another server's section)
For those of you that say things like "Grown ups should not work for tips. Get a friggin career or a paying job": What gross humans you are.
I'm very sorry the government taxes their tips, that's fucked up. That ain't my fault. It would seem to me that waitresses are one of the many groups the government fucks in the ass on a regular basis. Look, if you ask me to sign something that says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it, put it to a vote, I'll vote for it, but what I won't do is play ball. And as for this non-college bullshit I got two words for that: learn to fuckin' type, 'cause if you're expecting me to help out with the rent you're in for a big fuckin' surprise.
I used to be a good tipper – always 20% and up. But I've noticed over the past year or two that as the economy gets worse, some waiters are just rude and uncaring (especially younger waitstaff). So I'm much more selective in who geets a good tip anymore. The bad ones get no more than 10%, and I think they usually don't care anyway (or at least they act like they don't care).
I never leave without tipping. This makes you appear either cheap or forgetful. If you are trying to make a statement about the service, leave a very small tip. This shows that you took the time to tip and specifically left very little. I find this works best with credit cards. With real change it could appear you just left whatever you had left in your pocket.
This is one of those things that people long forgot, but TIPS stands for To Insure Proper Service. 95% of restaurants today have little or no idea what real service is all about. If you go into the service industry, you better know what you are getting in to and don't act surprised when you don't get what you think you should. You should ask yourself, how could I have done better. I don't want to know your name and I don't need any cute acts. Your job is to serve the table, take the order and make sure everyone is happy. Yes there are A-Holes out there who won't tip no matter what, but who said this is a given? Just because everyone out there thinks that tips are a given does not mean that they are. If you are a server and you do a bad job you get nothing, and the customer should not have to feel bad because of it. I will also tell the server why they did not get the tip because I think it is important for them to know and hopefully learn from the mistake so that the next person will tip for the great service.
I believe in tipping for good service and reasonable prices. Unfortunately the server is punished if I feel I am getting ripped off for meals and drinks. If I buy a round of drinks for 4 people and it is over $30 (which happens a lot when you live in a big city) The server/bartender is not getting a 6 dollar tip from me, maybe 2 at the most. On the other hand if me and my wife go somewhere where there are great drink specials and reasonable food prices and we spend 40 bucks, I will leave a 10-12 dollar tip, and come back to that establishment. Most peopel I know do that too.
You seem like a very classy person. I have never worked at a server, or really any similar type of job, but to complain about tipping because of prices? If you are that poor, then don't go out to a bar! As I said in an earlier post, most of the people on this board seem like trashy people who have no idea of class. Tipping reflects the class of the customer in most situations.
Brian you are so right and I eluded to that earlier...."Tips" to people nowadays is more a reflection on the class and congenialty of the person tipping, than it is to the performance of the person serving them!
I am a bartender/server and the owner NEVER leaves a tip.....he is a scumbag makes me want to spit in his food/drink...he knows that he pays us $4.85 an hour and understands that we work and live for our tips...i hope he gets hit by a bus
But then you might have to find another job soemwhere else – Actually it sounds like you should do that anyway. If he's that bad it could sink the business anyway.
you have also obviously never worked in the service industry
funny how i can spot you idiots....you all make comments like "find another job" etc. etc. EDUCATE YOURSELF....remember what you read on this next time you go out to eat...remember who handles your food....put yourself in a cook or a server/bartenders shoes literally for one day i bet you my yearly salary you wouldnt be able to hack it....now get back to work
Those that flat refuse to tip are just jerks. I'd bet they're plenty rude to wait staff too.
I usually tip 15% or so. A couple times I've left nothing if the service was bad. But once, the service was so bad I left worse than no tip. I left 2 cents! My bill was $19.98 and I paid with a 20. She brought my change and when I left my table I left the 2 cents there. I also wrote a note on the ticket that my service was horribly slow and I was barely taken care of. (it wasn't busy there that night)
One time at a place I worked we had some Chinese food delivered for lunch. The driver was unhappy with his tip and refused to leave until people brought him more money. That was probably one of the strangest things I'd ever seen. While I think others did, I never ordered from there again.
I have left a penny or two once at an IHOP. As a waitress, I tip really well, over 20% if the evening went smoothly. But this waitress I had at IHOP handed me a beige coffee cup with red lipstick right on the cup. It was so bluntly there that she really had to have not given a crap to hand me a cup that was dirty.
Automatic tipping is silly. If a waiter punched you in the face as he served your food you would still tip 25%? And since when did tipping become 20%, it used to be 10% and then 15%. One day its going to be 300%.
i always tip for everything, generally well over 20% of the bill, for good or bad service. it's mostly so that i feel good and satisfied not necessarily for the server. i find that if the service is good it's worth it, if it's bad at least i just made that person's day, and the service might be better for the next customer.
Well, whatever works for you, but doesn't seem right that you're rewarding bad service with what is actually a generous tip. Maybe they are just as likely to give the next table equally bad service.
I used to stiff servers if the service was REALLY bad, but a friend of mine who serves told me that she actually loses money because they tax her on the assumption that she receives 12% on each tab. So now if I'm really ticked, I'll leave 10%. I think this communicates that the service was poor without actually feeling like I'm robbing the server.
I consider myself to be a decent tipper. As most people state though I really consider it to be dependent on service. I will state that have only been two cases where I did not leave a tip. The first time a few friends of mine went out to dinner, we got a drinks in a quick fasion, however after we ordered our appetizers, we watched as they sat in a window for 45 minutes before the waitress brought them out to us, and it took another hour to receive our food (and check because I demanded it.) I would have understood if the place was super busy, however there were only a few other people there and most of them were in and out in no time. It turned out our waitress was sick and was spending most of her evening smoking a cigarette and talking on her cell phone. The second time was at a Chili's where while waiting for my items my waiter was flirting with a woman twice his age. It got to the point where the kitchen staff was bringing my food to our table. After speaking with the manager the waiter attempted to appologize but stuck his foot in his mouth when he looked at me and stated "Your a guy, you know how it is, you got to get it when the getting is good." I understood alright, "NO TIP FOR YOU!".
Like I said though it is all dependent on the service, I took my wife out for her birthday with a couple of her friend, to another "Chili's" (it was her choice) and the waitress by far gave us the best experience, and made sure of it for my wife's birthday. I also took time to notice that she acted this way to all of her other customers no matter how they treated her. Our dinner total came to $114 and I left a tip of $114. You know good service pays in more ways than one after working there for only 6 months, she was offered a site manager job at another Chili's in town.
@kellykomet Waiting is one of the hardest professions? Give me a break. I can understand that dealing with people can be stressful, but there are plenty of jobs where you not only do that. There are many other jobs where the stakes are a lot higher, and where there is much more pressure because if you mess up, it'll be more than a simple meal that will be ruined.
Having that said, I always tip 20% give or take. It's easier to do the math and if I can afford to, why not help them out. Waiters get paid little, if they provide decent service, which most do, why not demonstrate that you appreciate that. If the service was really, really bad, I'll tip somewhere between 10% – 15%. But not leaving a tip at all is something I don't ever remember doing.
When to dinner and the waiter asked us if we wanted mineral water or regular. We said just regular water. He brought out a $20 blue bottle. Feeling like we just got conned, the $20 came right off the tip.
I work at a technology service desk helping students with computer related problems. Do you know how long it takes to help an emeritus professor set up a Thunderbird account on a Mac over the phone? How about helping students compute syntax code for SPSS or website building on the schools FTP? Takes me a long time. I get paid minimum wage, work my butt off, and I don't get tipped–I dont expect it either. There was one time though! I got a $100 tip from an older student for helping him with visual basic software...I was required by my employer to refuse it. Everything I do is a JOB REQUIREMENT. For the record, I still tip, not because I want to but because if I don't people think bad things of me.
Forget tipping! I don't want to pay people for doing the job they are already getting paid to do. I'm a software engineer, when I write code and program. no one gives me a tip for doing my job. If you are a waiter and want to get paid more go get a college degree and get another job.
Yeah, we've left no tip several times and don't feel the least bit guilty about it. We always include a written note on the receipt stating why we left no tip. And when the service is great, we will leave a 20-30% tip and include a statement about why we thought the service was so good. What particularly frustrates us is when a server takes a long time returning our card after paying. That's much worse than waiting for the food. We have 4 kids and when we're done and we've paid, we want to leave.
I could easily use less than 100$ to feed myself for a month, and it would be nutritious, healthy and surprisingly luxurious.However, there are exotic foods that are best bought at a restaurant, and a change of atmosphere is nice. Because of that, I would uneasily drop 10$-20$. I don't see any reason why I'd have to spend even more to tip the server. He did his job and was paid for it, just like every other working person. The price of eating out is high enough as is. Also, there are many other jobs out there that are more difficult and taxing than serving, and we don't tip these people. If I were to tip somebody, it would be a tradesman.
I have been working in the hospitality industry for 7 years. I have done everything from hosting to bartending. What most people don't understand is that we have to tip out bussers, food runners, and bartender's based on our SALES. When you leave a less then generous tip it costs the server money. I love working with people but waiting tables is a less than fantastic job, but it is what is putting me through school. If you can't afford to tip, stay home and eat. We don't want you in our section wasting a table, that someone else could use that is going to tip. anybody can be a server but I bet none of you people who tip like crap would even last a week. In my experience it is always the demanding, rude people that tip bad.
DO we all get tips for doing our jobs, doing them well? IT's a JOB! So, why is a server different from a sales associate in a store who also shows you things that might interest the customer? IT's a JOB! Take it if you like the pay, don't take it if you don't – go and do something else!
you have obviously never worked in the service industry...employees in the service industry are on an entirely different pay scale than normal employees....you have been informed
http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
Personally, I think that those who refuse to tip (for any reason other then horrible service) are classless, ill-bred, skinflint jerks.
The true measure of a persons character is not how they treat those whom they perceive as "equals", but how they treat those they see as being "lower status". (i,e, 'the help')
I have walked away from multi-million dollar negotiations and refused to do business with people because of how they treated their waitress at lunch.
I always find it amusing then to hear that this or that person has had to declare bankruptcy or is getting fined (or jailed!) after they have failed my personal 'litmus test'.
Logic and acting based on rational thinking is better than having "class". There is no reason to tip a server, other than the fact that it's classy and traditional. If you don't know the reason for this weird phenomenon, yet scoff at people who don't do it, then isn't that ignorant?
I worked in the food service industry for about 5 years before doing what I do now.
I've seen servers come to the back and cry over a penny tip. I've seen them break glasses over not getting anything.
I've seen them dance around for not actually having to work and getting 30 bucks off of a 4 top of drunks. Last week a friend of mine got a 10 dollar tip on a 2 top that walked out on the bill...
II 've been on both ends.
I tip if someone deserves it. I don't if I don't believe they did that good of a job. If you can keep a glass of diet coke full and don't stur up too much "bullmess" with the cooks then you shouldn't have to complain about your tips.
At the end of the day it's your money. Do whatever you want to with it and don't let anyone bigboy you into anything you don't want to do. People make huge deals out of very small things.
The boathouse in central park had me wait 45 minutes until someone came over and asked me what do i want to drink.. an hour later my drink gets there and then another hour before my food shows up.. I left nothing and the waiter was upset that i left nothing. He stated that "It wasn't his fault".Who cares who's fault it was..THE SERVICE WAS BAD!!!!!
If your service is that bad, please don't simply not leave a tip. The server won't know any better. They might think you are a foreigner from another country who doesn't know our tipping customs, or just plain cheap. Do something about it and actually tell the manager or server why you didn't leave a tip so the server can be trained to be better.
I always tip 20% except when the server doesn't give me back the correct change, that is they keep the coins and just give me the bills. When that happens I deducted a dollar or two from their tip.
What is the purpose of leaving a tip? This tipping thing only goes on in the US. I've been to international countries where there is no such thing called tip, whether you are dining in a 1 star or 5 star restaurant.
If the service deems no tip , i would rather give the manager 9 cents and tell him the service wasn't worth a dime. On the other hand if its great, I have no problem leaving over %20.
where i am from starting wage is $8.30 to just under $ 10.00 an hour. I give 13 – 30% and then as the service falters, so does the tip. Binging the food then not coming back for the entire meal to ask if we need anything else, when i want a drink or new napkin or the fork has a chink on it, counts for demotion. if i have to hail another waiter or waitress more than once, and i wait patiently for them to come back before i do that, i drop the tip down. I eat out almost 200 days a year or more because i travel for work, not because i want to, so i have seen it all. I have not given a tip a few times, and in a group we all decided to nix the tip because the server was ridiculously medicated or not all there. i don't enjoy having to tip hoping it is enough, so i don't get spit in my food. four of us went to hooters in Vancouver, it was my first and last time. we just wanted wings and it seemed like a logical place to eat baby chick wings. we gave 30% because the bill was so small. As we were about to leave the manager ran to us and asked us if everything was alright, the waitress was standing there too. we said yeah it was all good, and she said well your tip was so small, we all said what, re looked at the bill and said no that is about right. they started to make a huge scene, all the other waitresses came over in force. They had free hooters posters at the door, as we walked out we all took one. it was not like we ordered $300 worth of food and gave a 5 dollar tip. I really hate having to eat out sooo much.
The only time I recall not leaving a tip was during lunch with a friend at a chic restaurant downtown of which I was somewhat wary after having a previous experience with a rude server. We enjoy fine dining together and have both been servers in the past, so we take turns paying and always tip well. At this particular restaurant, we sat on the patio and ordered two mojitos. Our server returned with two drinks that were obviously not mojitos and proceeded to argue with my friend when he politely told her the drinks were not what we had ordered. She finally rolled her eyes at him and took them back to the bar where we had a clear view of her pointing at us and rolling her eyes more as she chatted up the bartender for 10 minutes. She finally brought us the correct drinks and took our order. We then sat for 45 minutes without so much as a sideways glance from her on a less-than-busy late afternoon. When our food arrived, it was cold – not that we could mention it to her as the next time she stopped by, it was to quickly drop the check on the table and rush off as my friend attempted to get her attention. He paid the bill and scribbled a note for her on the bottom of the receipt explaining why he had chosen not to tip her. I suppose we could have spoken with the manager or e-mailed the owner, but after a leisurely lunch with a friend turns into a frustrating afternoon it didn't seem appealing. Needless to say, there are far too many great dining options available to waste another visit on an establishment that tolerates a rude staff.
Although I am a good tipper, I hate it. I would rather pay more for my meal, or it be a set amount per meal/person and not based upon value of items ordered.
I can go to the same restaurant and depending upon what I order (esp if there is alcohol), the total can vary by a significant amount (think hamburger & tea vs salmon and a few glasses of wine). I don't see where the effort for good service takes any more time from one meal to the other, so why should the tip be so different?
Think about bellman tips, they are per suitcase, not per brand of suitcase.
you sound like an arrogant jerk. Some of us our working our way through school or obtaining for degrees because the economy is in the crapper. Don't think you are better just because you are old us younger people have it hard.
jillybean –
my thought is that if you're really struggling to make your way through school – or life for that matter – well I imagine that you should pay more attention & provide better service to the people that can put the cash in your wallet.
It was tough to understand your comment. If I were you, I'd concentrate more on your English studies and less on belittling someone for expressing their opinion. A tip is a gratuity, e.g. Voluntary.
When I go to a resturaunt for a meeting, I quite frequently put between 10 & 20 $1 bills next to my plate – depending on the resturaunt. I let the server know right up front – this is your beginning 'tip' – nad joke around with them a bit – saying that each time we have to 'look' for them to fill my coffee/drink – I'll take one away... and whatever is left at the end of the meal is theirs. Some servers pick up on it right away – however others – well, they think we're completely off our rocker & just pulling their chain... until they see our empty glass and the dollars slowly disappearing from the stack of bills on the table. Usually it only takes two to disappear before they get the 'jist' of the deal. I especially do this when I'm meeting someone for business. I let the server know up front that we're in a 'business meeting' and while we don't want to be interrupted with numerous questions – we do want a full glass/coffee cup throughout. This means that the server can generally make up to a $20 tip on a $5 – $10 tab for beverages. You'd be amazed at how many times the server is left with only $1 – $2. Only twice in my 10 years of doing this has the server been left with nothing.
Get over yourself. I'd gladly forego my tip and give you crappy service just for acting like a pompous ass. And I've never even been a server. You don't have "power" over other human beings, so stop acting like it.
I read once that TIPS is actually an acronym meaning "To Insure Prompt Service" and that the money was traditionally given at the beginning of the meal. This way, the server would give the quality of service that the customer was willing to pay for. Maybe this would be a good compromise,
There have been a few occasions where I leave no tip, or 2 pennies, however, there have been other times, when not only was the service horrid, but Management was as well; in such a case, I've been smart & fortunate enough to know how to contact the owners. I've been a member of waitstaff, as well as resturant Management. No, the customer is not ALWYAS right, but I can tell you, french onion soup at a fine dining resturant does NOT come from a microwave! nor should it be an hour and a half Late! How about 45 minutes for a club sandwich, when there are 5 waitstaff members, 3 chefs and only 2 tables? Don't think so....we called the owner of the resturant WHILE we were still there, and our $65 meal for 2 was free; or at least, we didn't pay for it – likley it was the manager who ended up having it taken out of his check. I'm fairly tolerable about service, living in a small town, but I've eaten at 2-5 star resturants all across the USA, and one thing that ought to be crystal clear, the food can suck, but Great service makes up for it. So long as you've got a good staff, that's sometimes all it takes.
Depends on the circumstances. I've left no tip before. I've tipped even when the service was bad. I've also tipped on bad service, then took my boxed up leftovers and on the way out, opened them and spilled the food on the floor... The action should fit the situation...
I only refuse to leave a tip if the restaurant has applied a tip to my check already. I hate that practice, and consider it my civil disobedience to just let the restaurant tell me how much to tip the server, which is usually far less than the 20-30% i normally tip (30-40% if i've been drinking)
Sometimes I have not left a tip because the food cost ALL the money I had. At these broke times I usually ordered the cheapest thing on the menu because my funds were so low. It may have been a bowl of soup with several free crackers or bread. If I could get extra bread at no cost, that was great. A cup of coffee is more filling if you add as much cream as possible.
Eating out is a privledge, not a right. If you can't afford to tip, don't eat out, bring a sandwich from home and eat it in the park or something if you're out and not near you're home, etc.
Then you NEVER should have been in the restaurant in the first place! If you can barely afford the food then that means you should not go because you also won't be able to afford a reasonable tip. Get a life.
I've walked out restaurants without leaving a tip and before ordering... left a note a both the restaurant I walked out of (why is a single woman diner invisible) and at the one I enjoyed my lunch (where I left a very generous tip for good service.)
The myth of lousy woman tippers is bacause servers ignore our needs... do they think we're not interested in the specials? Or having our drinks refilled or a second glass of wine? Or making sure the preparation was to our liking? It's always encouraging to get the check halfway through through entree too ...
I am a banker. My job involves customer service. I carry a blackberry so I can provide service to my customers on weekends, early in the morning, late at night, when I'm out with my girlfriend, basically anytime it is needed. When a client needs a loan or something else done urgently I work on weekends and late into the evenings. Considering this level of customer service, should I be entitled to a tip of say 25% of the $10M loan I just gave a customer?? Tipping is ridiculous to begin with. If you don’t like the wage you earn, find another job. Eventually supply and demand will push the wages up, and while this might be passed on in the form of increased menu costs. I would rather pay more for my meal and no tip.
have you HAD service in Australia? food is expensive, and there is no incentive for servers to move quickly since they make $15 an hour and aren't tipped. in fact, when you are paying a server merely an hourly wage, there is an incentive for them to move slowly in order to earn more money. as someone who has OPENED and american restaurant concept in two foreign countries, i can assure you that the presence of tips is the ONLY reason you receive any service whatsoever. But if you want to pay $20 for a burger with crappy service (but no tip!), there are plenty of those abroad.
To all you idiots who don't tip, or tip less than 20%, you can all go to hell. I am not a server, nor have I ever been one but I understand that the people serving me my food are doing so to make a living. That is their method of survival in this increasingly expensive world. FORGET about the cost of your food! If you can't afford to tip 20% minimum on your tab then you should not be going out to eat! I once ate with someone who actually told the server that they could not afford to tip them even %10. This was after they had ordered salad, an appetizer, an entree, and dessert. IDIOT! Go eat out prepared to pay for what you are getting plus 20% or don't go! You are all idiots if you don't understand or agree with this.
I'd like to know who dictates that you have to tip 10%. 30 years ago it was 10%. Then about 15 years ago I heard its 15% Now it's 20%? Nope. 20% for great service, 15% for good service 10% for ok service. That's what they get from me.
I also have to laugh that people think servers are poor starving people. My first job I made 6 dollars an hour, no commission, at sears. I had to bust my ass. If you think about a semi busy resteraunt, a waitress having 20-30 tables a night times just 3 dollars a table, thats 60-90 dollars in just tips. That's twice what I made moving refrigerators! And that's low balling. Waitressing is a job that has zero education requirements, it only requires you to do your job WELL and not be a jerk to get decent tips. If you don't get tipped a lot, then you are probably a bad waitress.
Shawn, your math holds water only if that waitress is not required to tip out the bartender, runner, busser, and hostess as well. I've had $60 dollar tip nights quickly lead to me walking out with 30 thanks to a high tipout to the bar, the busser, the hostess, and the runners. And the bussers, hostess and runners in every place I have worked have all made at least minimum wage.
I've been a cook at a resteraunt earning minimum wage. My food equals how good your tips are. IF my food was great, guess what you get tipped more. If my food was crap, you will get nothing but complaints. You know how many tips I got over a year? None. So don't complain to me about that.
I've been a server for 5 years now. First of all, when you sit down at my table and I tell you my name, and ask how you're evening is going, its not because I like to listen to myself talk. Ignoring me or acting as if I'm not standing there is not only disrespectful and hurtful, but flat out rude. Where the hell are your manners, people?! Secondly, back to the name part, PLEASE try to remember it. I understand very well the dynamics of the situation, but it wouldn't kill you to learn my name so I don't have to ignore you (as opposed to telling you off) when you're waving you hand in the air at me while I'm talking to another table. I understand its frustrating if you have to wait for something, but I never keep my tables waiting long, so sit your butt down in the chair and pretend to be a cultured adult for the 3 minutes it'll take me to get back over there. Third, when I ask if you're all set to order and you tell me yes, don't have me stand there like and idiot for 5 minutes while you mull over the menu, but get mad when I try to walk away. I HAVE THINGS TO DO. You are not my only table. And while you're busy being a pain in the butt, my other tables are mad and feeling ignored. When you finally do order, don't change the dish entirely or order something thats not on the menu. Barring a food allergy or some other legitimite health concern, thats just annoying and childish. Regardless, though, I still do the best I can, but taking your 5 page instruction sheet, relaying that to the cooks, hoping the runner understands the ticket before he brings it out, you have to understand there's a lot of room for error, which may not be my fault. Further, if you see me running around like a fiend, don't get mad at me. It's likely that I have 2 or 3 other tables who are just as demanding as you are and are driving me to the brink of madness. Be reasonable. If something gets spilled on you, I guarantee your server is embarassed and if they run away its because they are probably looking for a manager. Speak up and your dry cleaning will be paid for. But also ask yourself, could that spill have had anything to do with the 5 year old child running around the next table, or the young man who went to stand up right as the waitress was walking by, or by my errant elbow as I reached behind my chair into my bag?? Consider that. We're not magicians. The laws of gravity and physics still apply. And as for tipping, I agree with the idea that tipping should be commesurate with service. But I think people's definition of what does and does not constitute great service are at times unrealistic at best, impossible at worst.
Oh, and don't come in and tell me you're in a rush and proceed to order your steak well done. If people had a little more common decency and courtesty for one another, REGARDLESS of one's job title, we'd all be a little happier. I know I am your server, but that does not make me beneath you. I hold two college degrees. I work full time. I wait tables for the extra cash, to pay for a car that's probably nicer than yours and to go on vacation whenever I feel like. You don't know a thing about the person bringing you those drinks and food orders special prepped beyond recognition, so dont make the assumption of thinking you're above them.
The people condescending to us are the ignorant ones, I have a degree as well and the same things you describe burn me, too...
They won't get it until they lose their jobs and are forced to do something equally as "menial" as waiting tables. I make a great living great service...keep on keeping on, sister...perhaps I'll see you in Fiji... ;)
One time my uncle had such bad service he left a two penny tip with his business card. About three weeks later he received a letter from the waitress that gave him bad service. Inside the letter was his two penny's and a note. it read "i think you need this more than i do." So he sent a return letter that said "Thanks for the penny's, but I guess you did not get the message."
When I was noticeably pregnant with my oldest, I worked as a waitress, picking up extra shifts during the holiday (Christmas) so I could buy some things I needed for the coming baby. I had a table who was very...difficult. The whole time they ran me ragged, I had a smile on my face and a pleasant demeanor. My co-worker even overheard one say to the others "Watch this, I'll make her crack, we'll get dinner for free." I didn't crack, and their bill came to 162.90. They put money in the bill holder and left in a hurry. When I went to get the money, there was $163 in the bill holder. A 10 cent tip. For the first time ever in my history of waiting tables, I went into the back, plopped down on a milk-crate and burst into tears. I composed myself, went back out, took care of my other tables, who needlessly tipped me extra to make up for "their atrocious behavior" as one delightful old lady put it. (and no, I didn't expect them to. It was a beautiful gesture and I was very thankful for it.) When my shift was over, I ran my report and was shocked to see that my sales were lower than I thought. I double checked the math, and went to my manager, who told me he had comped their meal after they left, when one of my other tables had complained about the trouble table. He told me to get some nice things for the baby. I'll never forget it. For the record, I never stiff a server. 10% is bad service, 20 is for good service, and more for outstanding service. I did forget a tip one time, when I had a death in the family, but I went back a week later and gave the waitress her tip, and profusely apologized.
I'm generally a pretty good tipper. I also try to be a good customer. In return, most waiters and waiters are friendly and give me good service.
Tipping is a good system. It gives the server direct, immediate and honest feedback on their job performance. Imagine if we could do the same for what kind of job politicians are doing.
Look, the bottom line is this: It is the custom and social norm in American society to leave AT LEAST a 15% tip when you go out to eat. That's just how our culture works. There is no reasonable argument to dispute this. If you receive poor service, you should ask to speak with a manager and express your displeasure with him or her. It is the manager's responsibility to train, manage, and discipline the servers. A customer complaint, in most restaurants, carries a lot of wait; if you voice your dissatisfaction with the server, odds are that he or she will be reprimanded. But, you should still leave a tip, no meter how atrocious the service is.
But, you should still leave a tip, no meter how atrocious the service is....Are you serious? Maybe you should start tipping the cop that gives you a ticket too, or the cashier at the grocery store. Get real!
my family of 15 ate at a restaurant while on vacation. The restaurant didn't have a table big enough for us to all fit in; so they split us up into different tables- 3 and 4 per table (total of 4 tables). The tables were not next to each other. When everyone got their bills, the server had automatically charged each table 15% for having more than 6 in the party. The service was good. I would have given 15% anyway, but I just didn't feel right that the decision was not made by me. In parenthesis, the server wrote (6 or more ppl) on the check eventhough there were only 3 of us in the table.
I left 7 cents one time because service was terrible and then he charged us for something we did not order nor did we get it. Finally he took that item off. I left the 7 cents and when he found it he chased us out of the building screaming all the way. We never went back.
Laura- It's not a matter of "can't" for most of us, it's a matter of "won't" for lousy service. My husband and I expect to pay $200 or more for dinner in many places for two, and I don't mind one bit leaving $50 to the server if they are at least average. I CAN leave at least 15%, but if you're ruining the experience that I paid $200 for, I'm not rewarding you for it!
.........meaning if the waitress is younger and/or hotter than HER, the experience is completely ruined for her, as her husband tries to put his eyeballs back in their sockets.....LOL!
Believe it or not, in many fine dining establishments, the wait staff is comprised of men. And if you only knew how stupid your comment was... Ignorant a$$.
i don't buy the argument of "we'd have to raise menu prices" fast food, and the like pay minimum wage and higher. if a 20% tip is "expected" why not increase prices by 20% and bam. there ya go. i don't have an incentive at my desk job to work any more.
and moreover the gov't say's its ok to pay less than minimum wage AND tax the waitstaff total SALES. that's just foul. because i spend 45 bucks on a steak dinner, the gov't assums the wait staff get's a tip of 20% of that final cost. change the gov't reporting as well!
Ask your employer what happens if all of a sudden no one gets tipped. The employer is then required to increase your overall wages equal to the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr (http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm).
A person should be allowed to decide what tip the server or any other service industry person is due based on their service. I was recently in Miami and paid a minimum of 17% on all service bills. I had no problem with that and added to it when service was good. I was however frustrated when I received horrible service and was just about ignored completely by my server when I received my bill and was forced to pay 18.5% of a tip. Then the second line on the bill for additional tip. Are you kidding? You get what you work for. If you want a regular wage because you suck at service, find a new job. Service work is NOT for everyone.
The courts have consistantly ruled you do not have to pay a tip that has be placed on your bill. Next time take off the tip and leave what, if anything you want.
Really...Didn't know that. This is the first place I was faced with that. It really made me upset. I almost felt like doing a dine and dash because of it. But I paid the "required" tip and put a big 0 in the additional tip location, turned the bill over and wrote all my complaints down (and there were many). Good to know though. Most servers deserve their tips and I know that they have to deal with some awful people, but some servers should just not be in the industry. They don't have the personality!
I waited tables before so I tip well. If they don't deserve it they get nothing, if the do well I give more than 15% rounding up to the whole dollar. Really good service and I've done over 25%. Note to that things happen that they have no control over how they handle it is how I tip. So a bad cook won't ruin it for them. Carry out is not tipped what are you tipping them for 1% of the effort of my meal is not worth a tip. Yes those who serve food don't always get min wage but those who are not waiting tables must get at least min wage.
We once sat at a table waiting for service. After 15 minutes I went to the bar and got us waters and a pitcher of beer. When the waitress finally came buy she scolded us for not waiting for her. We were polite, but she held a grudge was rude the entire meal. Zero tip as it should be. I am in sales, when I treat my customers bad, I get no tip(commission). If I get average service I give 15%, if it is great, about 22%. Tips are earned.
Tips are optional and should only be left as a reward for very good service. Too often, though, people see them as yet another entitlement they should be given no matter what.
Some people have money for the meal – a restauraunt gift card for example – but have no money for a tip. Not even a couple of bucks. I've been in that situation. Some people just can't afford to tip sometimes.
I have a general guideline. If my glass remains filled it's good service. If service was excellent, never had to wait for anything, always came by to asked if I was ok or needed anything, was friendly etc, I will give 20%. If Service was good, small waits, didnt show up or got a small thing wrong I will give 15%. If service was OK, but I had to wait, they didn't come by enough, or they got an order worng or forgot something I will give 10%. If service was bad, as in forgot major things, took forever to fix it, bad attitude, ignored us, never came by to fill drinks, then I give no tip. Tips are NOT mandatory, especially if the person isn't even working for it.
I left no tip at a restaurant in Asheville NC after they wouldn't allow my nephew to use his debit card to pay for his and his wife's meal which was over $20.00 because that was still under the restaurant's $$ limit to use a debit card. I put the entire tab on my debit card and left no tip. If a restaurant can not afford card fees perhaps they should not be in business at all.
Having minimum amounts for credit/debit card transactions is actually illegal. It is written into their contracts with the card companies that they must accept the cards (so long as the machines work) to pay a balance... no matter the cost. They don't like accepting cards for small amounts because they have to pay a fee every time they accept the card and sometimes they are left in the negatice... but that's part of the deal when you decide you want to accept plastic. Do you ever see large chains with minimum balances (McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Friendly's, etc)? NO. They understand that it is bad business and illegal.
No, I've been lucky enough to never have such incredibly poor service as to merit no tip. As a previous waiter, I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to service, and I typically default to 20-25%. However, the one thing that really peeves me is when a waiter appears genuinely disinterested or even annoyed to do something as simple as take my order.
im a server. i make $2.71/hr. if u cant leave at least 15%, dont come out 2 eat. if u leave a bad tip, dont come back. i know servers who will spit in ur food!
At times it makes me sick when someone whines when they hear you left no tip with hearing why.
I have had service where a waitress screwed up a glass of Iced tea.
Glass check, Tea, check...
No ice, spoon or lemon.
Then my meal, then was talking to friends making me wait 35 minutes for a check AFTER screwing up all our orders. Only so much you can blame on the cook. Seriously I have also had Waiters/Waitresses that when cooks screw up they have been so friendly I have left 50% tips...heck I have had a meal comped for it being so messed up and left a 100% tip in the meals cost to my server.
Before you gimmie the bleeding heart story about Momma or daddy is working hard for those tips, yeah they SHOULD. And if they don't....i HAD THAT JOB. You just expect it, treat me like dirt your getting the penny cut in half and dipped in ketchup....another reason why I carry my leatherman on me other than the basics heh....
Wanna feed the kids and make the bills...just do your job. Don't act like a jerk and just expect a tip. And I know when it's the cooks fault...i had the job i'm not stupid heh.
I have to laugh at alot of these posters who say tipping is not "required". Servers do get paid less by law, why? Because its expected they will earn tips. Weather or not the customer tips them, they still have to tip out the bussers, bartenders, ect... People who go out to eat should count on paying at least 15-20% more than the bill, if they cant afford to eat/drink at a cheaper place or go for fast food. If any of the ignorant non-tippers have ever been outside North America, they would find that the tip and or increased wages are allready built into their bill, hence the higher prices. You guys cant have it both ways, either tip the staff any pay a reasonable price for the meal/drinks, or have it worked into the price before you even sit down.
If you havn't noticed, we are not outside the United States. Our system, whether a waiter or not, is based on effort. Work hard and do a good job, you earn. Waitstaff is expected to make tips because they are expected to provide good service. A friend of mine is a professional waiter at a top restaurant and makes nearly $100k, nearly all from tips. People that do a half-assed job, and expect to get tipped, are clueless. I am a former bartender and I can tell you from experience that serving the public seperates the haves and have-nots. Those that provided bad service then complained about the tips have no idea on what it takes to be successful.
Yeah, my first job was working in the cutting room of a factory that made jeans for Walmart. My job was to sweep up the pieces of denim as they fell to the ground after cutting. I was at the very bottom of the totem pole. It was hot and sweaty and the work never let up. When I would blow my nose after work my snot would be blue from all of the denim dust and fibers that I had inhaled throughout the day. I got paid $5.15/hour and I did my job well. If someone seriously expects me to feel sorry for them when they don't get paid extra for work that they do poorly at a job THEY CHOOSE to stay at, I'm sorry. You want higher pay, I think my old job at the blue jean factory is vacant. Cry me a river. For the record, I usually am a good tipper.
I have left a penny, on one occasion; I wanted the server to know that I had not simply forgotten. In all my years, I have only been that irritated with the wait-staff. The other time, I went to the owner and said that the woman should be fired.
But it HAS to be clear that is was the waiter or waitress. There are a number of times when I have been irritated, but realized that it may not have been the server that was at fault.
I don't mean to be rude, but it seems that many of the people on this board eat at very low class places. Only once in my life have I ever not left a tip. As for the amount, I often leave of tip of $20 to $30 or more because the bill is over $100.00. Tipping often speaks more of the person leaving the tip than the service. If you have even a $50.00 meal and leave $2.00 to $5.00, you need to get some class
Vladimich – the norm in the US is to tip 15 to 20% based on the level of service you receive. You should not just round up because it is more convenient for you.
Servers are paid less than $3/hr – unfortunately that is the way it is – and it is not the server's fault – so they should not be punished because you don't agree with the law. If you don't agree with it,t hen don't go to a restaurant and expect someone to wait on you. Eat at home.
Restaurants sometimes include the gratuity on a party of 6 or 8 to protect the server. That is because larger parties take up more time and more tables for that one server. And unfortunately, there are people like you out there, who just round up, or don't tip based on good service, and the waiter gets screwed out of money they could've made having more tables that shift.
Why would you refuse to eat at a restaurant that includes the gratuity for large parties? It is usually a 15% or 18% gratuity which is the norm anyway. It is not like they are tacking on a 30% gratuity or something outrageous.
I always tip starting at 20% for good service. As the service level decreases so does the tip, but I will not tip less than 10% unless it was AWFUL service. Being a waitress for 7 years I know what to expect, and when it is the waiter's fault. And don't punish the waiter if your food is cold or you don't like the way it tastes, or it took too long. That is the kitchen's fault and should be addressed by the manager. The waiter should still get their full tip for taking your order and bringing your food to you.
Cindy,
It is not really my purpose in eating out to tip the waiter or evaluate the promptness.
Naturally it takes a little longer to get processed in busy place then when the place is empty also some meals take longer to prepare then others that should be reflected on the waiter.
But I do come to restaurants for the food. So it would seems more logical to leave the Tip based on the quality of food.
Sitting there with a calculator and counting out change is annoying.
As far as service, I am not that picky, bring me a plate with something or other on it and keep an eye on the drink (if it seems empty, chances are I want another). It’s ok if you screw up the order, most of the time I don’t even remember what I ordered.
Also, I am perfectly fine going to the kitchen and getting it myself, or getting more beer in the bar, but I get yelled at for it :(.
My husband and I have both worked in the food industry, and we regularly go to dinner at local restaurants. We usually tip well because we have been in the role of server and understand just how demanding and picky diners can be. I have, on a one occasion left a 2 cent tip for deplorable service, (if you could call it service since we had to find another server actually bring our drinks, and another for our meal) when I was out with family members. The person who took our order expected an 18% tip because we had 6 people in the party, even though she brough a very expensive bottle of wine instead of the house wine we ordered, told us it was the same price, then never returned to our table!, we had 3 other servers help us that night (only after we tr acked them down) and our meals came out incorrect – 35 minutes after the party of 5 who came in 20 minutes after we did!
Usually my husband and I leave good tips, even if a server is having a bad day. You never know if they have just been triple sat, haven't had a break yet, and have been yelled at by another server's guest. We also make it a point to let the manager know when we have had good service so they hear the kudos for their servers, not just the complaints.
Some college friends and I once left 3 pennies in a dirty jalepeno cup because the waitress was rude and condescending. I think that's the only time I've ever left a tip like that, but I've left smaller tips for poor service.
I've worked as a server before, so I'm usually pretty generous unless the service is down right bad. A short wait or small mistake on the order, I don't "penalize" for that, as it's often not the waitresses fault anyway.
This is the way I see it – waiting tables is a craft, just like cooking, being a mechanic, carpenter, etc. I have seen wonderful waiters and waitresses who absolutely spoiled us, and I have seen the other end of the spectrum – wait staff who think they deserve big tips without performing their job. The first group obviously knows their craft – they know how to interact with people, get their food and drinks making it look almost effortless, know the food, what to recommend, etc. The other group make it seem like you are bothering them just by sitting in their section. Would you go to a mechanic that talked down to you and told you that you needed stuff that you really didn't, or a carpenter that can't cut a straight line – those are the ones that either don't know or don't care about their craft. So the bottom line is if you study and practice your craft you will get good tips, otherwise not.
Left a penny and a comment on the receipt a handful of times for exceptionally horrible service in the last 10 years. I've received a call back from the manager only once during this time. I normally tip between 15-20% depending on service.
1."If you're a server get an education so you can get a real job" What the hell do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to get myself through college and grad school with this job! Why does everyone assume that servers are deadbeats?! Fact is: I'm working really hard to get myself through school and it's seriously insulting when someone just assumes you're a lazy kid who doesn't want to get a real job. Believe me–I can't WAIT for the day when I don't have to rely on the general public for my paycheck.
2. "It's not my job to cover the cost the restruant won't pay." Fine. Don't eat out then. The fact is "tipping" is the national standard for service. If you don't like it–the answer is not to stiff your server. Rather- if it bothers you that bad–go out and create awareness, petition to change the standard–believe me, I'll be right there with you. But the answer is not to stiff your server or tip poorly for that matter. If you don't want to tip, fine–but don't go out–or get fast food.
3."I don't get tipped at my job why should I tip you?! When you're making 2-4 an hour at your job–we'll talk. Until then this argument is irrelevant and you know it.
4. "I only tip for good service" Fine. Totally understandable. But when it comes time to tip–are you HONESTLY answering that question or do you find yourself dreaming up little reasons–lying to yourself– to feel justified in stiffing or leaving a small tip for your sevice (i.e: he/she said you guys instead of everyone, he/she bent down to take my order etc). Odds are if you're getting all defensive reading this–you're probably this person.
5. I can promise you that Chester- and everyone else on here who "never tips"–they've never been a server. I challenge Chester and everyone else who doesn't tip to get a serving job for ONE MONTH–come back and report to us...and if you STILL feel the same way–by all means go about your life. Until then–I think you're cheap dirty rotten scoundrels.
6. To those who tip when they get good service- a sincere thank you from a hard worker trying to get through graduate school.
First of all, you only make 2-4 dollars and hour because you are receiving tips, which makes up for the low wage. However, if for some reason you received no tips for that month, the employer is required by law to compensate you up the federal minimum wage or $7.25/hr (www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm)
Second, tipping is not a standard, it is a form of gratuity. Gratuity is a favor or gift given in return for service. How the hell can you expect or require people to give you a favor or a gift. Bullocks.
Third, seeing as you do get paid minimum wage, why dont janitors at schools or other really crappy jobs get tips?
Charlie- nobody likes a cheapskate. If you can't afford an additional 15%, stay home. I've never worked in the food industry, but I know that waiters live on tips. I'm sure you're not so stupid to realize this as well. The alternative is to charge an additional 18% for every menu item. The idea behind tipping is to insure good service. If you get good service, and no spit in your food, then you should tip 15-20%.
Charlie- I've been a sever for the past few years. I don't need you to tell me what the labor laws are. I know them.
1. AGAIN AS I SAID BEFORE–I would LOVE for the country to change the way the system is set up right now. I say–have the business CHARGE you for service instead of relying on your lousy tip. It would be easier for everyone (I get paid a decent wage) and you don't have to strain yourself dreaming up reasons not to tip.
2. Yes– tipping your server for GOOD service IS a standard for THIS industry. You are well aware that nation wide– the restruant system is set up in a way that relies on the tips from customers. Of course for most other industries and other counties–tipping is NOT standard, but rather something reserved for a special circumstance. AGAIN–the restruant industry in OUR country is NOT set up that way and you know it.
3. I take it you don't accept my challange (from my previous post) as it's clear you've never served a table in your life. As I said before, if you've never served a table–refuse to do so–and then still complain and or stiff those who serve you...well then there is nothing that I can say thats going to change your mind. You've clearly justified being a dirty rotten scoundrel to yourself so keep doing what you're doing and we'll just know thats the kind of person you are.
Cecil-! I'm not in law school but my father is a lawyer and my roommates are in law school. They must be rubbing off on me. Thanks Cecil! You made my day.
JD – you're welcome. I read so many posts on CNN and it's really nice to read one that examines both sides of the issue and presents a clear, logical argument (as you do very well). Not sure what your goals are, but based simply on your ability to express your opinion, I'd have to say that you will achieve anything you want.
I am usually a good tipper. But there was one time that a server was SO bad that I didn't tip.
He seated us, took drink orders and then disappeared. When we finally asked someone where he was (after 15-20 mins) he came back with our drinks, got the food orders and then left again. Someone else brought us our food (very late) and he never came back to refill drinks or anything. After more than an hour (at a place which usually doesn't take more than 30 mins to eat at) we asked someone else for the check again and it was another 20 mins before he brought it to us.
I don't have a problem with tipping and will generally tip for all but bad service. I don't really like the idea of gratuities, though; they have their place in large group meals or events, but gratuities built into coupons or for buffets only seem to give waitstaff an excuse to slack off. More than a few times, I've had to serve my own drinks and run down my own check at a buffet because the server didn't spend a moment to check on me or ask if I needed anything after I ordered. In that case, I will take it up with management.
I took a guy friend out to dinner one night. The watiress gushed all over him bringing him extra water and coffee, but never brought my soda, forgot my roll and salad dressing, then only asked if he wanted dessert. She touched him so many times, he became embarrassed. (He's fairly attractive, but she was over the top.) You should have seen her face when she brought the bill over to him and I reached over to get it.
I think the bottom line is tips stands for 'To Insure Prompt Service' if they can't do that then they don't deserve it, why would I pay them for something they aren't doing. To me a waiter will get a great tip if they go above and beyond just bringing me my food.
If we followed the European or Canadian system of tipping, this would be fine. But in the U.S., although we call it a tip, it's really the service charge. You can lobby to change the law, or write letters to your favorite restaurants asking them to change their policy, but it's absurd to live as though tipping in the U.S. really means "to ensure promptness." It doesn't, and you just come across as cheap.
Only once – and we tried to allow the restaurant to salvage the experience / impression, but they kept insisting on failing to correct the issue and offered solutions to problems that didn't exist.
It was a Sunday evening in 2006 in Indianapolis at the downtown PF Chang's. Now granted, this was the closing night of GenCon (a 40+ year old gaming convention where 25,000 nerds, geeks, dweebs, et al descend on Indy for 4 days of gaming [D&D, board games, roleplay, card games - you name it]), so the waitstaff might have had their fill of boisterous, opinionated, sometimes smelly gamers - but I saw it as no reason for our waitress to leave our table before we had place our complete drink and appetizer order, and then return to effectively "throw" our food and drink order on the table. We talked to a couple managers, but all they wanted to do was replace our waitress with someone else. But our feeling was, why allow the waitress to get away with her behavior and then give us someone who had nothing left to do but refill our water / tea / soft drinks, take away our plates, and give us the check - we wanted the original waitress so she could attempt to redeem herself or fully earn her 0% tip. At least we can say she was consistant.
My buddy and I have returned to GenCon every August since then, but have never set foot in PF Chang's again (see you in 3 weeks Indy!).
I never go to a resturants that add a manditory tip at the end of my bill. Most cases the waitstaff know they're getting a tip regardless of the service they give. Paying a decent wage will not give a bad waiter/waitress motivation to give good service. I once waited tables and, I know it can be a tough job at times. I waited tables in the day you greeted the customer with a glass of cold water and a smile!
Restaurants pay very low wages. Which makes no sense to me. Why should the public be the ones to make up the difference in pay. You don't see people paying for a service in a store than tipping the clerk that rang them up. I as sure store clerks are paid the same as a waiter.
You are wrong. Store clerks make miniumum wage, which in NYS, is 7 something an hour. Wait staff get a couple of buck an hour with the expectation that they will get tips. BTW, the public pays for it either way with higher costs.
I am a server and work very hard every shift to make good tips. I believe I provide excellent service to every table. There are some people who will have a flawless meal- no waiting for drinks, food out on time, check presented, etc. and don't leave big tips. Hispanic families never leave more than %10. (And, I know that sounds bad, but in my experience it is 100 percent true) It's disappointing to work so hard for people and then not get paid what you deserve. People treat servers like they are stupid. I, and most the other servers I work with, are not drop outs, single parents, or idiots- just college students trying to make some money.
The next time you go to a restaurant- by all means, expect great service. Tip according to the service you receive. But give your server the benefit of the doubt. She/he is probably working harder and trying harder than you realize.
15% or not, when paying cash, you leave to the nearest 0, like ( $15.65 bill gets paid by a $20 (And I do not expect any change)…) Maybe sometimes it would come-out 14% instead of 15% percent also.
Sometimes tipping gets confusing, like in those all you can eat places, the nurses give water and take away the empty plates. Are you supposed to leave a tip?
Sometimes they have Gratuities included in the bill, so there is an 8% gratuity already added in, do you leave extra?
This tipping thingy is confusing, why not just pay the gargoyles a wage like at MC Donald’s and raise the price of the meals to reflect it?
At a good restaurant, on a good night, a waiter or waitress can easily make $200 in one shift (which is usually around 6 hours). What restaurant is going to pay their waitstaff that much of a salary to work there?? And if they didn't pay them that much, then nobody would want to be a waiter!
Gratuity based jobs, especially serving in restaurants, are some of the few jobs in the world where someone can walk in off the street, critique your performance, and decide your income. Total bs. More factors should go in to judging someone's value to a company than one drink taking too long, on one random day. gratuity is also bad from the customer perspective as it allows the restaurants to bait and switch you with the prices, leaving you unsure of what the bill is going to be until it is in front of you and you have performed your own calculations. Who is gratuity good for? Poorly run restaurants who will quite reasonably expect you to take your poor experience out on the server, although you are not really in a position to know exactly why this or that certain thing didn't go right. Did the server really want you to have a bad time, or did you not get full attn. because of a decision the manager made hours ago, completely outside the server's control?? Keep in mind that in the chains, nearly everything they say to you was spelled out to them by the management to allow for suggestive selling. Who else is it good for? Attractive, flirtatious young women who men will throw money at despite the worst service. Suckers. Anyway, it is time to start holding the organization accountable rather than just the dumba$$ who carried the drinks. There should be no exceptions to the minimum wage.
If I walk in, place an order, and pick up the food at the counter, I do not fill in the tip portion of my receipt. Same with take-out orders that I call in. I hate that every single receipt has a "tip" section now, even at the freakin' coffee shop!!!
If no one tips, the waiters and waitresses will be demanding higher wages from the restaurants. Higher food price is OK with me as long as it's reasonable. Tips are not guaranteed. If the restaurants pay reasonable wage, the income is guaranteed. However, I am not sure if the majority of the wait people like that.
In a restaurant in China, before going out of the door, I left some tip on the table. The girl ran past several shops to return me the mioney. I told her it was for her. She said she got paid by her boss already.
One thing I've come to learn is that tips are only expected in the US. In Canada, they aren't expected but are appreciated. Everywhere else... well sometimes they even get insulted by the offer.
I have a question. PPL are always asking about tipping a waiter or waitress. What about tipping a dog groomer, or tipping your hair stylist? Better yet, what if you know your hair stylist is the owner of the hair salon you go to? As far as tipping your waiter or waitress, I tip accordingly. If I want to order an adult beverage I go directly to the bar and tip the bartender. If I have to send my food back, I don't want it and I ask to speak with the manager and have it removed from my meal, PERIOD, and yes I do hold the waiter and or waitress responsible for my food order as well, they are not there just to bring me my food, they took my food order, they need to make sure it is accurate, and is the proper tempurature. If there is a hair in my food, a bug in my food I call the health department. If my glass is not clean, I ask for the manager. YES, I am a prude, BOTH parents worked in the restaurant business, I know what goes on and what shouldn't go on. Plus I live in the great city of San Antonio, where roaches are prevelant and dirty ppl and kitchens are even more common.
It seems to apply to anyone in the service industry these days ... but definitely your hairdresser (or dog groomer if you care what your dog looks like), esp. if you are going to be going back to them regularly... everyone can't see the results on you of poor tipping for a meal!
My hair dresser gets a $7 tip from me, and no more. And thats being nice. She also gets me coming in regularly, and she makes three times as much for an hour to cut my hair (even after she pays all her fees) than I do in an hour. I make $8.75 an hour at my job. SHE makes $40 to cut my hair and then gets a $7 tip from me. Even if she pays out half for her space and items she needs, she STILL makes way more than I do. There is no way in hell I'm giving her even more.
If the idiotic idea is that you should tip everyone in the service industry, then you should start tipping front desk clerks at hotels too. No one thinks of that, even though the clerks rarely make more than $6 an hour unless its a large tourist city.
Tip is just the common name for it. And according to dictionary.com, a gratuity is "given without demand". Meaning, its not expected. Meaning, waiters should NOT expect it.
Typically, I am a very generous tipper. In all honesty, there have been a few occasions where I've left no tip at all. It was not because of poor service (I still tip, just not quite as generously). My only 'non-tip' events were when I was too broke to pay anything but the price. I explained it to the wait-staff before I ordered, and was very upfront about that.
Tim, I have to reply to your comment – you said that you didn't tip a couple times because you were too broke to pay anything except the price of what you ordered and explained that ahead of time.
That is COMPLETE nonsense. A) You go into a restaurant and receive a service – someoone WAITING on you – and unfortunately they earn money by getting tips. B) if you only had a certain amount of money, then order something LESS EXPENSIVE.
I was a waitress for 7 years and if a customer ever told me they didn't have enough for a tip and only what they were ordering, I would not wait on them. I am not going to provide a service for free. Thats ridiculous.
Cindy I'm on your side in this, but this is the problem – you are being paid (OK not a lot...) to wait on the customer. Now he says he can't pay you *extra*, so you refuse to do your job of waiting on him? What if he (I don't know) called the police or the BBB and said this restaurant will not serve me, and this is the only reason why. What then? I do tip but I just wonder how that works because tipping is unofficial, but yet would you be allowed to enforce it without having a written policy that tips are required in this restaurant?
realistic, you need to stick with carry out, you're an idiot. However I still feel a tip is not automatic, it is for service, the better the service the better the tip. Horrible service, no tip, period.
I worked in a small retail store that normally had 2 staff at a time. It was a Christmas store that sold ornaments, figurines, those little light up villages, etc. Because there were usually just two of us, and it got very busy during the season, you were running up and down three stories pretty much all day, and because the store was in a privileged part of CT, the customers did not always respond well to the phrase "that is out of stock" or "we can't discount that" and were not always the nicest people. But I was always cheerful (which on some days physically hurt) did my best, because a) I took pride in my work, and b) I wanted to keep my job. I received a tip once in 5 years. Tips should not be required as a motivation for servers to do their jobs well, you should not tip out of fear that if you don't the server will spit in your food. That's unprofessional and a gratuity should not be required to guarantee that wait staff do their job. I tip well because of the really low wages they pay waitresses, which is another problem entirely.
Hm, it would just never occur to me to tip someone in a retail setting. I guess in a small business it makes sense, I've certainly had better service in some places like you're describing than some restaurants! No doubt this will become the next thing...
The women I worked with were shocked! They'd been at the store longer and never received a tip, and I never expected on before or since. And to be honest, I've had to work way harder for much more difficult clients than the man that gave me the $10- but the point I was making was not that it should be necessary to tip in other professions, but that I worked just as hard for all those people as for him. Because for me, as in most other professions, you do a good job with everyone because it is expected, there isn't a class of people it is considered acceptable to be rude or lazy with, even if they themselves don't appreciate you. It's why the store had such a good reputation, and got more repeat business and new customers.
It sounds like a nice place. And I think some of your former not-so-nice CT customers have come down south to become customers of my dh in retail. I wonder if he'll ever get a tip!
Once after a long day of house hunting, my wife and I stopped into HOOTERS. We ordered and waited. A group of 4 single guys came in about 15 minutes after we did, and ordered the same thing we did. She spent a lot of time at their table flirting. They got their orders first, and when we finally got our order (steamed crab legs), it was cold. My wife called her on it, and the waitress got into an argument with my wife over how long our food had been sitting on the pass waiting for her to deliver it. We called over the manager and continued the discussion. Eventually, they re-did our dinner and gave it to us to go. Not only did we not leave a tip, the manager told us the price of the meal would be deducted from the waitress's check.
I don't know why the "standard" tip somehow increased from 15 to 20%, I stick with 15. I do tip larger (20-25%) around the winter holidays. For a buffet, it depends on how much is required of the server. If the server brings the drinks, I leave something, a buck or two. If I get my own drinks, and never see the server, then nada.
well that's not to say that the hooters servers herself is not already being taken advantage of by some slimy business that makes its money demeaning women.
How do you know the 4 guys were single? Did they tell you they were? You sound bitter your married azz was stuck sitting with your wife, getting NO attention.....LOL!
Whether or not they were actually single, they came in as a group with no females and flirted with her, and that's where she spent most of her time and attention, including approximately 15 minutes while our food was sitting at the pass waiting to be served. Not getting attention from the waitress was not an issue, we were both hungry. My married ass is a happy ass.
I normally tip about 20% and think that it is shameful that restaurants pay their servers less than minimum wage. With that having been said, I have left low tips on very rare occassions when I felt the service (not the food or facilities) was extremely bad. But it has to be pretty bad for me not to tip at least 20%.
"According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are individuals engaged in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages.
An employer may credit a portion of a tipped employee's tips against the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. An employer must pay at least $2.13 per hour. However, if an employee's tips combined with the employer's wage of $2.13 per hour do not equal the hourly minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference.
The employer who elects to use the tip credit provision must inform the employee in advance and must be able to show that the employee receives at least the applicable minimum wage (see above) when direct wages and the tip credit allowance are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Also, employees must retain all of their tips, except to the extent that they participate in a valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement."
Therefore, it is never correct to state that "waitresses make less than minimum wage." No, they don't. Their NORMAL hourly wage may in fact be less than minimum wage, but the amount of money they earn from wages and tips will always be at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 (or if not, the employer is breaking the law).
Actually, when I visited Europe about 16 years ago the wait staff was offended when we Americans tried to tip them. It was an affront to their pride that we thought they needed the extra money. I don't know if it's still the same way now but we learned not to try to tip there.
Basically the same in Canada, where I'm from. Tips are not expected but they are much appreciated. In Canada, wait staff make minimum wage (sometimes more) which is currently $8.40 or so in Alberta (more than $10 an hour in some parts of the country), so they don't need you to make up for their wage. Sometimes I tipped back home, sometimes I didn't depending on the service. Delivery drivers usually got at least a few dollars from me since they had to go out in the weather (and delivery in winter can be torture).
In the United States (I'm currently living in Louisiana), it never ceases to amaze me the utter arrogance of expecting that you not only tip them, but treat them like they're gods because they brought you a glass of water and smiled at you. I don't care if you make $3 an hour or not. If you have a problem with your wage, then you need to go to the management. I am NOT making up for the wage you aren't getting when the plates are dirty, you got my orders wrong, you were rude and surly to me, and you ignored me the whole time I was there except to take my order, drop it off and deliver the check.
If the food's bad I take it up with whoever is running the show – not the server's fault. But there have been times when we've waited endlessly beween courses – not because food's not ready but the server disappeared – or I'll ask for an extra plate – napkin, glass of water and it jsut falls on deaf ears. If it's ruin the meal bad – no tip. The other side, recently out with a group of 7 – small kid – changed tables – we knocked over water – everyone's nightmare – I left 50% because no fuss – nothing was a problem. Serving is hard work whatever you think of the system they're barely getting paid – so kick in.
Yeah, when our kids are with us, I leave a standard 25-30%, and they are generally well-behaved, staying in their seats, etc. To be a good server, you have to be part athlete, part mind-reader, and part saint. It's a job that earns a lot of disdain, but it sure would suck eating out without them.
I am usually a generous tipper, but once - and only once - did I leave nothing. Two friends and I were the first customers at a French restaurant just after opening. Our waitress was surly, and took the orders incorrectly. When the wrong food was delivered and we wanted it replaced, she was incredibly nasty. One of my friends, a waitress herself, remarked to us that she would never tip for service like this. The waitress must have overheard her, because 18% was tacked on to the bill. We called over the manager, who very apologetically said that his English wasn't too good. Well, my French was excellent and, when I told him what had happened, he went ballistic. He immediately removed the 18%, thanked me for telling him because he assumed the waitress was like this with other customers as well, and, as we left, was reaming her out using words I had never learned in French class. I don't know whether or not she spoke French, but she couldn't have missed the drift.
A lot of my friends constantly complain about bad service. My first question is always did they eat there before? Usually the answer is yes. Was the service good? Yes, it was, but they don't know what happened when they went back. Well, I ask, did you leave a good tip?
There's your problem right there. Waitresses talk. They talk about their customers and they talk about their tips. They mention the good ones and they mention the bad ones. They talk about the ridiculous special requests and they talk about the easy going people they like to wait on. If you get a reputation for being a bad tipper, you're going to end up getting bad service, because you're not worth extra effort, plain and simple. The more time you require, if you expect endless special requests or constant, prompt refills, the less happy about it they will be and the service will begin reflect that.
Before long you're in some stand-off with the service staff. You walk in the door and expect bad service, they see you come in and expect a bad tip. Tempers flare, and you can't understand the problem. You assume waitresses are just hateful people out to get you.
Cultivate a reputation for being a decent tipper, and never have bad service at an establishment you frequent again. I promise this is true. It's simple economics.
People look at tips like an unfair expense. It's her JOB to wait on me, they say. She gets PAID to do this, they say. I look at is as an investment. I do not disillusion myself into thinking that a waitress is any more eager to go to work than I am, especially not for a paycA lot of my friends constantly complain about bad service. My first question is always did they eat there before? Usually the answer is yes. Was the service good? Yes, it was, but they don't know what happened when they went back. Well, I ask, did you leave a good tip?
There's your problem right there. Waitresses talk. They talk about their customers and they talk about their tips. They mention the good ones and they mention the bad ones. They talk about the ridiculous special requests and they talk about the easy going people they like to wait on. If you get a reputation for being a bad tipper, you're going to end up getting bad service, because you're not worth extra effort, plain and simple. The more time you require, if you expect endless special requests or constant, prompt refills, the less happy about it they will be and the service will begin reflect that.
Before long you're in some stand-off with the service staff. You walk in the door and expect bad service, they see you come in and expect a bad tip. Tempers flare, and you can't understand the problem. You assume waitresses are just hateful people out to get you.
Cultivate a reputation for being a decent tipper, and never have bad service at an establishment you frequent again. I promise this is true. It's simple economics.
People look at tips like an unfair expense. It's her JOB to wait on me, they say. She gets PAID to do this, they say. I look at is as an investment. I do not disillusion myself into thinking that a waitress is any more eager to go to work than I am, especially not for a paycheck that basically disappears once the taxes are covered. I don't imagine she just *wants* to serve me with a smile. But I still want her to jump if I need something at my table. These two combine when the waitress picks up $8 for a $40 check... there's that smile. When I come back, there's that jump.
And she's going to tell the other people about it in the back of the house. And they're going to compare notes and decide it's nothing unusual when I get what I want. When I go back, I get better service because the girls know I am worth the investment on their part. Waitresses don't figure up their hourly wage until they're done for the day. They look at each table as a new balance sheet. You want them to put forth their best, they want money. Previous experience with you can change that blank sheet into a more fair proposal.
$5 is my minimum tip for adequate service. Say I'm there 40 minutes, I want about 3-4 pops and probably a water. If the waitress stays on top of that and I don't run dry, that's another dollar if I'm alone, a couple bucks if I'm with a group. Extra running, like getting hot peppers off the salad bar or whatever, that's another buck. If anyone orders dessert and she has to make it, that's another dollar.
That payment may seem exorbitant, but that tip is just my investment in future dining experiences. I'm not rich, but frankly I'm want good service. I don't want to sit there waiting for refills. I don't want my food to sit in the window. I don't want to have to send my food back because my order isn't right. I am a polite tyrant. I want to sit down, look at the menu while someone gets my pop, order my food, eat and leave. If these conditions aren't met, I don't yell, I don't flip out, I don't cause a fuss. I just start deducting dollars. It's almost never necessary, though. New girls get clued in by the vets. Vets hope it's their table up when they see me at the hostess station.eck that basically disappears once the taxes are covered. I don't imagine she just *wants* to serve me with a smile. But I still want her to jump if I need something at my table. These two combine when the waitress picks up $8 for a $40 check... there's that smile. When I come back again, there's that jump.
And she's going to tell the other people about it in the back of the house. And they're going to compare notes and decide it's nothing unusual when I get what I want. When I go back, I get better service because the girls know I am worth their time.
$5 is my minimum tip for adequate service. Say I'm there 40 minutes, I want about 3 pops and probably a water. If the waitress stays on top of that and I don't run dry, that's another dollar if I'm alone, a couple bucks if I'm with a group. Extra running, like getting hot peppers off the salad bar or whatever, that's another buck. If anyone orders dessert and she has to make it, that's another dollar.
That payment may seem exorbitant, but that tip is just my investment in future dining experiences. I'm not rich, but frankly I'm want good service. I don't want to sit there waiting for refills. I don't want my food to sit in the window. I don't want to have to send my food back because my order isn't right. I am a polite tyrant. I want to sit down, look at the menu while someone gets my pop, order my food, eat and leave. If these conditions aren't met, I don't yell, I don't flip out, I don't cause a fuss. I just start deducting dollars. It's almost never necessary, though. New girls get clued in by the vets. Vets hope it's their table up when they see me at the hostess station.
The opposite of this is true as well. There are waitresses who establish a reputation for excellent service. People come in the door and hope she has an open table, or stand around and wait to get into her section. Because they know, going in, that she is going to be worth it. These waitresses are rare, and usually new. They have it beaten out of them by the constant string of bad tips.
for some reason my post is like half doubled... it starts over a few paragraphs in and then continues to the end. I'm not sure what happened, but other than the twice over beginning, the post is as I wrote it.
Ending screwed up as well. Entire post muddled and unreadable. Here it is in a slightly more legible form.
A lot of my friends constantly complain about bad service. My first question is always did they eat there before? Usually the answer is yes. Was the service good? Yes, it was, but they don't know what happened when they went back. Well, I ask, did you leave a good tip?
There's your problem right there. Waitresses talk. They talk about their customers and they talk about their tips. They mention the good ones and they mention the bad ones. They talk about the ridiculous special requests and they talk about the easy going people they like to wait on. If you get a reputation for being a bad tipper, you're going to end up getting bad service, because you're not worth extra effort, plain and simple. The more time you require, if you expect endless special requests or constant, prompt refills, the less happy about it they will be and the service will begin reflect that.
Before long you're in some stand-off with the service staff. You walk in the door and expect bad service, they see you come in and expect a bad tip. Tempers flare, and you can't understand the problem. You assume waitresses are just hateful people out to get you.
Cultivate a reputation for being a decent tipper, and never have bad service at an establishment you frequent again. I promise this is true. It's simple economics.
People look at tips like an unfair expense. It's her JOB to wait on me, they say. She gets PAID to do this, they say. I look at is as an investment. I do not disillusion myself into thinking that a waitress is any more eager to go to work than I am, especially not for a paycheck that basically disappears once the taxes are covered. I don't imagine she just *wants* to serve me with a smile. But I still want her to jump if I need something at my table. These two combine when the waitress picks up $8 for a $40 check... there's that smile. When I come back, there's that jump.
And she's going to tell the other people about it in the back of the house. And they're going to compare notes and decide it's nothing unusual when I get what I want. When I go back, I get better service because the girls know I am worth the investment on their part. Waitresses don't figure up their hourly wage until they're done for the day. They look at each table as a new balance sheet. You want them to put forth their best, they want money. Previous experience with you can change that blank sheet into a more fair proposal.
$5 is my minimum tip for adequate service. Say I'm there 40 minutes, I want about 3-4 pops and probably a water. If the waitress stays on top of that and I don't run dry, that's another dollar if I'm alone, a couple bucks if I'm with a group. Extra running, like getting hot peppers off the salad bar or whatever, that's another buck. If anyone orders dessert and she has to make it, that's another dollar.
That payment may seem exorbitant, but that tip is just my investment in future dining experiences. I'm not rich, but frankly I'm want good service. I don't want to sit there waiting for refills. I don't want my food to sit in the window. I don't want to have to send my food back because my order isn't right. I am a polite tyrant. I want to sit down, look at the menu while someone gets my pop, order my food, eat and leave. If these conditions aren't met, I don't yell, I don't flip out, I don't cause a fuss. I just start deducting dollars.
It's almost never necessary, though. New girls get clued in by the vets. Vets hope it's their table up when they see me at the hostess station.
The opposite of this is true as well. There are waitresses who establish a reputation for excellent service. People come in the door and hope she has an open table, or stand around and wait to get into her section. Because they know, going in, that she is going to be worth it. These waitresses are rare, and usually new. They have it beaten out of them by the constant string of bad tips.
If you treat me like crap because I didn't give you a good tip last time I came in, you should be fired, and it most definitely isn't incentive for me to give you a good tip this time around now is it? Learn to grow up and stop being so irresponsible. You get a tip when you go above and beyond. You don't get a "good" tip (above 10%) unless your service was exemplary, and don't get an "excellent" tip unless you saved my life. Thats the way life works. I'm not kissing your butt just because you brought me a glass of water, and smiled at me, sorry.
You don't think prior experience determines future interactions? Your stock broker must love you, if you are as willing to sell the farm for an unknown return as you expect your waitresses to be.
What do you consider excellent service? The girl is just supposed to bring you your food and drink. If she does that, pay her. If she doesn't, don't. What's money, anyway, except time in a more portable format? You spend time getting money, you spend money to save time. Good service, to me, is worth a few bucks. I don't need a calculator to figure out a tip. I just need a refill.
I don't have a stock broker. Did you happen to notice what happened during the last stock market crash?
Good service is paying attention to fill my glass when its almost empty without me asking. Good service is stopping by my table at least once while I'm there to ask how things are. Twice is better. The first time should be within the first ten minutes after food delivery to see if there's a problem that can be fixed immediately. Good service is paying attention to promptly remove dishes so they aren't cluttering the table.
Excellent service is what happened two years ago. I was in a large city alone for meetings for my American immigration. I decided that I wanted to go to the city aquarium which happens to be in the middle of a large park. When I called for a cab from one company they "didn't know when they would be there" and wanted to leave me alone in the park by myself after hours to wait for them to arrive. I called another cab company and told them what happened (I'd been waiting 45 minutes by that point and was in tears because it was dark and I was scared). They moved one of their cabbies next pickup to another cabbie, and this new cabbie arrived in less than five minutes to pick me up. Then he was so nice and sweet to me. I literally felt like he saved my life (or at least saved me from getting attacked in the park). The bill for the cost to take me back to the hotel was $40. I gave him $60. He deserved it.
'"I am not kissing your butt" of course you are rude because you must be an ugly and the servers behind is nothing what yours looks like or ever will for the matter IMAO LOL.
Oh and he didn't ask me for a tip or expect it either. When I offered it, he tried to give it back. That made me even more glad I had given him the tip because he showed humility.
If you don't expect to be treated rudely when you have the audacity to go back to a business after refusing to pay for a service, then you're living in a fantasy world. All of these people saying the cost of the service should be built into the price of the meal... fine. In the regular business world, 20-30% of operating budgets in small businesses are allocated to payroll. If restaurants are going to be expected to fully compensate their employees, then you can expect the price of the meals to increase by at least that much. If you aren't tipping at least 20% now, knowing that the server is NOT being paid by the restaurant, then you are stealing their services and you deserve to be treated rudely, if not outright banned from the restaurant. At least in the tipping system we have now, the patron has the ability to directly reward and punish performance. 20% should be the baseline, though, as the standard amount for basically adequate performance. If you have high standards and want to dip below 20% for relatively minor infractions, fine, no one is going to have a fit over it and most servers recognize that a single table isn't going to make or break them. But if you're starting at 10% or less as your baseline, then you are clueless about how business is run, and lacking a sense of what is fair compensation for a service.
Carmen, don't be stupid. They DO get paid for their service. Its called "wage". Just like a front desk clerk gets paid for their service. Its called "wage". And a hair dresser gets paid for their service. Its called"'wage". And a supermarket checkout girl gets paid for her service. Its called "wage". If you don't like your wage, then don't do your job, but don't expect me to make up for the wages you aren't getting because you aren't insisting on getting them.
Yeah they do get a wage, but it's different for servers than it is for, say, a hostess or a cashier or a dishwasher. It's not like a barrista's tip jar or a sandwich maker's tip jar. Waitresses (in PA at least) get $2.13 an hour, and they have to claim 10 percent of their sales for tax purposes no matter what they actually earned. The taxes on their wages plus their tips come out of the paycheck. So it's not unheard of for a waitress to put in 40 hours and still take home less than $20 on their check when it's all said and done, depending on the volume of the store.
If you look at the big picture though, they're probably getting a pretty decent hourly wage once tips are figured in. But I'm not paying an hourly wage or trying to suss out her take-home pay. I'm only worried about my table and my food and my pop. I'm paying for the service I recieve, and you'd be surprised how easy and accomodating a waitress can be once she recognizes you. The easiest way to get recognition to to offer it, the easiest way to offer recognition and appreciation to a waitress is with money, since that's the only reason they're even in the building.
From here on it's not directed at you, Melissa, or at anyone commenting in particular. Just wanted to add to the discussion.
Eating out should come from your leisure money. If your rent or your car payment depends on saving five bucks on a meal you should be cooking at home or bagging a lunch.
It's easy to say that you disagree with tipping, or that the system is unfair to consumers, or whatever you have to say about tipping. But the time to make that opinion known is when you're deciding where to eat, not once your belly is full. Get your order as take-out, or go to a place that doesn't require tips like Subway or something, and then you don't have to worry about it.
But if you sit down and take up a girl's table, that's money you owe the waitress regardless of what happens during the meal. Bad service should be punished, just as surely as good service should be rewarded. But knocking money off the meal because the steak was undercooked, or because the salad bar ran out of something you wanted, or anything that doesn't directly involved the delivery of food and drink to your table and the removal of dirty plates, then it's not the girl's fault.
And waitresses have a lot of pull over the rest of the staff. You'd be amazed at what a waitress can make happen if she's wants to. Like if the cook puts it up food that's anything less than picture perfect, she can take care of it before you even know. If there's something that's usually in the back but only occasionally put on the salad bar, she can go and make them get that for you. If you need to have a meeting and ask her if she'd be willing to give you some space, or if you expect to sit at the same table for more than the time it takes to eat because you want to talk with your guests, she can make all of that happen, too. If she wants to.
Most people seem willing to take the chance, to put the quality of their experience upon the mood of their server. I choose a different path. Because if you bare minimum the tip, you can expect the waitress to bare minimum on the service. And expect the other waitresses in the joint to hear about it. That's just how the service industry works. To me, it's worth it to spend a few extra bucks on the tip, especially since it's money that I'd just blow on something else anyway. If you can't afford the tip, you can't afford to eat out. Sure, I may not get to see yet another god-awful movie, or I may have to skip a treat on my way home, but it's really hard to put a price on the excellent service that regularly leaving above average tips will, not can not might, will get you.
The service industry isn't full of people eager to serve because it's their calling, or even because it's in their job description. Not any more than management is full of intelligent people who want what's best for a company. Not any more than medical school is full of people who want to benefit humanity. People do what they do for money. If you want them to work hard for you, then you need them to know that you will reward their effort. The easiest way to let them know that is to do it on a regular basis.
20% is my standard, and no less than $1-2 on small tickets. I have a very wide range of tolerance, and it takes major issues for me to lower my tip. If it's easier to round, I'll round up, but otherwise I don't usually tip more than 20%. If the server makes mistakes but is obviously a beginner, I'm very patient and forgiving, although I'll usually mention the problems so he or she can improve. If it's an attitude problem, or if the server just isn't very skillful, then I'll mention something and if it doesn't improve, the tip is likely to be lower. I start off by just not going out of my way to leave a proper tip, like if they don't bring me any small bills with my change. If it gets to the point where I have to do their job for them, or ask someone else to do something I've already asked them to do, then I'll deliberately lower the tip by 5-10%. It's hard to imagine a situation where I would leave no tip, unless it was bad enough that I got the entire meal comped by the manager.
Maybe restaurants should have a rating system, so customers can rate their service. Each server would have an average rating, and customers could pay in advance for the rating level they want–three, four, or five stars. Three stars means basic service: you ask for something, and they bring it to you. No anticipating your needs. No special favors. No song and dance. Four stars means they keep your water glass filled and smile when they take your order. Five stars means they make you feel like you're the only table they've got, and they're bringing you the little extras before you even know you need them. You can tip over and above the service charge, but that is truly voluntary. And if you pay for one level of service and you feel like the server hasn't delivered, then you can talk to the manager about refunding part or all of that service charge, just like if you get crappy food and don't think you ought to pay for it.
I meant to say that I wouldn't *pre-pay* to get the "service" of a server smiling at me. They should smile because their employer has customers, so they still have a job.
I've left, on rare occasions, a single penny. The service has to be pretty bad for me to do this, but leaving a single penny sends the message that the service was very bad. If you leave nothing, the server doesn't know if your stingy or if it was bad service. A penny leaves a clear message that you are not stingy, but that the service was horrible.
I always leave a tip, despite poor service. I do, however, follow up with a letter to the manager of the establishment (providing a copy of my receipt [showing I tipped] as proof that I was a patron). More times than not, I am contacted by the management and provided a gift card for a future visit. It gives them the opportunity to provide better service.
Why would you leave a tip for someone that doesn't deserve it? Thats completely idiotic. You actually let them think they did a good job and feed the "I'm entitled to a tip" mentality. Don't leave a tip if they don't deserve it, and THEN write a letter to management too.
jilly, how old are you? You're behaving like a child and you've managed to invalidate everything you've said to me because of what you just said. Maybe its time for you to grow up.
Accepting a tip in Europe is considered rude...wait staff consider take their jobs very seriously and perfect it....unbelievable service...if they'd adopt that here in the states (with appropriate salary raises), then things would be a lot better (I think).
That would involve you paying ~20% more for everything you order at the restaurant. Then what do you do it you get absolutely horrible service? You cant just pay 10% less than what the bill is because you didnt like the service. With our current system if you are unhappy with the service, you can choose to tip out less and save money on the entire meal.
I just don't tip, period. No reason to, whether service is great or bad. I stopped tipping years ago when it became "expected." This goes double or triple when I'm out of town and know I'll not return for years if at all. What's the point except to enable an industry's shakedown? Nope, no tip. Lots of smiles and "thank-you's," but no green. And what's up with BUFFETS expecting a tip? That's where I get my own food. Servers bring me water and rolls, both of which I don't care much about...what gall.
New for you, George. Waiters and waitresses remember EVERYthing about bad/no tippers. If there is a place that you eat at regularly, I can guarantee that when you walk in, there's a rush to NOT be the person stuck with you, the food won't come to you as hot as it could have been, and your water glass doesn't get filled as often as it should be. They smile and nod and be kind to your face, but they are talking about you when you come in, when you're sitting and flipping you the bird when you leave.
We should all learn from George, and stop tippping. Tipping is a scam! Look, you can't have it both ways. Either it is for good service and optional, then you shouldn't expect it! Or it is a service charge and required, then you should add it to the menu price!
On newspaper blogs, I have had several waitresses admit to prejudging customers as they walk through the door. Saying theKNOW how that person will tip even before ever speaking a word. They then treat the cusotmer bad and even admit to spitting in their food. Then have the audacity to gripe about bad tipping.
I tip based on service. If you are friendly, attentive and basically doing a great job, I tip 20-30%. If I have to chase you around the restaurant to get anything done, or you are rude, you need to find a new industry to work in that doesn't rely on tips for service provided. It takes a lot to get me to that point, but I have left nothing or $1 for very poor service.
Tipping is an incentive to a server to provide good service. It should not be considered a given – if you don't want to do the work, then don't expect the tip. Simple as that. Maybe those servers that don't want to earn the tip and complain about their wages should find another job. If you are a good server, then you can make a decent amount of money in tips. I served tables for many years and I know how easy it really is, so I have relatively high standards for my servers.
I will tip well when the service is great, I will tip average if the service is average, and I will tip poorly if the service is poor. I will also send food back if served cold, or undercooked or overcooked, and if my experience is awful i will make a point of pointing it out to managment. Am I difficult? some will say yes, however in this economy, I expect at least an average experience. anything less and i wont return to the resturant, and the management should know why they are loosing customers.
I am so tired of servers expecting to get a tip no matter what. Here's a shocker for you people... tips are not to make up for the wage you aren't, they are to promote the behavior of going above and beyond for your customers. Since 99% of the time, none of you go above and beyond, you don't deserve a tip. And I am NOT giving you a 20% tip no matter how good the service is unless you saved me from being blown up, shot, or something else equally as horrible. Eating out is a luxury for everyone, and you are just lucky you have a bloody job. I cannot afford to make up for your wage when you give mediocre and average service. Deal with it.
Now I'm laughing...I can only imagine the kind of service you get when you eat out at places you've been before.
Again, you should just stay at home...all the time...you're departure through your own front door collectively brings down the IQ of the general population.
I get fine service. If you can't be bothered to give good service regardless of whether I kiss your butt like you're the queen or not, then you shouldn't be in your business.
I once tipped negative 1 dollar. I put the total bill from my chargecard to be less than what the bill actually came to. I had issues with bad service, rude waitor staff, over 2 hours wait for food (when it was not busy), messed up appetizer, messed up salad dressing, undercooked pork meal and refusal to serve an alcoholic beverage on an outside patio (even though others who purchased drinks inside were drinking outside on the patio). My charge on the credit card statement showed up as if I had tipped zero... I was a bit bummed, but I'm sure my message got across.
"ginamero", OMG you are an F-ing moron- I bet you gave half your patients the wrong meds- I mean WTF??? you can't see the difference between a nurse and a Server? Last time I checked nurses get paid pretty damn good! OMG please tell me you didn't have kids, I'd have to think there are people you brought into this world who look at you as a role model.
I've left no tip and low tip. I always write down why. As for food not prepared properly, most of the time I don't blame the server. But I had food come out burned, smelling to high heaven, at a high-level restaurant, and that was the server's faults. He should never have brought that to me. What is it with women who won't say anything about the service or the food? I have several friends who will complain to me and not say anything to the server or the manager. The manager usually wants to know if you have a less than satisfactory experience. I also tell the manager when the server has been excellent.
I normally tip 10-20% depending on service which is usually very good in the U.S., so typically 15-20+ pct. That said, I left less than the bill ONCE, by 25 cents. So a negative tip. In short, server took break, his replacement either never got message or ignored us for 30 mins. We had to walk to bar and essentially has no service. Imagine whoever dropped the ball ended up paying for it... this was at Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, CA too -
Had dinner with some friends at a Ruth's Chris restaurant near Palm Springs (Hwy 111). Wednesday night, light customer count, yet our assigned waiter could not seem to find his way to our table from the very beginning. As the evening progressed the service deminished to the point where I mentioned to one of my guests seated nearest to me "that I was going to deduct $2.00 of gratuity for every 5 minutes the waiter was absent (after requesting the check and waiting for it to appear)." The long/short is this: After a lengthy wait the check arrived and I proceeded to deduct and total. While awaiting the vehicle from the valet, the waiter came out of the restaurant, approached me, and informed me that "there must be some kind of mistake with the gratuity." I explained that we did everything right and that "if he didn't want to provide service, that he should not be working." At this point he stomped-off and I, along with one of my dinner guests, went back in and spoke directly to the GM about the situation. The GM became very irritated upon hearing the news about the bad service and told us that the waiter was totally out-of-line and he would deal with him directly.
I don't know what transpired after we left, yet I do believe that the waiter never again pulled that stunt. . .
I can't believe the waiter had the nerve to track you down outside about his tip, but couldn't make his way to your table when you needed something. I hope he got canned...
Most establishments would immediately fire a waiter that went out after a customer about a low tip. That's unprofessional and can open the restaurant up to liability if something unfortunate transpires.
I have left a restaurant w/o tipping but not because it was the intention. I treated a group of 6 to a Chinese Buffet. Its not a place I was familiar with. The wait staff never attended me. I paid upon entry a whole lot more than I intended. I figured I was set. As I walked out the door. I was stopped by 2 staff demanding a tip. How would I have known to leave a tip when I never saw you. Anyway. I was in my purse to get a tip and another waitr stopped me to tell me how much lobster was eaten at my table. I then changed my mind and walked out leaving nothing. WHAT GALL. I am always a big tipper. I am usually a 20% or $20. Depending on the bill. Low is $20. So I was a bit annoyed.
I recently lost my job and have been a waitress now for about 6 months. The way tipping works at my job is we are paid minimum wage, we have to tip the bartenders 3% of our TOTAL SALES then 5% to the cooks. So if i do not at least get tipped 8% on a table I LOST MONEY on that table. Then to make it worse the restaurant is coming in and taking 9% out of our paychecks to give to the government based on our total sales again. So i work about 30 hours a week and for my two week period check im only getting about $200. Tips are my life and I just like the rest of the people at my job try as hard as we can day in and day out to provide a good service to the people coming in. We are only human and do make mistakes sometimes, and we also rely on out team of bartenders and cooks to get things right too.
Lola – $200 every 2 weeks? That's terrible. That's the reason why a lot of people go on welfare – because they can live just as well, get free health insurance and not have to work 80 hours or more for a ridiculous 200 bucks! I'm sure you're worth a hulluva lot more to society than that!!!
I know the feeling, I used to have tips automatically claimed for me they estimated that we made a lot because it is a casino. Everyone always complained but the nights when I walked out with 300 dollars. Servers whine so much but where can you make money like that, even in rinky dink bars they have potential . Serving is like gambling some love it or some hate it.
When i was younger i waited tables at a diner in Jersey. All i have to say is to all you cheapo's that dont feel like they have to leave a tip. Stay home or go eat at McDonalds.....waiters depend on your tips. I have never left less then 15 percent even with horrible service.
If you're tipping 15% for horrible service, the more fool you.
Why should staff even offer a minimum level of service if they can always bank on that?
Fuhgeddaboudit.
Tip about tip: Take out your food, go somewhere comfy and eat in whatever way you want. If someone here says that you must tip for take out food, (s)he is a waiter(ess) and you know the deal. Or go to the little Italy type places (infact it is the Euro tradition) where the tip is included in the bill and saves this slider bar system. If you really want to eat in and call the waiter(ess) every 2 mins, you better tip.
Federal wage law states that if wait staff do not make enough in tips to bring the wages up to minimum wage of 5.85 then their employer must. So wait staff you are all paid a minimum of 5.85 an hour whether from your paid wages and or tips. You are paid for a basic service go beyond that and I will tip generously do just the basic with a good aditude and get a smaller tip, do only the basic or less get nothing. Yes I am a former waitress.
I worked in bars and restaurants for 15 years, regularly overtip, and still find an occasion to leave no tip. I recently watched a bartender/manager in my usual hang-out berate an experienced, excellent waitress in front of regular customers. He was totally in the wrong in everything he said and did to her, and he got zilch from me; I explained to her why.
We had a waitress who was playing on facebook while our food sat waiting to be delivered. When it finally (after ~45 min) came it was cold. Needless to say we spoke with the manager who comped our drinks and dinner, and had our orders remade. Her personally brought the food out this time. I was impressed. He apologized for the disorganization as the restaurant had only been open 2-3 weeks. We left a tip after leaving. Hopefully it went to the manager though.
True and this is coming from a former cocktail server, I always made more than most of my co-workers because I actually went above and beyond. The whiny ones in the waitstation texting made soo much less-no brainer.
if you leave nothing they think it was you being cheap. if you leave a very small tip they might get the hint. I used to see cards printed " if the service was better the tip would be bigger " !
I was out with friends and we had service that was very bad. I ran a restaurant and if I knew a customer had a bad experience and the waiter or waitress informed me I would go over to the table to personally apologize. Our server came back after talking to the manager and said the manager told me to give you some free drinks. I asked him to get his manager because I felt slighted that he couldn't take the time to come over and offer any apology. Had the bad service been a result of the cooks not getting food out on time I would have still left a tip, but our meal was cold and the waiter was rude. We left $1 just so the waiter knew that we had thought about the tip and gave him what he deserved!
If you can't take my order correctly and bring out the food that I ordered, do not expect a tip... not even a penny.
Also, why should I tip a waiter, when they spit (and do other disgusting things) in my food? A lot of waiters I have seen lately seem to be really pissed off, I assume from other customers. Why should I get poor service when another customer was rude to you? Why should I tip when I'm getting poor service?
Think about it...
P.S. I worked my way through college as well, just not as a waiter.
Um. Do you KNOW that your waiter did disgusting things to your food? And why do you think that it's the waiter's fault that the food was wrong? Almost 90% of the mistakes made are made by the COOKS...who the waitstaff have to then make apologies for to you, the jerk customer who won't leave a tip because of it.
My sister is currently a waitress and I used to work at a restaurant myself, so I know how important tips are to the people that work there; but I also know from working in a restaurant that if you expect a tip you don't treat the customer like they're a problem. I have left no tip before, but that's because the waiter gave me the worst possible service ever, including bringing us entirely wrong dishes and drinks and then just disappearing. After 20 minutes of waiting to try and spot the waiter we had to track down the manager so that we could get our bill, and this was the middle of the afternoon when we were almost the only folks there.
Aside from that one time I always leave a 20% tip no problem.
I went to a place where they had a times express lunch deal. The food came after the time on the clock that they leave at the table. The waitress quickly cleared the time and said it was not late. She got no tip and we told her boss she what she did. It would not have been a big deal had she just been honest. It's not like it's her fault the food comes late out of the kitchen but becuase she lied that made it her fault. We got a gift certificate from the over apologetic manager but we never went back.
This was NOT my experience, but I watched it take place at a busy mid-west airport eatery. Two very impatient customers were trying to grab a quick bite/beer between flights, and displayed that impatience to any and everyone in the place. They finally went up to the bar and yelled at the bar tender who promptly replied that all guests must be served by the waiters. They shortly had their food and drink but complained to the waitress continuously (obnoxiously). They got their bill, left cash, and literally ran out to catch their flight. Fearing that she had been stiffed, the waitress quickly checked the bill, shreaked, and ran after them yelling so all could here "you forgot your change". We could not hear their reply, but she then said "I think you must need it more than me" to thunderous applause from the other guests.
I'm generally a fairly good tipper – though I think the "usual" tip is getting a bit out of hand. When I was younger 10% was acceptable, 15% generous. Now 20% seems the norm. Still I usually tip 20% if service is decent, 25% for excellent service, and have been known to tip over 100% when the service was exceptional or I was a bit of a jerk (it has been known to happen).
However, for really lousy service I will tip poorly. I've probably never intentionally left NO tip, but I've certainly tipped less then 10% on really horrible service.
I have however made sure someone other than my server got the tip. At a buffet type place one time the server assigned my station introduced herself, then proceeded to clean all the tables near by, wait on the next section, sit down and visit with friends, but never returned to bring additional plates, refill my beverage, or offer ANY other service. I finally waved down a waitress from another section, and she ended up checking on me several times, keeping my glass filled, and in general taking very good care of me. When I left I left no tip on the table, but sought out the waitress who had actually served me and gave her a tip that was about 50% of the meal. She earned every penny of that tip.
Tipping is great for one thing: pointing out how crazy some people are. Tipping isn't a particularly controversial issue (people have opinions about it, but tend not to get "mad"), so you can calmly look at the different positions of the people in the conversation and see that, as in most arguments, there are actually three sides.
The first side is the crazy customers: "I NEVA TIP! TIPPIN IS BAD! GET ANOTHER JOB SLACKERS!" That guy's clearly an idiot, and I don't think anybody's listening to him.
The second side is the crazy waiters: "TIPPING IS MANDATORY! NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE SUCK! IF YOU DON'T TIP YOU ARE A HORRIBLE PERSON!" It's not that this person is an idiot, they've just lost all perspective and have completely forgotten what it's like to be insulted by a crappy waiter who's blatantly ignoring you and then be expected to pay for the privilege. A few years after they stop waiting they'll probably go back to normal.
Then there's EVERYBODY ELSE. Fully 95% of the posts in this thread. They're all saying something along the lines of "man, I know waiters and waitresses need tips, and I usually tip pretty well; but this one time..." which sounds completely reasonable to almost everyone but gets virtually no attention or replies because, well, it's reasonable.
The only reason I find it funny is that it parallels all the political back and forth on this website perfectly. Just keep this much in mind, and use this thread as evidence: the vast majority of folks are nice, reasonable people. Don't let a few crazies pull you out of this frame of mind or change the way you deal with society in general. There's NOTHING wrong with being a centrist, because in any argument the extremists fueling it are bound to go too far.
Most Americans think that by leaving the tipping wage up to the customer rather than including it in the cost of the food, that they will receive better service. But this isn't necessarily the case. I've lived in France for extensive periods of time, where there is no tip and the servers are paid a living wage. Despite the stereotypes about French servers, the most consistent and pleasant service I've ever received is usually in French restaurants.
Being a server in France, because of the culture and because they are paid rather well, is considered a more honorable profession than here in the United States, where we often consider it menial labor. Thus, servers take a great deal of pride in their work and provide good service regardless of extra financial incentives. Furthermore, they consider themselves professionals and take great pride in knowing the menu and the food well.
There are extra benefits to the system. For example, the server has no incentive to turn your table over as many times as possible. So, when you sit down at a restaurant, that table is yours for as long as you want it; no one will glare at you, bother you, or bring your check before you're ready to push you out the door. The server is getting paid well no matter what food you order or how long you sit at your table enjoying your food, your book, or your company.
I NEVER TIP. MONEY IS TIGHT AND EATING OUT IS EXPENSE ENOUGH. I VERY RARELY EAT ANY WHERE THAT HAS A WAITRESS OR WAITER EITHER. DON'T REALLY TRUST RESTERAUNT FOOD THAT MUCH. HOME COOKIN' IS SO MUCH BETTER AND WAY CHEAPER
If people are complaining that waiting table is a low paying job why are people still doing it? If my company would pay me crap I would look for another job... simple... Just get a better education and step up....
My tip depends on the service given. If I see a server struggling but doing their best, I still tip pretty good. I see a server barely doing what needs to be done, the tip isn't as nice. I agree with tipping, yes I was a waitress, but I also know that payroll is a huge expense for a business. In NH server pay is 40% of minimum wage. You start paying the staff minimum or better, the restaurant will raise their prices. In turn you still pay. At least tipping ensures good services most of the time. Servers cannot help if the kitchen doesn't put up the food fast, what they can do is be personable and let us know that we are not forgotten and take care of what they can.
Once.. a group of about 10 of us had a joint b-day celebration dinner and had very very poor service. Slow service, cranky waitress, incorrect orders, empty salad plates and wine glasses etc were never removed from the table. The icing on the cake was when the waitress asked if we wanted to order dessert and then said "Please say no". I said no all right – to a tip. I'm sure there was a gratuity added in, but I will usually leave a little extra even when that occurs. In this case, I didn't. Haven't been back to that restaruant since.
I once went to a restaurant in which the waitress (an old lady) had us waiting for the coffee and menu for 30 minutes, we had to call the manager and ask for our order to be taken, then when I was ordering I asked for some cottage cheese to be added to my fruit and she said NO, that would cost you extra LOL, it took forever for her to bring us our food and when she did the food was cold and she practically threw the plates at us. Then at the middle of our meal she brought us the check without us asking for it first. That really pissed me off and we decided to leave no tip. Other old ladies at the next table saw what was happening and thought that we were abusing the waitress when it was the other way and they called the manager and congratulated her for the "perfect" service she was giving them despite the fact that they also had waited more than 30 minutes for her to take their order. What is wrong with this people!!!
We left no tip and we felt GOOD about it, I'm sure she didn't care cause she also didn't care about being good at her job or good enough to keep it.
I once left the waiter a note saying here's your tip” don’t piss off the guy who is paying the bill” and another to " not plant corn in the winter" both of these were horrible dining experiences, that tips to the wait staff were entirely out of the question to the point I was compelled to leave sarcastic notes, then speak with management. Far too often tips of 20% are expected rather than earned. Tipping the employees of Dunkin Donuts, Subway and take out eateries for the employee to do nothing more than bag and bring you food you already paid for is ridiculous at best, and most people seeing the tip line of the receipt feel compelled to do so. I tip well when the service rendered calls for it. I tip my local Pizzeria delivery drivers so well they all want my ticket, but this also insures I am the first stop on the delivery route.
One time the service was so bad I put the pennies I left in my water glass, one of my friends then proceeded to place a piece of paper on the top of the glass and turn it over on the table.
This left the pennies in the water on the table, the only way to get it was to spill the water all over.......that was a little mean. The waitress was incredibly rude and we were out of state so I don't feel so bad about it!
Why does a very large percentage of Black people leave little (5% or less) or no tip at all. Even when service was never any problem. Ask ANYONE who has been a server
Sounds to me like you've got an issue with "black people." Perhaps you've been treating them like you have issues with them and their response has been a 5% tip.
kts: You have obviously never worked for tips before. Ive had black friends who are servers or bar tenders and they will tell you the exact same thing. Ive noticed the same things about Europeans, but most of them dont realize that you are serving them for 1/3 the minimum wage because the waitstaff in Europe get paid a normally hourly wage.
kts that's correct, I waited tables all thru college, I understood I was tipped for service not just showing up. If you smile and do your best to please, I found most would tip well, even if I wasn't perfect.
Why is this country so tip crazy? Tip, tip, tip. Everyone has their hand out. As an RN for 19 years I saved more than a few lives. Made more than a few people comfortable and did my job well looking out for my patients in ICU...no one ever gave me a tip for a job well done because I'm SUPPOSED to do my job. If I get a massage and pay $65 they should only expect $65. Why more? Aren't they supposed to do a good job? If I get an $80 haircut why should I tip? Aren't they supposed to do a great job so that I come back and give them another $80 in 6-8 weeks? Don't like your job? Get a better one. It's not up to me to fill the gap between what you make and what you think you are worth.
Ok, so then pay them 15 dollars and hour and they won'[t have any incentive to go out of their way for you- or being friendly to you.......there are PLENTY of people that make a "salary" and don't do anything above and beyond because they are going to get the same amount of pay, regardless...........and that includes a couple NURSES I had when I was in the hospital! Have a great day!
I think it is quite interesting, the varying responses that this is getting. As someone who has served as a main source of income for years, in multiple countries, including my home country... USA. I am shocked by the "I deserve it" attitude that some of these comments display.... serving is just that... you do whatever you can to make the dining party feel as if they are kings and queens. You are as pleasant as possible, they have worries surrounding them everywhere outside of that eating establishment, they pay to go out to eat to have to play hide and seek with their server or leave wearing a new shade of soup... they go to breathe and unwind. I once spilled red wine on a beautiful white cashmere sweater. I appologized profusely and made every attempt to sop it up, I asked my manager to speak with the party and he offered to comp her meal. I asked for her to send me the dry cleaning bill, she did and I happily paid for it. This woman became one of my most frequent customers, always bringing in new folks. We later laughed about the situation and she nicknamed me "Merlot". All this is to say... the food industry is one of chaos behind the kitchen doors, but at a server, it is our job to go to whatever lengths we can to entertain and please our guests with an extrordinary dining experience, whether you are working in a midnight diner or a 5 star restaurant. - Stepping off my soapbox now
Well..I do tip good ..around 20%. But, When I hear someone complain about it or if the waiter(ess) tells me that the table overn there did not leave him/her any tip....it ticks me off. like they are trying to give u a hint to tip them good. First thing, if you're gonna complain about your minimum pay, go find another job. No one is forcing you to live off of commissions. you get paid for your service and your commission is a bye product of your service as well. And if someone does not tip....dont whine about it..be prepared for it or find a steady job.
It seems we have been so brainwashed to leave tips that we have forgotten what they are for. I for one will not leave a tip if I've had poor or surly service. I'm not hard to please but I won't be made to feel guilty for not leaving a tip when I've been treated like crap.
Restaurants pay servers a low wage. This encourages servers to work for their pay. And by paying lower wages, the restaurants can afford to serve you an over-sized portion of food at a lower price. Want to pay for a 4 ounce cheeseburger for $12 or a 1/2 pound burger for $6 and a small tip?
for me if its like $10 take out...yea not giving a tip maybe if its like $50 will i even consider it..
if i rack up a $30 bill at a real restaurant (not a self serve joint) sure ill give a tip if i have cash available...
i will not most of the time give a tip via credit receipt..as either the tip never goes in or the value ive tipped is wrong when it comes through..ie its either higher or lower than i put. so yea prey i have cash man.. i know it sounds like im some cheap good for nothing who does not get how hard the service industry works, but these days tip lines on receipts are coming on everything from general takeout, to self service taco joints, to movie theater tickets where they serve food but where the tip goes to the booth worker not the server..as the servers ticket is separate...so yea im at war with the concept that i see occurring, witch is pay people nothing and use tips as means to justify it-
I have left a negative tip before – and yes it actually works. Remember the price of the meal is the starting point of negotiations. If the restaurant attempts to charge you full price for the sub-standard meal and service simply contest the charge with your credit card (you don't actually give anyone anything of actual value any more do you!?). The multi-billion dollar credit card company will readily side with you and either eat the cost or tell the restaurant to get over it.
Tips are gratuity – which of course means given "voluntarily" or "at my grace".
If a server or restaurant fails to qualify to meet my grace by just doing its job, guess what... no tip. If you do your job poorly, guess what... negative tip. If you, however, do a really good job you'll get a tip.
Don't like those terms? Tough. Stop waiting tables.
Additionally, I'm free to go somewhere else.
I assure you, my money is very good at other restaurants.
I'm a server.
To the customers: If you won't leave less than 15%, then don't go out to eat at a sit-down restaurant!
To the servers: Your paycheck is determined by the customer's desire to be catered to. If you don't meet their minimum expectations, how can you expect the customer to meet your tip demands in return?
Please give and take more on both sides folks. Thank you!
I do not think the tip should be a % of the bill. I have gone to a breakfast place and the waitress works 100% harder for a $10.00 bill than for a dinner place with a much higher bill. Tip for service..period, NOT for % of total bill
I have once left a single penny as a tip. (I'm loath to leave no tip when paying by credit card, the less-than-ethical could just write it in.) However, I also wrote an explanation on the credit card slip as to WHY I left no tip. It was a while ago, so I don't know exactly what the waitress did. However, after waiting tables in college, it takes a lot to get me to leave only a penny.
For stellar service, I tip 20%-30%. I've been in the industry, and I've had my days...so even the worst of service gets some sort of tip just for being there.
I have never left a decent server without some tip, only once did I leave zero, it was at Red lobster in Columbus Ohio, I'd almost have to demonstrate what happened, but after a long wait for a table, a long wait to order and a very long wait for our food, when the waitress brought it she came to the table, completely with her head turned in the other direction, sat our food on the edge of the table, without EVER looking our way and left. That's about as bad as it gets. the waits were not her fault, but the horrible service was, we never even got any of the garlic rolls,and had to chase someone down for the bill. I finally said I either get it now, or I'll just leave.I do hope she found another occupation.
I usually leave a 20% tip if the service was decent, 10% if poor. There has only been once or twice I didn't leave a tip because the service was so poor. You guys work in the Service Industry, you need to provide good service. If you have a problem with the low wage, and poor tippers, get an Education, and a real job like the rest of us. Also, don't bring me the Bill, three minutes after my meal is served, it implies you want me to hurry up and leave, or are done taking care of my needs. You guys do of course claim all those tips as income, and pay taxes on it like the rest of us, right?
Eatsoutoften, it's arrogant to assume that waitstaff DON'T have educations. I'll tell you what, I work at a "high-end" restaurant, and I make about $2000/wk working PART-TIME. Why do I make so much? Because I am an AMAZING server. I'm requested every night I work by people who come back SPECIFICALLY for me.
I also have a Master's Degree in History.
Arrogant, and ignorant. Your education hasn't done much for you.
And by the by...yes, I do pay taxes on my tips. Why would you question that? Because if you were getting cash you wouldn't pay taxes? Also, the word "education" doesn't need to be capitalized. And did you consider for a moment that the waiter/waitress is bring your check simply because it is ready? What's with all the "reading into it" stuff?
It seems like you might have some personal issues you need worked out, buddy. I would tell you that I, of course, would still give you great service if ever you were at one of my tables, but I sincerely doubt that I would ever see someone like you in an establishment that has 3 Michelin stars, a waiting list booked months in advance, and entrees that START at $45.00.
If the service is bad enough to warrant no tip, I make sure that both the waiter and the manager know about it. I try to be very nice and understanding – I do understand that kitchen mistakes are NOT the waiter's fault, but leave me or my family sitting with empty drinks and fawn over a table that's on expense account and you'll get nothing but a complaint to the manager.
When I was waiting tables through college I came to ONE conclusion........serving men always garnished a better tip than waiting on women, especailly women at lunch together.....same service, same friendliness, same everything from me.......my conclusion? Personal insecurities, prejudices, etc....always comes into play when people are parting with their money to someone who is "waiting" on them....................just my opinion.......
"According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are individuals engaged in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages.
An employer may credit a portion of a tipped employee's tips against the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. An employer must pay at least $2.13 per hour. However, if an employee's tips combined with the employer's wage of $2.13 per hour do not equal the hourly minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference.
The employer who elects to use the tip credit provision must inform the employee in advance and must be able to show that the employee receives at least the applicable minimum wage (see above) when direct wages and the tip credit allowance are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Also, employees must retain all of their tips, except to the extent that they participate in a valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement."
Therefore, it is never correct to state that "waitresses make less than minimum wage." No, they don't. Their NORMAL hourly wage may in fact be less than minimum wage, but the amount of money they earn from wages and tips will always be at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 (or if not, the employer is breaking the law).
Charlie is a hateful person and a lost cause. Everyone leave him alone now so he can devise a new way to take candy from a baby because " they didn't earn it !!!"
Tell the truth Charlie. You really just want to pay an extra ~20% for everything you order at the restaurant so that the employer can may the waitstaff straight minimum wage. Either that or you are completely incapable of figuring out how much 20% of 35.77 is so you can tip like decent human being.
Charlie, obviously you have no experience in the food service industry. If you did, you would know that servers in a lot of places often times do you make less than minimum wage, even with tips. This business about the employer "making up the rest to minimum wage" is a crock. It my be labor law to compensate the server, but I can guarantee you that in a lot of restaurants, the employer will NOT make up the difference. So, tips do matter. I don't think the customers should be forced to pay a waiter's salary, but that's just how it is in the US currently. So if you go out to eat, please keep in mind that if you're not going to tip, neither is the wait staff's employer. Please have a little common decency. No one is asking for $100 tips, but be reasonable. If you can't abide by that, there really are a variety of fast food establishments where tips are not accepted and you would fit right in.
I have had service that was so poor that I left no tip, but normally when I do, I leave a note or have discussed it with managmenet in an attempt to correct the problem. I don't want to be mean to someone who is just overworked, but at the same time if I have to wait for a drink for an extended period of time, I will get pissy.
Breaking down my Paycheck (In california where the min wage is 8/hr) I make $4/ hr. Really All A server does is ask for double the tax (and really is that so much to ask for? Thats like $5 on a $25 bill). Also If you feel that A server isn't doing a good job look around for them, are they talking to a party with menus? Are there many tables around you with menus? Chances are then the server is bogged down with new tables and can bring you the bill while they are taking that tables drink order! One time a table tipped me $2 on an $60 and since it was at the end of the night and it was my last table I chased them down and asked why the tip was so bad? They responded that we didnt have the dessert they were in the mood for (Really people?!) Think about the fact that most servers work that job to pay their way through college. Its not an easy job and not much is being asked for in a tip (think about it your tip pays for maybe 2 gallons of gas)
How busy the server is is not my problem. Want my money? Move faster or have the hostess not double seat you. I don't care what your day is like...you are the job, I am the customer. All I care about is my good time that I AM PAYING FOR!
I rarely tip at restaurant. I don't know why people think we should. The people working there made their own decision to work there so I should make my own decision if I want to tip or not. I work in a different customer service field and it's over the phone service. I'm paid well but there's 0 chance I will ever get a tip $$$ from the customer for the service I give. The only tip I get and find rewarding is the Thank you I get at the end of the call. So tipping people in restaurant should be at your own decision and no one should point fingers if you don't tip....
Maybe you should eat at home if you are so cheap you cannot tip for good service. Part of eatinig in a restaraunt is providing a tip to the wait staff, and if you do not want to, then you should just go to fast food or stay home.
In this customer service job of yours, do they pay you under the legal minimum wage with the expectation that your customers will tip you enough money to make up the difference? If not, then you analogy is absolutely meaningless. I hope you loose your customer service job and have to take a job washing windows at the car wash for $2.13/hr plus tips so that your kids dont starve.
I get your point. The problem with your view is that it's based on incorrect assumptions.
I am in Ohio. Servers in Ohio, for the most part, received a base salary of $2.13 an hour. They are taxed based on sales, 8-10 percent, depending on the establishment.
So. If I have $1,000 in sales, the government assumes that I've made $100 in tips. Right there, I'm paying out in taxes more than my $2.13 an hour so I now owe the federal government and will pay out during tax season.
If you do not tip me on that $20 meal you purchased, I have not just lost a tip, but I have to pay the taxes on your meal. So I am PAYING for you to screw me.
For the record, I'm not a server. I was during my college years, and let me tell you that my boss would have rolled with laughter if I suggested that I earned less than minimum wage. And on dead afternoons, I certainly did. We all did.
The Labor Department wasn't knocking on anyone's door to make sure we got our due, either.
For those who think that servers don't work hard, I suggest you walk in their shoes before spouting off such inane comments. Don't like the way the system works, there are few things we can do: Don't eat in restaurants. Don't work in them.
This is America and it's how we do things here. Want to pay $40 bucks for a burger? No? Play by the rules, then.
Great service = great tip
Okay service = average tip
Terrible service = no tip
So serve well and we do pay up. We aren't trying to cheat or screw anyone. We just like when people go above and beyond and absolutely hate when we aren't "served" with good service.
One time a guy "forgot" to tip me. He came driving up in an Escalade with big rims on it, flashing his expensive clothes, etc. at me every time I'd come to the table, and I gave EXCELLENT service to him and his buddies. Maybe it's because I don't have a set of boobs, but they didn't tip. Well, lo and behold, he left his cell-phone at the table. When I came back by to bus the table after they were gone, I saw it and raked it right on into the pan with the french fries, mustard juice, and other rancid sourness that you wouldn't believe. He came back and wondered where it was, and I told him that because he didn't tip I had put it in there because he didn't pay me enough to care. :) Morale of the story: Don't "F" with the people who bring your food.
I am 21 years old and work two serving jobs while I'm attending a university and pursuing two degrees. I can hardly afford it, and it's just a regular public university. Unfortunately I often receive no tip, or a tiny tip like 8%, even though there were no problems with the guest, they complimented the food, thanked me for the great service, even ordered dessert, etc. etc. There are tons of people out there who tip crappy for absolutely no reason, well, I always think it's because they've never waited tables or never knew someone well who waited tables. With many guests, there is nothing I can do to get 20% out of them. People on this forum who are calling waiters lazy and stupid and all they do is get drinks and don't even cook the food, etc... There's a lot more to it. Servers have to set up the restaurant in the morning and take it all down at night. They have to help the cooks carry stacks of dishes to and from the cook line. The cooks rarely move from their stations, and the servers bring them their supplies and are always bustling around everywhere. Bar staff (not managers!) have to do bar inventory and stock heavy supplies. Our feet ache from standing for 5-8 hours but if we aren't smiley and cheerful, guests will complain about us. Everyone is responsible for sweeping, stocking, cleaning, mopping, etc. We have to set up for parties, catering events, and banquets, and then take it all apart when the guests are gone.. And with the economy the way it is, there's a lot of pressure for servers to be able to handle the amount of work of 3 peoplein the same amount of time, to cut down on labor costs. We don't just walk in there, bring you your drinks, and then go home. You are paying for both time and service... otherwise you can do all the exact same stuff in your own house and not have to tip yourself. Even if your waitress was slow or forgot a refill or something, you come and tip $3 on $50? I say that that table could have been warmed by someone more socially aware, even if that person tips the same $3 on $15.
I have been a waiter and bartender and I tend to tip very well! Servers work very hard for that money because they receive very little, if any, regular hourly wage. I have also taught my dad how to tip well and he now does a great job. However, there was one time where we had a waitress who was slow and forgetful. The restaurant was not busy and we saw her lounging at the bar and elsewhere in the place and not helping us out. I was so angry that I left a tip of one penny! If you leave nothing then there is always the possibility that the server will just think you forgot, but leaving one penny makes the point that you WERE thinking about it, and that was your intention.
To anyone who has ever left Zero Tip... Next time you think about going to a restaurant, stay home. As a server for many years, I have always maintained my tables with the utmost efficiency. Every now and again, I wouldn't get a tip. This wasn't from poor service I can assure you. Every time you leave a server no tip, not only does it ruin that person's night, mood, and future interactions with the remaining tables for the evening. Furthermore, that person will remember you forever, and if you do go into that restaurant again, rest assured that person will tell all of their co-workers just exactly how cheap you are, and you will receive poor service again. That person isn't serving because they want to, but because they have to in order to pay bills, tuition, etc... Just a little something to chew on before the next time you decide to stiff someone.
p.s. most servers only make $2.65 an hour... try working for that plus tips, then we'll talk
When bad tippers come in, I give them the service they are tipping me for and tell me coworkers to do the same. So they don't get the extras... I don't bring them refills unless they ask... I don't bring them napkins, sugar, spoons, etc. I don't go back to ask them if their meal is good. Because all they're paying for is Food and Drink, like at a grocery store, not the service that goes with the restaurant experience.
You are one of those I describe. Prejudging customers and treating them bad before they have a chance. Tips are left as a customer leaves. So you could not POSSIBLY know how they tip until after they have left and given you a bad tip for horrid service they got becasue you prejudged them. You got more than you deserve.
So, to all these poor whiners (yes, that would be you folks working as wait staff).... let's cut the cr*p and get this out in the open: What are your average earnings per week?
An earlier poster stated she was earning $700-800 per week, so roughly $15-20/hour. That's a good deal more than minimum wage.
While we're at it, how much of that are you really declaring for tax purposes???
My husband and I left the waitress a note on the table. " $-5.00 YOU OWE US MONEY" The service was so bad we got disgusted and never returned. We waited for the waitress for over 15 minutes to take our order, after another 45 minutes of waiting she showed up with our food only to find out she got my husbands order wrong TWICE (burger and fries, how can you mess that up?). When she went to refill our soda after we asked her to do that, she then spilled it on my back, she took another 20 minutes to get us our bill. She never came by to ask if we needed anything else or extra napkins, or if our food was ok. The table next to us was seated 20 minutes after us and were done eating 10 minutes before we even got out check. HORRIBLE. Thank goodness that place is now a Walgreen's.
I've had wait staffers tell me that if a particular wait staffer is taking home less than $40,000 (that's forty thousand!) a year, they are doing it all wrong. They tell me that tips come natural and generously when it is done correctly. Those complainers are worthless and in need of finding a job asking "Would you like cheese on that?" or "Which pump number?"
The comments in general reflect what I understand. If you don't provide good service, don't expect a tip. Period. If I ask for a certain food and you don't bring it, don't expect me to balk and give you a hard time and fight with you. But don't expect a tip either. When I come to the restaurant for a meal I am paying a good price for the meal. You bringing the food correctly is what I pay the tip for. I don't pay a tip for you to show up every 2 1/2 minutes after the food arrives and ask me how things are when you just brought me the wrong drink and the wrong food after a half hour without any food showing up. Oh and by the way? I think the leaving a penny thing is a GREAT idea! That way the wait staff will understand I was upset and not just cheap. If you do the basic things like deliver the right food in a reasonable time frame you will get a good tip. If you go above and beyond and make things right quickly when something went wrong (as they do from time to time) you will get a great tip!
There was only one time that I didn't leave a tip because the service was so bad. I actually left a note that said "here is your tip...get a new job" it was harsh but I did find out that she was fired. My husband and I are very good tippers and always get great service because of it. We've both worked as servers in the past so we know what it can be like. There were more than a few times that bad tippers would leave a $2 tip on a $60 bill even though they got great service. These people did it EVERY time they came in. Nobody wanted to wait on them because it would actually cost the server to wait on them after you factored in tip out at the end of the day. Some people tip bad regardless of the service and when you are making less than min wage as a server you really depend on those tips to pay bills.
My husband and I once left no tip in a particularly disgusting Chinese restaurant in NYC. The server - who had been remarkably rude from the start, had not brought all the dishes we'd ordered, and had not even glanced at our table after delivering the dishes that we did get - chased us down the street and yelled at us for leaving no tip! If ever there was an example of why mandatory tipping is a stupid idea, this guy was it. I tip well when service is good (20% plus), and I tip the minimum when it's just acceptable (18% minus). I will tip low if service is poor but not offensive (10% or less). But I will not tip someone who is abusive and surly. It's not my problem if the employer is underpaying the servers (or not paying them, which may have been the case in this Chinese restaurant). I have refused to tip especially rude taxi drivers in NYC, which is within my rights as a passenger. But it seems that doing so is putting your life in danger: I have gotten some violent reactions. There are also the drivers who flatly refuse to hand back all your change. Better to use a credit card, so you have some control...and a record of the cab number.
Tipping is for services rendered. No service, no tip.
Do you get paid below the legal minimum wage for these services that you offer clients with the expectation that if you provide excellent service they will make up the difference with a nice tip?
Wow, I am amazed at not only how many people have not left a tip, but how many people have not left a tip on multiple occasions or regularly don't tip. First I will admit that I once experienced service so poor that I was inclined not to tip, but before it got to that point I would have liked to have gotten up and left the restaurant. However I was with 4 friends and they wanted to stick it out so it was not my choice.
I think what many people fail to realize here is that in the restaurant industry a waiters and waitresses have to tip out other workers in the restaurant. Assuming you are a decent tipper and leave 20 bucks on $100 dollar check, the server probably only gets $15 of that, sometimes less. At many places tipouts are based on the servers sales, so by not tipping, they actually lose money they made from work that had nothing to do with your table. They PAY for you to sit there. Sure, it's no much, but it can range between 4% and 7% of your check.
Another thing I'd like to address is the fact that people have no compassion because a server picked that job and could easily get a job that paid not based on gratuity. Some of us don't have parents who can afford to pay for higher education, yet we still work for it. Waiting tables is one of the only jobs available that allows for a schedule that doesn't interfere with a school schedule. Maybe that server has another job already that doesn't pay the bills and was forced to get a waiting job.
I understand that bad service happens but was it truly the waiters fault or was the kitchen backed up. Did someone call out sick leaving your server with extra tables? If mistakes occurred did they apologize? Maybe something went terribly wrong at another table that had nothing to do with your server and you are feeling the shockwave. Now you are going to not tip, and possibly ruin that person's night. Not getting tipped is like a punch in the face. I'd like to see how well you work after getting punched in the face.
When it comes down to it, if you have said "yes I have not tipped on multiple occasions" on this thread, you should not be going out to eat, STAY AT HOME. If you can't afford to tip, STAY AT HOME. If you feel like 15% is a good tip, STAY AT HOME. If you don't tip on bottles of wine your server retrieved, and poured for you, STAY AT HOME. These are indicators of your decency as a human, if you qualify for any of these you should take a long objective look in the mirror.
I was unable to go beyond high school, but that never made me start waiting tables for a living. I pressed myself to be the best that I could. I impressed perople with my abilities. When I retired 1o years ago, I was pulling down almost 50 grand a year. Luck had nothing to do with it. I worked at it, not standing around waiting for someone to hand it to me, I worked hard for it. Waiters and waitresses get more than they deserve in tips for the most part, expecting 15 to 20% for just being there.
I know several restaraunt owners and not one pays beyond minumum wage. The rest of the wait staffers take home is made by tips, deserved or undeserved.
This is complete hogwash. Tips are not guaranteed, they're earned by providing exemplary food and service. And being able to "afford" to tip is not the point of this discussion. I've never not tipped because I "couldn't afford to". I've not tipped because the waiter was a jerk, or he was incompetent, or the food was bad, or wrong, or cold. If the problems with the restaurant go beyond the waiter, it's not my fault. They need to fix it. For all intents and purposes, the waiter is the "face" of that restaurant, to me. He/she is their representative, and it's his job to ensure that my visit is satisfactory, If not, he/she gets no tip. It's as simple as that.
I was at a Denny's once with a group of friends, and our waitress was rude, ignored our requests, and actually sat down at another table with some of her friends and smoked a ciggaret while our food got cold on the serving counter! Of course, we left no tip! The next night we came back to the same resterant and sat in another section, and we actually heard the waitress from the night before tell our waitress not to bother taking care of us, because we dont tip. She, however, still took excelent care of us... So we took up $10 each, and left the 80 dollar tip fanned out on top of the "Specials" display so everyone could see the fan of bills we left for her!
I would never tip in the first place. You have to be a self-entitled cuuunt to think that you deserve a tip just because you fetch food. Food fetchers are some of the world's biggest losers. This is why they whine about not getting tipped. Only losers whine. Winners do something about it. If you don't like the pay, GET A REAL JOB, YOU IDIOTS. STop crying like little babies and expecting strangers to subsidize your living. I wish you would get hit by a truck. Recap: food fetchers = stupid losers.
I hope that tomorrow your fired from you job and in order to support your family you need to take a job washing windows at the car wash for $2.13/hr plus tips.
tips are for good service, and great food. i'm not tippin if both are not satisfied. In other countries, waiters are gracious for ANY tip at all, here in US, these waiters/waitresses expect it so much that i love to just piss them off.
I've left a penny for awful service – that sends a better message than no tip at all – as well as speaking to the manager about very bad and very good service as well. For average service they get an average tip – 15%. For above average service I've left over 100%. With Bartenders I usually leave the change for a twenty up front (Typically about $16-$17). This usually keeps 'em coming before the the ice is clinking. The few times it didn't work, they got nothing more when I left, which is usually 25% +. I bust my butt at work and don't make a lot of money (Middle class) and I know what no appreciation feels like, so I typically leave above average tips for good service.
I don't tip for bad service, which is more frequently lately it seems.
Waitstaff are inattentive and don't care.
You need more money? Get an education and a real job, or start being nicer.
Maybe a drink refill every now and then.
We could hire trained monkeys that could do a better job than some people I've seen waiting tables.
I hardly ever leave less than 20% – I was a waiter for 2 years when I went to school and I will never forgot the back breaking work of a 10 hr shift AND having to come home and study. Even my 7 year old knows about tipping and why I think it is so important. Many times if a Server gives great service and its a dive kinda of a place I'll leave a 50-60% tip. You crappy tippers are freaking jerks.
I always tip in the US, unless the service is particularly bad. But I have not given a tip before- I was in New Zealand, out with classmates and they told me that because the wait staff are paid a good wage, people don't tip there like in America. Why do servers in the US make such poor money? I get that they need tips, and I usually tip 20%, but paying your waitresses a working wage seems more sensible to me.
I think its better for the consumer this way. The alternative is to charge ~20% more for all the food ordered at the restaurant. But then, what happens if you get absolutely horrible service? You cant choose to pay 10% less for the meal because you were unhappy with your service in that case. At least this way the price of the meal stays down and you can tip whatever you feel the service is actually worth.
When the service and food is bad, in lieu of a monetary tip, I leave a written "tip" in the form of a note, which reads: "Here's your tip. Provide good food that's hot and flavorful and service that's friendly and memorable, and I'll leave you a monetary tip next time. Today, you did neither, which is why I'm leaving you this piece of advice. Have a nice day."
I guarantee you that most of the people who complain about having to leave a tip have never worked as a waiter. Its so insulting that you wouldn't leave a tip. Are you kidding? This idea of leaving tips wasn't introduced yesterday. Get a grip, if you're not going to tip, then go to McDonald's and suck down all of that transfat and enjoy your diabetes.
Don't tell me I need to be 'nice' and leave extra money for someone just doing their job.
Don't tell me there is a minimum percentage I need to give as extra to the meal, I will give what I want to give, if anything.
All this attempt to make people feel guilty about what they do or do not pay.
If I feel a service is worth extra then fine, I could leave a tip. If I think however that its considered a given, and I'm being judged on it, then all you do is get me p****d and you will get jack.
Lets tip the servers, lets tip the barman, lets tip the taxi driver etc, For what? doing what they decided to take as a job?
Don't get mad at the customers that are poor tippers, get mad at the management that are laughing in the back room about how little they are paying their staff.
It should be that getting a tip is a bonus and you say thank you. Instead people expect a tip and get upset when they don't get one. Talk about entitlement.
You do Sean? thats so nice of you.
I'm fairly sure however that if I was in that desperate a situation then I would be gratefully receiving any tips I got, rather than expecting them as standard. See how that just confirmed exactly what I said in my post?
And Im sure if the lively hood of your family depended on it you would work your heart out for each and every customer and have absolutely no problem if people like you left you no tip at all?
My wife and I would visit my grandparents in southern Texas every year and go to a specific restaurant that we both liked with my grandparents who could not understand why when we were with them the service was so much better than when they came alone. They thought it was that because they were old and retired that the "Mexican" help was intentionally ignoring them. Come to find out, they were only tipping $2.00 on a $20.00 to $30.00 tab. When we went with them, we tipped ~20%. My wife and I knew right away why the service was so much better when we were there.
Having been a server I rarely leave no tip. With exceptional service I pay with a card and put $1 and some change on the card and then leave teh real tip in cash (let them tell the tax man what they want). If the food is bad, tip is not effected, if it is cold, then that is the server's fault. I will knock 5% off the tip (give 15% instead of 20%) if I pay in cash and they ask "do you need change". They should say "I will be right back with your change."
Canada's minimum wage is at least 8.00 hr, so tipping for someone to cook for food, bring you your food and do the dishes, when they get paid to do that (it's called their JOB), is up to the individual. If the service is outstanding then I tip, but if they perfomr their minimum job requirements....no tip.
Nobody tips me for doing my job and I only get 24.00/hr.
I am a servre and make great tips 99% of the time! The other 1% it terrible! Some people you can't please no matter how hard you work for them. Just the truth. I work my hardest to make sure you have a good time and are happy. If I make a mistake I will own up to it and apologize, if we are busy and I know things are taking longer I WILL tell you that. If you are rude to me I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you are having a bad day. I have MANY tables that come in and if they see that I am working request to sit in my section. Doesn't matter the age group they apprecaite me for a reason! I have some people that don't tip as well as others but I could care less beacuse they are so much fun to have in my section. They tip and I know they appreciate the service I give them. However, if you are RUDE demading impatient, and outright disrespectful and I still work hard for you and you leave me a terrible tip...believe that I will remember who you are and I will not make nearly as much effort if that is how you act everytime you walk in. I LOVE my job and enjoy making people smile and hope that they have a great time! It is a part time job to me, but I still give it my all!
Why in the world is the tip based on the $ amount you spend. Did the server work any harder to bring my wife a $10 burger than they did to bring me a $21 steak. With our current system, I pay twice as much on my portion of the tip than my wife's portion of the tip. Makes no sense to me.
The alternative is just a flat ~20% increase in the price of all food that you order at the restaurant. At least with the way it is now if the service is very poor you have the option of leaving a much lower tip.
Why do any sales people make commission based on their sales. Oh, because it's SALES. A waiter who knows more about the food and beverage will likely provide a better service and you are likely to leave happier. A waiter who knows more about the food and beverage will likely be working in a place that sells less burgers and more steaks. The reality of the situation is, tips on selling burgers doesn't pay bills, it requires a few steaks to even have a waiter or waitress there to give you service.
Thank you Andy!! That is what I think. The poor breakfast wait person filling coffee cups over and over and actually making some of the food get % of a low bill whereas the dinner wait person just brings out the food that someone else prepared and gets a big % of a very big bill. This is wrong!!
I normally will leave a 15%-20% tip depending on the quality of the service and price of the meal. That being said, there was one instance in my life where I absolutely did not tip. Our waitress extremely overcharged us for our meals, almost double what was on the menu! Also the price she charged was completely pulled from thin air, was not even on the menu. Me and my friends who had ordered the meal were teenagers and didn't even have the money to pay the ridiculous bill she gave us. When we argued with her about it she absolutely refused to hear us out and I had to ask multiple times for the manager, and finally got to see him after about a half an hour. Even though it hurt the rest of the wait staff there was no way I was letting the woman get away with any of my money after the way she treated us.
Kat, good point. I worked as a delivery driver for Pizza Hut once upon a time and I always greeted people with a smile, the "yes sir, no ma'am" blah blah blah...well, this one dude wrote a check and it was for 10 cents too much and when I told him, he says (giggling) "well, I guess you get a tip." That's the kind of person that deserves to get a booger in his next order.
Many restaurants require their servers to tip a percentage of their sales. T.G.I. Friday's, for example, operates on a 3% tip out (at least the one I worked at did), meaning on a 100 dollar bill I'm giving management 3 dollars at the end of the night to be dispersed amongst ancillary staff. This happens regardless of the tip I received on that 100 dollar bill. So if someone comes in and doesn't tip, I didn't simply serve them for free–it actually cost me money to serve them.
Generally I'm what my wife calls an "over-tipper", but there have been a couple of times over the years when we have left no tip at all – one time in particular comes to mind, when we were at a significantly upscale restaurant in Boston. The waitress got both of our orders significantly wrong, starting with the clam chowder that my wife received instead of the barley soup she had ordered and later bringing me a seafood dish when I had ordered lamb; she made no apology for her mistakes and banged the lamb dish down when she finally brought it a half hour later. After the bill came, we waited... and waited... for her to return with our change; eventually she came over and asked us to "hurry up and leave" since they had people waiting for the table, and when we told her we were waiting for our change she want ballistic. At least the manager was apologetic when we spoke to him on our way out.
In Europe, it's considered rude and arrogant to leave cash behind on the table as a tip. The restaurants there pay their servers a real working wage, and the tip is usually small and figured into the bill by the customer. Here, the capitalists insist on paying their servers below minimum wage, and give their customers the burden of supporting the server's livelihood. The Europeans are doing it the right way. We've been duped here in the U.S.
That is simply not accurate. While tipping in Europe is quite insignificant compared to the U.S., it is ridiculous to say it is considered rude and arrogant to tip. It is generally the change on the dollar.
I've lived in Europe and they never saw a tip as rude, just unnecessary. Some non touristy places might think you forgot your change and hand it back, but they are not insulted – more complimented that you were that happy.
How is it our burden to support the server? Let's say American restaurants are all of a sudden required to pay the waitstaff minimum wage. Your $8 burger now costs a minimum of $10 and you have no choice but to pay the server. As it is if the server is bad you can chose to tip or not. Say you tip 20% on an $8 burger it will cost you $1.60. That's still cheaper than a $10 burger.
I use to be a waitress as well as a bartender so I tend to be a very good tipper because of my previous food service history. At the same time because I know what it takes to keep a customer happy nothing infuriates me more than terrible service – you know it when you see it. You have to constantly ask for refills, napkins, utensils, your order is incorrect – everything is WRONG and the server is unapologetic. I will not leave w/o giving a tip at all but I do know a fancy trick. If I feel you did not work for a decent tip – you WILL WORK for the tip I leave – which is to take a couple $$ bills and put them under a glass full of water turned upside down. For me flipping this glass over on top of the money is the easy part – its the waitress trying to get pick this glass up that is not. You will either (A) – make a mess with spilled water all over the place OR (B) you can take the time to try and slide the glass and the money to the edge of the table where you have a tray or bin waiting. Either way, as I stated earlier, you WILL WORK for my tip – as I am not in the habit of just giving money away to the undeserved!
Unfortunately anyone taking a job as a server knows the job provides what is basically performance related pay, if you perform, you earn more, you disappoint and receive less or none. If you don't like it, don't take the job. I really don't understand why the USA as adopted this scheme – having traveled around the world, the US is just about the only country where tip money is substituted for the servers pay – elsewhere the tip is just that, a thank you to the server/chef for doing an excellent job, on top of a fair wage – however here it has become an obligation, very much akin to a "tax" – perhaps it should be renamed "service tax"?
...anyway...I am NOT complaining...in reality I can go nowhere else in this financially depressed region and make 600 or 700 a week like I am now!! No, I don't have insurance..or retirement...or sick pay....but I have a nice place...nice cars....and have fun doing what I do...Thanks to all you folks who recognize good servers like me and actually request that only I serve you!!! Those people, who wait an extra 10 minutes for one of my tables to free up are the folks who make my day!! Sincerely....thank you!!
The problem is that we have lost the whole purpose of tipping. I understand that servers make less than minimum wage, and although I beleive that at a minimum they should get minimum wage, tipping has become more of a requirement than anything. Everybody says that you should tip cause the people work hard, well do we tip the store salesperson that went to get you 3 different sizes of dress while you were trying them out. In todays environment servers beleive that they are automatically entitled to the tip. Let them earn it just like every one of us has to earns those tip dollars.
One time I was in Denver dining solo and the waitress (Hannah at the Capital Grill) charged me for two iced teas because I "had like six refills and most customers only have three or four at the most." So I left her a very lengthy tip – a tip about what good customer service is and that I was appauled. Her tip was origially $14 (I was alone) – as I had written in the tip before I noticed the error. Needless to say I wrote a letter that night to the manager via the website, and three weeks later I got $200 gift card. My meal was only $55. So, not a bad result.
As a restaurant owner with servers, and a former server/bartender, short of being yelled at our insulted, I will always tip a server. It is a deceptively difficult job, and one that many guests just take for granted. The server position is pivotal to the overall dining experience, and in my view, it is very reasonable to express your appreciation for the role they play in feeding you by tipping them. In defense of the restaurant industry, a fundamental reason restaurants pay 2.13/hour to servers is not because we're greedy(most cannot fathom how low restaurant margins are after all expenses, and how big of a component labor already is), but because patrons demand excellent service and to provide that, it takes lots of bodies on the floor. Those bodies, at $8-10$ per hour, would be insupportable, and we'd have to put less servers on the floor, which means slower, less accurate, less friendly, dirtier service. Our American culture would not tolerate it. Yes, there are a handful of states, like California that do pay the regular minimum wage, but what you'll find at a typical restaurant there is an 80-seat restaurant with 3 servers, empty water glasses, unbussed tables, and slow service.
Tips are optional. Nobody is holding a gun to your head to tip your waiter; however, they are customary in this country and others. If you don't like to tip or don't want to tip, don't go out to eat. In fact, tips aren't just exclusive to waiters. What about the valet guy? Or the pizza delivery person? I have even tipped housekeeping for a great job done. My personal rule, in the service industry good service deserves a tip.
I've left a penny before, but only for life-threatening service. I mean that literally.
We were at a chain restaurant we went to regularly, me, three buddies and two of their girlfriends. One friend ordered a sundae with no nuts, since he was really, really allergic to nuts. It got to the table, his girlfriend asked for a bite and, lo and behold, nuts. We flagged the waitress down and complained. Without a word she grabbed the sundae & left, stomping as she did. The sundae came back with the whipped cream scraped off. We informed her this wasn't sufficient, she gave us a dirty look and left with the sundae, again. We could hear her in the back complaining to the staff, and we were fully a room away from the kitchen. She came back with a new sundae and slammed it down on the table, saying only, "There!"
We called the manager over to complain. As soon as he left she swooped down on the table and proclaimed, "If there's a problem with THIS one the MANAGER made it. Bitch to him. HE made it." One of my friends replied, "No, our problem's not with the sundae." She looked at us, silently, for about thirty seconds. Then she left.
We left the penny so she'd be sure we hadn't just forgotten to tip her, but somehow I suspect she didn't learn much.
I do not believe in the tipping process - it's a totally convoluted system. If the employers' prices aren't enough to cover salary, raise the prices. Salary is overhead like any other overhead.
I have never left no tip at all, but I have left tips as low as 5%. I usually tip at least 15% for average service but will tip up to 25% for good service or lower for poor service Once when I was a teenager a few friends an I were eating at Dennys or IHOP or something where you pay the bill up front. We were at the counter paying with large cash bills and getting smaller bills to leave a proper tip. The waitress was clearing the table and found some pennies that we were playing a game with and assumed that was her tip. She came up to us at the register and started b1tching and yelling. The manager started to kick us out when the women at the register stood up for us because we mentioned to her that we needed her to break large bills to pay the waitress an actual tip. Needless to say her cussing us out and the manager attempting to kick us out severely effected her actual tip in the end.
i get better service from most fast food joints than i do when eating out, and we dont expect to tip the server at Mc Ds etc. At the end of the day you choose a profession that invovles voluntary tips. No other person other than your EMPLOYER is responsable to help with your bills. I have worked at several jobs that involve tips so i've been in the trenches, but at the same time thats why i now choose to not work for tips. And a general rule of thumb, if I have to wait to get my water filled or if i go the whole meal with an empty glass of water the whole meal.....suprise you get no tip!!! at the end of the day if you have extra money to throw at someone when you feel they SERVED you well then by all means go on ahead, but at the same time SERVERS understand that tips are voluntary and your actions determine what you do and dont get. And also we are in one of the worst economic times ever many people are struggling just for that meal, let alone tack on another $5-$10 per person for a tip.
What restaurants are you eating at where the service is worse than McDs? You know you have to serve yourself at Golden Coral? J/K, but seriously what McDs has servers other than their diners?
There have been times when the service was so bad I was tempted to leave a small tip, never less then 10% but on average I usually leave a 20% tip. I have worked in the service industry and know that they survive by what the customers leave them. I also know from experience that the majority of people who don't tip or tip less than 20% (usually 5 to 10%) are people who can well afford to give a 20% tip.
Something that bothers me is when there are six or more people in the party and the restaurant automatically adds 18% gratuity to my bill when the service sucked – I have no decision in the tipping process!
Cecil,
If you don't feel that the "included" tip matched the service you received, you should speak with a manager for 2 reasons: one, he/she will remove the mandatory tip and will let you write in what you think is fair (if anything); and two, he/she should be made aware if you're not receiving excellent service so he/she can fix the problem.
The truth of it is the waiter has decided on the level of service you will receive by the time you sit down. Call it "customer profiling" if you will. People obviously tip over a wide spectrum. You only have to read these blogs to understand that. A good waiter can tell where you probably are on the spectrum by the time you get your menu.
I have many friends who have waited tables so I'm always generous (too generous according to my husband) when I leave a tip. That being said, I have left no tip a couple of times when the service was beyond bad. I also made a point of letting the manager know because they can't improve the service if they don't know there's a problem to begin with.
Tipping in restaurants is done here in Canada, but it does not seem to be as mandatory as in the US nor is it as widespread through other service industries.
Last year, when minimum wage came up for an increase, the business community tried to convince one of the provinces that there should be a separate "minimum wage" for servers in restaurants, so the business owners could afford to pay higher wages to the kitchen staff (apparently it is harder to keep good kitchen staff than good waitstaff). I believe they were surprised by the immediate backlash by the general public. Never worked as a waitress in my life, but it's easy to see how hard they work, so I was one of the many who wrote pointed letters to the politicians indicating opposition to the proposal and the intention to boycott any establishment that promoted such a practice. Waiters and waitresses are entitled to a living wage in exchange for their honest work, just like everyone else. The proposal did not pass.
In answer to the poll, my family and I normally tip in the 20%-25% range. On the other hand, I don't recall ever having "bad" service from a waiter or waitress at a restaurant, except for one clerk at a MacDonalds in Quebec....and that hardly counts.
I lived in Japan for a while, where there is never any tipping at your average restaurant (or any service industry). It is simply built into the expectation of dining out that your waiter does their very best for you. While this did allow for lazy service without repercussion at times, when there was good service it was refreshing to eat in a system where that wasn't a "bonus." In retrospect, it made me very aware that in a tipping culture it is the very function of tipping to ensure good service. If an establishment feels that tips are a required fee, they should include it on the bill and be up front about it, which many do, particularly for large groups. Aside from that, if tips are left to the customer's decision, the entire point is to reflect service. Just getting the food is not enough; that's what the check is for.
My friend is the worst tipper, even with great service she will leave no more that 8 to 10%. Oy vey! We take turns buying, when she buys I hide cash under my plate to make up for her poor tipping.
Being a server for 5 years...I understand why we have tipping....it ensures better service for you...and gives me a reason to be my best. I guess what people really want is for me to show I care about them. I can screw up an order and STILL get 30 percent because I am honest about it and really do care!! I enjoy it and thats the difference...if you don't like serving...go do something else!! And guess what? My biggest tippers are family folk from the hills that look like they have no money!! The business types are really tight...as are the bible thumping sunday crowd...Do you REALLY think a freaking bible tract is a tip?..
Love this discussion. I definitely have not tipped for poor service in the past. But I also tip extraordinarily well for extraordinary service. The problem lies in the fact that there are individuals who feel entitled to a tip simply for doing their jobs. The status quo won't cut it if you're hoping for a great tip–you've got to go above and beyond the call of duty. I also imagine that the people who are upset in these posts are the victims of poor tipping, and likely extreme laziness on their parts. Where are the waitresses getting great tips? Why aren't they complaining?
Meanest thing I ever did: left a big, smiling happy face in the tip box. But the service, attitude and food were all lacking. :O)
Oh, I forgot. The stupidest thing a waiter ever did to me was give me horrible, rude service, and then give me back more change than I was owed because he didn't want to mess with counting change. I actually walked out of there paying less for my meal than the ticket stated! HAHAHA!
I am usually a good tipper, but I always make sure to leave the tip on my card, not in cash. That way the waiter has no choice but to report their taxable income.
Before I waited tables I was extremely critical of service. Now having waited tables I am still critical of service but have a much better understanding of what goes on in the kitchen. I always tip 20% unless the server is rude. In which case I tip 20% (because the busboys depend on those tips too!) and write a note or talk to the manager letting them know that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt – maybe they're having a bad day but I hope they're nicer to the next table. On very few occasions I have tipped less because service was SO bad, in which case I left a tip for the busboy and foodrunners with the manger letting them know that our server was flat out mean. It's a hard job and in the US, they're income depends on tips.
Chester is the one with no clue, waitstaff have a completely separate minimum wage from everyone because their wages are subsidized by tips Bartenders, waiters and waitresses legal minimum wage is $2.13 an hour! TWO! In your workplace there should be a poster in the break room with the current minimum wage and underneath or off to the side it will have in parenthesis "Food service $2.13" This is a fact per the Department of Labor http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm
The reason why Cali (a state that I think should disappear) pays their servers min. wage is because the cost of living is so much higher than other states. So, in effect, your still stiffing your servers.
Dont' forget that most waitstaff also has to tip out ther bartender and busboy, and sometimes the chef and host. So the tips they earn are not going straight into their pockets. Additionally, many times, restaurants do not compensate employees if they had a very slow day and didn't make minimum wage per our. Yes, that is the restaurant breaking the law but that's what happens.
There have been times when I have been too broke to tip. Yes, I realize that you shouldn't go out if you can't afford to tip, but if you are broke sometimes you have to splurge a bit. Also, there are some cafe style restaurants that I'm never sure if you should tip or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
If someone is waiting on you, you need to tip them. Perioed. If you can't afford to tip a dollar or two, you should be home, making Hamburger Helper, not eating out.
I have never left nothing but the idea that you HAVE to leave 20% is absurd. The way we were taught is there were 15% restaurants and 20% restaurants. The 20% restaurants are the finer dining establishments where you actually dress to go to dinner (normally $30+ a plate), the chain sit down dining restaurants were 15% or better for good service but 15% was minimum. Etiquette stated that you ALWAYS leave a tip but if the service was bad, you talk to the manager and make sure the server knew that you were dissatisfied with their service. A bad tip is usually only known to the servers, not management.
That being said...and having MANY friends who were or are in the food industry...we usually tip 20% or better unless the meal is comp'd by a friend. Then we give the server what the meal would have cost us since their service is usually pretty good since we know the Chef, owner, etc.
Well I tip but i believe its become an accepted practice in the service industry. The owners pay crap wages and expect us to subsidize the rest. So why don't we do it for all services performed for us? Do you pay tip at the movie (well they clean the seats before you get there and sell you tickets) or for collecting my garbage.
My point is, you should only tip as an acclamation of great service and at your discretion – not because you are being forced to and made to look bad if you do not. In other countries, it is not the same and you are not chased out of a restaurant if you do not tip.
I have waited tables for 15 years. I believe that people who do not tip know that they will not tip before they walk in the door. These kind of people disgust me. I have had all kinds of service; however because I have been in their shoes and I completely understand I leave at least 15%. For instance Father's day five of us went to outback and it was great total bill before tip was $122. I left a 28.00 tip. When I'm in a big party especially with kids I know they are going to grat us. There are usually two or more servers working on this kind of party! I tip over the 15% to cover them. If you cannot tip right you shouldn't go out to eat!
Its very simple if you get good service reward them; if you get poor service, dont reward them. One thing the wait staff doesnt tell you about living off of tips is every place has what is called a minimum wage adjustment. By law no employee can make below minimum wage so if an employee comes up short (base pay + tips) during his pay period the company has to adjust his pay to meet minimum wage requirement. It's very simple, if you want to make above minimum wage serve your customers well, if not don't complain.
I don't get tipped, I never tip, the service is irrelevant. Don't get paid enough? get another job. Sorry.
Have a nice day. (On the other hand, I go to sit-down restaurants maybe two timer a year...)
I absolutely never tip. The idea behind tipping started off as a gesture to show someone that their service went above and beyond; now people just expect it! My father is a TV repair man, he is 76 yrs old, he literally makes house calls and bends over backwards for customers. I know this because I helped him with the business my entire child life up until when I began college 5 yrs ago. Of the thousands of jobs he had throughout his career and my time helping out, we got tipped approx 4 times (and this is a very generous assumption). My point here is that tipping is generally a practice reserved for the food service industry, and I sure as hell wont tip a waitress who brings my food or a bartender that pours me a damn drink. My father dealt with so much crap from customers, but no one game a crap about him. I won't start tipping until it is generally accepted, in all professions, that tipping is acceptable and only served as a REWARD for doing an exceptional job, not a mandatory fee relied upon the employee. I have been approached and threatened by people who convince me to pay tips, but it will never happen. A waitress makes minimum wage + tips, a welder in a factory makes minimum wage; both work hard, why does only one get tipped?
Are you kidding me! By law you can't make below minimum wage, or the company must compensate you. I have tons of friends working at Denny's...all get paid minimum wage. Why? Because it's the law.
Charlie: I worked at many different restaurants while I was in college (Chili's, Laundry's, etc.) and never once was I payed more than $ 2.13 an hour. I urge you to please look at your states labor department to get the facts before you stiff any more servers.
Karma...seriously? For treating people fairly? Janitors who clean the vomit off the floor of campus rest rooms don't get tipped...do you tip them? If not, "karma is all i can say...blah blah blah".
"By law they have to make minimum wage". If you are going to quote the law you should know what it says. Servers here in Florida make $2.33/hr. Restaurants can legally do this because its assumed that waitstaff earns tips to put them at least at or over the minimum wage. Unless they wait on you, you cheap bastard. Im sure if your father did TV repair for $.25/hr plus tips, you would have a different outlook on things.
Your a damn fool:
"According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are individuals engaged in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages.
An employer may credit a portion of a tipped employee's tips against the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. An employer must pay at least $2.13 per hour. However, if an employee's tips combined with the employer's wage of $2.13 per hour do not equal the hourly minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference.
The employer who elects to use the tip credit provision must inform the employee in advance and must be able to show that the employee receives at least the applicable minimum wage (see above) when direct wages and the tip credit allowance are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Also, employees must retain all of their tips, except to the extent that they participate in a valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement."
Therefore, it is never correct to state that "waitresses make less than minimum wage." No, they don't. Their NORMAL hourly wage may in fact be less than minimum wage, but the amount of money they earn from wages and tips will always be at least minimum wage (or if not, the employer is breaking the law).
Charlie is a hateful person and a lost cause. Everyone leave him alone now so he can devise a new way to take candy from a baby because " they didn't earn it !!!!!!"
Yes, I am so hateful that I choose not to tip 1 individual over the other. If I can't tip a bestbuy employee for helping me troubleshoot my computer I bought at CompUSA, why should I tip a waitress who makes the same direct wages? As I have said before, the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. The employer can choose to pay and hourly wage of $2.13, but the amount of money they earn from wages and tips will always be at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 or the employer must compensate.
Charlie, seriously look up your state's labor laws. It may very well be that your particular state requires minimum wage to servers, but the majority of states only have to pay $2.13 or another amount far below minimum wage. At least be armed with this knowledge before you go out to eat next time – you may be absolutely right about your area, but may be wrong if you are on vacation in another state.
You really are a douche. Not tipping because of poor service I can understand. But to not tip because you don't want to give into social norms is a d*ck move. All this does is show what cheap bastard you are. If anything I overtip because of pr*cks like you that assume that because you don't get tipped for your job that you shouldn't have to tip someone else. All the server is trying to do is make enough money to pay the bills. That can be hard to do at just over $2.00 an hour. Enjoy your phlem burger the next time you go out. A$$.
Charlie, you sound bitter. Maybe you would start feeling better about yourself if you did unto others as you would have done to you. Why don't you be a bigger person than those unappreciative customers of your father instead of being just like them and continuing the chain of selfishness?
Thats a bad mentality. All people should have the right to be tipped and accept tips for doing a job over and above their call of duty. However, the food industry REQUIRES a tip. How can you require "gratuity"? Furthermore, in many occupations, such as working for large retailers, employees cannot accept tips.
A buddy and I went to a bar last night and ordered a couple New Castles on tap. The bartender took a mug and filled it up, my buddy tipped $2 for that "service". Why? Because of "pri*Ks" like me who dont tip? The bartender got that job knowing the hardships it may cause. Ohhhh, but the tips are great! Right?
Gratuity should not be mandatory, and no one should make you feel bad for choosing not to.
I work at a technology service desk helping students with computer related problems. Do you know how long it takes to help an emeritus professor set up a Thunderbird account on a Mac over the phone? How about helping students compute syntax code for SPSS or website building on the schools FTP? Takes me a long time. I get paid minimum wage, work my butt off, and I don't get tipped–I dont expect it either. There was one time though! I got a $100 tip from an older student for helping him with visual basic software...I was required by my employer to refuse it. Everything I do is a JOB REQUIREMENT.
Honestly you all seem pretty ignorant about the topic.
@Charlie: You have a very good point. Personally I have always made it a point to tip people for good service. Growing up I lived in PA and made it a habit to tip even gas-station attendant whom would offer to finish pumping my gas while it was snowing. My family always did similar things. I remember making hot chocolate and some sandwiches for workers fixing a drain pipe by our house or plowing the road. The point is, you are correct in theory that tips should be used for exceptional service. The problem is that it has become the social norm.
@Other people posting in this portion of the thread:
Stop with all the attacks at the guy. he has a valid point. There are numerous professions that are considered services, most of which are not deemed acceptable to tip, let alone required.
If you are a waitress and your pay comes out below minimum wage, after averaging the hours, your employer does need to make up the difference. If he/she do not, contact the local labor office - they are screwing you.
Personally while I was in grade school I worked as a Caddie, Dishwasher, Cook and Waiter. Some days the job sucked, sometimes it didn't. Overall I would never say that the job was hard. You want a hard job, try being an engineer or an architect. Those are hard jobs. Just because a job makes you tired and your feet hurt after standing for eight hours doesn't make it difficult, so please stop saying your profession is "hard".
As for actually tipping. I will never leave zero tip, but on certain occasions, which are few and far between, I have only left some change. On other occasions I have left tips upwards of 50%.
I remember one time at Melting Pot just outside Wilmington DE we had a gift card that covered our meal and our waiter was amazing. Always quick with orders, refilled our drinks without asking, didn't try to bother us and gave well thought out advice on the flavors of their different items. I paid the bill with the card, then tipped the guy the total of the bill, around $70.
Sometimes you find a person in the service industry you really wish to reward, other times you wish you could take some cash away from someone and give it to another person.
Feel free to flame me now. I am sure several 'adults' will insist on attacking me and resort to name-calling instead of providing anything worthy of discussion.
Thank you. I would like to say, however, that although it may be a "social norm" it does not necessarily mean it is right. Pirating music is now a social norm also slavery (although an extreme point) was once a social norm. It may be socially desirable, but I refuse to engage in an act I feel is unfair to others. Tips are fine only when the opportunity to be tipped is allowed for everyone "But no, society says don't tip these guys over here, but tip these guys over here. That's bullshit. "
You bet your butt I've walked out without leaving a tip! The service was HORRIBLE. At one point my husband had to get up and walk around the place asking where our waiter was. He was found outside, smoking......it was a horrible night made worse when we asked for to speak to the manager/owner.....and the best part was when the waiter came running after us in the parking lot, flipping us the bird, when he discovered we left him nothing. I would have no problem doing it all over again. If I am provided with bad service, then I am not going to reward you for it.
It's fine if some people don't want to tip. They're not being very fair or nice to their server, but it makes the server more motivated for the rest of us. Unless you go to a new restaurant every time, you'll be ID'd very quickly. If the same for good tippers – servers know who they are. The worse the public at large tips, the more valuable my good tip is to a server. So...thanks(?)
I have rarely left no tip, but I have certainly reduced my tip based on the quality of service. I also could care less about how "poor" food servers are either. They work for the restaurant's owner and it is their basic job to make me feel like a welcome guest and bring my food to me promptly and cheerfully. I give a full (15%) and sometimes 25-30% when a server treats me like a valued client and is very attentive, but less than that, they've earned their wage which was factored into the price of my meal. Tips are earned, they are not a God-given right!
I keep reading, over and over, about how a resteraunt provides you with a clean table, and that it figures in to your tip. Ummm, hellooooo.... clean eating enviroment is required by LAW. If the table's not clean imagine what the kitchen must be like!!!
I only tip 15% if the service was poor, but usually tip 20% for average to excellent service. Many of my friends are servers and I see how they struggle. However, one time I was going from one flight to another and stopped at a bar/restaurant in the Pittsburgh airport to have a cigarette. I ordered a soda (that's it, no food). It took quite some time to get this soda, about 15 minutes, although the restaurant was not busy. I did not drink the soda and left exact money for the soda, but no tip, because I had to run to the next flight. Sorry, but it doesn't take 15 minutes to get a soda, and I was about to miss my flight.
Folks, can someone define what a tip is and why one should tip??? I am not mean or conservative....but this question has been lurking my mind. Here's my argument, you go to a shop you buy something, you pay the bill; no tip there. So why this has to be different in food service industry. I pay my check for the food I consumed; why am I being expected to pay extra 10 to 15% ??? This is because the person is cleaning up the place before and after I visit? In that case we should be tipping janitors after using the restroom, going by the same logic...
TIPS is an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service". It was a way people would ingratiate themselves to the service staff at a particular eating establishment. Now, food service workers wrongly expect them just for doing their job and complain all the time about how little they make. In this time of national recession and rising restaurant prices, I would think food service employees would be glad they have a job and people are still coming in (because many are not to conserve money) regardless of their tip. But that's just my point of view.
You go into a shop and buy something. You bring an item to the register, they ring you up, put it in a bag, you leave. No tip, makes sense. You go into an eating establishment, you sit, you hem, you haw...you order your food, you ask for water, a soda, a coffee, another napking, different sugar, more salt, another straw because you dropped yours, another fork because you dropped yours, you spill your water, the waitress cleans it (and you) up, you need more water now, you leave your table a mess that needs to be cleaned up when you leave, and you then don't leave a tip? Does NOT MAKES SENSE. Service is SERVICE...you pay for SERVICE.
Now, if you want all of that withOUT a smile and a "no problem, I'll be right back with that." Then keep NOT tipping people...they'll remember who you are and treat you accordingly.
Oh Janine, there are many service jobs that aren't tipped. Why don't you do a little research..
Auto Repairs
Janitors
Bag Boys at Grocery Markets
Nursing Home Caregivers
Psychiatrists
Doctors
Teachers
Those are all "service" jobs right, they give you some sort of service? EVERY JOB DOES. So why aren't we all treated as equal and either given tips for everything.. or given them if they are deserved.
You know what? A bag boy at a grocery store makes more money per hour than people who wait on tables, without the tips. You know what else? Bag boys don't have to do nearly as much work as a waitperson. All the other service jobs you mentioned, idiot, have a base pay MUCH MUCH higher.
That's why your argument makes no sense. You want to pay me $20/hr. to wait on tables? Ok, that'll be $20 for your burger and fries. IDIOTS.
I'm surprised to read so many comments claiming to leave 20-25%. While I appreciate good service, and routinely tip 15-18%, I am more and more disturbed with the expectation of tips of 20% or more. Where does it end? I was a busser when I was younger, and the waiters and waitresses were not very generous in sharing their tips – usually $2-$3 out of $100+ for bussing their tables and getting their customer's drinks. I don;t have that much sympathy, as in my experience, people usually leave more money for the server than they should. Sure, it's a demanding job. Still, I work just as hard as any server, in long hours with crappy pay, yet I am not tipped or otherwise rewarded for a job well done. It's simply expected.
Here's a scenario for you. My friend works at a cafe on the weekends. In response to the terrible economy, they started a breakfast special...2 eggs, toast, bacon, fruit or potatoes, AND coffee or juice for $3.99. Last week, she had 10 people walk in, take up 3 of the tables in her section of 6 tables for 2 1/2 hours, getting all specials and drinking cup after cup of coffee because it was so "cheap." The tab was $39.90 for 10 people who were a LOT of work. They tipped her...no kidding...$3.00.
Do you think that 8% is appropriate just because all those people ordered the special? No, it's not. Next time you tip someone out, consider the price and tip with THAT instead. Then you don't have to deal with percentages.
I ordinarily leave a generous tip. Wait people are very hard-working and poorly paid. Once, though, I waited 45 minutes while my waitress chatted with her friend as I watched my ice cream dessert (Which had been made and placed up on the delivery counter) melt. I was unable to get her attention and the dessert was ruined by the time I get it. In that case I left a note describing why I gave no tip that time.
The only times I've left no tip were in Europe, when tip is part of the bill.
For really superb service or if I occupy the table for a long time when the restaurant's busy, I'll tip around 25%. For good service, between 15-20%. For really bad service, or when the server is makes the experience uncomfortable or unpleasant, less than 10%. Like other people have said though, I take into account the things that servers have no real control over.
As my Dad used to say: "Great servers stay servers, bad servers become hosts/hostesses." I just figure by tipping them low, I'm helping the free market.
I usually tip. Granted depending on the service some tips may be smaller then average and if the service was great then I usually tip more then the average. I just think that if you aren't going to tip and you are going to purposely let a waitress who is having a bad day get to you, then maybe you should just stay home. We all have bad days and on those bad days sometimes we do things without even realizing how we are coming off to others. I never go to the manager or complain about anything. To me that's just a waste of my time. If service was THAT bad then we know to not go back to that establishment again and leave it at that.
Though if you don't go to the manager, then the restaurant owners may never know why they're bleeding business, especially since servers work pretty independently. If you tell the manager, they can decide if A) this server gets a lot of complaints and should be moved to a different position or let go, or B) this server has never received a complaint before, so it was probably just a bad day.
That being said - service usually has to be quite bad before I issue a complaint.
I say the US should be like Australia. NO tipping. A taxi provides you with a service. You pay the fare and be done. A restaurant provides you with your meal. You pay the bill. You go home. Restaurants need to start paying a LIVING WAGE, because the government isn't going to dictate it. JUST DO IT. Pay a decent wage. Post a sign, NO TIPPING REQUIRED. I bet the place would have plenty of customers and plenty of people wanting a job.
I love the way Europe and most of the rest of the world does it... service and taxes are all included in the price. Leaving a few extra Euros is strictly discretionary. It's a pleasure to leave a small "tip" when you've had wonderful food, nice service and haven't been rushed through your meal. In France, we sit for hours and NO ONE CARES. It's lovely~
p.s. only left no tip once... in LA... and the waitperson (female) literally chased us down in the parking lot. Horrible service and snooty attitude. Then we got a lecture on how sad her life was...it totally reinforced my decision to leave nothing.
I have three rules of tipping:
1) If the service is truly exceptional, I have been known to leave anywhere between a 15% to 50% tip.
2) If the bill comes with "tip included" then I just pay that. I find this offensive.
3) If the dining experience is horrendous, waitress still smelling of perfume and sex from the previous night, who forgets what I ordered, swing by with about 10 wrong orders and over an hour later I still do not have my food (and it is not that busy) gets the goose egg.
I have left no tip before. I don't do it often, but I will if the service is horrible. Do I feel bad about it? Not really. You don't do your work then you don't get my money. Simple really. You are not automatically entitled to my money the second I sit down at that table. Each mistake you make, each rude comment, don't come stop by enough to refill my drink, ect, deducts a small amount from your tip.
I once left a negative tip. I sent a $4 side dish back because it tasted terrible. The waiter insisted on charging me $1 because I tasted it. When the final bill came it was $14. I wrote in ($1) in the tip area and $13 in the total. The Visa cleared my account for $13.
In many European countries, a tip is given for "special service" only and wait staff do not demand or require it. In America it has become twisted into a required "service fee" almost like a tax. In fact, many restaurants add at least 18% to the bill for larger parties ( large meaning 6 or more). It has become a real problem here in the US-a function of simple greed. I once had chinese food delivered to me-the guy came 2 hours late, my food was cold and an item was missing. I was adamant that I was not going to give him a tip and when he realized this he stuck out his palm and said, "Give me dollar!". I was really peeved and I certainly did not "give him dollar".
To Fx1221-If you truly are giving 110%, the you certainly deserve a 10% tip. If you simply did your basic job (what is required of you in your job description), then you should receive 0% tip as you are being paid by your boss for your work as it is. As someone mentioned above, it is not the customer's duty to subsidize your pay. However, if someone did not leave you a tip it was probably because you did not give the extra 10% that day. Also, if the next time that they come into the restaurant and you give them bad service just because they left you no tip, then you deserve nothing less than to be fired-end of story.
I have only stiffed ONE waitress in my life and she MORE than deserved it. She was beyond rude to our table and the surrounding tables. Another customer asked if he had somehow offended her or did something to "piss her off" and she said, "Yes- but don't worry about it." When his table didn't leave a tip, she went on a tirade at him as he walked out the door, giving him the finger and cussing him out in front of the whole restaurant and his kids. We got up at that point and left without eating our food (which was VERY late and cold). The manager tried to apologize to us, but seriously, how can you behave like that? He fired her on the spot and we found another place to have dinner. Aspen CO is now one waitress short...
Anyone who says servers don't earn their tips REALLY needs to spend a day in our shoes! Unless your a lazy, rude server you work hard! On a busy night you'd be amazed at the amount of walking we do! I've worn a pedometer and was in shock when I got done for the night. Serving is NOT a job for everyone and at the bar I work at people who can't make it are weeded out very quickly! We have demading management who will tell you if you are not doing a good enough job! But anyone who says we don't earn out tips can jump off a bridge as far as I'm concerned... Walk a mile in our shoes before you judge us. Most of us work to put ourselves through school or to make extra income if need be for some reason!
It's only happened two or three times, but I have deliberately not tipped when I got BOTH bad service and rudeness. I'll tip an incompetent server who is polite and friendly (IOW - someone who is clearly trying), and I'll even tip a rude server who is prompt and competent. But rude, incompetent service gets nothing from me. One thing I will say is that all diners at the table should be in agreement. I took some friends to one of my favorite restaurants and they wanted to skip the tip for what I thought was a minor issue (my friends' guest was VERY rude and demanding, and the server eventually made it clear he'd had enough of her). They only relented when I made it clear I wanted to be able to return to that restaurant and would make up the difference in the tip if they shorted the server.
I always leave 20% at a restaurant because it's so easy to figure out :) For bars, though, I think it's better to just tip $1 a drink no matter how expensive the alcohol. Which, again, is easier, and also fair - expensive alcohol takes no longer to pour than cheap alcohol.
I usually am a very good tipper. I have worked in the resturaunt industry before. But, servers are very sterotypical. They see a younge couple walk in and immediatly think they arent going to tip, and give very poor service. One time, i walked into a resturaunt, and an elderly couple walked in right behind us. We were both sat next o each other, but I was sat about 10 minutes before them. I am also a huge believer in respect your elders, so the server went to greet the elderly couple first. No, big deal. She brought them their drinks and never came to us. 30 minutes later, the elderly couply received their food, and my drink order hadent even been taken, then the manager walked up to us and asked how we were doing and i told him point blank, were leaving, its been 40 minutes and we havent even been greated yet, so he ended up taking out drink orders fine, quite irritated at this point. Our server brings them out and says woops i guess i forgot about yall. So, she took our food order, and we never saw her or our food again. after waiting 45 minutes after she took our order, we got up to leave and the manager had the nerve to tell us we needed to pay for our drinks. We ignored him and walked out, then the server ran out behind us to the parking lot and yelled at us for not leaving a tip. Sometimes, they really dont diserve anything.
We keep an eye on how many tables a waitperson has and how much time they spend on the floor. On average I tip 15-20%. I will go outside that when the service lies outside the average/expected.
If we sit with empty drinks and choke down our food...or sit for half an hour after we're obviously done eating before anyone comes by with the bill...that counts against 'em. If we've been waiting 20 minutes and finally ask someone else and get told our person is on break...that's against them as well – either they failed to check on us before taking their break or they're on one hell of a long break and someone else should've been sent around.
If they're handling 4-5 tables with average bills of say $50...20% in tips works out to $40-50 an hour. I know people with a great deal of education and responsibility who don't get anywhere near that no matter how hard they work.
I've left no tip in Australia where the wait staff gets paid a living wage and tipping is not expected. The down side of that of course is that since none of their income depends on tips, the service generally sucks. The only exception to that rule was when we were in a restaurant where one of the owners was our server. That was the only restaurant where we ordered dessert because that was the only restaurant where the bothered to come back and ask if we wanted any. For service, I prefer the American concept of tips. And when I go out in the US, I always leave a tip. If you want to convey the idea of poor service, leave a poor tip. Leaving no tip says nothing as you may simply have forgotten to leave it.
Those of us who have worked for tips in the past understand the true meaning of the word…"TIPS" To Insure Proper Service; and tips should be based on just that. TIPS should also not regulated by the restaurant, bar or establishment. Establishments charge a mandatory 18 or 20% if there are 6 or more in your party. Fact is unless you get a very experience wait staff person, they usually can't handle a larger party and you end up paying for is poor service, you actually hurt the wait staff that way as well…if they do a good job, most time they will be tipped better than the 18 or 20%...in this day and age not many people will add the extra tip if it’s already included in the bill.
Only once have I never left a tip. It was at Houstons Biltmore restaurant in Phoenix, AZ. I took about 6 people out to dinner. The waitress was exceedingly rude to me. The bill came and I put a 'modest' tip on the charge card but when I gave the bill & card to her, I told her she'd of gotten a better tip if she wouldn't of been so rude. At this point she said to me, I don't give a f#%#&@k about your tip and turned away. I went and got the manager and insisted that the charge be reversed on my card, signed another bill without tip.. When I got my statement, there was a $50.00 tip put on the card. I reported them to the card company for fraud, and the whole bill was removed from my card. Other than that, I can't ever think of a time I did not tip above 15 %
I am shocked at the sense of entitlement of all the waiters on this post. You can expect a tip if you provide good service, that's it. You are not entitled to a tip just because people go out to eat, you are paid very low hourly wages, you are on your feet all day...so many excuses... I was in Mexico City where the waiters in the hotel we were staying at provided super-quick, excellent and gracious service and not once did I get the feeling that they were doing it for money. The first few times, we tipped pretty badly since we were still trying to figure out the exchange rate and never mind those phone apps for the correct tip amount. We were still treated well by the waiters under all circumstances, which is a true sign of hospitality and service.
Entitlement is a terrible mindset of a server.. I want to open a restaurant that I pay my servers min wage and tell them not to expect tips. These things must be earned and I would want my customers to feel that they arent feeling obligated to pay for mediocracy. I would have a sign that say our waiters don't expect tips and if they seem to, talk to the boss. (Cuz they would be gone, trust me).
I'd have to make $50/hr to deal with an arrogant, ignorant manager like you.
Here's a tip...paying a waitperson minimum wage would get you nothing but a job of waiting on all the customers yourself, none of us would do do this job for that amount of money.
Oh! McDonald's called again, they said you need to pick up the order yourself, because they don't take tips.
I atleast offered to pay my workers min wage, which is the biggest complaint in this whole comment saga anyways. They all get paid $2/hr. I would pay $8 and have you know that I'm actually a really personable person who I believe people would appreciate working for. Don't worry about working for me either becuase we obviously don't get along. I'm just trying to state my opinions that I believe in certain situations servers don't deserve a tip if service is terrible and you have to add something to everything I say. I do tip, I just dont like it being expected of me. My opinions, that I am now done stating. You can quit saying my McDonalds order is ready because I hate fast foods, they are terribly unhealthy and all processed.
Why should we tip? No one tips me at my work. I get the rate per hour I work for. Why should we subsidize others. You are working in a restaurant and you agreed to the wage provided by the restaurant. Why do people think it is their right to get tip.
I would also like some free money.... have you seen people helping at lowes or homedepot.. do you give them tip !!!!
You're looking at it bass-ackwards. Tipping gives people who are being served the right to determine the value of the service received. Otherwise they'd just roll the equivalent of a tip into the price of the food and you'd be forced to pay a tip whether you got decent service or not (like they often do with large parties).
The practice of tipping decouples the price of food from the price of service. That is, in all ways, a good thing for people who eat out, as it aligns the goal of the server (who wants a good tip) with that of the diner (who wants a good meal).
18%- good/great service
15%- average service
10%- poor service
I should make it a point to say that my 18% is usually a bit more than that, as is my 15% because it's left in bills and then also whatever change is left, or sometimes I have a $5 and not 4 singles. I figure that even when the service is poor, it's probably only the fault of the cook or the server, but probably not the hostess, server AND busboy. The tip goes to more than 1 person so it's not fair to screw everyone based on a bad server or slow service or even bad food.
If it were up to me, Id go to the kitchen, grab my food from the chef, and fill my own drinks. I dont need some single mother asking me how my food is or if i want desert. In the long run, she couldnt give a damn. The only reason she asks anything is to sound genuine and squeez more cash out of me. If the food is good, tip the chef.......say what?!
Sounds like you should just get off your lazy, self-entitled butt and learn to cook for yourself. Servers don't get paid minimum wage, mind you, they get about $3 – $4 an hour PLUS tips because the restaurants are too cheap to take care of their employees. And guess what, if you're too cheap to tip, then you're too cheap to eat out. Stay at home.
I work in a restaurant and am thus very conscious about leaving a tip of about 20%. However, once I left a "net tip" of zero (completely by accident), when my server gave me $2 in quarters to pay for the meter, insisting he wasn't going to break my $20 bill because he was just glad to get rid of the quarters. I was in a hurry on the way out and completely forgot the favor the server did for me, leaving him only $2 in tip (on a $13 check).
Only once have I ever left no tip....it was in NYC, the Colony Restaurant, opposite the Pan Am Bldg. (now MetLife) on the 45th St. side. The waitress's demeanor was so rude and obnoxious that it deserved it.
There are plenty of times that I have left zero tip. I work hard for my money, and I'm not going to give it away to someone who doesn't work hard to get it from me. Decent service gets 10-15%. Exceptional service gets 20% (this is rare). Friendly/funny people get better tips; and people who remember me and/or know my name get better tips.
"Typical black man" Im convinced your not black, but there will be a day in america in which whites will be the minority. So many whites make fun of young black teen mothers but remember they are growing up with a black president and the hope is high for them. The year 2042-45 the government expect whites to be minority so a new day will come and sooner than we think. I agree with the "get over slavery" comment because thats over and a new day is here and a brighter day in near.
Ha.. typical black man must not really be a black man, I do not think he would call himself Tpical Black Man if we as. Black people do struggle with tipping, but it is more due to their lack of education than it is "revenge". Their not always the brightest race.
Lack of education? Wow. Maybe you should take a look at our Black, educated president. I think some blacks tip poorly, to a servers standards, because so many of them have held low paying jobs that did not tip so, big deal get a new job or some education. As a black male i get stereo-typed for not going to tip so i have received shitty service from the start. After years of that you start to raise you standards for tipping. I have left no tip due to bad service and low funds but i wont let a server stop me from buying what i can afford on the menu. Majority of the time i leave %15 and you would be surprised at the dirty looks like thats still not enough...Geeze talk about entitled. I even had three friends out to eat with me before and we tipped our wait staff $100. Why? because we had the money and the service was great. Some of that $100 went to the cook also (i hope). If someone can not afford a tip but still want..... applebees wings, they still are paying your $2.00 wages by buying those wings. How about customers start telling managers "hey I cant tip "server #1" today, so Im going to give Burger King my $20. I bet the manager will want them to stay if they can pay the bill. No wonder the fast food places are kicking so many sit-down restaurants asses in sales and Investors.
If you don't tip, that's on you. I tend to tip 20% for typical service, could be more or less if its bad. I have been none to leave a penny if it was really bad, but that's happened maybe twice in the last 30 years.
For those of you that aren't familiar with the penny tradition. The idea is to highlight that you did not "forget" the tip, but that you thought very poorly about the service.
I typically leave 10-15%. I'll tip 20% if I'm blown away. I'll tip a penny if the service is repulsive (only happened once or twice). I have left a 50% tip once because my family and I were in poor spirits on that day and the waiter was instrumental in making our day that much brighter with their amazing attitude and service.
I usually leave at least 20%. On one occasion I left nothing because the rude bartender literally threw the check folder and pen at me. If i have to duck to avoid your missiles, you're not getting a tip.
There have been a few other scattered occasions throughout the year where I gave no tip, but it takes pretty ridiculously bad service.
I do believe that tips are a standard part of eating out, and I always go in fully expecting to tip well. The waiter's actions determine exactly how well, or in rare cases, if at all.
I didn't leave a tip just once. I was that pissed off. The waitress treated my friends and my family like crap. She basically dropped the silverware. She forgot our water and the scolded us for not reminding her. She gave the wrong dinner plate to my husband and then snatched it out of his hands when he told her. Then she brought the drinks over and left them on one side of the table and we had to distribute them. She got a big, fat zero for tip and that is what she deserved and I tip 20% otherwise.
I've left zilch for a tip only after letting the server know I was doing so. Otherwise, a small, miniscule amount is left behind. I tip fairly for decent service, and tip better for excellent work.
I didn't tip at a BBQ place I recently went to because, in the time period between ordering and the waitress realizing she forgot about us, they sold out of almost everything I wanted. I still would have tipped her, but she refused to acknowledge her mistake.
I know there have been other times, but it's such a rare occurrence that I can't think of any. You pretty much have to single-handedly ruin my meal to get no tip.
Wow, just 10 years back tipping 15% was for awesome service. Now, we're seeing people tip 20% and 25%, and some restaurants I've been to are putting the mandatory 18% on my bill for a party of 6. If we continue doing this, 10 years from now, the tipping norm may be 35%!!!
I know that some people are going to think that waiting staff need a living wage as well. In that case, I'd suggest they upgrade their skills and get an education. If we start tipping 35% and 40% of a meal, we might start seeing lawyers quiting their jobs to be waiting staff because it pays so much better!
And who is going to fill in for these servers once they leave their jobs after becoming educated? More servers so stop being a cheapo and tip those who are in transition!
I've tipped 50% for super above and beyond service when the current tipping norm is 18%. So does that make you a cheapo now?
Good service was to me in 2000 as it is for me in 2010. Why should I or anyone for that matter pay 25% when I was expecting the same service for the price of 15%? Is service going down hill? If that's the case, then maybe we should tip nothing!
It is a percent of the cost of eating out. I gaurantee that the cost of eating out has gone up by at LEAST as much as most of us with non service jobs have gotten in raises...Therefore 15-20% Today is worth quite a bit more than ten years ago when food costs were much lower.
Well, Ed, the way I see it is if you don't want to tip, then cook your meals at home or use a drive-thru. I, after having been a server for years and recently getting my bachelor's degree, wouldn't wait tables again if hell froze over. Food service is not a job you go into with an "education" as you say, or at least I know I didn't attend classes for four years and work my butt off to wipe up people's messes, listen to their smart-a** attitudes, handing them ketchup so their kids can squirt it everywhere, etc.
I think tipping has gotten out of control. When we have people getting charged with theft of services for not tipping, I think it's time to restructure the system. Pay the servers a decent wage and put it into the price of the meal/service.
Actually I went out with my then-manager and other foreign colleagues on a business trip, we went to some place where the service was just bare minimum; since it wasn't the conventional thing for them and they had some credit card issue she just didn't tip altho I said it was pretty much expected. The manager chased us down the street and practically demanded a tip, saying the same thing you said, and that it was against the law there and that she would call the police. My boss was a bit jet-lagged & just gave her something to leave us alone, but man! They asked me if that was normal & I said I'd never seen that but I'd always tipped at least something in this country before!
If the service is ever so bad that I'm not leaving a tip, then it was bad enough to speak with management. Each time, I've insisted on paying the full bill so they'd take me seriously. I want them to know that I'm complaining for a reason, not to get anything for free.
Waiting tables put me through college. I'm very aware of what a hard job it is. But there are some people that aren't cut out for the job.
Those whom are African-American are likely to not tip. And Indians(India) are a real close second. This post will surely attract haters and those who will claim racism....nothing further from the truth. Just speaking as a Server.
Hey Morningwoody, maybe African Americans don't tip well as others because they are not treated as well as others. When my mother and I go out to eat, we are avoided by wait staff because they assume we won't tip well. The sevice is generally just OK; not exceptional. My mother is a very generous tipper regardless of the service. She was out at a diner with a friend one time and forgot her wallet, the manager assumed it was trick to get out of paying the bill; but, I guess because she was a senior citizen, he let her got, but was clearly not happy. The next day my mother went back to the diner, paid the bill and give the waitress a $20.00 tip. The manager told my mother he was surprised she returned and thanked her for her honesty.
People pick up on vibes, if you feel African Americans or any other group of people are not good tippers, believe me, this is reflected in the service you provide and the customer will respond in kind.
Bottom line, don't like working for tips; get a better job
I've never gotten "no tip" from Black people, but it's true, they tip very little. And it has nothing to do with the service at all...I treat everyone the same, as if they're the most important people in the world. It's true about people from India as well...again...excellent service, very small tips.
I have left no tip. Especially if the serivce was horrible. I also left a tip but not the usual 15-20%, if the service was slow, food cold. Things like that.
What does cold food have to do with the server? Seems like you need to think about what was and wasn't in the server's control. Cold / lousy food doesn't have anything to do with the service, all the serve did was bring it to you. Sounds like you're just cheap.
I am a server and I have left no tip. BUT if that's the case I make sure to speak to management too, you REALLY have to give me bad service to get nothing. I overtip, habit of the job, but when I go to places that people know me I get amazing service from everyone! As a server, tell me if I screw up. Some days I have a bad day, and don't realize that I made a mistake. Then, I know I'm not getting a good tip, because I screwed up! But keep in mind there are things that are out of the server's control. If the place is extremly busy it may take longer than you'd expect to get your food, drinks, ect.
A couple of times, after horrible service, I have left $1. But I sought out the manager on duty and let him/her know that I left $1 and WHY. If they are good, management doesn't want unhappy customers.
My tips depend on a combination of the service, the food, and how much I can afford. Service is of course the largest factor. One of my biggest indicators is if they keep my water glass fairly full (I rarely drink anything other than water, even at home). When the wait staff keeps walking by and I have an empty glass (even worse if they stop at the table) and do not at least ask if they can refill it, then definitely no tip. I don't feel that is unreasonable and I should never have to flag someone down for something like that. I have asked to speak to a manager before when service has been very bad, or the food bad. OR when someone has been really outstanding. And I fill out comment cards detailing what I liked or didn't in places that have them. And when a place has been reaaly horrible I make sure they know that I will not be back.
The server's tip should never be based on what "you can afford." Full or empty water glass aside, if you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out. Try McDonalds, they have a $1 menu, or stay at home and cook.
One time, we inadvertently left no tip – but only because of our scum bag dinner partners. Hubby wrote a check for our portion of the bill plus tip and the other couple looked at our check and wrote a check for the difference and didn't leave any tip. We refused to go out with them again. Only once I didn't leave a tip because the service was that bad. Another time on Christmas eve, waitress screwed up our order but was having a real bad day, looked about ready to burst into tears – we left her a 100% tip and wrote Merry Christmas on the bill. Hope the holidays perked up after that.
It has to be very very bad service for me to give the "making a point" penny tip or no tip at all. I have been in their shoes and know what tips mean to their income. That being said it seems like poor service is almost the norm these days. I still remember "career waiters" older men and women who have been doing it most of their lives. These days I only see that in high end restaurants in Mexico's resort locations. Waiting tables in the US these days is a throwaway job while kids are working their way through school or as a stepping stone to a better job later. I recognize good service with a large (20% or more sometimes) tip. But I don't as I said "make the point" unless service is utterly abyssimal.
i'll leave zero tip if its bad service. their low wage isn't my problem if they want to be d!cks or act like they have better things to do. if you dont like the low wage...get a new job! Or, be a great waiter/waitress and get a great tip! you don't have to knock my socks off, just be attentive and polite.
The only time I can remember not tipping is when a "server" at a buffet-style restaurant never picked up the dirty dishes or filled my drink. I even had time to stack all my dishes up into a sort of monument to their neglect. At the pinnacle of the monument, I left a sign reading "NO SERVICE = NO TIP".
I can only think of one time that I tipped nothing at all. Usually bad service gets something around 10 percent from me, but when my food comes out wrong TWICE and im told that I shouldnt be so picky by the waitress...Youre lucky losing out on the tip was all that happened to you.
Years ago our family went to a place we had not been to before. During the whole time, our waitress was very unattentive, rude and we had to ask for every thing. When we rec'd the bill, my husband was paying by credit card and left a $5 tip and our son-in-law left a few bucks on the table. As we were walking out the door the waitress came up to us and asked us if the service was that bad that we only left a $5 tip. We all were shocked that she would come up to us. Not only did we tell her yes, my husband went back to the cashier and voided out the first transaction and paid again with no tip, our son-in-law picked up the cash off the table. We always do right by waitresses, it can be a difficult job, so if they are pleasant and do try we usually leave a good tip, but when they act like this one did they don't deserve anything. A tip is not mandatory.
Having been a tipped person at one point in my career, I feel for the amount of work these folks do, so for standard service, they get a 20% tip (buffets- 15%).
I have left without tipping on a couple of occasions because the service was just too poor. And if I'm not going to tip, I also take the time to let the manager know. I want to make sure the waiter or waitress gets told why he or she did not receive a tip, so the poor behaviour can be corrected.
My dh is from England and he likes to tip with cash, but automatic and large tips are much more an American thing. He worked in a hotel restaurant as a student and if the tip was put on the bill they would just divvy it up and the staff might get some little bit out of the pot. We were in a restaurant in LA, service was OK nothing extraordinary, and he filled out the bill in front of the waitress and she actually confronted him – somewhat politely & in shocked tones, that he was not putting a gratuity on it. He then explained why he didn't put it on the credit card, and gave her something, but said to me later it was not like what he would have given her otherwise & was tempted to say I WAS going to, but you've made me change my mind.
CHUCK! seriously, would you be willing to pay more for your food and a waitress make $9 to $15 dollars per hour and get poor service? or pay less for your dinner and be allowed the choice as to how much to leave the waiter/waitress as a meter of their service? I choose the latter!
Bonbon, imagine if you were paid the same way: your salary determined daily based on the whim of whomever you were dealing with that day. Society would be filled with resentful individuals who couldn't apply for any kind of loan due to fluctuating income based on the caprice of others. Good work is frequently NOT rewarded by others when it means others have to give more of their own resources. Think about it.
Although I do tip as to avoid the uncomfortable feeling I'd feel if I didn't, I don't believe in tips. I don't get tipped in the work I do. So, why should someone else, who's doing performing a job that honestly doesn't take much skill? The employer should pay their employees what they are worth. Increase the price of the food a little bit, if you need to. But, don't force customers to have to reward people for doing the job they were hired to do in the first place. And, think about how much some waiters/waitresses must make per hour w/tips. Probably more than many of us professionals.
Doesn't take much skill? Really? How easy is it to rush around, on sore feet, hour after hour, meeting to every individual's whim "Can you get me tea", then "oh, can I have lemon for my tea" then another person at the same table "can I have a tea too?" all with a SMILE on your face as you have a bar exam to study for? nice, you sound like you have a ton of compassion
If serving is such a "low-skill" job, why are there so many complaints here about bad service? If the job was so easy, we'd all be getting great service at sit-down restaurants. Try walking in a server's shoes before you judge them.
As a former server, I don't go out to eat unless I can afford to tip 20%. Sometimes I've tipped 15% when I felt that the service was less than desirable, but I've never received service from my waiter/waitress bad enough to warrant less than that.
I wonder, too...people will pay $10 each way for extra leg room on an air flight, now...but they don't want to pay $5.00 for fast, prompt service with a great attitude? Sheesh.
I have not left a tip on a number of occasion but the service has to have been beyond bad. I usually tip 20%. But has anyone else had this happen? I have picked up food to go and been given the STRONG impression that a tip was expected. For what??
as someone who works at a takeout counter, I can tell you that a tip is never expected, but always greatly appreciated. While we may not serve you like a waiter might, we always make sure that food is ready on time and is prepared according to your specifications. We take orders, pack your food and bring it to you. We essentially do the same job as servers but ultimately make less money.
L. Gorman, who do you think entered, prepared, and bagged your take-away order–a little food-angel? I don't think so. Chances are the same server that prepared your order also have about 8 tables he / she was also tending to. You need to start leaving a tip for a take-away, even if it's a couple bucks. If you don't think the server in your case did anything, next time try preparing your own order or go to McDonald's–I hear they have a $1 menu and you don't have to tip for take-away.
Once at an uncrowded bar near my neighborhood, the bartender kept ignoring my friends and me, and keep letting her friends get free drinks, I was so disgusted I tried to close my tab so we could leave, when she finally came around 15 minutes later, I was so angry that I gave a negative tip on the credit card slip and left...of course it didn't work and I ended up having to pay the same gratuity as a tab left overnight, but I think it may have gotten the point across
A negative tip?? You took some off the bill? What a great idea, shame it cost you anyway. My dh has politely complained at restaurants before & got free deserts and stuff (spat in??), but I'm sure he would try that too.
Also, just wanted to add that despite what one tips, that doesn't give the customer the right to be abusive to the service. I can't believe the way I have seen some customers treat servers like they are indentured servants. Good customer attitude from the outset can help towards good experience.
As someone who put myself through undergrad waiting table at the Olive Garden and running a bar to put myself through Grad school, not tipping isnt an option.
I will tip 10-12% on less than adequate server but I also take the time to communicate to the manager. I do not confront the server because it is the job of the manager to work to improve the ability of the server. I do not do this to get "free food" or discounts, I do it for constructive feedback.
Leaving a less than significant tip without giving constructive feedback does not help anyone get better.
this is known by many servers.....penny alone, heads down, terrible service. 10% to 15% tip good service, normal. 20% tip and a penny left on the table, heads up means great service, will return again most definately! But there are many customers that think the server doesn't need a tip of any kind, but they need to understand that servers live off of their tips, their pay is well below liveable standards!!
I have worked several jobs as a waiter. I know how hard most waiters and waitresses work. Regardless of whether you are a waiter, a waitress, a garbageman, or a brain surgeon, what makes your job special is how well you do your job. A tip is recognition of a job well done. A tip is not automatic, a tip it is not obligatory. If a waiter or waitress does a terrible job, or has a terrible attitude, or is rude to people, then they certainly don't deserve a tip. There are too many good people looking for jobs these days to tolerate a poor work. I am certainly not going to willingly pay extra for poor service.
I ALWAYS leave 20% (on top of tax) but one single time I left 0 and would easily do so again. It was atrocious service and just a very rude server on top of his poor skills. Why pay extra for to be treated like that?
Tips should be banished from all types of service related work. Employers should be made to pay a proper wage for the work done. Let the employer deteremine who is doing a good job and who is not from comments given by customers. It is his business that he is protecting by having good employees who serve all of the customers in a manner where the the customer will come back again.
I actually tipped generously the hostess after I went to her and asked for help. The server constantly ignored us while working with other tables right beside us. When he did come by he didn't us the opportunity to ask for a beverage.
Tipping is fundamentally flawed. It is a percentage of the cost of the meal. I have gone to an inexpensive dive restaurant and had amazing service that was absolute amazing and incredible decadent restaurants with less than sub par service. If I were to tip 30% at the dive and 5% at the High end establishment the dive is still getting the short end of the stick. In short I think the tipping protocol needs to be overhauled. In this entitled world we live in service has gone out the window and the large tips have been turned into just an unearned accepted norm.
That's how it is in other parts of the world, it's just what you feel the service deserves. I guess the pay structure is different. A friend went to S. Africa with her bf's wealthy family and had a lovely lunch at a little vineyard with a very attentive server. At the end bf's Dad personally gave her a tip, he had to explain it was just for her as they'd had such a nice time, and she was genuinely shocked and almost embarrassed like she was afraid her boss would take it from her.
Thats why I never have and never will tip on percent. I give what I think is fair. Sometimes I may just order one drink, 30% will be less than a dollar, so I will sometimes tip around 100% instead. If by some chance I ever go to a really expensive place and get an $80 meal theres no way I'm tipping 30%, I will tip the exact same amount I tip at any other resturaunt which is around $3-4. The waiter didnt do anything extra if I ordered the prime rib instead of the cheeseburger, why the hell should they get 3 times the tip? And just because a waiter works at a place where everything is under $12 doesnt mean they should get 75 cents for a tip while the waiter at a 4 star resturaunt gets $40 for doing the same work.
People need to throw out the percentage rule and just tip based on people and how long you were there.
Paying for a servers wages is not my responsibility. I have no problem tipping my server. But tipping them because I am supposed to pay their wages is ridiculous. I worked as a teen in the kitchen and the servers made 100 dollars or more on a Friday night. Some made only 50. It was pretty clear to everyone why some made 50 and some made 100. Yeah some folks are jerks and do not tip. However, some servers deserve it.
The only thing I can think is that Jan is maybe not from America, tips are viewed differently in some other places. Either that or she/he only ever eats at the same place once...
I normally leave very generous tips but I know of one time I actually left 3 cents in what remained of cole slaw because of the service being so bad and the horrible attitude the wait staff and manager had. I have never been back either since I think it closed not long after I was there.
If the service is bad enough, I'll leave some change to make a statement. Leaving nothing might be misinterpreted as an "accident," and I want the failed server to "get the right message."
That said, I usually tip around 20% under "normal" circumstances – and higher for truly excellent service.
If I have to speak to a manager about poor service, I'm definitely not leaving a tip. Leaving a poor or no tip is the consumer's way of letting the server know they stink without getting them in trouble with management. Some people only understand a message when money is involved.
Just an interesting fact: In Poland most waiters and waitresses at least make a full salary (i.e. minimum wage or higher) unlike the waitstaff here in the U.S. who rarely (if ever) even make minimum wage. Please keep that in mind when tipping. (or not tipping.) I do feel that if the waitstaff doesn't do their job... they should not get a tip. You're in customer service... if it's not working out for your personality... find something less social and customer oriented and where your livelihood isn't dependent on your ability to be "of servce."
Other: I have "tipped" negative once before. the service was terrible, there was my party of 3, and about 3 other customers there for lunch. everything took forever, including our whiskey & coke drinks. we were done eating and just waiting for a check but the waitress wouldn't pay attention to us, and she was busy watching TV and flirting with a different customer. on top of all of this, the ATM machine was broken, so we finally got fed up and paid with the cash that we had on us (which was about 20 bucks short) and left.
I dont recall ever not tipping. as long as the server means well, I leave 15-20%. often the problems are beyond their control. slow kitchen, too few waiters... etc...
I understand that wait staff are underpaid and always tip at least 20% . I am a friendly person and expect friendly service. However, when a server is rude or when I can't find him/her because they are gossiping on their personal cellphone rather than keeping track of the people in their area then I feel justified in not tipping at all.
Tipping is a very stupid American idea. Europe has it right. If a meal costs 50$ that is what you pay. If the service was excellent, you leave some change say if the bill is 53.75, you pay 55.00. Only in America!!
To Franz and Tired Chicagoan: Stay at home and eat, or go to Germany...I hear Munich has great restaurants. But, for what you would have paid in airfare you could have just tipped here in the USA.
When I was in Germany it took me a few days to figure out why the waitresses were so darn friendly when I was on my way out of the place. 20% is a pretty good deal for a German waitress!
I agree and I'm American. And the expectations seem to have risen over the years too. I liked when we went to NZ and were told that tipping wasn't done, the servers might be insulted because it was like you are bribing them to do their job for you.
Food is generally more expensive in Europe partially beacuse the waitstaff get paid more....hence there is less of a need to tip. Waiters in Germanny are not getting paid 1 Euro an hour which is basically what the equivilant would be in America.
I am an American now living in Germany and I think I like the American way better. Here you have to chase them down to pay and if food takes 45 minutes to come they don't really care. A good American waiter would let you know what is happening so you could expect a wait. And they wouldn't bring one entree and then another 30 minutes later. And free tap water!
So people like me who believe in not using credit to have fun/live on and only pay with cash should not go out to eat at all? Have fun digging yourself out of debt.
Really Diane or whoever, unless you're a billionaire having credit is always a useful thing. We always try to pay ours off every month & mainly just use them for the cashback/rewards. If you can't afford to do that, well I agree you probably need to save money by not eating out.
Thats smart, tell people to just stay home. Servers get fired and restaurants close because of people "just staying home." I'll remember that next time I think about eating out and take my money elsewhere. You should say that with the boss around and see what happens.
Nothing is better than something? Diane, you've never been waitstaff before or probably have ever had to support yourself either. Wipe off your milk mustache and enter the real world to learn that nothing is NEVER better than something when it comes to wages. Bring enough money with you to cover your expenses and that includes the tip. Otherwise, don't order that drink or desert.
I don't leave no tip, but I WILL round up to the nearest dollar when the service is horrible. I worry that with no tip the bad waitstaff thinks I forgot to tip. When I round to the nearest dollar, they know I wasn't satisfied. However, when I receive fantastic service I will tip 20-25%.
No, when you round to the nearest dollar, I don't care how your service was, all I know is I got a tip. You should stop being passive-aggressive and start talking to management if you get bad service. Sometimes the things you think are so awful are completely out of the hands of the server...cold food, sucky food, too few servers, etc. so when you think it's all the server's fault and do something like that, no one receives benefit.
I agree with the premise that the employer should be responsible for wages of the server. However, reality is what it is, and I leave a tip unless the service is near totally neglectful or abusive.
Waitress dropped off the tab in one of those folder thingys and said she would pick it up when I was ready. I finished eating, she cleared my plates, served other people, came by a number of times and never bothered to pick up the folder thingy with payment. I needed change as I was not leaving her a 50% tip. I got tired of waiting. I took the bill to the counter, paid and walked out. Why should I waste more of my time to walk back and tip her. She wasted enough of my time by making me wait for her to not do what she said she was going to do.
That was your fault. You should have shown the money in the holder by sticking it out a side, or called her over and made known you were ready to pay. She likely thought you were enjoying your conversation, and busiliy went about helping her other (shocking!) customers whole you got ready. Open your mouth and communicate. Servers can't smell your thoughts.
In fact, it is the servers job to "read your thoughts". The drink should never be less than half full, nor should the customer be kept waiting an undue time for anything, whether that is their food or the bill or the server coming to pick up the bill. Professional servers know this, that is people who have made a career out of serving others in a hospitality environment, not your generic college server at the local chain restaraunt.
In addition to this particular comment, most restaraunts count on said server to turn the tables over so a new customer can be seated. this server was not doing his/her job by leaving the customer to wait indefinately.
Once I leave you the check, it's your responsibility, especially when I say the magic phrase "let me know when you're ready." I'll continue to fill your drinks as long as you sit there, but I'm not going to badger you to get up, pay, and leave because I want you to be comfortable and at home at my table. If you don't tell me that you're ready, then how shall I know? The fault is your situation is yours, not your server's.
I don't do it often but if you are a lousy server, why should I tip you? To be nice? I just paid full price for a meal that came with crappy service. If you don't like your job or can't handle it, you may need to think about getting another one.
I have never left zero, I was taught to leave 4 cents that way the server knew you did not just stiff them and the service was really that bad. I am usually a big tipper but its not automatic, its about the service you receive
As a proud Canadian, I am offended to hear that you 'think' we don't tip? We certainly do tip. The customary 20-25% and no, tips are not included on the bill (where are you gettting your information from?????) in Ontario. I have been all over the States and Canada and don't think meals here are anymore 'pricey' than across the border.
Do your homework before you give out false information.
Sorry Mandy, I had a teacher 2 years ago tell me (because he was from BC) that Canadian meals are expensive because of all the tax you guys have to pay. He must of lied..
After leaving a 15% tip at one restaurant following a mediocre meal, with very bad service, I was surprised when I received my credit card statement showing a higer total than the receipt I had. Calling the restaurant it seems that they "automatically" and without notice charge a 20% tip charge that is added to your bill. Not on the menu. Not on a sign. No notice, and it was added after the bill was signed! No, it was not a large party; it was a party of three.
No excuse. If I had not been quite as busy at the time I would have taken action on several levels. In the end karma did the job for me; the place is out of business.
yeah thats a great way to look at things, the restaurant made a mistake, that was fixed...and you say it was karma that put them out of business. what an asshole.
John, why are you such a sissy? Why couldn't you have picked out your own fly? With all the ethanol in your drink, it was sterile and you could have just eaten it.
If you sit outside, you're probably going to get bugs in your drink or food or both. Plus, most servers would have probably just given you an apology, taken the drink back to the bar, fished the bug out with a straw or even their fingers, and brought the same drink back. She just saved you some time.
I've done it once. Took 15 min for our waitress to take our drink orders, then took 20 min for those drinks to get to us and she didnt even take our main course orders at that time. 5 min later, she came back...took the orders....then preceeded to NOT put them into the system. After loosing track of time in conversation, we looked at our watches and saw that it had been 35 minutes from when we ordered. We asked her within earshot of one of the managers (we are regulars there) and the manager went to look, our orders werent in the system. We finally got food after some quick action from the manager but left no tip. That waitress was fired 1 day later.
In the resturant business you live and die by the service your staff provides, it is way to offen that good service is not provided, because the ownership is too worried about having too much staff on duty to take care of the customers or due to lack of training. Recently my wife and I had dinner at steak house and the service was horrible – the waiter did not know the menu properly (although he claimed to have previous experience) and our order was not correct. We still left a small tip as from my own personal experience of waiting tables it is just not cool to not acknowledge that someone has tried to help you.
I always tip at 15 to 20 pct. I worked as a waiter during college. If there are problems I speak to the manager. The worst tippers are religous organizations as they seem to think they are above all!
THAT IS SO TOTALLY RIGHT. The restaurant that I worked at was right across the street from a big baptist church. All the customers I had, who came from that church, TIPPED VERY LITTLE TO NOTHING. It was so annoying. Instead of a tip they would leave me these little paper pamphlets saying "Do you want to be saved by God? We can help."
I have absolutely left no tip before, due to incredibly poor service. I almost always tip, even if there are a couple problems with service or meal but when the server:
A: doesn't bring my food out, forcing the manager to do so
B: doesn't check up on us at all after taking our order
C: sits at a table right next to ours to talk with friends and do shots for 45 minutes
D: does all of the above
E: and the manger, while apologetic, doesn't offer anything in the way of compensation
when all that happens at the same time, there will be no tip coming from me and I'll likely never return to that restaurant. In this economy, restaurant workers should make sure they are doing their job well and they will continue to attract customers; act like idiots and you'll be out of a job or a business.
It doesn't concern you who brings out your food. My manager used to help us carry food out from time to time, depended on what we had going on at the restaurant at the time–it's called "expediting."
Yes, memorably on my 1st wedding anniversary after a long night of horrendous service. Despite their policy of adding 18% to the bill only with parties of 6 or more, she added it and when I asked to remove it, she said "I knew you would stiff me." I never stiff the server if the kitchen is at fault though.
My mother was a waitress for many years, and I have always had a heart for servers. Even during times of mediocre service, I've left at least a minimal tip. Most of the time, with good or great service, I'll leave a 20-25% tip. It's part of the price of eating at a restaurant.
I didn't leave a tip once, when I was 13 years old. I was out with a friend at a Ruby Tuesday's restaurant, and we wanted to save the rest of our money for the mall arcade. I put a nickel on the table – without any ill intention. I'll never forget the sour, angry look on the waiter's face when we left. Learned my lesson there.
Sure, it's a part of going out - but it should be included in the bill. Not an 'expected' but unofficial add-on. And 20-25 percent? Seriously?
The only way this travesty will ever end is if we get off our lazy behinds and make it illegal for owners to force -any- of their workers to rely on tips. Then it can become what it once was – an additional bonus for exceptional service.
Sorry, I don't eat low life processed food. I mostly cook for myself and eat well. I like my body the 120 lbs it is and it's going to stay that way because I care about it. Haven't eaten there in years and won't ever do so again. Thanks anyways but you can have it.
I always left some tips (small some times). If I don't like the service, I do not go back to the place. My point of view; you go to a place to eat because of the service or the ambiance. If I really need a well cook meal...I do it at home.
As a long time restaurant manager, server, bartender,, and cook, I emphatically agree that tipping should be optional and only based on the level of service. I absolutely hate what they do here in South Florida with the mandatory gratuity added on to every check. It's no wonder that South Florida is recognized for having horrible service. Why should someone give a server/bartender 18% for doing nothing good or not even trying to impress. The reverse also happens because good servers/bartenders get the short end of the stick when gratuity is added.
It's true, a friend waits tables at a small cafe where there's a $3.99 special...the older couples routinely tip her a dollar for a table of two...10% of the total. Sick and wrong.
I have left $0 as a tip before. However, I left the waiter/waitress a note on the credit card bill that "Better service = Better Tips." At least the person knew why no tip was being left.
On occasion when really bad service has occurred, I have called the restaurant's management and most have offered to reverse the credit card charge and/or offer a free meal.
Nice passive-aggressive behavior. So... instead of complaining to the manager right away and have whatever "problem" you have taken care of (poor food, service, misorder, whatver) , you wait until you've eaten all of your food and go home. Now you know the game and understand that with one phone call you can have a free meal.
I was a chef for 25 years. I know how hard that job is. I usually tip 20-25% or more if service is very good. But if someone is obviously not trying and rude, they get nothing.
Occasionally I frequent a Buffet Restaurant. The customer picks up their own Placesetting and their drink. The help comes up to your table after you have served yourself and tells you that they will be your "Server" Only problem is that we as patrons just served ourselves. The Restaurant has signs posted that state "To ensure good service Tipping is appreciated". I do not tip as the so-called servers do nothing. Has anyone else come across this?
I tip at buffets where the staff is cordial and friendly. When I look around and see the positively disgusting piles of crap that customers leave on the table that my poor server is cleaning up and maintaining a good attitude all the while I am happy to tip.
Of course I've left no tips, particularly when the service was horrible. Once the waiter delivered something I did not order and when I told him I didn't order that, he said, "That is what I wrote down on the order." Was I supposed to be responsible for what HE wrote down? Even my date confirmed that I didn't order it. The waiter reordered the food, but had an attitude throughout the evening. I gave him nothing!
I would never, ever leave no tip! In fact, it takes pretty awful service to get me below 20%. Servers make around $2.00/hr – tips make up the most signifcant portion of their income. While I acknowledge that sometimes servers are THAT bad, a lot of the time, negative dining experiences are due to circumstances beyond a server's control. Food takes too long, food isn't prepared right, drink is not strong enough, there is a screaming child at the next table, etc. The next time you think about leaving no tip, consider how much of your bad experience was actually with the service. Was it so bad that the server only earned $2.00 (divided by his/her number of tables) in the hour that you were there?
I agree that there are many circumstances beyond the waitstaff's control that should not affect a tip... it's not his or her fault that the food wasn't cooked properly, that it took too long... sometimes there are situations that are very much within their control as well. I don't think it's a matter of the issues being beyond their control or not, but more how the waitstaff responds to that issue. This is 99% a customer service position. I know it's a tough job, but good tips should not be expected if you don't have the correct attitude. You can choose to have a horrible day and be a jerk, but where is that going to get you? $2.00/hr.
Wrong, for servers it's 2.33 per hour, and that depends on the State. It's legal because it's ASSUMED that our customers are paying our salaries. As it is, in a fine dining restaurant, on the busiest night of the year (which would make a 12 hour shift with no breaks, thank you) a server still only pulls in about 11$/hour. And they have to tip out upwards of 10% of their sales to their coworkers and friends.
Food U, in most states, if a server does not reach the threshold for minimum wage, the restaurant is responsible for making up the difference. Do your homework before preaching your nonsense.
Chester-I don't know what you've been reading but MOST restaurants Do Not follow that policy. In a perfect world maybe... I do not work in the svc industry any longer and I never waited tables but I did work as a Hostess and a good server busts his/her rump for you. I would help with drinks, menus, bussing tables, etc...they would voluntarily tip me out at the end of the night for helping. I have received rotten svc but I still tip something. Usually, I will tip anywhere from 20-30%. My motto is: If you are going out then you need to budget for tipping as well, otherwise, stay home.
I feel the same way. Many people don't realize that server's make $2/hour or less. In some cases, the tips are split in the restaurant with the people in the kitchen.
Cut and pasted from the Department of Labor website:
A tipped employee engages in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal minimum wage. If the employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees.
I'm amazed at how many people still don't understand this. :(
Waiters and Waitresses make $2.13/hr. That's it. Which is generally all eaten up by taxes anyway. 100% of their real, practical pay comes from tips. Theoretically, if a waitress gets so few tips during a week that the $2.13/hr + tips doesn't equal $7.25/hr, the employer is required to make up the difference. But ask a waitress if their employer ever actually did that, and they'll laugh in your face. :)
we get paid $2 an hour because we get TIPS! a waiter had to claim their tips at the end of the shift and that counts as their pay. a restuarant doesnt have to pay minium wage to an employee recieveing tips. also most waiters have to tip out to hosts, bartenders, and busboys. so when you dont tip we end up having to pay out of our pockets. if you arent going to tip or you are going to leave a crappy one, go to a drive tru.
Some states have minimum for servers below the actual wage of $7.25 such as minnisota and others like wisconsin have a wage of $2.30 an hour for servers.
Some states allow for minimum wage exemptions for jobs that traditionally receive gratuity as a large portion of their income.
I've left low tips on a few occasions, with notes emphasizing why. I've also left the penny, though this series of responses is the first time I've ever seen anything on the heads-down indication. If the service is bad enough, I will contact management. If the service is good enough, or my date is watching, I'll tip up to ~40%.
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We were seated and our drink order was taken and brought out by the hostess. Food order was taken by the waitress. Food brought by the hostess and she asked if we needed anything else...bill by the tipless waitress. Our friend who worked there delivered the hostess a very big surprising tip!
Tripping wet from a sale 12 waitresses went to lunch we looked terrible. food was great but service. Its one thing when you make a mistake or spill something on someone. People make mistakes its ok but be humble and apologize. If service is poor I leave a 5 to 10% and leave a nice note what I think yhey should work on. You have to train them some how. Next time they will think about what could have been better. If the food was terrible and service was great 20 to 30%. As a rule I make my customers feel right at home. They keep coming back
We former restaurant employees (front & back of house) and always tip big. All but once, at Shuckers in Woods Hole (Falmouth MA) and it was a combination of poor service and BAD management & bad lobster. We had visited Shuckers well over 100 times in the many years since it opened and the food and service was always great, with good being the worst it ever was. Then it happen. We went one night and one of our party ordered the Boiled Lobster. It is the Cape this should be good. But when the lobster was cracked, it was empty, no meat, strange but it happens and a good restaurant will quickly replace the dinner. However the waitress was no where to be found. When we checked at the bar the said she would come right over. When we checked agaian and told them of the lobster they again said she would be right over. Mind you it was a slow night for the restaurant. Finally when she came and we explained the situation she took the lobster and said she would speak with the manager. When she returned some time later, long after the rest of the party was finishing dinner, she informed us the manager said it was such a long time since the lobster had been delivered he would not do a thing for us as he was sure we ate the lobster and wanted another. Not the case. We paid the check in full (we had children with us and did not want the police involved) and let the waitress know how disapointed we were, that if she had been more attentive and had a better boss we all would be happier but if she wanted a tip she needed to work it out with the manager to credit the lobster dinner. It is such a shame, it was always a great place to go, now we not only do not reccomend it we tell people to stay away and that was 3 years ago. It is to bad the manager could not see that a less than $30 dinner could cost such bad PR.
On incredibly rare occasions service has been so poor that I have not left a tip. On such occasions I make sure that at least the management is aware of it, letting the server quietly know, too (if I can find him/her). I also leave additional tips with the management for a chef/cook who prepared what I felt was an exceptional dish along with my compliments. I also adjust tips based on the amount of time my party has been at the table, sometimes tipping more than the bill if we've been there a long time. I can't see depriving a server of the income they could have received from the table just because we decided to sit there for an extended period.
The importance of communication cannot be stressed enough here. Never leave a restaurant without complementing good service or complaining about the poor service to the manager. That said, the service MUST be EXCEPTIONALLY poor to not leave a tip. Weak service just requires a weaker than average tip. Very good service mandates leaving a higher than average tip.
Hey they have to be tipped.It is skilled work.Taken a plate and cup to a talk takes skills.Didn't you see the 3 year olds in the food court doing it.Or the 88 year old doing it with a walker.But the servers boy there skilled.hey can juggle and carry uh no. well there must be a skill uh they can balance them on there head uh no.well what is the skill i am missing?There in stripper out fit and hot? uh no.well dam i can't find the skill they have.One sec gonna RUN WITH MY PLATE AND CUP AND TALK ON CELL PHONE TO MY TALK.gonna see i have the skills.Hey do colleges offer server skill training?lol good your all tools.
I love the quote from Lee: "gave that WOW service and sometimes got only a 10% tip b/c either they were the sterotypes or just poor people that shouldn't have gone out to dinner in the first place." I guess the solution is for all the stereotypes and poor people to stop going out, so eating places will not have to serve them and staff will not have to be burdened by their presence.
I usually tip around 15 to18% for standard service. 20% for older men and women at diner-type places (usually the service warrents it) but less for the kids because the service is usually much poorer, especially of your a female over 50). 18 to 20% for higher-end spots. But if the service is really poor I'll ask to see the manager and explain a low tip. The real problem I see is that many, if not most, servers share tips with the whole service group...they get hurt too, so I always pay with a credit card, wirte a note on the reciept and speek with the manager if a waiter is really terrible and I tip low. At least they can then spot the poorer servers, find out what the problem is and remidy it one way or another..
I once went to dinner with a group of friends and after an hour the waitress brought our food out. Half of us received our nice, cold food while the other half got nothing. By this point we had all needed drink refills for the past half hour, but of course our waitress wouldn't know that because the last time we saw her was when she took our order an hour before. Needless to say we were a little upset and asked to speak to the manager who simply apologized – nothing else. And to top it off, an 18% gratuity charge was added to our bill as we were a party of 10 or more. Tell me that waitress deserved a tip? By making us tip her for services she certainly did not provide, the restaurant (Buffalo Wild Wings in West Lafayette, IN) only insured that none of us would ever return and tell everyone about our experience.
I am British but have now been living in Vancouver for 5 years, and I have to say I was completely shocked when I first moved here and found that regardless of the quality of service I received, I was expected to give the waiter/waitress a gratuity! It's not that Europeans don't tip, not at all. It's simply that Europeans don't tip as a matter of course. If the service is good, then we are happy to show our thanks for that service by tipping the staff, but tipping because you're expected to is presumptuous, and reduces the quality of service you receive. And as for staff being offended when they don't receive a tip? Don't be, in the vast majority of countries around the world tipping is very uncommon, so people may simply be unfamiliar with the concept.
I tipped low as a teenager, but I did the math, and usually the difference between being a cheapskate and a good tipper is sometimes as low as $1. Also, it helped that my folks were on the cheap side when it came to tipping (10%)
I have no idea how much I'm supposed to tip. Some say 10%, while people in the service industry sometimes say as much as 35%. I usually do 20% for good service because 20% is pretty easy to figure out (multiply by 2 and divide by 10), and it's the median.
I would only leave a 0-5% tip if I got bad service, which doesn't happen too often. Also, I'll cut the guy some slack if he or she has been busy or looks physically tired, but only to some extent.
By an hourly rate I mean If they only made say 20$ an hour instead of working for min wage + tips.
As someone who has to deal with over 120 employes in the food service industry, I can guarantee you that the service level would decline if I paid them an hourly rate.
So martin your telling me if they got no tip they would not be able to walk a plate and cup to a talk? Boy your works must be on the moron list.Hell a 3 year old can do that.
I live in New Zealand. Tipping here is uncommon, except in places catering to tourists, and we have a legislated minimum wage of, currently, $12.75 an hour. Without a tipping culture, it becomes the manager's job to ensure that waiting staff are efficient and friendly, which (with the inevitable variations) they are. Tipping benefits the restaurant owner by fudging the true cost, and by avoiding the necessity for decent pay and for effective management and motivation of employees. Perhaps restaurant managers and owners need to up their game.
After one particularily bad experience with an exceptionally rude waitress, my husband wrote a note on a paper napkin for her. "Your tip: Don't take any wooden nickles."
I normally tip no less than 20%, more if I get really good service. However on one occasion I left a bartender no tip. It was a bar/restaurant I go to relatively frequently. It was not a busy night, there were maybe 6 people sitting at the bar (the kitchen was closed). I sat patiently with my card in my hand, so she'd know I wanted to order (not waiving it around like a jerk or anything). After I'd waited for 15 minutes while she carried on a conversation with several customers at the other end of the bar she decided to come serve me. At the end of the night, when I closed out my tab, I left no money but I did write a "tip" on my bill. "I always tip at least 20% and this is the first time I've ever left no tip, however in your case, the only tip you deserve is this one: Pay attention to your customers."
Short of an intentional insult or tampering with food, I can think of no scenario in which I would feel justified leaving a tip less than 2.00 or 10%, whichever is higher. I conclude this from the following:
When I go to a restaurant, I am obligated to pay for two services: 1) restaurant corporation; 2) wait service. Restaurant corporations exploit this distinction; using it to justify the meager pay they offer servers. I take these as givens when I go to a restaurant.
Here are two general scenarios of dissatisfaction: poor food (service 1); poor relationship with server (service 2). In the first scenario, I have no justification for punishing the waiter for a kitchen mistake. If the food is that bad then I ought to speak with the manager, owner or both. I am still obligated to pay the server for the time and space I took up. In the second scenario, I try to remember to treat the server with the same respect I would treat the restaurant. Even if the waiter was a total jerk, they deserve to receive what I expected to pay them upon entering. I try to remember that the $3.00 tip is more than the restaurant will pay them for an hour of work. Walking out on a tip to me is worse than not paying for the meal at all (although most restaurants will stick the whole tab on the waiter if you walk out...don't do that either). It's stealing the server’s time and money. I can't do that to a human being and consider myself to have morals.
Obviously the second scenario is more difficult to argue than the first. For anyone unconvinced, let me offer a less black-white alternative for when it may be appropriate to not leave a tip. If you find yourself in a situation of dissatisfaction with the server, ask yourself, "if I was this dissatisfied with the food, would I demand to speak to a manager, refuse to pay, or consider it just an unpleasant experience that I'll remember next time?" If it's either the first or third option, you probably ought to go ahead and tip the waiter.
Its not always about bad service or bad food...there are circumstances where people don't tip regardless of how perfect their dining experience is/was. The complete fact of the matter is that servers make a living off of patrons coming into an establishment-so what is the excuse for not leaving a tip if you didn't have a bad experience-black, white, college student or graduate, with kids or whatever...?
I've left 2 shiny pennies. I want the server to realize that I didn't simply neglect to leave them a tip, but that their service was so horrible that I felt the need to insult them.
I took my wife to a local chops/steak place for lunch. They have a fairly decent menu but she wanted a burger and ordered it medium with certain specific toppings. First, it came with the wrong toppings (which is visible to the server). She took off the stuff that she didn't want and re-requested the stuff that she did want. While waiting for those to arrive she cut it in half, as it was pretty big. Cold and red in the middle, which I agree is a kitchen thing. She sent it back. They didn't make a new burger, they simply put a piece of cheese over the original burger and put it in a salamander. It came back, still red in the middle and cool instead of cold. The server acted like my wife was just being a complainer when the food that she'd ordered couldn't be cooked correctly with two attempts. Two shiny pennies.
TIP AND TIPPING CORRECTLY IS TWO DIFFRERENT THINGS.
15% is not a good tip. Its the bottom of the barrel and anything less is unacceptable unless the service is so bad you have to contact a manager.
18% is a good tip. These days servers have to share their tips with bussers, runners and bartenders. Usually 3% of total sales. So if they average 18% in tips then they take home 15%. IF RESTAURANTS OWNERS PAID SERVERS A DECENT HOURLY AND YOU DID NOT HAVE TO TIP THEN TRUST ME THAT $25 STEAK WILL NOW BE $80 IF NOT MORE.
20% is a great tip and above that is excellent.
Be considerate of the circumstance when tipping. Saturday nights are busy and you may not get that refill as quick. If the kitchen makes a mistake its not the waiters fault and usually that dish is comped or something given for free to make up for mistake. Don't penalize the server in addition to your freebee.
I have left no tip before.
The service was terrible. The waiter, after being told that the fork had leftover rice on it, flicked it off and gave it back to me. Once he saw the look on my face he said he was just joking. I told him that it was not funny and looked for the manager. The manager did nothing but ask who it was.
This waiter got 0% tip and I didn't feel bad about it.
I went home, quickly fired off an email to their corp headquarters and the very next day I got a call from the district manager. He asked question, quickly apologized and sent me voucher for 2 free meals. I jokingly told him I would not be going back to the same location.
Tips are based on service. Terrible service, terrible tip. If it's beyond their control I understand. Now I've had fantastic service and tipped accordingly...
I've worked in the food service business so I am aware
I meant @ Sickened not Jez.
@JEZ
Ive worked in the restaurant industry most of my life in New Orleans and the Dallas area. Your odds of not getting a good tip of at least 15%,which isnt really good, or more go up with Blacks, Group of women, White (trailer), college students, and foreigners except asians, and even sometimes families with kids. Its not a racist thing its just how it is. I give everyone great service and benefit of the doubt. Oh and yes, I am black.
IF RESTAURANTS OWNERS PAID SERVERS A DECENT HOURLY AND YOU DID NOT HAVE TO TIP THEN TRUST ME THAT $25 STEAK WILL NOW BE $80 IF NOT MORE.
Every restaurant should make a IF NO TIP MENU. So when you have a cheap bastard you can show them what the cost of the food would be if the Tipped employees were paid a hourly. Then they would be more than happy to tip.
If the service is inexcusably terrible, then there is no reason why a diner should be expected to leave a tip. I do feel sorry for servers in that diners often factor the quality of the food into their decision as to how much to tip. That's something servers don't have control over. They do, however, have complete control over the way diners are treated. Treat people like crap = don't expect a tip.
I only chose not to leave a tip once. During that experience, we asked our waiter for silverware multiple times, then proceeded to ask every other employee we could find as well. Nobody brought us any, so we ended up eating everything with our hands. Not only did we not leave a tip, we also never went to that restaurant again.
...and in reponse to an earlier post about black people never tipping-I always tip, every member of my black family tips, and all my black friends tip. They even use the apps from their iphones or check with me to see if the tip is above 15%. Comments like that are part of the reason this nation will never evolve.
TIP = To Insure Proper Service. If I give you great service and you still tip bad then my or my coworkers future service will be in tuned with your expected low tip. Here is the chart (this is after taxes):
20% or more -Excellent Service above and beyond whats expected. You will tell even your enemies about me.
18% Great Service – My jolly personality will come out. You will be asking for me next time.
15% Good to Ok service – I am just there to take your order and give you what you need.
Less than 15% – at times you will need to ask for refills, I wont see how you are doing. I will serve your food fast to get you out of my section and the restaurant. Ever had just one bite of your apps and here comes your entree. Im not a nasty waiter but i know some that will put a little extra something in your food and tea.
BON APPETITE!!!!
Sickened... at entitlement. Lemme just leave my credit card so you can charge it at your leisure.
I must say that for every 1 of you ignorant cheapskates making excuses not to tip, there is probably 100 people that will graciously put their money out in RESPECT to their server. I worked as a waitress and bartender for 10 years-I started out still in high school to take the burden of my expenses off of my parents. When I became a parent, and was attending college full-time, working as a waitress and a nursing assistant-that only paid $7.00/hr-all the while I supported my family by myself and relied on TIPS to close the gaps in my expenses. Many times you will find that restaurants have a high turn over rate in employees, have fill in staff that is not familiar with the high pace time of day, or is simply working understaffed. Many times the serving crew works as a team, if possible, in case someone gets "in the weeds." How many of you can memorize an order for 10 or more people? How many of you withstand a 10 hour shift of non-stop hustle catering to crying kids, impatient senior citizens and unexpected bus loads of athletes coming in to eat. You can bet your last dollar that you will be remembered when and if you decide to patron again when you stiff or leave an unkind remark. My advice to the servers out there is: You only have to endure the ignorance for a short time. As the world turns, so do your tables. Don't let a "stiffer" ruin your night-pray for them that they never have to hustle in your crew shoes.
Tips are just how restaurants slough off to the customers their responsibility to pay their employees. And it works well. Instead of the employee turning to their boss and saying, "You aren't even going to pay minimum wage?", they instead turn to the customer and say, "Where's my tip?". I tip, but it's mostly just because I feel sorry for waiters/waitresses who are being done this way by their employer.
I am generally a good tipper. just last night, I left a $20 tip on a $33 meal. The waitress was happy and smiling/joking the whole night. I know that it is a rough job and that these people do not make a lot of money. On the other hand, I expect good service. If my cup empties, the tip goes down by the minute, if the kitchen is slow, offer me some free bread or something. There are things that are out of the waiter/waitress's hand, but there are things they can do to compensate. If I do not feel the service is acceptable, I will and have left a $0.
Unless you have worked as a server you can't judge if you can leave not tip. I have been in this business for 19 years, am the Director of Operations for a great company but realize sometimes the dominoes that fall are beyond any 1 employee. That being said I can understand it. I will even go back to a place with bad service again assuming it was an off day. If it turns out that's just the way it is then I don't go back but I still tip. Realize the culture is on the management not the server, they just do what is in their power. Also keep in mind people take pride in their jobs, I read the they choose to work minimum wage jobs comments. Ever think of the reasons? Working around school, working around children or anything else that's not your concern. Just know they work because like you they have to.
I remember vividly when I worked as a waitress, and my husband is a former restaurant manager. We know that our servers are paid very low wages, and our tip makes up the remainder of the server's pay. Yes, we've left without leaving a tip a few times, and have spoken to the manager on our way out as an added bonus, for bad service. Why? TIPS is actually T.I.P.S., and means "To Insure Prompt Service". This "gratuity" is a social & financial reward for a server doing his/her job well. Servers should realize that they need to take care of those they serve, and they should understand if they do not do their job, their client will not reward them. For really good servers, my husband has taken the check, held that pen, and asked his server, "What do you think you're worth?" While the server sputters, I smile, because I know what's gonna happen...After we leave, the server is going to open that check wallet and see a "gratuity" that's anywhere from 50% to 100% of the check. Good service should always be rewarded. As for bad service...Well, it's your job. You have a chance, at every table, to either shine or screw it up.
I have had a problem with servers taking more than what I tipped. I would put a tip on the credit card ticket and when I checked my credit card statement found that the server had helped themselves to more than I had designated. One time the server had helped himself to a 50% tip after I had designated 15%. Is that not stealing?? BTW, who deemed a tip should be 15-20%? God only asks for 10%!
So, if I get charged $20 for a dinner, what does it include?? I would assume it includes the meal itself and the service. I could make my job perfect and still rarely get any tips.
Let me ask a question now: what is the tip for the guy who brings a pair of shoes of your size in Sport Chalet?? Or the woman who helps you get the correct pair of jeans at Express? Or the one who tells you where to park at the Staples Center or Disney? Or how much tip should I give Madonna or U2 for the great show they've just thrown? how much for their musicians, audio tech, lighting guy and all of them? why should I give a tip to someone who just brings some staff at my table?? isn't that included in the price showed in the menu??
Just to add to the above post: I am not one of the ones that think the government should support me. I own 2 businesses, work a full time job (2 – 24hour shifts per week), 1 part time job, and do volunteer work at 1 part time job. I am not lazy and I don't receive tips for the work I do. I work hard for what I have and am well rewarded. I treat my customers well whether they spend 50 cents or $2000 a pop. Just remember the customers that don't spend much can still keep your doors open and food on the table if you loose your big spenders!
Why is a tip a percentage of the total tab anyway. Why is a server entitled to more of a tip if they carry out a steak dinner to me instead of a hamburger? It doesn't cost them any more out of their pocket. A steak probably isn't much heavier so it shouldn't take much more energy to carry. I don't know how many tables an hour that a server would normally take care of but say if they take care of 4 tables an hour and each leaves a $2.00 tip regardless of the total tab that is $8.00 an hour plus the "measly" $2.00 an hour that you claim the owner pays you. I'm not saying that servers don't work hard but there are alot of jobs that pay $10 an hour or less where the employee works much harder in alot worse conditions that servers do. And those employees pay income taxes on their entire earnings, not just what they feel like reporting to keep the tax man away. Just think of all of the poor people in this country that think they are entitled to be taken care of by the government and you are cheating them by not paying your fair share of taxes. I know there are probably a few of you that report 100% but I would bet that is the minority. Many places do pay their servers at least minimum wage. How many of you whiners on here tip the clerk when you go shopping or the kid that carries out your groceries (remember the 15-20% rule here. That's good money on a $150.00 to $200.00 grocery bill) or the customer service rep at Wal-Mart that puts up with your whining when you bring back the clothes that you bought 2 sizes too small then discovered you couldn't fit in? Just like any other job you should go to work expecting to make your hourly wage, do your job well, treat your customers and co-workers well and be thankful if you get a bonus!
you are totally right! A lot of Mexicans pick strawberries up in California fields under a terrible sun from 5 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon for minimum wage and nobody says to tip them or help them in any way (in fact they want them to go back to Mexico). Waitresses and bartenders make more money than I do with a diploma!!! But I love what I do and don't bitch about it because it's what I chose. I want to think they love what they do and who cares about the money if you love life?
I understand that tips in European countries are a new concept for them but just the same I always tip well.... but one time in Russia we went to an upscale resteraunt (granted I was in jeans and a t-shirt. After wel placed our order the waiter asked my friend (who is Russian) if I could afford the bill. Needless to say there was noooo tip.
if I use a charge card to pay my bill, I like to leave a cash tip, so the waitstaff won't have to wait for theirs. Once, I signed off on the charge and didn't realize that I didn't have enough cash for an appropriate tip. I told the waitperson that I would go to an ATM for cash and bring back the tip. I could tell they were skeptical. I left and returned in less than 10 minutes with the tip, apologizing that I didn't have cash earlier, and explaining that I appreciate that we all work hard. The manager bought me a drink.
Listen if you eat out and you don't tip at least 15 percent for decent service then don't eat out at all. servers put up with things you wouldn't even believe on a daily basis and trying to make their living and cut them some slack. don't act like your above them either because in this economy people take the jobs they can get and so treat them with basic respect.
I like the tipping thing...if the service is bad, don't tip, but if it's good, tip accordingly...I tip well for good service, and when I go out I get treated like royalty while dining and don't wait or want for anything...it is a great incentive...servers remember it. Granted, employers should pay a decent wage, but I still consider tipping just a normal expense of eating out...sort of like all the excess taxes/fees that aren't in the products list for cellphones or similar services...oh and the same thing with airlines...you just assume there will be a little extra charge from what you see as the 'fare'...
Years ago I carried a personally made tip card. I took a penny, and with a ban saw I cut it in half. I then glued it to a colorful plastic card made from my home computer. I laminated it and looked very professional. Along with the penny came a message, "Tip: You earned this so don't spend it all in one place". I carried this card in my wallet for 2 and half years. One fine morning on my way up to Tahoe with a friend we stopped at a restaurant for breakfast. The wait was unreal, the food was terrible and most of the service was bad, so rude, I left my card and felt "great" about doing it. She deserved it! Other than that, I am generally an over tipper leaving around 20%. Peace!
I"m an extremely big tipper but if the service is THAT bad i will leave a lox tip like a dollar or less.
I am generally a very hefty Tipper. Between 15 and 20% on average when I eat out. Last time i took my GF out to a Chili's the Waiter basically ignored her even when taking her order he looked at and seemed to speak with me. His service also was very slow, and the duration of our meal he almost ignored us except when we called him for some condiments. I payed the Exact amount on the Bill, left 0 tip, and went on the compute and filled out the Online Guest Survey about his really poor service.
Um...15-20% is not hefty, believe me.
Tipping is the biggest scam ever invented! And it goes up every year. It used to be 10%, then it went up to 15%, now it is 18%, and some think 20% is the right tip!
Tipping is a scam invented by the business owners to avoid paying their employees a living wage. It short changes both the customer and the wait staff. It is a brilliant scam. And pits the customers against waitstaff!
Wait staff should be evaluated by their manager, and paid accordingly. I expect a complete service at a restaurant, and evaluate the restaurant as a whole to decide if I want to go back. I don't want to pay the cook, the waiter, the hostess, the busboy, the architect, the band etc separately with tips. It is not my job to evaluate them and pay them separately. I don't go to a hospital and tip the nurses, and the paharmacist, and the Xray technician!
Boycott tipping! Demand a living wage for all service employees! Demand a menu that shows the complete and accurate prices for each item1
Ahh...the good-ole tip/no tip debate!
I always leave a tip between 15-20%...even if I get bad service. I figure that I'm not going to ruin my night out any more than necessary by get upset about bad service...cause it really can ruin an evening. What I end up doing is never, ever going back to the restaurant again. And I tell my friends and family about it...sometimes even "yelp" about it. There are way too many restaurant establishments in my area to choose from...and I figure a restaurant with bad service doesn't need my business.
(Also...I've been a server...I know how hard it can be. But I also knew that the customer is a customer of the restaurant, not of mine...and the restaurant I worked for had pretty high standards of service. There's no way they'd let a server, bartender, chef ruin their reputation. I would have been fired on the spot if I did some of the things servers on this board have talked about doing to customers!)
Not only have I left no tip but I called the manger that night to make sure he and the waitress knew why. It was a very expensive place in SF and our waitress spent all evening ignoring us and flirting with a table full of men. She earned what she recieved.
I was a server for 4 years in college. I did it for one reason, it paid way better than minimum wage. It was the only job that I knew of that was flexible and paid 10-15 dollars an hour. That was nearly 10 years ago. I always leave at least 15% but I cannot get over how it is only a weird social norm who we have to tip. This notion of tipping a barber has to be the worst. When I go to a restaurant I pay for the food and then tip for the service right. When I go to the barber I pay for the service and then tip because he has a tip jar/line??? If your service is worth more because you do a great job then charge more and people will pay it, but why should I pay extra for good service when 95% of what I am paying is strictly for the service.
How would you like to be "punished" at work by a complete stranger if you were having an off day? Most likely this was the cause behind your poor service. My other co-workers and I understand that if your experience is sub-par your not going to come back, or tell anyone new to stop by. We work in a busy restaurant in New York City, and most of us are able to stop a problem or correct one before it even becomes close to ruining your night. Sometimes however its inevitable, and believe me I feel as upset as you do when it happens, because I take pride in doing my job well. So all I ask is next time you wield the mighty pen at tip time, give your sever the benefit of the doubt if your experience was sub-par. Truth is getting a serving jobs in a nice restaurant involves fierce competitions. Truly nasty or incompetent servers are usually very quickly weeded out before they make it to a table.
Tipping is mostly an American thing. There's been plenty of times I haven't tipped while traveling outside the USA.
I have only done it once, We went to a restaurant that had all you could eat ribs. The waiter took our order and brought the food fast, the problem was he then went on break or lunch or something else, and never came back after 45 min of sitting there waiting for the bill us and 3 other tables grabbed another waiter to get our bill. I left a note on a paper napkin written in ketchup telling him that "your tip must be with the second helping of ribs I wanted". This was at a small town restaurant, and he only lasted a month or so and was let go.
Usually servers have a good reason for bad service, such as not enough help. Also, I do not believe they should be penalized if the dish is poorly prepared, IF they agree to make it right with no hassle. I once had an extremely rude waiter who was not only gave poor service but was nasty while serving our table. He made what was suppose to be an enjoyable evening one that gave us all indigestion. He received no tip and I did not hesitate to tell him why.
I've left no tip before. Food was that bad, service was that bad, restaurant was that bad. But be careful doing that if paying by credit card. Friends didn't tip- but found a $10 tip added to his bill when his credit card statement arrived. My friend disputed it and the restaurant 'claimed' they thought my friend had just forgot tip so they added it. It was fraud- he refused to pay for any of it.
i've not tipped well twice, and talked to the manager both times. i leave a tip though, about 10%, because that person did bring me drinks, and food, and answered questions for me, etc. they were just rude, and seemed irritated to be at work, but i think we've all had those days. as someone above stated, you don't really know what's going on with these people though. for example, the first time i complained to a manager they implied that person had been doing this and wouldn't be with them much longer. the second time, the person had been in a car wreck on the way to work, but still had to work. it doesn't make it excusable (hence the low tip), but i mean it made sense then. i think that whenever someone does something for me, so i can be lazy, that they deserve to get some money for it, and it's worth it to me to have them do it, especially when they'll do it for as little as a couple bucks.
So isn't it great that the free market allows only good servers to keep their jobs and because of this free market there aren't any more bad waiters any more! Way to go free market!
As for "social norms", it varies by region. You can tip a percentage of the bill (10% is still normal in some places in the US, 12%-18% is acceptable just about everywhere. If service is good I often tip 20%. Most people I know don't just tip a percentage, it depends on how many are dining and what is ordered. If you have just two people and you're out for a casual lunch, I will tip around %15. But if you are a group of 10 people and you are eating a very expensive meal with wine and appetizers and desserts, the tip should be quite a bit more. Everyone I know also tips in direct proportion to the quality of service, so if the service is truly awful we don't tip at all, but I've only had to do this a handful of times in my life. Every time it was for being ignored when I was ready to leave. I walked out without paying once because the waitress ignored my table for another table with "more popular" customers.
Not a chance. Waiter/waitressing has got to be one of the hardest jobs out there. They are the front line people that "get it" from the diner. So they deserve a tip each and every time.
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When the service is horrible, I prefer to leave something insultingly low, like a penny, so that they know I think they were terrible and didn't just forget to leave a tip. Good work gets rewarded, laziness gets punished. And for you freaks who want to start defending your imaginary waiters, I'm talking about actual laziness, not them just being busy and overworked.
In general I normally tip 20% for expected service. If it is bad service, I will demand a reduction the price of the meal or a comp meal. If it is better than average 20%. If it is just okay they may get 15%
Recently, mostly because the waiter brought out the wrong item (fried not baked) and then told us that our friends meal would go back to the end of the kitchen line (you don't want to send it back. . .it will take a while). . .we were able to get a meal of 6 comped. Just don't be afraid to take it to the level man. . .take it all the way. My last waiter crossed me, I was told by the manager he was fired and the meal was comped + more.
I had been a waiter in the past, not high end, not cheap. I have also left just a penny for bad service. But I usually tip 15% for ok service, 20% for good service, and have tipped as high as 35% for out of the norm service. When I use a coupon, I tip according to the orignal cost of the meal, not the discounted rate. But I don't tolerate or return when service is bad. Nothing is worse than having a meal ruined by poor service. I have also been known to tip the chef, expecially when they do a really good job on my steak. Don't know if the chef got it, just know that I asked for it to go to them. I have also tipped for good service, but complained and not returned for poor excuses for the poor food quality, it's not necesarily the wait staffs fault, sometime the cook just sucks.
I have a few general rules about tipping and how I judge a server.
How long did I have to wait for service after I was seated?
Did I have to flag down the server for a refill or did they notice it on their own.
How well did they know their menu? Could they recommend a specific wine or beer pairing?
Did they get the order right?
A great server will fit the bill and I will tip 20%-25%
If they are too busy to keep me in beverages 15% sorry you are busy but you are going to get tips from more people so it is a wash for you. 10% if I am eating something spicy, you know I need a lot to drink.
If you get my order wrong or forget something because you thought you could keep track of things in your head you are are now looking at 10%
If you are nasty and are bringing all your drama to work and can;t keep anything straight forget about getting a tip.
Most servers fall into the great service category and in 15 years I have only not left a tip twice and that was because the service sucked so bad.
While this isn't covered here some restaurants actually make servers share tips, all the tips go in one big jar and are then split. These places usually don't have the greatest service.
I don't got out to eat very often, so I've never run in to horrible service. I'm not very picky, but I wouldn't hesitate to leave no tip if the server made no effort at all. Normally though I tip around 25%, since I don't go to very expensive restaurants and I don't order anything to drink but water. As long as the server comes not long after we arrive, gets the order at least close, comes once or twice to check after the food is delivered, and doesn't take forever with the check, then I have no problem.
I'm usually an overtipper after working in a service industry in San Francisco where I was paid largly in tips. But once, years ago, I was out with friends and after the food was brought we never saw the waiter again. After eating I stopped several others to find our waiter so I could pay, but nothing. Friends slowly left to go out and smoke and eventually I was there by myself. After 20 more minutes I left.
What next tipping the drug dealer for a sack of dope, i've worked in the restaurant business before and i left it because i wasnt satisfied with the wage, maybe the waiters like too be stiffed by their employers but they shouldnt take it out on paying customers who go to eat not make the employees happy.
I have left no tip one time. At an IHOP the waiter or whatever he was, was flamboiantly gay and insisted on touching me even after I told the wierdo not to then I waited for 15 minutes on my tab while i was now almost late for work and he was just enjoying his convo with his co-worker oblivious to my table. Other than that waiting staff always deserves a tip of a minimum 15% if not 20-25%
@Julie and Joy, your technicians (nail care, massage therapist, esthetician,hairdresser etc) do not get 40, 60, 7o dollars. We get a small percentage of the price of the service. We've paid for our training and continue learning throughout our careers with continuing ed classes, and yes, gratuities are an important part of our salaries. I would also mention that in addition to the financial aspect of a gratuity, we're "gratified" by your acknowledgement of our skill in making you look or feel better.
I've also worked as a cocltail waitress( many years ago) at a ship/restaurant called the Moshulu. The practice was you came to work with a "bank", this was our own money. When the clients ordered their drinks, we paid out of our personal banks and we're reimbursed when they paid their check. So if anyone left without paying, it was the cocktail waitress who bought their drinks not the establishment. Sadly, on a busy night, it wasn't a rare occurence. So to the people who think it's so funny to skip out on your tab, please think about the person you've cheated.
The most kindful and caring tip is, look both ways before crossing the street.
why tip a waitstaff or helper when you can give that money to charity or a homeless person.
Really?
Very Busy Waitstaff can be the result of mgt not having enough people to do the job. I've never done the job, can tell the difference from one who is organized well, and one who doesn't want to be there. A good waiter will make you glad you came by staying on top of what you need to have an enjoyable experience, and can be found througout the meal in case you need a refill, or something wrong is discovered. Great management will foster a team approach that helps all their staff do a super job. Poor management sets every employee against the other through indifference or lousy planning. If I'm really pleased w/ the service, I will make a point to tell management about it, in addition to decent tip. At the opposite end, it's a long time before I go back. - one time I tipped 99c, when waitstaff was hard to find throughout the meal, ... empty water glass, eventually got up and filled the glass myself ... no one noticed or cared, but they had a lot to talk among themselves as they sorted thru the change I left behind.
I almost never tip below $5 dollars. There have been 2 or 3 times i have tipped 2 or 3 dollars because the ppl were extremely rude to me but i have never left no tip. These ppl Work day and night w/ no benefits tbh work crap jobs for crap wages. Idk if they still do it but i remember when their pay was below minimum wage and they rely solely on tips. That was years ago tho and i'm not sure about nowdays... Everything is so hectic.
Yes.., I have left a penny on the table. Why.., I was in a city that I was 'not' familiar with including the restaurant. The food and service was that bad, that I did leave a penny in protest or to make a point to the waitress and owner. Sometimes a picture says a thousand words.., the 'penny' was my thousand words. Enough said..
–Indians, Persians, and Arabs are all about the same when it comes to tipping. They leave about 5-8% on average I'd say and they're also some of the most difficult to take care of. They let their children behave like savages and they never say please or thank you.
–Black people tend to be the neediest tables and they always complain about something right before it's time to pay the bill even though I checked back with them numerous times throughout the meal. Then they leave less than 10%
–Asian-Americans are usually pretty decent tippers but Chinese nationals on vacation usually leave nothing or almost nothing.
–Whites are divided into two groups, the ones with money tip awesome for awesome service and 15% otherwise. Hillbillies tip 10%
–Hispanics in my area usually tip decent, usually just less than 15%, especially if they have a family member in the industry.
Yes these are broad generalizations and there are always exceptions but anyone who waits tables in southern CA like I have for the last 10+ years would agree with me for the most part
Wow Jeff, 10 years or waiting tables and still whining. Try getting your G.E.D and a career. Any adult serving for ten years should be fired and replaced with a 16 year old. Its sad that a teen can battle for your job after 10 years. I would hate to be your children, all my friends go out to eat and see my dad serving tables, wow your a disgrace to the adult working force. Your a fucking loser dude. You have the nerve to talk about different races not tipping well but your and old ass washed up server looking for an huge tip. Get a life and a career.
well said Bozo, nobody put a gun to your head and said go work for a quarter of minimum wage and try extorting hard working people tryin to get some dinner, and what is up with the punching customer in face for not tipping, thats exactly why you dont get tipped and im glad you dont
EXTORTING?! REALLY?! The continued ignorance of these responses simply blows me away.
I think its OK to leave a low tip, however, even if the person is blatantly rude and inattentive I will still leave at least a penny tip, along with a talk to her/his boss. With less than normal service I assume that a person is/could be having a bad day. (Who can honestly say they haven't had one) Regardless of service, unless the poorest possible level, I try to leave 15%, for exceptional I have been known to leave 20%-30%
My checks are 200 for two full weeks of work. Could you live off of 400 dollars a month? I don't think so. So leave a tip or eat at home.
No, there's no way I could get by on $400 a month. But that's why I don't wait tables. And I'm really good at my job, or I wouldn't get paid for that either.
Exactly. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out. Simple.
Not the point. Most people can certainly afford to tip, but why do so if the server is awful???
if you are any good at what you do, you definitely make more than 200 for 80 hours of work, otherwise I suggest picking oranges
Tips should be earned, not expected. Waitstaff should get paid a living wage to do their basic job, and tipping should be for those waitstaff who provide exemplary, above and beyond service.
Yes, they **should** get paid a decent wage, but they don't because the restaurant owners have successfully lobbied for an exemption to the minimum wage law, on the basis that their wait staff are getting tips. Nice circular logic, huh?
I think every job should pay crappy wages with no benefits, and all employees should have to rely on tips. Then wait for the crying and moaning from the same folks who have no respect for servers.
Not to stray from the subject at hand...
But I would think it is worst to give a tiny tip – like a penny or five cents – to a waiter than no tip at all. Talk about a slap in the face! It would sting more if that penny or nickle were in your glass of water, which I have seen people do before.
Tipping is part of the cost of the meal. If you do not want to tip then do not eat in restaurants that require tipping such as fast food restaurants. If you have bad service contact the manager to find out why. Things happen in restaurants that are beyond the server's control. If it is the server's fault and they did nothing to remedy the situation then a lesser tip I think is warranted.
I know the momentum is way against me here, but I wish we could break through the idea that we have to pay extra for good service. I look at the price in the menu and expect the food, service, and atmosphere to be part of that price. If the restaurant can't provide these without an extra hand out from the customer (tip) something is wrong.
Let's pay the wait staff fairly and get away from this tip system. 15%, 20%... how about 0% no harm no foul.
You are the only one making sense Shina. Don't let the crowds pressure you into conformity! Tipping is a scam!
"Tipping is part of the cost of the meal. If you do not want to tip then do not eat in restaurants that require tipping such as fast food restaurants."
First of all, restaurants do not "require" tipping. Gratuities by definition are not required. I have worked in the restaurant biz for a while and the cost of the meal is a fraction of the menu price. The high prices of food at restaurants is due to the fact that there are other operating expenses like waitstaff and utilities. The American tipping culture did not come about because of economic necessity. Many restaurants throughout the world function perfectly well without tipping the waiters. Our tipping culture came about because some people believe it encourages excellent service. I have found that sometimes it does just that, but not always, which is why tipping is not mandatory!!!
When you go to Macdonalds do you tip? How about Burger KIng? I'm sure the answer is no. When you go to Starbucks or Peets I'm sure you do because they have their little tip jar out and if you put something in it you will never hear a thank you. By the way starbuck's employees make as much if not more then a Macdonald's employee. I only tip at good sit down places where you have good wait staffs.
Here's a GOOD story;
Went on vacation to Greenville, SC two months ago and found an amazing cigar bar and restaurant. Met an INCREDIBLE server, who took great care of us. Were so pleased with the place and the server that we became friends with the waitress, went back almost every night we were in town and tipped her close to $500 over three days. Didn't feel bad about it one bit either, she earned every dime and more!
So where exactly is the GOOD part of your story? Either she left you with happy endings, in which case you paid fair price for a whore or you're just an idiot like a 19 year old who was overwhelmed by a good looking woman.
I took my children, ages 2 and 4, to our neighborhood Thai restaurant for lunch. We went there often as a family for dinner and I would take them there every now and then for lunch by myself. They knew us. On this day, the kids were actually behaving quite nicely and not really making that much of a mess. Sure, there was a bit of rice sprinkled on the floor and a spoon or two was dropped, but we had done WAY worse in the past, there and at other places around town. Towards the end of the meal, one of the servers came to our table and told me I had to clean up the floor and that my children made too much of a mess every time we were there. I was speechless. We usually DO clean up a bit if they make a really big mess and every time we are told 'NO, NO, don't worry about it...every kid makes a mess. We will clean it up..no problem.' And I usually leave a few extra dollars to make up for the mess we've left behind. I asked her "Are my children the only kids who eat here and make a mess?' She said "Your kids make a big mess and you never tell them to stop. You have to teach them" I was boiling at this point, because I consider myself to be a very considerate person and am constantly using opportunities like this to teach my children how to be considerate. She doesn't hear what I am teaching/telling my children. They are still learning how to eat, for cornsake. I left no tip and we haven't been back. I've told all of my friends and everyone was outraged. I was bummed out because we really liked going there..close to home, food was great, service was fast, they have a big fish tank that the kids love. I just can't give them my business again.
You say your kids were "actually behaving quite nicely" this time, which speaks volumes about their past behavior. Just because in the past the staff has excused you doesn't mean they were being honest, maybe they were just hoping your kids would behave better eventually. Fact is, they chose to lose your business because they couldn't deal with your children. If that isn't telling, I don't know what is. And if your children cannot eat out in public without making such a huge mess that the staff has to speak you , perhaps you should keep them at home until they can eat a little less messily. Or at ta restaurant where the food is more child-friendly. You say they aren't getting your business anymore, but I bet they don't want it.
I work in customer service and have done so for about 20 years. I don't expect a tip for doing my job (that's essentially what you are doing is performing your job duties and what is expected of you). Those of you that expect tips shouldn't. It's an added bonus and essentially money you didn't really have in the first place so don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Yes there are crappy customers but you know that when you take the job just deal with it, grow up and stop whining about your job. You are lucky to have one as most don't these days.
You, my uneducated friend are an idiot. Keep your eating out limited to the EZ Mart please. Customer Service is not the same as serving. You worki in a call center, so how would anyone tip you? Over the phone? Yeah right. Tip your server or choke on your fried chicken you dumb red neck.
Wow. Calm down alo25. Obviously you don't agree... no need to start name calling.
I think tips are a good thing, but I think what Char might be hinting at is the sense of "entitlement" some servers project onto their customers. I'm sure you've experience a horrible waiter who somehow still thinks he/she deserves a hefty tip. A "tip" is a reward, a voluntary "good job!". If the service sucks, why would I give the customary 15% minimum or any tip at all?
And to those current or fomer servers who complain about serving... I have to agree that you could always find another day job. I'm just sayin'...
Pretty obvious who the loud, obnoxious red neck is here.
Wow someone is a bit bitter! Sorry to burst your bubble my uneducated friend, but I have been on both sides of the deck on customer service. I have worked both as a server on the front lines, a manager and as a customer service rep so before you go and judge people I suggest you mind your mouth. It's people like you that make it bad for the people who genuinely work hard and deserve tips. I never said I don't tip in fact I do quite well, but I don't think people should expect it that's the difference. By the way I don't eat at EZ Mart or whatever the hell it is, I am far from a redneck, and I certainly wouldn't eat anywhere where you worked. I would take my business elsewhere where someone who actually deserved a tip earned it. You reap what you sew! Now who's the idiot?
Why should I calm down when people are bragging about how they help cause financial problems for servers. You all deserve a punch right between the eyes if you have ever left no tip or a tiny tip. Poor service or not. Servers should get paid more and we should all pay for it through more expensive food, but that is not how it works. Therefore, we as decent people should pay the customary 20%. I do not go to a retail shop and pay for my goods at cost or less. That would be a detriment to the shop owner. I don't want to hear your sob stories about bad service either. Man up and pay for your friggin service. Or do the work yourself.
Char, your still the idiot. I'm no server, nor have I ever been. What I am is a decent person who understands what my responsibility is when I dine out. OKIE DOKIE SMOKIE
It's a good thing you don't work in the service industry because you wouldn't last 24hrs. I too am a decent person and I think most of us on here are. What we are simply saying is that tips are not a requirement as you kindly put it they are a gratuity contingent upon exemplary service. You don't provide it , you don't get it it's that simple. Your argument about buying goods in a store is not a valid argument. Are you required to pay a tip to the store clerk? No. Why – because you are paying for the merchanside sold not the service. I agree that servers should get a better wage but if you are really concerned about it then lobby your local government for change because whining about it on here isn't going to solve a thing.
The worst tippers are Indian People. No matter how good the service the give forty cents...
If someone decides to work for an employer as a server, they should demand fair pay or not take the job. If they do take the job and accept minimum wage, they shouldn't expect customers to make up the difference between what their minds deem fair pay and what their employers deem fair.
Having said that, I think tipping is a great way to give somebody something EXTRA for any EXTRAordinary service. If a server provides something above and beyond fair service, I will gladly offer a comensurate gratuity.
I couldn't have said it better myself. If the server doesn't like the wage, they have the right to find a different job.
I couldn't have said it better myself. If the server doesn't like the wage, they have the right to find a different job.
@ The Guy
You are so very ignorant that you cannot even spell massage correctly! I now understand your beliefs on tipping....
Tip is commensurate with service. Being former restaurant employees and owners, we "get it". We have left a very low tip for absolute crappy service (just short of being ignored) – but that was accompanied by a constructive conversation with the floor manager who we hoped would do the same. We have left 20+% for a "newbie" who tried her hardest on her first night, did very well, and accepted "tips" on even better service. Once we each picked up the dinner receipt. A couple of days later I realized what we had done and that our waitress had received no tip. When we visited the place again, I gave her 25% tip in cash, apologizing for our stupidity. Service is also dependent upon the customer. Rudeness will beget rudeness. Be courteous and mindful of what is going in the whole place. Control your kids. If your server is doing their best, and the kitchen f's up, don't take it out the server, especially if the server does everything in their power to make it right. Things happen. I wish everyone could take a hospitality course in high school so they understand the front and back of the house and what happens in and between each, and be better educated consumers.
Why do people assume that everyone is obligated to give tips?
Tips shouldn't even be expected unless a server demonstrates impeccable service and does extra things they aren't paid to do. This show of entitlement is a little obnoxious, to be honest.
They chose to work at that restaurant w/ minimum wage. They're not forced to live off that money. If they really wanted to, they could get a good-paying job somewhere else. It's not the customer's problem that the server doesn't earn enough money to fend for himself. We eat out to feed ourselves, not to worry about someone else.
You Suck
They chose the job because of the tips they can earn. Some people don't mind a little variability in their income if working harder can lead to more pay. Take away that tip incentive and restaurants will either have to pay higher wages to attract talent which they'll pass along to diners, or the quality of employee will drop drastically and you'll get true minimum wage style service. People that have never served tables before seem to think that they'll just get to save a little money if our society stopped tipping servers and that they'll still be able to boss someone around for an hour and have a good time. Seriously, some people behave in restaurants like they're 5 yrs old and own the place and we indulge them because they're paying part of our salaries. If you're no longer paying part of my salary then there's a good chance you'll get your as s kicked for talking to me like that instead of, "I'm terribly sorry for that sir, I'll take care of it right away."
Well said, Jeff.
So if you dont tip next time they will do something to your food, food should be free then, i think the real problem here is owner for being cheap and not paying their employees what they worked for. maybe its better to stay home or hit up fast food joint if everyone does that then the waiters wont have a job to complain about, ive solved the problem
I have two daughters who are waitresses while going to college. It never ceases to amaze me how poorly some customers treat these young kids and what they expect from them all for a paltry trip at the end of it all. They are not your indentured servant.
I have only not left a tip once and it was only because it was really, really awful. Also, I wasn't footing the bill, my boyfriend was, because I might have left a dollar but... oh well. The story goes like this:
My boyfriend and I went to the Cheesecake Factory in our city. We got sat pretty quickly, our waiter greeted us after 5-10 minutes and we got our drinks. Waited another 20 minutes, which was fine because we enjoy each others' company, but still a bit long. Ordered appetizers, they were out fairly quickly. No complaints until it came time to order entrees.
I ordered some type of salad, and he ordered a burger with no mushrooms. I get my food, no issue, but his burger had the undesired mushrooms. After waiting another 15 min. to get our server's attention, we alerted him off the issue and said he'd re-place the order. He sent over his manager (it wasn't that big of a problem, but I suppose it's customary at Cheesecake Factory to send a manager to any table with a complaint), who was EXTREMELY rude. (I know that his job probably sucks, being yelled at by frustrated or generally cheap a$$ customers looking for free stuff all the time, but he certainly rubbed us the wrong way.)
After 45 minutes (!) the burger still wasn't at the table, and I had finished my meal since my boyfriend told me to go ahead and eat. He asked to have his boxed to go, and when it arrived at the table... SURPRISE... it wasn't. Another 20 minutes to get it boxed. We were told that his burger would be taken off the check. So, we go to pay and look at the check. They had double charged for the burger and only took off one of the charges. They definitely tried to pull one past us or something. Anyways, we decided to pay with exact change in cash (who knows how long it would have taken to get back a credit card!), circled the double charge and wrote "Seriously? This is terrible!" on the receipt and scurried out of there.
I felt guilty, but that was unacceptable in my opinion. Needless to say, haven't been to a Cheesecake Factory (anywhere!) since.
TIPS (back in the day) stood for "To Insure Prompt Service." One was supposed to give your server money in advance to ensure good service. Now a day people think you HAVE to tip. No. You don't. Wait staff get paid to do their jobs. Their job is to SERVE people. Anything over and above the paycheck should only be paid in REWARD for OUTSTANDING service. Not for simply doing what they are employed to do.
I always tip, but if the service is on par with the basic job description, I tend to be a fan of leaving 3 pennies or a nickle and a penny. It leaves more of a sting that simply not leaving anything (where the waiter/waitress may just think I forgot.)
If I am a regular somewhere, I always tip the minimum 15%. I obviously enjoy going to that place to be deemed as a regular customer, if I didn't enjoy it I wouldn't go back.
Well Meesh, I agree that you have the right to leave 3 pennies and a nickel but I think you're obligated to announce that intention to the server as soon as you sit down. If you don't, you're just being a cheap, sneaky a-hole.
I'm not seeing the problem on here for the most part. Servers- Work hard and do your job. We all do, to earn the money to tip you with. Patrons- Don't stiff your server for no good reason, or for something beyond their control.
See how easy that was?
I am a big tipper, however one time the service was bad and the attitude of the waiter was very rude, he added a 20% service charge that I have never paid.
I used to be a very generous tipper. Still the case with a few places I frequent. It has become so annoying though to find tip jars appearing everywhere. Most all are outright ridiculous. I think the homeless men at the busy intersections would do better if they traded in their "drug-free disabled vet" signs for a simple tip jar. One question I have....when would a 20%+ tip be just too much? At what price point? Nowadays even average dinners out easily exceed $100, unless you stick to diners and such. It just feels like leaving a $25+ tip is a bit much.
I never tip zero because I don't want any confusion about whether or not I forgot to leave a tip. I consider myself to be a pretty good tipper (15-20% for good service, more for exceptional service). If service is very poor, however, I tip with pocket change to make my opinion clear.
I have always tended to tip 15-20% (sometimes more if the wait staff is THAT good) and the only time I do not leave a tip of any kind is if the wait person is extremely rude (and this has only happened a few times in my life..) I would never stiff the wait staff just because the restaurant is being poorly run by management or because I didn't like the food (that is the problem of the cook, etc.)...
In Oregon, even restaurant wait staff make minimum wage (here it is well over $8/hr). They fought to have the watiers make minimum wage and now theywant tips too. We don't tip everyone else who provides us services so why should we tip wait staff? When they relied on tips, I did. Now that they are guaranteed to make the same wage as the store clerks, fast food staff, and everyone else, I only tip when the service is exceptional. If everyone who provided services received tips, then it would be different.
Did you tip the checkout clerk at the grocery store?
Be careful when asking for total equality. You might get it.
I frequent a lot of the same restaurants, and I always receive good to excellent service. I tip minimum 20%, but for outstanding service, 25% plus. Only ONCE did I not tip. It was at a popular Mexican chain, and the server brought my son (who was 4 at the time) the wrong food. He started eating it and she came back and YELLED at him. She got in our faces, screaming "What kind of people eat the wrong food?! You don't do that!" She yanked his plate away, came back, and threw the correct order down. It was so bizarre, it was like witnessing performance art. Short of THAT, I tip well and always have good experiences with waitstaff.
If you are a regular customer of a place and you are known for not tipping I sure am glad to know you are naive enough to think your cheap behavior does not lead to people cleaning their arm pits with your bread. next time you go home and have to sit on the toilet with bad runs after eating out just try and think if you have half a brain why that is.
Tell me how that in CANADA, we pay the servers minimum wage + tips and the prices are pretty much the same as in the US. when I was working 3 years ago I was making 7.75 +a decent amount of tips because I was good at what i did.
Now the minimum is 8.75 and still the prices are not that high. A good 16oz steak supper is 20-25$ a plate
I am going to guess that it is because we are a very litigious nation, suing over spiders found in our salads, and hot coffee that was too hot. I'll bet the insurance is astronomical. Just a wild guess though, I don't really know why.
If the labor laws were changed to mandate a living wage or even minimum wage for wait people, this would be a non issue but there is no legislator I know who has the guts to do it.
To the waiters and waitresses that gossip about bad / non tippers at the hostess stand and in the kitchen...nobody cares. If I lived my life caring about what everyone thought, I would order in. To the black people that don't tip...stop demanding more from your government and demand more from YOURSELF! White people don't owe you anything, just like other races don't owe you anything, and vice-versa. My g-d! How does a discussion about freakin' tipping become a debate about friggin' race?!?!?! We are losing it people! Stop the insanity!
I always leave a tip, and if the service is really bad to prove my point, instead of leaving no tip, I will leave something very low cause I think it more insulting,..............and the get the point that they could have earned a nice tip but hey, you just lost it!!
Wait staff work like this: you get paid less per hour because tips take you over. In the end, you make at least minimum, unless you really suck. That's the deal you agreed to. You “tip” is not a forgone conclusion, and even Miss Manners will tell you that tips are customary, but also tied to the level of service.
Hearing servers on here getting weepy over getting stiffed here and there on tables makes me laugh. I say this as a former bartender, I never ever reported more then minimum wage for tax purposes. It’s a cash economy and the vast majority of servers abuse it.
If you ignore me, bore me or pester me, you’re tip declines. If you are prompt, get my order correct, serve me with a smile, answer my questions and are available without being annoying, your tip increases.
My favorite server story: We were seated and never saw our server. I found the phone number of the place on my menu, used my cell to call and ask for the manager. I said “see that guy on his cell phone waiving at you? He hasn’t ever seen his server. He’s leaving because nobody ever came to take his order” Our meal was comped, but we never went back.
So let’s not forget this axiom: the owner hired you and the owner pays you. Nobody held a gun to your head and made you take that job. If you work in a service industry where your compensation is tied to your level of service, THAT’S YOUR CHOICE.
I lived in Japan for an extensive period of time. There was no tipping in the restaurants, but the service I recieved was almost always impeccable. You are invariably greated with a welcome by the staff and a crisp bow as you leave, and I am talking about the mid-price restaurants here. The wait staff seemed to understand that providing good service was a part of the job requirement (not to mention human decency). Service is what you should expect as a customer, you shouldn't feel obligated to pay extra if you actually want to be treated with respect. The food was also incredible and usually cheaper than the prices I pay in California.
I love trying new restaurants, and find the service in Cali good in general, but the whole mindset that I'm contributing to when I give a tip (which I always do) makes me cringe especially when I remember all of the restaurants I visited in Japan with superior service and food that would have considered tipping an insult and absolutely not necessary.
Tips are earned, they are not a right. If a server does a good job, (Friendly, attentive, refill drink, accuracy) I am generous. However, poor service will result in a low tip, or none at all for extremely bad service. I was in a store the other day. I had a buffet, and got water. When i got ready to leave, I had to wait with 8 other customers for 10 minutes while the person with the swiping card was located to check us out. No tip. That is unacceptable. However, 99% of the time, I am generous with tips for good service. Remember, servers are not doing us a favor by serving us. They have a job to do...and it is one that i have done too. Do your job, get a tip...it is just that simple.
It does not matter to me one bit how much the meal costs! Whether I spend a lot or little, if the service is bad they are not going to get a dime! It is all based on the service. I have no problem in spening a lot on tip even if my bill real low, but service with a smile goes a long way.
As for leaving a tip I am tired of places putting the tip in the bill and then waiter expecting another tip on top of that.
Once I had no cash and the restruant could not tip on the credit card recipt. I asked for the mailing address and mailed the waitress a check. I felt so bad.
We had service so bad, waitress was terrible, food was under cooked... So we left a Canandian penny with a note saying it was worth 12% less in the US.
Most servers/ waitstaff are whiners. You guys make plenty of money on average. If you don't think $600-$800 per week in cash is good income, then try an hourly job where the average in the U.S. has fallen to around $10/hr. Marinate on that!
Why do waitress and waiters expect the tip as part of their income. It should be seen as an incentive. Such as a work related bonus in the corporate world. If you have a life style that is dependent on your tips it would be wise to tone your life down. A job that requires absolutely no education and vocational training, yet they all expect 15-20%? I have been taught by restaurant owners that you are not supposed to tip with the taxed total. As you would not want to tip someone based on your purchase and taxes paid to the government. If you bought a sandwich for $50 and Gov't charged you a $50 tax, would you still give a $15-20 tip? I didn't think so. There are other small details I have been taught of how to tip properly to command respect as a consumer, while being respectful of your service as it is their livelihood (so we shouldn't expect perfect service like they are a slave dependent on our orders). Respect should be given both ways.
funny story – i once found a dead spider in my salad at Chilis, I was so disgusted I actually almost vomited at the table. WHen the manager came over she explained to me that it was not their fault because Chilis did not grow their own lettuce in the back....she was completely serious..........i ALMOST laughed.
it's all about service. I always tip on dinners... better service, better tip. Lunch is a different story. If i get poor service while dining out for lunch.. you don't get ANYTHING. the way it goes.
Tip the Owner WHAT THE MEAL WAS WORTH – and let him pay his employees. If his employees don't provide good service – tell the owner he did not provide a good dining experience so you will be PRO-RATING THE PRICE OF THE MEAL.
You bet I've left restaurants without leaving a tip! I do it without apology under several circumstances. If I observe that the waitress is standing around and not taking care of her customers or taking her job seriously, I won't tip her. To me, it's ridiculous that restaurant goers have allowed themselves to be duped into thinking it's their responsibility to pay for their meals AND pay the staff. Paying the staff is a cost of doing business; it should come out of what you pay for the meal. A tip should be something extra that's conferred for service that was above and beyond. Instead, staffers now expect that tip and act like you've done something wrong if you don't give it - even if they didn't earn it. Meanwhile, the business owner who pays the staff person less than minimum wage takes home an even greater profit because he doesn't have to worry about that cost of doing business. Wait staff have the right to make a decent wage, and business owners have a right to a profit. But neither party is entitled for customers to pay extra to cover those things.
This is typically the excuse of a person that fist would balk at the price of a meal with labor cost put into it. You probably can afford to pay more than 10 bucks for a plate. Just admit you are just a cheap and lazy fat hick that no doubt is the one that makes the most ridiculous demands that will never meet you expectations and thus stiff the poor server that had to endure your nonsense for 45 minutes because your too dumb to even fry your own egg in the disgusting messy trailer you live in.
I can tell you as a person who worked for tips black people never tip. call that a stereotype but it happened virtually all the time so at what point does it become a fact?
i totally agree – i'm not a racist either but my boyfriend is a pizza delivery man. he gets stiffed EVERY single time he delivers to a black person. he now hates them.
Should I also pity telemarketers? If your job sucks, get a new job. There is no one to blame but yourself if you get: a lousy tip, yelled at, hung up on, etc.
TIPS is an acronym meaning "To Insure Prompt Service". I'm a big tipper almost always, but tipping for crummy service defeats the purpose.
From_the_Waitstaff_to_you
TO ALL YOU BAD/NO TIPPERS:
We know who you are. We talk about you at the waitress station. We share stories and we recognize your faces. As a matter of fact we talk about how bad your hairstyle is and how much your wife looks like a wh*re. Eat at home because if you come back to the restaurant a second time, we WILL f*ck up your sh*t.
July 9, 2010 at 2:15 pm |
From the EMT/Police Officer/Firefighter to the Waitstaff: When you f*ck up our sh*t we know who you are! We talk about you and wait for the day that you need our services! And when you do.............you get the same professional service that any other person would because we do not stoop that low! We hold ourselves to a higher standard than you. And even when we save your life or a family members life we rarely get so much as a thank you much less a tip, not that we would accept it if it was offered, because we are only doing our job and doing it well. Even in the worst environments that most people will fortunately never have to experience. And as far as pay......most people in emergency services work 2 or 3 jobs just to be able to take our families out to eat occasionally. Stop your whining and do what most other people do when they don't make enough to survive. Get another job or change professions. And yes I do tip sometimes but usually only when service is above and beyond what should normally be expected. When restaurants start having trouble filling positions they will be forced to do what every other business has to do. Charge enough to cover expenses & pay a decent wage. People will still go out to eat and the total cost shouldn't be much higher. We get screwed at the gas pump every time we fill up and we keep on driving because it is our way of life. Same thing with eating out. And as a bonus people would probably still tip for excellent service.
to the EMT person. why should we thank you for saving our lives it is your job? when we get the $20K bill in the mail 2 weeks later for your ambulance to show up you end up killing us anyway. you sound a little bitter there. maybe you should tell the people above you that find it acceptable to charge tens of thousands of dollars for your 10 minutes of services to perhaps pass a little tip on to your sorry struggling life. until then you should tip the person bringing out your food to feed your fat lazy butt.
You sound like an arrogant punk cop. You give your profession a bad name. My profession has me working closely with emergency responders like the ones you mentioned and many of you have a chip on your shoulder that for some reason gives you the impression that not tipping is okay. Well, it's not. Be careful on the side of the road this evening.
Brilliant plan. It would probably work if everyone in the country did the same thing, but it's not reasonable to think that that will EVER happen, so you're justifying screwing the people who serve you food. Jerk.
LETS NOT FORGET ABOUT OUR PIZZA DELIVERY GUYS EVERYONE!! many of you may think the pizza establishment pays its drivers but they really dont. My boyfriend works for Dominos, he pays for his own gas and usually puts over 300 miles on his car everytime he works. Its horribly frustrating when he drives 20-30 minutes for a delivery and does not get a tip, he relies on tips for his income, he just wasted all that gas driving to your place for free basically. TIP YOUR PIZZA MEN!!!!!!!
Service means service. You don't serve? You don't get a tip!!!!
If you didn't get service, you got no food, so you don't eat, so you leave no tip, but there should be no bill.
How about being realistic here. You mean inadequate service.
Again, I maintain failure to tip can be taken as forgetting, and if one has truly received poor service, this is better conveyed that it is inadequate by significantly undertipping.
On the Take-out debate, I worked at a busy small restaurant as the head cashier/hostess/assistant to the general manager with tons of other duties including running the take-out. Maybe some take-out orders are simple but many are complex requiring special handling. It's not easy or simple to pack a 3 course meal with all the accompaniments for two so that it arrives hot with-out spillage or other damage. This was in West Hollywood so that there were many huge orders from various entertainment companies, were talking hundreds of dollars with all sorts of strange requests. Some tipped most didn't. I once made 75 espresso/cappuccinos it took forever plus I had to keep them hot, not a dime. I was paid slightly more then the wait staff but not much and as it was LA so the cost of living was astronomical especially for the starving student I was. Have a heart and tip.
I have never NOT tipped. Primarily because NOT tipping might be taken as FORGETTING to tip. IF service was TRULY bad, and IF it TRULY was the waitress/waiter, and NOT the kitchen, on the RARE occasions that has happened to me, I have intentionally UNDERTIPPED way below 15% to send a message: unsatisfactory.
However, I can honestly say that I have done that once, maybe twice, in my entire life, and I am 52 years old.
The rest of the time I have always left 20%. Not 15%, but 20%.
And I stress again, that problems with the KITCHEN are NOT the fault of the waitperson. How they cope with it is a reflection on them, granted. I have ONLY seen ONE waitress refuse to accept that the kitchen (fry cook) was wrong, and she was highly obnoxious with both of us.
We both ordered the same thing in a 24-hr dinner: two eggs over medium, grits, toast, bacon.
Mine came back over medium. My friend's came back over WELL done. VERY well done. Solid. I mean SOLIDLY solid.
He pointed out, nicely, "This is not medium" and she instantly went ballistic and argued that it was. He countered he used to be a fry cook (true) and that he knew what "over medium" was, and that was not it. She continued to argue, so loudly, that everyone could hear her lashing out at him with her mouth.
I pointed out we BOTH ordered the SAME thing.
She agreed.
I then countered that IF HE was RIGHT, then MINE was WRONG, that they could NOT BOTH be RIGHT, because they were VERY DIFFERENT.
I kid you not, she looked like she wanted to slap me into next week. I thought she was actually going to get violent.
Needless to say, she got no tip. It did not help any that the fry cook was standing off in the distance, giving us the look-of-death, as if he wanted to murder us, too.
That was the ONE time that I left NO TIP AT ALL.
Ordinarily, if service is really bad, I leave the normal 20% and then never go back. Let the owner figure it out.
However, about 15 years ago I left no tip at the Santa Fe Cafe restaurant & bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I knew they served until 11 PM and I came in with my girlfriend and her sister at about 10:45. I'd worked in many food places and knew that the staff ordinarily want to start cleaning up a little early, so I assured the waitress that it was fine if they didn't want to take any more food orders and that we could just get a couple of slices of pizza around the corner and then return for drinks. She assured me that it was OK to order food and seated us. We quickly ordered food and a bottle of wine. The sister decided that she wanted a beer instead, so I indicated that we'd only need two glasses with the bottle. The sister then changed her mind, so I told the waitress that we'd need a third glass. The waitress then brought three glasses filled with wine AND an unopened bottle! Not only was this more wine than we wanted, but the three individual glasses cost as much as a second bottle! The waitress was American-born and spoke English with an American accent; there was no language problem. She was not busy; we were the only diners at that time. A Mexican busboy with limited English then stood 6 feet from the table, stepping forward to ask "You finished?" whenever one of us stopped shoveling food into our mouths to actually speak. I left no tip. I felt VERY good about it.
The worst service I ever had was at this nice little mom and pop place we used to frequent often. The waitress brought me a glass of coke but not a straw. I usually never drink directly out of glasses but I was really thirsty and had already waited a while. I took a drink, looked down as I was doing it and there was red lipstick on the glass. The waitress comes back around and low and behold the lipstick matches. She had given me her own cup inadvertently. The really really screwed up thing.. she had a herpes sore on her FACE!!!!!!!!
Do you think I left a tip? Hell no. I seethed about that one for weeks.
that's just nasty... i think i would have thrown up on the table as a tip!
I believe in a reward based on excellence.
If you give me poor customet service, you get nothing and the manager/owner gets feedback.
If you give me average blah blah........ you get nothing
If you excel and make my visit enjoyable than you get 20%
I do not leave tip unless the service was phenomenal. Its ridiculous to expect tip. The history behind tips is that rich people would hand out money to servants as a show of gratitude. Now everyone is conceded and give money out to show they are better than everyone else. No! I wont stand for it! No tip for you...why? because you don't deserve my hard earned money for being capable of writing down an order and bringing a plate back to my table. Get a real education hippy!
I think you should be able give what you are comfortable with. If 10% fits your budget so be it. It's better than nothing..right?
@Lee: What a moronic way at looking at the worl. "Poor people should not be eating out"..
Do you intend to supply other do's and don'ts for porr people?
getting paid $2.75 is just plain silly. But expecting to get tipped 25% no matter what is not too clever either. Ask a restaurant owner wether he would preffer that poor people stay home? Frankly this % is just made up bullshit.. Were people tipping 25% in 1980? I have no clue, but I'd be interested in knowing..
@Patrick: You sir are an idiot for using the language you do for no apparent provocation.
Waiting tables is a tough job. Especially if it's what you do as your primary job because if it's your primary job you want to work at a busy restraunt to make more moeny, but of course that means a lot more work. However, if you worked at some rinky-dink dinner then yeah, it's not as tough a job. My family owns both a small cafe/dinner and a large Restraunt bar with a formal dinning room and waiting in the large restraunt is way way harder.
Whenever I"Choose" to go to an upscale restaurant to dine I fully expect to get my monies worth this includes not only the meal but the service. I have spent all of my working life in restaurants and I know the problems which crop up in any establishment..BUT, that is not the customers problems as the customer I do not wish to hear excuses or reasons for poor service. If the establishment cant't get it together close the doors and open a shoe shop.
The tip I leave reflects the service I got. I'm a standard 20% tipper. If I get service that is expected or better I leave 20%. The worse the service gets, the worst the tip gets. Leave my beverage glass empty and the tip goes down. Drop the check off while I'm still eating and the tip goes down. If the server is rude, the tip goes down. If the food is late I assume it's a busy kitchen and it has no affect unless the food is cold which tells me it's been sitting there waiting for the server to get it.
My standard is 20-25%, 100% if the check is less than $10.00.
To get 25% the waiter(ess) must at least greet me within 5 minutes of my being seated...an offer to order drinks within 5 minutes has been known to get them 30%, especially if it is busy. I have been known to slip them a 5 or 10 if they are very fast on the drink order just to let them know that I will pay for service.
So I used to waitress and got paid $2.83/hr plus tips and that was only 5 months ago. I liked the job because you meet new people but you really have to have a good attitude to do it. There was a night or two where I might have forgotten to get something someone asked for but I mean were only human, we mess up. No big deal. I really hated the tables where people were rude the whole time and always trying to blame you or get free food out of it and I had to sit there and take it because paying my bills depended on getting tips from people. I have had people just walk out on me or leave 2 dollars on a hundred dollar bill, and I would give the money back to them and say "I think you need this more then me". If you can't afford to tip people the 15'20% tip, then don't go out to dinner. It's a whole nother story though if your server is rude to you the whole time and just gives attitude, then they really don't deserve a good tip, but if they forgot to bring you something, don't hold it against them. It's hard having 8 tables and remembering who got what and who needed what refill...so I think you should tip everyone the minium amount, unless they are just completly awful.
When I was a young, single mom I relied on tips to make my bills – I also made sure I worked my butt off to get good tips. TIP use to mean "to insure promptness" – a few times in recent years the service & attitude of the server was SO bad – I did not leave a tip. My daughter informed me I should be noting that when I signed the cc bill – to make sure the server and their supervisor knew this was not over looked – the service was that poor.
Most of you are arrogant, rude, idiots. And terrible people. Don't go out to eat if you don't want to tip! I don't care if you received the worst meal of your life served to you by the worst server in the history of man kind you should still leave a 20% tip. Go ahead and write your stupid little note about why the service sucked if you want, too. Actually decreasing someone's tip in front of them is about the most mean spirited thing a person could do! Do you know all of the circumstances that went into them not serving you as promptly as you would like? NO YOU DON'T. Cut the people a break.
I have no problem saying that I would knock some teeth out if I were a server who didn't get tipped.
The arguement that you shouldn't have to tip because you already paid for your food is absurd! You don't tip the restaurant owner becuase he has already marked up your food to make a profit. The server does not have that luxury. They rely on the decency of the patrons. It's obvious that there is not much decency in most of you though.
I'm a young, college educated, middle class, die hard republican, card carrying NRA member and I realize that my views on this issue may be actually be a bit left of center but by God it annoys me to no end that people actually believe tipping is optional. Get over your sorry selves. Stay home and eat a ham sandwich you cheap SOB's.
Also, for those who say "get a better job" or "adults shouldn't be working for tips".....shame on you. Not everyone had mommy and daddy pay for college and everything along the way. Some people just plain cant afford to go to school whether it be money related issues or personal. So instead of being an arrogant, pompous crazy person, realize that not everyone is as fortunate as you. To some, thats all they have. To the kids in college doing the same thing, they are working to earn a living while going to school TO GET THE BETTER JOB. Provide them with the tip they need to do so..... Unfortunately, its people with this mindset who create financial destruction like the US is in today.
We are the only country where pandering even goes to the wait staff....a tip is for service beyond their salary....
Hey, Businessman,
Tipping is NOT a way to distinguish the best wait staff employees. The large majority of restaurants combine the tips from all the waiters and waitresses and divide it evenly to prevent bad feelings among the staff.
I try to leave 15% – 20% if the service warrants it, but i do not believe that tipping should be expected. It should be earned. Many a time i have left a penny. But I also leave a note explaining to the person why I did so.
I also don't believe in the "built in" tip of 15% for parties of 6 or more (or 7 or 8 depending on the restaurant). I have been known to deduct it from the bill before paying. I will gladly explain to the manager that the service was lousy and i'm not tipping anything.
I am a waiter at applebees and anyone who thinks its ok to not tip at all is ignorant. I get paid 4.50 an hour to slave and serve tables to all their wants and needs. First of all if you have never been a waiter or waitress dont even comment on this page. YOU HAVE NO CLUE what your talking about if you havent. No matter what tip 20% or stay at home. I speak for all severs everywhere!!!
fAH-Q ANDREW
fU-Q ANDREW
Back in my twenties I walked in a mexican restaurant after long backpacking trip in the southwest. None of the staff seemed to whont wait on me. One young lady did and she was happy to do it. I gave her one hec of a tip.
Tip well for good service, tip fair for average and dont tip for bad.
I can tell than most of these people do not go out in NYC or LA. If you ever tried to bail on your tip, chances are the server, or possibly the manager, will chase you down to get it. Still try don't want to pay? FIne. A lot of restaurants will BAN you from coming back. Here in NYC, 20% is standard and anything less is just rude. After reading some of these posts, it's no wonder that a lot of restaurants in SoHo and the TImes Square area (both heavily populated with tourists) are automatically adding tips on the bill regardless of the amount of people in the party.
ANNIE QUESTION? WHY YOU GOTTA WRITE A BOOK, ITS A BLOG NOT A PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY
ONCEONLY IS RACIST, SHE SAID "AFRICAN AMERICAN"
A very intereting and enlightening topic, with some serious opinions.
Personally, I have never not left at least 10%, and that was due to VERY horrible service;; not being acknowledged by server, cold food, lack of attentiveness. Though I also either asked to speak with a manager or follow up w/ specifics so that it can be corrected.
Generally, I will leave 20% for good service, and up to 35% for great service. At more casual eateries, where the food prices are actually reasonable I leave at least 25 – 40%....this is with efficient, friendly and professional service.
I agree that if you cannot afford to leave a 15% tip, you should not go to a place where you are waited on.
Buffet staff, really depends on what they do.....fill beverages, clear plates while dining – miinimum $2 a head.
This really piqued my curiousity, so I looked up the info. http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
there are indeed states that permit employers to pay the palty $2.13, with a "tip credit" to arrive at the federal minimum
wage of $7.25. "The following five states, not included in table, do not have State minimum wage laws: Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Also not included is Georgia, which exempts tipped employee under the law".....which is just plain appalling to me!
The tip credit is a benfit for employers. If you are a sevice employee be sure to check out the link above, know your rights and if you're working for an employer lthat is cheating you out of your required pay, turn them in to your wage and labor board.
Okay now I have two things I want to bring up: Why are there tip jars at "Starbucks"? I don't tip the cashier at Home Depot.
Lastly, what is the proper tip to leave when you order either several rounds of dinks w/ dinner or a couple of bottles
of wine? I leave about 20% of the total bill – food/drinks – more depending on if the server does more than open the bottle.
F U ck BP
I do have sympathy for the extreme nonsense waitresses/ waiters have to put up with (though not an excuse for poor service).
I literally waited tables at a Ruby Tuesday's for ONE NIGHT. I was tortured by an African American family for an hour, falling all over myself to make them happy... in the end, their bill was comped and I got no tip. The other waitresses said it happens all the time. I never went back or waited another table in my life.
So to those of you who work hard and do a great job, thank you. I go above and beyond to be polite, friendly and non-demanding. But if you're rude and uncaring about your job, you get nothing.
If you rely on tips...pick a new profession. It isn't my responsiblity to pay your bills, that's the responsibility of the person who HIRED you. Take your complaints to them. Ask them for more money. They own a business–I don't, so I frequently tip 10% or not at all.
You should be ashamed.
PEOPLE WHO TIP ARE RETARDED
That clip from 3rd rock from the sun was really funny but very true, A TIP IS A LUXURY NOT A REQUIREMENT
I do tip & more than 15% for good service. They should pay these people a salary like in Europe. On a recent trip there I found out that tipping is not customary and service was no different than here.
i DONT HAVE A HARD TIME, ITS EASY YOU PAY YOUR BILL AND WHEN YOU GET YOUR CHANGE , WHETHER IT BEING TEN CENTS OR TEN DOLLARS YOU PUT IT IN YOUR POCKET AND WALK OUT,
I have to call BS on the whole "eating out is more expensive in Europe, because servers get paid more." I grew up in Europe and the cost of food and restaurants is not more that it is in the US. You do not get free refills on your soda though and if you want water with your meal, you will usually have to order bottled and pay for it. It is true many servers are not as "overly friendly" as they are in the US, but that is more of a cultural thing in many places, especially in Northern Europe. Another example is that Russians don't smile unless there is a funny situation (smiling equates to laughing there).
All of this being said, the only time I did not leave a tip was when I saw my food sitting on the pass for 15 minutes while the waitress cleaned silverware. When she finally noticed our order was there and brought it, I asked her to replace it,as it was cold. She refused. I paid for my drinks and appetizer and did not tip. She had it coming.
Same thing – expensive entrees came out with salad. they were surprised we sent them back. Sat under the heat lamps for 20 minutes then on a tray for another 5. Told the mgr I didn't want them at that point. They then pretended to make new ones and all they did was slather sauce on them. They ended up taking them off the check but the dishonesty cost them.
You can leave a review on Google maps....
Cool! I did not know about the Google maps review!
There was one other time when a restaurant manager was being a total jerk when we inquired why our food took very long to get to us (tables that were seated 10 minutes after us had received both appetizers and entree and we still had nothing). He tried to tell me it was the lamb chops we ordered (medium). I know exactly how long it takes to cook a medium lamb chop and I called BS on him. He would not admit the kitchen had cocked up and lost/forgotten our order. The poor waitress was mortified and I felt bad for her, because this was not her fault. I still tipped her well. Even though the whole experience was crap, it was not due to the waitress. That restaurant got S-listed by us though; I will never eat there again.
If the service is good, I tip 15%. If it's excellent, 20% plus I round up. If the service is bad, I leave around 10%. It also depends on why the service is bad. If the server is not too busy, and just disappears, he may get even less, but I would never not leave something. If the service is bad because they are over worked, and have too many tables, I will leave 15%.
As a former server i have a very hard time leave no tip. What i find works the best, and worked the best against me is to leave a 10% tip, because for some it is their only compensation, and then leave a note on the credit card receipt. Managers always see it. Now i leave not only negative feedback but also tell people when they are doing a great job.
I am usually generous when tipping. There was 1 occasion where the service was so terrible that I left a penny for the tip. I wanted the waiter to KNOW that I did not appreciate the poor service. If I had left nothing, he could have thought I forgot to leave a tip.
I've waited at a table a number of times, and I never expected to get a tip just for waiting!
here is a tip "GET A BETTER JOB"
I know this is restaurant related but I suppose it counts. Some friends and I took a limo to the airport and we were greeted by one of the rudest people I've ever encountered. He threw our luggage around, threatened to just leave us because we were running a little behind etc etc. Long story short, when we got to the airport I had to pay the bill which I did on credit card. On the tip section I wrote in a negative number and took it off the total bill. The driver didn't notice and just stormed off. About a week later the owner called me. I explained the situation and informed him he was lucky I paid at all!
So not only have I left no tip at all I actually left a negative tip for horrible service.
I once had a waiter come back to me and tell me thats it, you dont have any more money. Bill was $85 and i left him a 10 dollar bill for tip, I should have told him well if you dont want it give it back but I was feeling friendly and just said sorry thats all I have. And if waiters are not getting paid minimum wage then they should start looking for another job that does. I worked for outback steakhouse as a busboy in high school and let me telll you they were greedy when it came to sharing the tips.
Two things I've done:
Once left a 100% tip
Once left a restaurant after a 2 hour wait for food (after we ordered) with the meals in a to-go box. Needless to say there was no tip, after we found out we owed $50 for our meal that was cold and 2 hours late!!!!
I was a waiter at a high profile joint. I waited on more stars than anyone in the world. I usually leave at least 20% and if they sucked I tell them. If I got stiffed I totally deserved it and was ready for it. But if I got a wussy tip it was just because you are a cheap arse all the time and just try to justify it by who knows what.
NOTE TO $$$ SEAFOOD WAITERS – You didn't work any harder than the diner waitress that took care of me at lunch so beware – we are on to you.
Someone posted a video from Reservoir Dogs about tipping. This video was always funny to me. I would NEVER do this, but I have felt the impulse one or twice with truly horrible servers. That hardly ever happens though, I always like to tip really well so that they are happy to see us again (I have kids).
For takeout who never tips for takeout food......Unless you are at McDonalds, who do you think makes your salad, puts the food in to go plates, gets the silverware, butter, condiments, bread, puts the drinks in paper cups aqnd then puts it all in a bag? This usually takes more effort and time than serving someone sitting at a table.
Tipping is uncommon in many other parts of the world. We could do away with the practice in the US, or at least seriously change it to the point where tips are only for "above and beyond" type service, if employees were paid adequately by their employers. Yes, that would raise prices. I have absolutely no problem with that if the increases went to employee pay. But I think it's unlikely that restaurants would ever pay salaries equal to what good waiters and waitresses are making with tips today. How many restaurants would pay servers $20/hr or more? No, you'd be getting $10-12 at most places. And every penny of it would be reported to the IRS. Food servers are most likely better off with today's tipping system - warts and all - than demanding the alternative.
I understand the people who are waiters depend on tips , but WHY should we have to help a biz. cover their payroll? You work at a factory building widgets the guy who buys those widgets isnt expected to go tip the weilder who made that widget -the company figures his pay into the products cost. The resturant industry needs to be changed to pay a reg. wage like all other companies do. WAIT SOMEONE GO TELL NOBAMA THE GOVERMENT NEEDS TO TAKE OVER....I mean regulate the resurant industry
It's directly DUE to government regulation that waiters/waitresses/bus people make less than the minimum wage – sine government thinks these folks are getting money "under the table". Actually, in my state, waiters/waitresses are obliged to declare a certain % of their sales as income – whether they had it or not. Well, that's the way it was 25+ years ago, I should say.
Dont you get it? If you dont tip then the price of eating out will go up to cover the lack of tips and make up the higher wages, you will pay for it in the long run anyhow.
Some years ago I was in Rome and one Restaurant had a sign: Please don't tip our employees, if you do, you are insulting them; We paid good benefits and good pay........... No comment.... Tipping = insulting a human being.....
I typically leave a 20% tip if the service is good. That figure goes down exponentially based on the quality of service I receive. By service I mean from my waiter or waitress. If the food was bad but the server did everything I expect they still deserve the tip for their service. There were a few occasions where I didn't tip at all because of VERY poor treatment by the waitstaff. I'm not demanding when I eat out, and I don't make significant changes to the items on the menu I order, and I'm always polite. I'm not one of those cranky people that don't leave a tip out of meaness or give my server a hard time. Being in the customer service business myself though, I just can't excuse poor service when I see it.
Good service, good tip. Bad service, little to no tip. Not that hard to understand. If you don't like it, time for a career change.
As an ex professional chef, I've had cause to leave no tip, but just one time. The service was so horrible. My partner was denied a wine, yet 15 minutes later another table ordered and got the wine. I had to commandeer a steak knife from another table when our meal arrived, which was delivered by a bus boy – as were our coffee. The only time I saw the waiter again was as we left, when he brought the manager and accosted me about no tip at the front door. After informing him that it was no mistake, I stopped talking to him and spoke with the manager, at length, suggesting that our waiter was more interested in closing his station than in serving his guests. I think the waiter probably got an earful from the manager, and I never went back.
I cannot remember any other time I've tipped less than 18%.
I was a waitress in college...my daughter was a waitress in college. It is hard work, physically and sometimes emotionally. I appreciate the efforts that men and women (very often young men and young women) make so that I can enjoy some time out. If a waiter or waitress is really really bad (I mean rude) then I won't tip. That has happened once in my lifetime. Otherwise I tip 20%...it is nice to be nice!
God! Look at the time people have to write about this stuff..
Some of us were in the industry. I'm sure your shop talk is just as boring, but I'll let you have it, whatever it is.
And look at the time you have to read and comment on others.
One time comes to mind.
At Outback Steak House my steak was very undercooked so I foolishly sent it back for additional cooking. It came back burned to a crisp. I guess the cook was insulted.
I have to disagree with the reasoning of leaving a bad tip for the waitperson here, unless somehow the waitperson was complicit in your not receiving your steak in the manner you had requested, or if the service was indeed bad. If I pissed off the cook by pointing out to the waitperson that the steak was underdone and then received something back that was obviously ruined out of retaliation, I would speak to the manager and have it taken care of (or not, depending on the competency of the management). But trying to show your displeasure to the cook or to the overall establishment by not tipping the waitperson just doesn't make sense. Did you pay the bill in full for food you did or did not eat, but clearly did not want to eat because someone went out of their way to ruin it? With the steak I would not want to pay for something that was purposely ruined. That's where I would take issue, not with the person who may have been doing their job perfectly well. A restaurant patron may feel justified in not giving what is indeed a gratuity, ie not a mandatory expenditure when the cook or bartender doesn't give you what you asked for or something substandard. If the waitperson did their job, they should not be penalized. Though they are the person you are dealing with, that shouldn't automatically make them the human whipping post, which many customer service people are considered to be by some of the entitled people they are unfortunate enough to have to serve at times. On the other hand, I have been the recipient of every level of service in places ranging from fast food to fine restaurants, and the feeling of paying good money for lousy service – burned. And no one likes that. But I try to tip accordingly for service rendered to the person making $2 an hour. Yes, they chose to be a waitperson, yes, they make in inhumanely substandard wage and maybe restaurants should pay more per hour than a sweatshop worker in a third world country makes, but the system is what it is, and the person doing their job shouldn't be punished because someone else is careless in what they are doing or is surly toward you.
If your service is bad, leave a comment card or speak to the manager. That will go much further than ripping off someone who fulfilled an obligation to you – no matter how poorly they performed.
The issue I have with what you have said Cathy, is that they have fullfilled a service to me, no matter how poorly they performed. I am sorry, but if they fell down on the job because they are inept and do not have pride in their level of service, I will NOT leave them a tip. Because imho they have not fullfilled their assigned job function.
They are there to assure that our experiance is really good one, and if they are off talking to their coworkers and ignoring my table, they most certainly have not performed as expected.
If you don't like your meal, do you refuse to pay?
Cathy, the only time my restaurants ever considered gratuity to be expected was when a room or large table were used by one party for the entire night. No, I refuse to consider gratuity to be obligatory. That said, with one exception, I've never had service so bad that I stiffed the waiter. I guarantee that while telling the manager might – might – help ensure the waiter won't tank my evening next time, I am paying him or her or them for the service I receive on the night the tip is delivered.
Yes, there have been times that I have left no tips. If the service is that bad, you better believe that I have no problems sending home a message. Now if the food is bad, and the service is really good, I will still leave a tip for the server. Because they have done a really good job staying on top of my table.
Generally though, if I receive really poor service and/or food, I will follow up with a letter/email to the management of the establishment. And will include the details of such in my food reviews.
I nornmally tip but its getting harder and harder. Why should I subsidize a major resturant chains payroll. they charge insane prices and we are expected to pay a tip to help them pay their employees, they then make muli-millions in profits . my wife always makes sure we tip because im getting to the point to say screw this. If everyone would stop tipping. The folks who wait tables would go to work elsewhere and then these places would have to pay their people a living wage.
My wife walks with a cane, and Pizza Hut uses its handicapped spaces as parking for the delivery trucks. I finally complained to their home office, and they sent me a card for a free pizza. When I presented it, the cook snarled "So it WAS you" and refused to wait on me. So I never go to the hut anymore, and Papa John's is the place for me and Frank Carney now.
The amount of tip I leave is generally related to the quallity of service I receive, like most people. I have only once not left a tip because of the service. The waitress had come over to the table to take our order and got to the point of pulling out here quest check pad and said, "Are you rea..." when a freind of hers walked in. she stopped in mid sentence, turned and seated her friends and took their order. They had their food before she came back and took our order. When I confronted her about this she said that we told her we weren't ready. I called over the manager and with the watress present explained why she wasn't getting a tip. The manager explained that we wouldn't receive a bill either. As they walked away the manager told the grumbling waitress that she would dock her for the meal if she could. That's the only time. But the service was extreamly poor. It was a resturant my wife and I frequented and were shock at the service we were getting. The waitress was not one we were familiar with. We thought about getting up and leaving but really wanted to see how far the waitress would go.
I will leave a tip when I want to leave a tip, and how much I leave is how much you get....PERIOD. Resteraunt work is the ONLY profession (if you want to call it that) where the owner is to cheap to pay for the labor of their workers. Ask Adam Corolla! He makes sure his workers don't have to live off of tips and pays them a salary.
If you don't like how I tip....TS, man! Nobody HAS to tip, it's a courtesy......
Lets be honest, most people tip because they are too embarrassed to leave nothing. It has nothing to do with great service. Do you tip your mother when she cooks a great meal?
Unlike your MOMMY, do you think your server REALLY gives a crap about YOU? Be honest.
When I go out to eat, I consider the menu price of my meal to be the cost of the food. I consider the tip to be the cost of the service. I like that I am allowed to pay for the service based on the quality of service received. If the tip was included in the menu price, then I would be forced to overpay for below average service.
I have a hard time figuring out what to do when takeout is involved. I cannot tell how much work the takeout person does versus the cooks and this person didn't have to spend 30 min's running back and forth to the kitchen filling up my drinks and fetching napkins etc like a waiter would if I were eating in at the restaurant. Also, I don't know if the restaurant pays them a decent wage to begin with or not. It would be nice if there was something to let people know what is involved.
I left a quarter tip one time for really bad service and terrible food. When we left the restaurant the cook came running and started yelling at me and my family including my toddlers. He also threw the quarter at us. We told him his food and service was terrible. I think twice before leaving a small tip bcos of bad service.
You have a lot of NERVE expecting ANYONE to serve you and your TODDLERS and not leave anything. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!! You people are the WORST ONES!!!!
get a new job u f*ckin b*tch
Just this weekend, I left no tip for only the 2nd time in my life (25+) years of tipping). My kids were starving. Server failed to EVER bring out the appetizer after being reminded multiple times before and after the main entrees arrived. She offered no explanation or apology. An apology alone would have earned her probably at least a 10% tip had she made the effort. My glass sat empty for 25 min. The entrees took an inordinate amount of time to come. We were all ticked by the end of the meal. Not only did she get no tip, but I specifically wrote on the check AWFUL SERVICE! since it was my only recourse. A tip is not a God-given right, particularly if the service is awful. I don't get paid if I don't do my job right.....why should she. On the flip-side if the service is good I have no issue with giving a 15-20% tip.
"real" starving children do not get the LUXURY of being waited on at all....you should be on your knees thanking GOD your kids aren't really starving! Ingrate!
Valerie, actually I get on my knees and thank God every day that my 7 year old son is alive becuase he has survived acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosed at age 3 and has also surved a relapse in his central nervous system requiring 4 years of chemotherapy and CNS radiation therapy. If you've ever had a child on high dose long term chemotherapy you would know what the word starving means, dumb-!
Mark save your money from tipping and start investing in some good therapy. I know its hard what you are going though, but it seems you are a bit angry at the world.
Val must hate her job...err life
My funny story. I was on business travel and had wrapped things up successfully so I decided to treat myself to a great meal. It was a snobby place but excellent food. When it came to paying the bill my credit card busted. I had enough cash to leave a $.23 cent tip on a $60.00 dinner. The entire staff gave me the evil eye as I left. Got to the parking garage, couldn't pay to get my car out and had to walk about two miles back to my hotel. Serves me right I guess.
black people are horrible tippers. yes, i just said that.
Black people except me tip poorly- my friends tip higher than me, and I do 15-20%. My aunts tip 15% on delivery, and higher in person. You're simply ignorant, and probably a bit bigoted.
dude
Sorry you owe us FREE SERVICE for 500 of your crap. Most white or hispancic wait staff treat us like crap that is why we no tip.
you are right there....Mexicans do hate Blacks
If the service was so bad that I would not leave a tip I would have left the restaurant before the tip was ever an issue. I'm pretty tolerant but bad attitudes turn me WAY off and down right nasty attitudes will get you told about yourself and then walked out on.
15% for average, 10% for below average, 20% for above average; extra if I or my kids were misbehaved; less if the server is rude. I also do it on the card if they were questionable and in cash if I like them more.
I think that 15% as a minimum regardless of the behavior of the server is the attitude of a person who has never waited a half an hour for food to be told that they forgot or lost your order and it will be ready in another half an hour, forgot to bring it right away when it was ready, overcharged you and then were rude to you on top of it all. The server is supposed to save you time and to make you feel like not making it at home yourself would have been less work and more pleasant. I think there are occasions that 0 tip is appropriate. (In the case that I describe above – I pointed out the overcharge and said that is her tip. If she wanted to get her tip, she will need to correct it. I did not have time at that point to stay and sort it out. No clue if she got "her" tip or not). Did not go back to that restaurant either.
Frankly, I typically give some small amount if it is a restaurant I ever intend to return to no matter how bad the server is. I do not set a bottom line though and I think that servers are unwise to do so. To think well I am going to give this person poor service and be rude to them and it will only mean that I will get 15% instead of nothing... There should be a little concern that all of 15% might not be there.
Lastly, my understanding is that the restaurant is required to make up the difference if the server does not manage minimum wage, but who wants to admit that to their boss? So, yes, they are minimum wage, but if you are nice to your customers and prompt with your service, you generally are getting more than minimum wage. It is hard work and much appreciated by me, but to expect someone to pay for lack of service and rudeness... I don't get that.
I've had two occasions where I did not leave a tip for the waitress I did however after speaking to the manager made sure the kitchen and bussers were tipped. I've waited tables and managed restaurants therefor tip generously but on one occassion the waitress belittled us the entire time, could not split the table correctly between just two checks( took 3 attempts and still was not correct) and was so rude I could honestly state I've had sent her home for her outlandish behavior. The other occasion was lunch at a corporate chain, the manager sat us, brought us our drinks, took our order , brought us our food and checked on us. Our waitress was conversing with teh table across the way looked at us once and after we were done eating asked us once if we wanted a refill which we delined so she dropped the check. I tipped the kitchen as I know management is normally unable to accept and I tippped them $10 on a $30 check as my meal was hot and wonderful. (pardon sp errors my laptop sucks)
Lee's Roadside Grill in St.Maarten has the worst service and I left $5 to the waitress who started arguing with me and wasn't gonna give me my cc back. The food wasn't worth the experience.
As former waitress and bartender, I usually tip around 20% unless service is exceptional, then more. While working, I regularly made 30-60% of my sales in tips simply by taking care of buisiness and doing my job. I only had one experience where I have NOT tipped a waiter. Instead, I tipped the busboy, who made sure I had everything I needed and took care of the table. The waiter did not. I also informed the manager of this, so as to prevent a problem for the busboy! Sure, I had nights where I made very little, but that is the job.
Also, a secret for other wait staff: I started buying EVERY regular at least one round of what they usually drank around the holidays as a way to say thank you for their business. Never once walked out of the bar without $150-$200 in my pocket AFTER paying my bar tab. Again – take care of business and say thank you to your regulars.
And for those who care – I always paid what was required for taxes and reported as mandated by law!
Service was so bad once that I didn't pay the 10% service charge that was included in the bill. The waitress told me that I had to pay. I gave her my business card and told her to press charges. I have no problems no paying if the service is no good – this does not include cold or bad food, its not the servers fault if the kitchen screws up.
My approach to tipping is to start at 15% and go up or down as my expectation is met or not. I'm very easy to please in a restaurant setting so getting 15% is not hard at all but rarely do I go higher then 20%. I don't ask much of a server bring our drinks, take our food order, keep us informed if there is a problem with our order if it's taking longer then normal, bring our food to our table, and check up to make sure everything is ok. I'm also not one to ask for substitutions on most items. For example I took the family out to eat at a place that I frequent. The server was prompt but not overly friendly as he appeared busy. Our food came out and everything was either wrong or burnt. I informed our server of the problem and simply asked for it to be corrected. The food was corrected even though I had had better there. I surmised that the normal cook was not the one cooking on this day. The server was quick to correct the problem. For that I left a 15% tip as he did everything in his power to make it satisfactory. The bill was paid with a credit card and later I noted that he had not added my tip when the final charge was submitted. I can only guess he didn't feel it was deserved.
I did work in a restaurant as a buser while going to school. I worked with a waitress and got to see first hand what she had to deal with. She did tip me and the cook. But it was a team effort. If I kept the customer happy by keeping glasses full and dirty plates cleared and the cook did his part by cooking food correctly she got better tips and in return we got better tips from her. There were a few occasions where the cook did poorly and she refused to tip him but gave me a good share cause I helped her still get a decent tip.
I wait tables every Friday night and I can say yes I have been snubbed a time or two. Was it for the right reason maybe, maybe not. As a waitor your just the messenger it kind of sucks not being in control of everything like cooking the food, making sure what your serving is great quality etc. You can really only do some much and you take the good with the bad. Yes the hourly wage sucks but that should be a driving force behind how well you can sevice others. I have waited tables for 3 years now and I love it. I love the atmosphere interacting with people and just the rush of everything week in and week out. Like others have said beings I know first hand what it is like I always tip big because until you put on there shoes you have NO IDEA how many things they have to make sure goes perfect just to make a single dollar. So knock on wood leaving for work now hoping to make that money tonight!
One time I was at a bachelor party, and I probably drank 24 beers. I left to get some air and I wandered off to a local diner (Rio Diner in Woodbridge) to get some food in my stomach. I ordered a Monte Cristo and fries, and basically proceeded to make a horrible mess out of the table. It probably looked like a map of Asia made out of food. I went to the bathroom for a wiz, and when I came back my table was cleaned up, and my food was gone. I heard the wait staff say "we thought he was homeless". I demanded all new food, and they brought me new fries. After consuming the fries and knocking over all the condiments, I left a $100 tip.
She was the worst waitress ever and I'm a waitress, so I know. She was so busy chatting with her friend at the counter she ignored me, the ONLY CUSTOMER in the diner at the time other than her friend. The food was not what I ordered. She ignored me waving at her to come over. After paying and telling her that he service was lousy and the food not what I wanted, I waited outside looking in as she found the penny. It was PRICELESS! she deserved it!
I tip based on the attractiveness of the waitress and the amount of flirting being done. Waiters are a different story. My tip to them is to go lay brick, or work in the lumber yard like a real man.
What do you think that women like to look at? Men also like someome who understands the menu.
Retsaurants < Strip Clubs
I'm going to Fuddruckers tonight. For those not familiar, you order, get your own drinks and utensils, pick up your food at the counter and dress it how you want. There are no garbage cans, or places to return your dishes, you are expected to leave everything on the table for the bussers. So my question, do you leave a small tip for them? Most of the food is on simple plates, etc, nothing fancy. Just curious what other people do at that restaurant, thanks.
I love Fudruckers and go there all the time. Since you are only tipping the busing of the table, I usually leave 10%.
No way . . .no freaking way.
If I have to pick up my own food
If I have to get my own refills
The waiter doesn't get a tip. That is just how it goes. Freaken Nordstom cafe will refill your drinks but you have to wait in line, order, bring a freaking card to your table. When I become the waiter, I get the tip.
Why should tipping be decided on the price of the entree and not the amound of people at the table.
You can order a 5lb lobster for a 100 bucks! Server gets 15% on bringing you out one item.
Now you go to a diner; have a 6 course meal that cost $25 dollars with all the trimmings. This server at the diner worked way harder than the server at the lobster place; why should they get a larger tip?
It should be a flat rate; a per person rate; no matter how much you order like they do in Europe.
I will be the first to agree with not tipping a hostess for handing over the takeout food already bagged up; however there are some restaurants, Applebee's and The Cheesecake Factory for example, who have a special service for takeout. I do this for Applebee's. A lot of people dont realize that I take their order over the phone, make sure they get everything that theyordered and package it in appropriate containers, bag it up, and bring it out to their car when they get there. The only thing the kitcehn staff does is cook the hot food, everything else is my doing. While, I don't feel entitled to get a tip from anyone, to me it is an acknowledgment of the work that I did for my customer–even a dollar is like a thank you to me. I also think the people who have problems tipping, even when they eat in the restaurant, are the people who have never worked in the industry. Now, if there was bad srvice or some other issue that the restaurant could not or refuse to recify then I would not leave a decent tip either.
The least I have left for a tip is a quarter. Our service was so bad that I wanted to walk out leaving nothing. A friend told me that the server would just think I forgot to tip. He suggested that I leave a dime. Too bad I only had a quarter.
When I was 16, I had just broken up with my girlfriend, and it was Valentine's Day. My Dad and I went to Coco's and the hostess got me a cherry coke after seating us. Our "waitress" took our order and asked if I wanted a refill of my coke, and I said yes, but it's cherry coke. She smiled and left. She came back later with a regular coke. After a few minutes of trying to flag her down, I reminded her that it was a cherry coke. THIS was her condescending response (to the best of my memory): "Well, sweetie, we just ran out of the cherry juice, so I would have to go all the way to the back of the storage room to get some more." So, with my Dad's permission. I left her two pennies. Happy Valentine's Day to you too, lady!
I'm in it for escalation, I would of said "that is fine, but if you can't deliver the product I ordered then you will remove the cost from my bill. If you have a problem Uh, send over the manager. "- preferably after you gotten the food.
Leave no tip? If the service is poor, then I live a poor one, maybe 10%. If it is too poor to deserve that, I am talking to the manager and probably not paying for the meal, never mind a tip. If it is good service (which is usually the case), 20%. If it is great service, I have no problem giving tips upwards of 40%. Waiters work very hard and they should be rewarded for that work. Those who leave nothing? I don't buy into the "nothing is what they deserved argument". Be a man (or a woman) and demand good service. Don't get it? Talk to the manager. Do get it? Do the right thing!
I was raised to tip, from waitresses/waiters, pizza delivery drivers, hair stylists, etc. If you receive terrible service, not only should you not tip or tip very little, you should speak with the manager and let them KNOW why you are tipping thus. Otherwise, they won't know that your server was incompetent – they'll think you just forgot or were too cheap to tip. Believe me, I know – I used to deliver pizzas and you'd be surprised how many people do not tip or tip very poorly. I was one of those delivery people that customers called the store to praise. I was prompt, polite, friendly, and advised the customer of upcoming specials and answered questions about the food. I pet their animals, talked with their children, complimented them on their lovely homes, etc. If your pizza is late and/or your driver is rude, call and tell the store! No one wants "bad" people working for them! For the most part, I received excellent tips from my regular customers but sometimes I was stiffed. Sometimes Iwould get people that insisted the delivery charge was intended to be a tip. WRONG! The delivery charge is split between the driver and the store and is intended to offset mileage. It costs drivers a lot of money in gas, wear and tear on tires and engines, etc. and higher insurance premiums. If they went more than two miles one way to make a delivery, they were already losing money, so tips are very important to the drivers. I know of a prominent church that once ordered over $800 worth of pizza for a function, we gave them a half price discount, and they stiffed the poor driver after he carried all those pizzas in! Another church would tip around $35 or more each time we went there and boy, we loved delivering there!
Please, remember your pizza delivery drivers too when you tip. I don't deliver anymore, but I myself, tip generously!
1st thing is the T.I.P. means "To insure prompt service".
2nd is that I was a waiter at good well known restaurant on the West Coast while in school. I have respect for Restaurant workers.
That being said everyone should be aware that Waiters and Waitresses are only taxed on a max of 8% of reported reciepts/income which is less than 8% tips on average as many bills are paid in cash and restaurants under report.
Lots of folks simply double the tax when making a tip. Tips used to be 10% of the bill prior to tax. This was engineered to move to a 15% standard of expectation and many restaurants even include the tip pre charged on the bill up to 18%!
*The IRS has negotiated deals with many food service workers where they pay a set "VERY LOW" percentage for income taxes.
IMO you shoulld be able to tip what you as a patron feel is fair and not be obligated beyond a minimum. The idea isn't to provide high end restaurant waiters with life time employement with high wages. It's to pay them accordingly and this is not skilled labor. Some in So Cal and NYC make well over $100K including bartenders and pay nothing.
Just food for thought.
Much of the above is NOT true.
I work in the industry in SoCal, make would make about $34k a year, if that's all I did and were able to work 6 shifts per week, and am taxed on 12% of sales. That's about what I take home in tips after tipping out. Your hearsay information<my firsthand information.
Recently, at a local restraunt, the server argued with me. I said "I didn't order the big fries" he was like "yeah you did" and that was enough to get zero tip. I was going to dock the bill (less than the final bill) but he threatned to call the police. Easy enough, I ended up complaning getting him fired, and the entire bill refunded. Stupid server.
What I hate about articles like this is that it always brings out the people who have waited tables complaining about how terrible the rest of us are. Of course what they fail to realize that the reason they are so angry with everyone is because they were such horrible servers and in return got terrible tips. We do not care that you had to take a million orders, run back and forth from the kitchen all night, and got stiffed by some party because they were unhappy with your performance. If you wanted a steadier paycheck and could only work in the food industry there is always a McDonalds hiring. I know, I know the pay is terrible, but if you were intelligent enough to do half the things you claim you did as a server you would be manager with benefits in no time at McDonalds. Just saying that servers need to stop complaining. Those of us smart enough to not have to work as a server are sick of hearing you complain. If I wanted food cooked someone else brought to me and then hear the complaining I would have just stayed home and let my wife cook. Moral of the story is work is hard yet food/beverage servers seems to complain the most. Honestly the janitor at my 6 yr-old son's school complains less than you do and he does not receive any tips for cleaning up vomit all day.
Before I get bashed by the Trolls, I know my punctuation is atrocious and for that I apologize. I am just fed up with the high and mighty attitude servers have. YOU SERVE FOOD, I DO NOT CARE IF YOU THREATEN TO SPIT IN MY FOOD YOU ARE STILL WORTHLESS. Anyone dumb enough to take a job that potentially pays worse than the salary of an indentured servant deserves to be treated like garbage. But then again the world needs ditch diggers too.
Can anyone explain why African Americans don't tip? It is well known throughout the restaurant and food service industry. To the point in which many wait staff will argue over who takes tables of African Americans because they know they will not get a tip. What is the cultural bias behind this?
That is a stereotypical obervation. I have friends that tip just as well as a anyone else sometimes better.
Are you half retarded? Everyone also knows that African Americans comprise the majority of individuals under the national impoverished income bracket. These people are poor and have less money than you and I. Surprise? You should be happy to serve these people, they are spending the little amount of money the got for an outing, let them have their time and dont expect anything in return. Your still getting above minimum wage!
This is, most likely, due to a human fallacy called "Confirmation Bias." Human beings start with a view and consistently look for examples to prove their view, and ignore evidence that does not. I.e. you remember every African who doesn't tip, ignore the ones who do.
I've never seen any true reporting information regarding tipping by sex/gender/race. Usually it is a random server person who makes this comment. As such, it could be an issue with the servers (are servers more likely to be racist/etc due to lower socioeconomic status).
Uhm, this is utter nonsense. Having worked as a waiter in college, I don't recall ever thinking this (I am white by the way), or hearing anyone I worked with ever express this view. In fact, thinking back to the times I remember getting stiffed, seems it was always white people. And by the way, the folks we most hated having to wait on were the college kids, who were almost always white, and who always seemed to have nothing better to do then hang out at the restaurant, buying very little, making a mess, and leaving little if no tips.
I have only once left no tip. The waitress was TERRIBLE! We didn't get menus for 20 minutes after being seating; we had to flag down a busser to get drinks for us. We didn't get our appetizers or salads until AFTER our entree's were served. And the entree's themselves took wayyyy too long to get. So we left without leaving a tip. The waitress followed us out of the restaurant and asked why we didn't leave a tip. I simply said YOU SUCK AS A WAITRESS and called the manager. And I was also 19 yrs old at the time. I think if I were to have the same experience at this age (34), I would at least leave something.
I always leave a decent tip, even for not so great service, if the server at least tried. They might have been very frazzled and forgetful, but I don't blame them, being a server can be a tough job sometimes. The one time I didn't leave any tip was for a waiter who deliberately ignored my friend and me. He took our order and then we never saw him again for ANYTHING, as the bus boys delivered our food and refilled our drinks. I think because we were two young women, around 19, he didn't take us seriously as patrons and figured we didn't need good service. It felt good to leave the exact amount due on the check, down to the last penny. He ran after us as we were leaving and said, "Was there something wrong?" We told him he didn't pay us any attention the entire time we were there, and he stormed away. What a jerk!
For all you whiners out there about how HARD it is to be a waiter/waitress and how much you bust your arse....if you don't like it, then get a different job....I am not saying you don't have a hard job but that is what it is...a JOB. If you can't do it right then you shouldn't be doing it and I am not going to pay you for doing a poor job. I wouldn't be paid for doing a poor job and I might even be fired for it. I tip very well if the server is great and goes out of their way to help me and make me feel comfortable, isn't that YOUR JOB??? Why else would I go out and spend money at a restaurant if I wanted poor service???
Not tipping gets you on databases like goodtipbadtip.com. That is what you deserve.
EDDIE: You don't tip?
MR. PINK: No – I don't believe in it.
EDDIE: You don't believe in tipping?
MR. BLUE: You know what these chicks make? They make shit.
MR. PINK: Don't give me that. She don't make enough money, she can quit. (Mr. Blonde laughs.)
EDDIE: I don't even know a fucking Jew who'd have the balls to say that. Let me just get this straight. You don't ever tip, huh?
MR. PINK: I don't tip because society says I have to. Alright, I mean I'll tip if somebody really deserves a tip, if they really put forth the effort, I'll give 'em something extra, but I mean this tipping automatically is for the birds. (Eddie laughs.)I mean as far as I'm concerned they're just doing their job.
MR. BLUE: Hey, this girl was nice.
MR. PINK: She was OK – but she wasn't anything special. MR. BLUEWhat's special, take you in the back and suck your dick? (They laugh.)
EDDIE: I'd go over 12% for that.
MR. PINK: Hey Look, I ordered coffee, right? Now we've been here a long fuckin time, and she's only filled my cup three times. When I order coffee, I want it filled six times
MR. BLONDE: Six times? Well, you know, what if she's too fucking busy?
MR. PINK: Words "too fucking busy" shouldn't be in a waitress' vocabulary.
EDDIE: Excuse me, Mr. Pink – the last fucking thing you need's another cup of coffee.
MR. PINK: Jesus Christ – I mean these ladies aren't starving to death. They make minimum wage. You know, I used to work minimum wage. And when I did, I wasn't lucky enough to have a job society deemed tip-worthy.
MR. BLUE: You don't care they're counting on your tips to live? (Mr. Pink rubs two of his fingers together.)
MR. PINK: You know what this is? It's the world's smallest violin playing just for the waitresses.
MR. WHITE: You don't have any idea what you're talking about. These people bust their ass. This is a hard job.
MR. PINK: So's working at McDonald's, but you don't feel the need to tip them, do you? Why not? They're servin ya food. But no, society says don't tip these guys over here, but tip these guys over here. That's bullshit.
MR. WHITE: Waitressing is the number one occupation for female noncollege graduates in this country. It's the one job basically any woman can get and make a living on. The reason is because of their tips.
MR. PINK: (pauses) Fuck all that. (They all laugh.)
MR. BROWN: Jesus Christ!
MR. PINK: Hey, I'm very sorry that the government taxes their tips. That's fucked up. That ain't my fault. It would appear that waitresses are just one of the many groups the government fucks in the ass on a regular basis. You show me a paper says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it. Put it to a vote, I'll vote for it. But what I won't do is play ball. And this non-college bullshit you're giving me, I got two words for that: "Learn to fuckin type." Cause if you're expecting me to help out with the rent, you're in for a big fuckin' surprise.
MR. ORANGE: Hey – he's convinced me. Give me my dollar back.
trash like this has no place in a open discussion. Where is cnn now i get slammed left and right by the moderator and they let this trash through. i guess its ok to us jesus's name in filth like this but loed help you if u say any thing about muslims
If I have to leave a poor tip I ALWAYS get a manager involved. As a former bartender and waitress I have no qualms whatsoever about making sure a manager knows when there employee has done a poor job but I also make sure I commend an employee for a job well done as well. I think it is only fair that a manager knows the good and the bad.
I don't understand tipping. Maybe it's where I'm from (rural south), my parents never tipped, restaurants here never expected tips, the only people I can remember seeing leave tips when I was a kid were horny guys trying to get in the waitress' pants. The food cost what was printed on the menu. Even now a couple of decades later leaving a tip feels extremely strange/wrong to me. How hard is it to pay your employees a decent wage instead of making me guess what I should be paying for my meal??
maybe this link will help you understand
http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
My state isn't on the list so I'm not sure how that applies here. But either way I still think it's a screwed up way to do business. It's like turning your employees into panhandlers.
Melissa, take the "guess" work out of tipping and take a calculator with you when you dine if you are so "rural south" uneducated to figure out 20%.
Actually I have two college degrees with a solid minor in math that includes a year and a half of calculus. It's the system that seems bizarre to me, not the math. I don't understand why I'm expected to bribe someone just to get them to do their job. If the food is supposed to cost 20% more than the menu price then add 20% to the prices on the menu. Considering some of the nasty comments from people who work in the field (or at least claim to) I may quit eating out entirely. Cooking is not that difficult and I don't think I want you people around my food. Now you get none of my money, happy?
I tip, but I don't believe in it. I believe EVERYONE should be paid a decent wage. Tips are supposed to be a special thank you for service – not a requirement or expectation. I DO NOT put money in those "tip" jars in mall food courts, or anywhere I have to order, wait, get my own drink and take my own food to the table. In complete contrast to that, I over tip servers who impress me with their attitude and ability.
nice wav bruvva
I have left $0 for a tip before – but everytime I do, I leave a note explaining why their poor service resulted in zero wages.
I remember going with some brits to a bar in nyc for a office celebration of sorts. We must have spent over a $1,000 dollars on the tab and the british manager was basically refusing to pay any tip. He said, they should get paid a proper wage in the first place. The waiter who had been busting his ass was furious but didn't say anything that I am aware of. I was horrified and embarrassed.
I used to be a busboy one of my first college jobs. I saw what the waiters were making and said "you've got to be kidding". I mean in this restaurant, some mondays absolutely no one would show up so how are they going to get tips? and then they would get some hairbrained conventions where this woman's idea of a tip was to leave a note with scripture on it.
I will always try to tip 20% even when I am unemployed. If you have had any service at all, they deserve a tip and keep in mind that if you tip well, they will treat you well when you come back.
oh oh i have something to say, i want to weigh in on tis all-important issue – so people can read it and think, oh my, that mark sure is a deep thinker.
??? Seriously?
I only did it once, where I left no tip, but the girl was to blame. The waitress waited on us, but sent others to bring our stuff out to us. When my then hubby needed a refill on his soda, she never bothered to get him one. She saw his glass was empty and that he had nothing to drink. She didn't care. She stood there leaning against the wall where the soda machine was, looked right at us, and was gossiping with a co-worker. My then hubby even held up his hand like a kid at school does, and she ignored him. I had to split my soda with him so he could wash his food down. When it came to having our basket of fries brought to us, she sent someone else to our table with it. When it came to time to serve us our meal, she had a busboy who barely spoke English to bring it to us. And when it came time for the check, another waitress brought it to us, while our original waiter just stood in the same spot gossiping. We were so furious, we left no tip, and never when back to that location. We went to another one of their restaraunt's a few towns away, and they treated us great. So yeah I've done the no tip, but with a darn good reason. You don't work for it, you don't get it. If she had tried, we'd have been nicer.
One time, as my fiance and I were leaving a popular chain restaurant, our waitress (who had given us poor service in the first place), accosted us to ask why we didn't tip her. Although I thought my fiance had done so on his card, I guess we just forgot. When she walked away, I went back to our table and left a penny, along with a note that read, "Here's a tip: it is both tacky and unacceptable to ever ask a customer why they didn't tip you."
I completely disagree. If no tip was being left – you should have gotten management involved – it would have been a learning experience and would have allowed the manager to try to make things right with you. As far as her approaching you, I guess it depends on what, and how, she asked about the lack of tip...if she thought she gave good service it would have been good information for her to have...
I have great respect for quality servers. Just think, if no one ever became a waitress or waiter again, the only places to eat would be fast food places. There are good servers and bad ones, just like any other profession – and yes, it is a profession. I have a college education and run a computer network, but the only job I was ever fired from was waitressing...It takes a very special person to be a server in a restaurant.
All blacks should be sent this article and thread to read. WHY, oh, WHY do black people not tip? It's a known thing in the service industry that blacks are either going to straight up stiff you or leave 5 to 10% tip. Usually the prior. It's also a well known fact that blacks are the biggest complainers about the food or service AFTER they have eaten 80 percent of the food they have received. Always looking for a freebie.
what an awful comment!
thats racist....but hilarious
the word 'blac' to see what is written in these comments
do a (search – ctrl>f) on 'black'
Yeah, it's awful...but it's TRUE.
I once had such terrible service many years ago that I ripped a ten dollar bill in half which would have been a decent tip and left it protruding out the top of the check folder. I always heard one could go to the post office and be reimbursed for a torn bill, don't know if it's true but I felt great leaving it for a tip. I always tip well, around 20+% of the total bill and understand most servers work their butts off. I hope my tip encouraged this waitress who was rude and an idiot, not just having a bad day, to find a different job.
One time my mom's burger was thoroughly raw inside. She showed the waiter who said he would take it back to have them finish cooking it. After a bit he brought it back and it was covered with more ketchup than before it went in. I told my mom to cut it open and low and behold it was exactly just as raw as before. We didn't know what to do. Was it the cook or the waiter at fault? Clearly someone didn't want to do their job. We chose to tip the waiter but we didn't ever go back there. Who wants to get e coli or some other food borne illness?
So who are you leaving your tip for? The person who took your order or the person who brought your food and refilled your glass?
My tip amount is determined by how hot my date is and how much I want to impress her with my mad coin.
I do a good job at my place of business...where is my tip? I do tip, when appropriate. My problem is why is it already assumed we should start at 15%-20% no matter what. A tip should be b/c someone went above and beyond. The comment that wait staff do not get paid much regularly is old. Sounds like your problem, not the customers...I don't get paid what I think is fair either, but you know what, I can get another job if I chose.
are you guys serious? throw a couple bones (literally $1 or $2 more) and call it a day. why so bitter about a couple bucks? will that change your lifestyle? suddenly you can go get yourself a ferrari? or does it make you feel like you didn't get "taken" by a WAITER/WAITRESS? does it make you feel like you stood up for yourself? grow up, and just leave a couple extra...
I don't think I would consider myself to be a difficult customer. I thank the wait staff for filling up the water, I am attentive when the specials are listed. I say "please" and "thank you", am appalled when people snap their fingers at the waitstaff, etc. I think I am a nice customer. I once visited a restaurant that I visited infrequently. (I wouldn't say I was a "regular.") Throughout the meal, the service was "iffy" – the waitress was snarly, the service was slow (the restaurant was not busy at all.) No one filled the water glasses. I ordered a soft drink, and got an iced tea. I am not a difficult customer, so I drank the iced tea. The food was really good. I had a coupon for a 20%t discount. When I received the check, I left a 15% tip on the amount BEFORE the discount. The waitress took the bill and the money. She asked if I wanted change, and I said no. She looked at the tip – which I thought was pretty generous, given the service and the fact that the tip was based on the full check, not the check less the discount. She rolled her eyes and made the ugliest puss. I said, "Oh! I must have made a mistake, please let me re-figure my tip." She brightened up and gave me the wallet. I took the tip back, and just paid the bill. The restaurant closed two days later.
Wow ! That waitress was rude ! I don't blame you one bit for doing that.
Tips are earned for above and beyond service. In a buffet cafeteria where food is served with an ice cream scoop and the grace of dishing out dog food, there's no tip for you. Being attentive, serving a wonderful meal, making people at the table feel at home and wanted and there is a good tip for you. By the way, why should one feel compelled to put money in a tip jar at a fast food restaurant or for carry out?
After working in the restaurant industry, I have less tolerance for bas service. Its not that difficult to try to make your customers happy, especially since people are generally reasonable (with some exceptions of course!). I try not to leave nothing for a tip, because then the server may think that I forgot to leave a tip. So if I'm trying to demonstrate you gave BAD service and don't deserve a good tip I will leave a few cents.
Ever go to an all you can eat buffet and they have a server that brings you drinks? What's up with that? Should I feel guilty for not tipping the drink person? I'm already up getting my own food, I can get my own drink!
I used to work food service, so I know how hard the job is. For that reason, I almost always tip at least 15%. HOWEVER, with particularly heinous services, I leave a 10% tip and a full note (couple of napkins if necessary) about why it wasn't more. This happens when the waiter doesn't heed whatever I have nicely asked, reminded, 2 or 3 times.
Here's a tip: be a better waitress!
The government started taxing tips because people were doing it so much. If we just stopped tips all together the government won't tax them and they can make a livable wage without the work that the next customer will stiff them. Tipping, and the subsequent taxation of tipping has actually made it harder for waitresses.
it's funny how people need "excellent" service for a decent tip. when i go out with friends or colleagues for lunch, and the wait staff is decent (brings food out on time, refills drinks regularly, etc.), they still tip 10-15%. so what does the waitstaff have to do to get 20% tips? give them a BJ??? lap dance??? for f sakesm, tip the person reasonably. so i always end up having to pad the tip when we're leaving so that we don't look like bunch of cheap douchebags.
100% agree! I keep thinking the SAME thing! WTF is EXCEPTIONAL to these idiots? Oral?? LMFAO!
I was really surprised at the sheer number of posts to this one topic. I have seen fewer posts to what i would consider a huge hot topic button. I have only not tipped on about two occassions. Both times were because i had horrible rude servers. I do not tip to be yelled at, ignored, have things plunked down on the table hard enough to spill drink onto my clothes, or any other form of abuse. I do not pay extra for this sort of thing. I do not skip a tip because someone got my order wrong, i am human too, I do not skip tips because the check was a bit odd and needed extra work to fix. I am human too. I do not skip a tip because the steak isnt cooked to my perfect requirements, my mom never cooked it to my liking and i would never say a peep. But i will not pay for abuse. That is insanity. I also insist on speaking to managers for rudeness, to say hey, not only didnt i tip, but i don't intend to return. But i am not rude while saying so. I worked in the ER, with people at their absolute worst, on the worst day of their lives and i have been yelled at, spit on, attacked, screamed at and all manner of things. but i was never ever rude. Ten years of this. So yes, waiting is a hard job with insane demands, but it can be done without abuse.
I've always tip well even when the service is really really bad. I just can't bring myself to do it even though the person clearly did the worst job ever. I generally grit my teeth and smile anyway. The thing is though in the end the poor service can come back to haunt them anyway because generally I never return to that restaurant again. If enough people have a bad experience the waiter can contribute to the demise of the restaurant and eventually may get laid off.
I usually tip over. But, I rememer recieving a fish fillet that was still FROZEN in the interior (was said to be FRESH on the menu). When I told the waiter I couldn't eat it, he LAUGHED, and then he returned the SAME piece to the kitchen so the outside was burnt, but the inside was FINALLY cooked. I have NEVER eaten at that restaurant again (though I visit that city frequently). I wrote on the Visa receipt with NO tip, uncooked food and waiter laughed. I had worked as a waitress before, and I was appalled!
I consider myself a big tipper, and I tip based on the service. But I never tip with take out.
I work in an office setting and they always ordered chinese for delivery from one place for many years before I started working there. The delivery person was always really polite and eager to deliver to our location. I finally found out why though after I placed my order for myself one day. You see at the office when placing an order we would take the total figure out the 15% tip and then divide that ammount among the people who were ordering. It wasn't until I placed an order for myself that the total was higher than the 8% tax, upon investigating the restraunt automatically charges 15% for tip and includes that in your total. In the end the delivery driver was being tipped twice.
Alright CNN, quit raising this stupid debate. People on either side will not be persuaded one way or the other. Tipping in a restaurant is the most divisive social issue where both sides refuse to budge from their beliefs.
I dont get paid when I go above an beyond helping your kids. I want a TIP as well. Or how about this, you do your job and I will do mine.
Except your job pays you enough. Tips are allowed by restaurant owners to be counted towards minimum wage of servers. Many of them make below minimum wage, because tips are expected to make up the difference.
Let me educate you, if you do not make enough in tips, your employer is required by law to make up the difference. This also may indicate to the employer that the server is not any good.
Wait staff depend on tips. Whether or not you like this fact is irrelevant.
I know this. Therefore, when I step into a restaurant, before I am seated, I am agreeing to pay a 15% tip.
What I expect in return is having someone wait on me. If I don't get something or prepare something myself then that is fair.
If the service is good, the percentage goes up from there. If the service is bad, oh well... 15% it is (A bad server will not last long and will likely be fired)
If there is something wrong with the food by fault of the kitchen (undercooked, overcooked, just plain wrong) I expect to have that item removed from the bill.. it does not change how the server is treated.
If there is a coupon for a 2-for-1 entrée or something like that, my tip is based on the amount that the check would have been. I will also tip more if I am occupying a table longer than usual (this too can cost the server money if it is busy and people either need to be turned away or sent to another server's section)
For those of you that say things like "Grown ups should not work for tips. Get a friggin career or a paying job": What gross humans you are.
I'm very sorry the government taxes their tips, that's fucked up. That ain't my fault. It would seem to me that waitresses are one of the many groups the government fucks in the ass on a regular basis. Look, if you ask me to sign something that says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it, put it to a vote, I'll vote for it, but what I won't do is play ball. And as for this non-college bullshit I got two words for that: learn to fuckin' type, 'cause if you're expecting me to help out with the rent you're in for a big fuckin' surprise.
On 2 occasions I have left the restaurant before the food was even served because the service was so bad.
Tip is earned, not expected.
I used to be a good tipper – always 20% and up. But I've noticed over the past year or two that as the economy gets worse, some waiters are just rude and uncaring (especially younger waitstaff). So I'm much more selective in who geets a good tip anymore. The bad ones get no more than 10%, and I think they usually don't care anyway (or at least they act like they don't care).
Some people just take it for granted anymore I think. Selfishness & entitlement is the same in every part of life.
amen
I never leave without tipping. This makes you appear either cheap or forgetful. If you are trying to make a statement about the service, leave a very small tip. This shows that you took the time to tip and specifically left very little. I find this works best with credit cards. With real change it could appear you just left whatever you had left in your pocket.
I'm with – Businessman!
This is one of those things that people long forgot, but TIPS stands for To Insure Proper Service. 95% of restaurants today have little or no idea what real service is all about. If you go into the service industry, you better know what you are getting in to and don't act surprised when you don't get what you think you should. You should ask yourself, how could I have done better. I don't want to know your name and I don't need any cute acts. Your job is to serve the table, take the order and make sure everyone is happy. Yes there are A-Holes out there who won't tip no matter what, but who said this is a given? Just because everyone out there thinks that tips are a given does not mean that they are. If you are a server and you do a bad job you get nothing, and the customer should not have to feel bad because of it. I will also tell the server why they did not get the tip because I think it is important for them to know and hopefully learn from the mistake so that the next person will tip for the great service.
I believe in tipping for good service and reasonable prices. Unfortunately the server is punished if I feel I am getting ripped off for meals and drinks. If I buy a round of drinks for 4 people and it is over $30 (which happens a lot when you live in a big city) The server/bartender is not getting a 6 dollar tip from me, maybe 2 at the most. On the other hand if me and my wife go somewhere where there are great drink specials and reasonable food prices and we spend 40 bucks, I will leave a 10-12 dollar tip, and come back to that establishment. Most peopel I know do that too.
You seem like a very classy person. I have never worked at a server, or really any similar type of job, but to complain about tipping because of prices? If you are that poor, then don't go out to a bar! As I said in an earlier post, most of the people on this board seem like trashy people who have no idea of class. Tipping reflects the class of the customer in most situations.
Brian you are so right and I eluded to that earlier...."Tips" to people nowadays is more a reflection on the class and congenialty of the person tipping, than it is to the performance of the person serving them!
I am a bartender/server and the owner NEVER leaves a tip.....he is a scumbag makes me want to spit in his food/drink...he knows that he pays us $4.85 an hour and understands that we work and live for our tips...i hope he gets hit by a bus
But then you might have to find another job soemwhere else – Actually it sounds like you should do that anyway. If he's that bad it could sink the business anyway.
you have also obviously never worked in the service industry
funny how i can spot you idiots....you all make comments like "find another job" etc. etc. EDUCATE YOURSELF....remember what you read on this next time you go out to eat...remember who handles your food....put yourself in a cook or a server/bartenders shoes literally for one day i bet you my yearly salary you wouldnt be able to hack it....now get back to work
Those that flat refuse to tip are just jerks. I'd bet they're plenty rude to wait staff too.
I usually tip 15% or so. A couple times I've left nothing if the service was bad. But once, the service was so bad I left worse than no tip. I left 2 cents! My bill was $19.98 and I paid with a 20. She brought my change and when I left my table I left the 2 cents there. I also wrote a note on the ticket that my service was horribly slow and I was barely taken care of. (it wasn't busy there that night)
Watch the intro to the movie "Reservoir Dogs". Perfect explanation for the idea of tipping.
if the waiter punched me in the face, i'd bust his nose and throw him a $20 spot telling him go clean himself up.
One time at a place I worked we had some Chinese food delivered for lunch. The driver was unhappy with his tip and refused to leave until people brought him more money. That was probably one of the strangest things I'd ever seen. While I think others did, I never ordered from there again.
I would have called the cops on him.
I have left a penny or two once at an IHOP. As a waitress, I tip really well, over 20% if the evening went smoothly. But this waitress I had at IHOP handed me a beige coffee cup with red lipstick right on the cup. It was so bluntly there that she really had to have not given a crap to hand me a cup that was dirty.
Automatic tipping is silly. If a waiter punched you in the face as he served your food you would still tip 25%? And since when did tipping become 20%, it used to be 10% and then 15%. One day its going to be 300%.
I understand that it used to be 10 percent but with inflation and wages rising wouldn't it make sense that servers would get "raises"too
i always tip for everything, generally well over 20% of the bill, for good or bad service. it's mostly so that i feel good and satisfied not necessarily for the server. i find that if the service is good it's worth it, if it's bad at least i just made that person's day, and the service might be better for the next customer.
Well, whatever works for you, but doesn't seem right that you're rewarding bad service with what is actually a generous tip. Maybe they are just as likely to give the next table equally bad service.
I am confused. People keep saying they get paid like $4 an hour.
The current national minimum wage is $6.55 an hour plus tips. Also, if you are earning this little you are most likely paying no taxes. Stop the lie.
no dude you are wrong...
http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
I used to stiff servers if the service was REALLY bad, but a friend of mine who serves told me that she actually loses money because they tax her on the assumption that she receives 12% on each tab. So now if I'm really ticked, I'll leave 10%. I think this communicates that the service was poor without actually feeling like I'm robbing the server.
I consider myself to be a decent tipper. As most people state though I really consider it to be dependent on service. I will state that have only been two cases where I did not leave a tip. The first time a few friends of mine went out to dinner, we got a drinks in a quick fasion, however after we ordered our appetizers, we watched as they sat in a window for 45 minutes before the waitress brought them out to us, and it took another hour to receive our food (and check because I demanded it.) I would have understood if the place was super busy, however there were only a few other people there and most of them were in and out in no time. It turned out our waitress was sick and was spending most of her evening smoking a cigarette and talking on her cell phone. The second time was at a Chili's where while waiting for my items my waiter was flirting with a woman twice his age. It got to the point where the kitchen staff was bringing my food to our table. After speaking with the manager the waiter attempted to appologize but stuck his foot in his mouth when he looked at me and stated "Your a guy, you know how it is, you got to get it when the getting is good." I understood alright, "NO TIP FOR YOU!".
Like I said though it is all dependent on the service, I took my wife out for her birthday with a couple of her friend, to another "Chili's" (it was her choice) and the waitress by far gave us the best experience, and made sure of it for my wife's birthday. I also took time to notice that she acted this way to all of her other customers no matter how they treated her. Our dinner total came to $114 and I left a tip of $114. You know good service pays in more ways than one after working there for only 6 months, she was offered a site manager job at another Chili's in town.
Wow, a 100% tip! Get a calculator man, so you won't have to leave that much. :-)
@kellykomet Waiting is one of the hardest professions? Give me a break. I can understand that dealing with people can be stressful, but there are plenty of jobs where you not only do that. There are many other jobs where the stakes are a lot higher, and where there is much more pressure because if you mess up, it'll be more than a simple meal that will be ruined.
Having that said, I always tip 20% give or take. It's easier to do the math and if I can afford to, why not help them out. Waiters get paid little, if they provide decent service, which most do, why not demonstrate that you appreciate that. If the service was really, really bad, I'll tip somewhere between 10% – 15%. But not leaving a tip at all is something I don't ever remember doing.
When to dinner and the waiter asked us if we wanted mineral water or regular. We said just regular water. He brought out a $20 blue bottle. Feeling like we just got conned, the $20 came right off the tip.
I work at a technology service desk helping students with computer related problems. Do you know how long it takes to help an emeritus professor set up a Thunderbird account on a Mac over the phone? How about helping students compute syntax code for SPSS or website building on the schools FTP? Takes me a long time. I get paid minimum wage, work my butt off, and I don't get tipped–I dont expect it either. There was one time though! I got a $100 tip from an older student for helping him with visual basic software...I was required by my employer to refuse it. Everything I do is a JOB REQUIREMENT. For the record, I still tip, not because I want to but because if I don't people think bad things of me.
Karl, I assume you are paid more than $3.00/hr.? Ok then, shut up.
Forget tipping! I don't want to pay people for doing the job they are already getting paid to do. I'm a software engineer, when I write code and program. no one gives me a tip for doing my job. If you are a waiter and want to get paid more go get a college degree and get another job.
Yeah, we've left no tip several times and don't feel the least bit guilty about it. We always include a written note on the receipt stating why we left no tip. And when the service is great, we will leave a 20-30% tip and include a statement about why we thought the service was so good. What particularly frustrates us is when a server takes a long time returning our card after paying. That's much worse than waiting for the food. We have 4 kids and when we're done and we've paid, we want to leave.
I could easily use less than 100$ to feed myself for a month, and it would be nutritious, healthy and surprisingly luxurious.However, there are exotic foods that are best bought at a restaurant, and a change of atmosphere is nice. Because of that, I would uneasily drop 10$-20$. I don't see any reason why I'd have to spend even more to tip the server. He did his job and was paid for it, just like every other working person. The price of eating out is high enough as is. Also, there are many other jobs out there that are more difficult and taxing than serving, and we don't tip these people. If I were to tip somebody, it would be a tradesman.
I have been working in the hospitality industry for 7 years. I have done everything from hosting to bartending. What most people don't understand is that we have to tip out bussers, food runners, and bartender's based on our SALES. When you leave a less then generous tip it costs the server money. I love working with people but waiting tables is a less than fantastic job, but it is what is putting me through school. If you can't afford to tip, stay home and eat. We don't want you in our section wasting a table, that someone else could use that is going to tip. anybody can be a server but I bet none of you people who tip like crap would even last a week. In my experience it is always the demanding, rude people that tip bad.
DO we all get tips for doing our jobs, doing them well? IT's a JOB! So, why is a server different from a sales associate in a store who also shows you things that might interest the customer? IT's a JOB! Take it if you like the pay, don't take it if you don't – go and do something else!
you have obviously never worked in the service industry...employees in the service industry are on an entirely different pay scale than normal employees....you have been informed
http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
Personally, I think that those who refuse to tip (for any reason other then horrible service) are classless, ill-bred, skinflint jerks.
The true measure of a persons character is not how they treat those whom they perceive as "equals", but how they treat those they see as being "lower status". (i,e, 'the help')
I have walked away from multi-million dollar negotiations and refused to do business with people because of how they treated their waitress at lunch.
I always find it amusing then to hear that this or that person has had to declare bankruptcy or is getting fined (or jailed!) after they have failed my personal 'litmus test'.
Logic and acting based on rational thinking is better than having "class". There is no reason to tip a server, other than the fact that it's classy and traditional. If you don't know the reason for this weird phenomenon, yet scoff at people who don't do it, then isn't that ignorant?
Sure you passed on million dollar deals for that reason.
I worked in the food service industry for about 5 years before doing what I do now.
I've seen servers come to the back and cry over a penny tip. I've seen them break glasses over not getting anything.
I've seen them dance around for not actually having to work and getting 30 bucks off of a 4 top of drunks. Last week a friend of mine got a 10 dollar tip on a 2 top that walked out on the bill...
II 've been on both ends.
I tip if someone deserves it. I don't if I don't believe they did that good of a job. If you can keep a glass of diet coke full and don't stur up too much "bullmess" with the cooks then you shouldn't have to complain about your tips.
At the end of the day it's your money. Do whatever you want to with it and don't let anyone bigboy you into anything you don't want to do. People make huge deals out of very small things.
The boathouse in central park had me wait 45 minutes until someone came over and asked me what do i want to drink.. an hour later my drink gets there and then another hour before my food shows up.. I left nothing and the waiter was upset that i left nothing. He stated that "It wasn't his fault".Who cares who's fault it was..THE SERVICE WAS BAD!!!!!
bum
If your service is that bad, please don't simply not leave a tip. The server won't know any better. They might think you are a foreigner from another country who doesn't know our tipping customs, or just plain cheap. Do something about it and actually tell the manager or server why you didn't leave a tip so the server can be trained to be better.
I always tip 20% except when the server doesn't give me back the correct change, that is they keep the coins and just give me the bills. When that happens I deducted a dollar or two from their tip.
What is the purpose of leaving a tip? This tipping thing only goes on in the US. I've been to international countries where there is no such thing called tip, whether you are dining in a 1 star or 5 star restaurant.
If the service deems no tip , i would rather give the manager 9 cents and tell him the service wasn't worth a dime. On the other hand if its great, I have no problem leaving over %20.
where i am from starting wage is $8.30 to just under $ 10.00 an hour. I give 13 – 30% and then as the service falters, so does the tip. Binging the food then not coming back for the entire meal to ask if we need anything else, when i want a drink or new napkin or the fork has a chink on it, counts for demotion. if i have to hail another waiter or waitress more than once, and i wait patiently for them to come back before i do that, i drop the tip down. I eat out almost 200 days a year or more because i travel for work, not because i want to, so i have seen it all. I have not given a tip a few times, and in a group we all decided to nix the tip because the server was ridiculously medicated or not all there. i don't enjoy having to tip hoping it is enough, so i don't get spit in my food. four of us went to hooters in Vancouver, it was my first and last time. we just wanted wings and it seemed like a logical place to eat baby chick wings. we gave 30% because the bill was so small. As we were about to leave the manager ran to us and asked us if everything was alright, the waitress was standing there too. we said yeah it was all good, and she said well your tip was so small, we all said what, re looked at the bill and said no that is about right. they started to make a huge scene, all the other waitresses came over in force. They had free hooters posters at the door, as we walked out we all took one. it was not like we ordered $300 worth of food and gave a 5 dollar tip. I really hate having to eat out sooo much.
As Dwight Schrute said "Why tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself?"
The only time I recall not leaving a tip was during lunch with a friend at a chic restaurant downtown of which I was somewhat wary after having a previous experience with a rude server. We enjoy fine dining together and have both been servers in the past, so we take turns paying and always tip well. At this particular restaurant, we sat on the patio and ordered two mojitos. Our server returned with two drinks that were obviously not mojitos and proceeded to argue with my friend when he politely told her the drinks were not what we had ordered. She finally rolled her eyes at him and took them back to the bar where we had a clear view of her pointing at us and rolling her eyes more as she chatted up the bartender for 10 minutes. She finally brought us the correct drinks and took our order. We then sat for 45 minutes without so much as a sideways glance from her on a less-than-busy late afternoon. When our food arrived, it was cold – not that we could mention it to her as the next time she stopped by, it was to quickly drop the check on the table and rush off as my friend attempted to get her attention. He paid the bill and scribbled a note for her on the bottom of the receipt explaining why he had chosen not to tip her. I suppose we could have spoken with the manager or e-mailed the owner, but after a leisurely lunch with a friend turns into a frustrating afternoon it didn't seem appealing. Needless to say, there are far too many great dining options available to waste another visit on an establishment that tolerates a rude staff.
Too bad we cannot do some "naming and shaming" on here! I guess CNN would get sued for putting places out of business...
Although I am a good tipper, I hate it. I would rather pay more for my meal, or it be a set amount per meal/person and not based upon value of items ordered.
I can go to the same restaurant and depending upon what I order (esp if there is alcohol), the total can vary by a significant amount (think hamburger & tea vs salmon and a few glasses of wine). I don't see where the effort for good service takes any more time from one meal to the other, so why should the tip be so different?
Think about bellman tips, they are per suitcase, not per brand of suitcase.
you sound like an arrogant jerk. Some of us our working our way through school or obtaining for degrees because the economy is in the crapper. Don't think you are better just because you are old us younger people have it hard.
i knew a jillybean from wisconsin
jillybean –
my thought is that if you're really struggling to make your way through school – or life for that matter – well I imagine that you should pay more attention & provide better service to the people that can put the cash in your wallet.
It was tough to understand your comment. If I were you, I'd concentrate more on your English studies and less on belittling someone for expressing their opinion. A tip is a gratuity, e.g. Voluntary.
When I go to a resturaunt for a meeting, I quite frequently put between 10 & 20 $1 bills next to my plate – depending on the resturaunt. I let the server know right up front – this is your beginning 'tip' – nad joke around with them a bit – saying that each time we have to 'look' for them to fill my coffee/drink – I'll take one away... and whatever is left at the end of the meal is theirs. Some servers pick up on it right away – however others – well, they think we're completely off our rocker & just pulling their chain... until they see our empty glass and the dollars slowly disappearing from the stack of bills on the table. Usually it only takes two to disappear before they get the 'jist' of the deal. I especially do this when I'm meeting someone for business. I let the server know up front that we're in a 'business meeting' and while we don't want to be interrupted with numerous questions – we do want a full glass/coffee cup throughout. This means that the server can generally make up to a $20 tip on a $5 – $10 tab for beverages. You'd be amazed at how many times the server is left with only $1 – $2. Only twice in my 10 years of doing this has the server been left with nothing.
Get over yourself. I'd gladly forego my tip and give you crappy service just for acting like a pompous ass. And I've never even been a server. You don't have "power" over other human beings, so stop acting like it.
I read once that TIPS is actually an acronym meaning "To Insure Prompt Service" and that the money was traditionally given at the beginning of the meal. This way, the server would give the quality of service that the customer was willing to pay for. Maybe this would be a good compromise,
There have been a few occasions where I leave no tip, or 2 pennies, however, there have been other times, when not only was the service horrid, but Management was as well; in such a case, I've been smart & fortunate enough to know how to contact the owners. I've been a member of waitstaff, as well as resturant Management. No, the customer is not ALWYAS right, but I can tell you, french onion soup at a fine dining resturant does NOT come from a microwave! nor should it be an hour and a half Late! How about 45 minutes for a club sandwich, when there are 5 waitstaff members, 3 chefs and only 2 tables? Don't think so....we called the owner of the resturant WHILE we were still there, and our $65 meal for 2 was free; or at least, we didn't pay for it – likley it was the manager who ended up having it taken out of his check. I'm fairly tolerable about service, living in a small town, but I've eaten at 2-5 star resturants all across the USA, and one thing that ought to be crystal clear, the food can suck, but Great service makes up for it. So long as you've got a good staff, that's sometimes all it takes.
65 whole dollars you sound like a high roller LOL.
Was there a Kitchen Nightmares camera crew running around?
Depends on the circumstances. I've left no tip before. I've tipped even when the service was bad. I've also tipped on bad service, then took my boxed up leftovers and on the way out, opened them and spilled the food on the floor... The action should fit the situation...
I only refuse to leave a tip if the restaurant has applied a tip to my check already. I hate that practice, and consider it my civil disobedience to just let the restaurant tell me how much to tip the server, which is usually far less than the 20-30% i normally tip (30-40% if i've been drinking)
Sometimes I have not left a tip because the food cost ALL the money I had. At these broke times I usually ordered the cheapest thing on the menu because my funds were so low. It may have been a bowl of soup with several free crackers or bread. If I could get extra bread at no cost, that was great. A cup of coffee is more filling if you add as much cream as possible.
Eating out is a privledge, not a right. If you can't afford to tip, don't eat out, bring a sandwich from home and eat it in the park or something if you're out and not near you're home, etc.
Then you NEVER should have been in the restaurant in the first place! If you can barely afford the food then that means you should not go because you also won't be able to afford a reasonable tip. Get a life.
If the waitress does not flirt with me, I do not leave a tip. Guys get 15% unless they are incompetent or rude. This job is not that tough.
You are seriously creepy if they have to flirt with you to get a tip.
go to a strip club if you want that kind of attention, jerk.
I've walked out restaurants without leaving a tip and before ordering... left a note a both the restaurant I walked out of (why is a single woman diner invisible) and at the one I enjoyed my lunch (where I left a very generous tip for good service.)
The myth of lousy woman tippers is bacause servers ignore our needs... do they think we're not interested in the specials? Or having our drinks refilled or a second glass of wine? Or making sure the preparation was to our liking? It's always encouraging to get the check halfway through through entree too ...
I am a banker. My job involves customer service. I carry a blackberry so I can provide service to my customers on weekends, early in the morning, late at night, when I'm out with my girlfriend, basically anytime it is needed. When a client needs a loan or something else done urgently I work on weekends and late into the evenings. Considering this level of customer service, should I be entitled to a tip of say 25% of the $10M loan I just gave a customer?? Tipping is ridiculous to begin with. If you don’t like the wage you earn, find another job. Eventually supply and demand will push the wages up, and while this might be passed on in the form of increased menu costs. I would rather pay more for my meal and no tip.
Wow, someone with common sense!
have you HAD service in Australia? food is expensive, and there is no incentive for servers to move quickly since they make $15 an hour and aren't tipped. in fact, when you are paying a server merely an hourly wage, there is an incentive for them to move slowly in order to earn more money. as someone who has OPENED and american restaurant concept in two foreign countries, i can assure you that the presence of tips is the ONLY reason you receive any service whatsoever. But if you want to pay $20 for a burger with crappy service (but no tip!), there are plenty of those abroad.
To all you idiots who don't tip, or tip less than 20%, you can all go to hell. I am not a server, nor have I ever been one but I understand that the people serving me my food are doing so to make a living. That is their method of survival in this increasingly expensive world. FORGET about the cost of your food! If you can't afford to tip 20% minimum on your tab then you should not be going out to eat! I once ate with someone who actually told the server that they could not afford to tip them even %10. This was after they had ordered salad, an appetizer, an entree, and dessert. IDIOT! Go eat out prepared to pay for what you are getting plus 20% or don't go! You are all idiots if you don't understand or agree with this.
I'd like to know who dictates that you have to tip 10%. 30 years ago it was 10%. Then about 15 years ago I heard its 15% Now it's 20%? Nope. 20% for great service, 15% for good service 10% for ok service. That's what they get from me.
Unearned tip = Server Welfare
DON'T DO IT!
I also have to laugh that people think servers are poor starving people. My first job I made 6 dollars an hour, no commission, at sears. I had to bust my ass. If you think about a semi busy resteraunt, a waitress having 20-30 tables a night times just 3 dollars a table, thats 60-90 dollars in just tips. That's twice what I made moving refrigerators! And that's low balling. Waitressing is a job that has zero education requirements, it only requires you to do your job WELL and not be a jerk to get decent tips. If you don't get tipped a lot, then you are probably a bad waitress.
Shawn, your math holds water only if that waitress is not required to tip out the bartender, runner, busser, and hostess as well. I've had $60 dollar tip nights quickly lead to me walking out with 30 thanks to a high tipout to the bar, the busser, the hostess, and the runners. And the bussers, hostess and runners in every place I have worked have all made at least minimum wage.
I've been a cook at a resteraunt earning minimum wage. My food equals how good your tips are. IF my food was great, guess what you get tipped more. If my food was crap, you will get nothing but complaints. You know how many tips I got over a year? None. So don't complain to me about that.
I've been a server for 5 years now. First of all, when you sit down at my table and I tell you my name, and ask how you're evening is going, its not because I like to listen to myself talk. Ignoring me or acting as if I'm not standing there is not only disrespectful and hurtful, but flat out rude. Where the hell are your manners, people?! Secondly, back to the name part, PLEASE try to remember it. I understand very well the dynamics of the situation, but it wouldn't kill you to learn my name so I don't have to ignore you (as opposed to telling you off) when you're waving you hand in the air at me while I'm talking to another table. I understand its frustrating if you have to wait for something, but I never keep my tables waiting long, so sit your butt down in the chair and pretend to be a cultured adult for the 3 minutes it'll take me to get back over there. Third, when I ask if you're all set to order and you tell me yes, don't have me stand there like and idiot for 5 minutes while you mull over the menu, but get mad when I try to walk away. I HAVE THINGS TO DO. You are not my only table. And while you're busy being a pain in the butt, my other tables are mad and feeling ignored. When you finally do order, don't change the dish entirely or order something thats not on the menu. Barring a food allergy or some other legitimite health concern, thats just annoying and childish. Regardless, though, I still do the best I can, but taking your 5 page instruction sheet, relaying that to the cooks, hoping the runner understands the ticket before he brings it out, you have to understand there's a lot of room for error, which may not be my fault. Further, if you see me running around like a fiend, don't get mad at me. It's likely that I have 2 or 3 other tables who are just as demanding as you are and are driving me to the brink of madness. Be reasonable. If something gets spilled on you, I guarantee your server is embarassed and if they run away its because they are probably looking for a manager. Speak up and your dry cleaning will be paid for. But also ask yourself, could that spill have had anything to do with the 5 year old child running around the next table, or the young man who went to stand up right as the waitress was walking by, or by my errant elbow as I reached behind my chair into my bag?? Consider that. We're not magicians. The laws of gravity and physics still apply. And as for tipping, I agree with the idea that tipping should be commesurate with service. But I think people's definition of what does and does not constitute great service are at times unrealistic at best, impossible at worst.
Oh, and don't come in and tell me you're in a rush and proceed to order your steak well done. If people had a little more common decency and courtesty for one another, REGARDLESS of one's job title, we'd all be a little happier. I know I am your server, but that does not make me beneath you. I hold two college degrees. I work full time. I wait tables for the extra cash, to pay for a car that's probably nicer than yours and to go on vacation whenever I feel like. You don't know a thing about the person bringing you those drinks and food orders special prepped beyond recognition, so dont make the assumption of thinking you're above them.
Quit complaining, SERVER. If you have to work for extra money you probably shouldn't have a car nicer than mine. SERVER.
If you have two degrees, why are you waiting tables? Don't expect me to tip you out of bad life choices.
Diane-
The people condescending to us are the ignorant ones, I have a degree as well and the same things you describe burn me, too...
They won't get it until they lose their jobs and are forced to do something equally as "menial" as waiting tables. I make a great living great service...keep on keeping on, sister...perhaps I'll see you in Fiji... ;)
One time my uncle had such bad service he left a two penny tip with his business card. About three weeks later he received a letter from the waitress that gave him bad service. Inside the letter was his two penny's and a note. it read "i think you need this more than i do." So he sent a return letter that said "Thanks for the penny's, but I guess you did not get the message."
When I was noticeably pregnant with my oldest, I worked as a waitress, picking up extra shifts during the holiday (Christmas) so I could buy some things I needed for the coming baby. I had a table who was very...difficult. The whole time they ran me ragged, I had a smile on my face and a pleasant demeanor. My co-worker even overheard one say to the others "Watch this, I'll make her crack, we'll get dinner for free." I didn't crack, and their bill came to 162.90. They put money in the bill holder and left in a hurry. When I went to get the money, there was $163 in the bill holder. A 10 cent tip. For the first time ever in my history of waiting tables, I went into the back, plopped down on a milk-crate and burst into tears. I composed myself, went back out, took care of my other tables, who needlessly tipped me extra to make up for "their atrocious behavior" as one delightful old lady put it. (and no, I didn't expect them to. It was a beautiful gesture and I was very thankful for it.) When my shift was over, I ran my report and was shocked to see that my sales were lower than I thought. I double checked the math, and went to my manager, who told me he had comped their meal after they left, when one of my other tables had complained about the trouble table. He told me to get some nice things for the baby. I'll never forget it. For the record, I never stiff a server. 10% is bad service, 20 is for good service, and more for outstanding service. I did forget a tip one time, when I had a death in the family, but I went back a week later and gave the waitress her tip, and profusely apologized.
I'm generally a pretty good tipper. I also try to be a good customer. In return, most waiters and waiters are friendly and give me good service.
Tipping is a good system. It gives the server direct, immediate and honest feedback on their job performance. Imagine if we could do the same for what kind of job politicians are doing.
Look, the bottom line is this: It is the custom and social norm in American society to leave AT LEAST a 15% tip when you go out to eat. That's just how our culture works. There is no reasonable argument to dispute this. If you receive poor service, you should ask to speak with a manager and express your displeasure with him or her. It is the manager's responsibility to train, manage, and discipline the servers. A customer complaint, in most restaurants, carries a lot of wait; if you voice your dissatisfaction with the server, odds are that he or she will be reprimanded. But, you should still leave a tip, no meter how atrocious the service is.
But, you should still leave a tip, no meter how atrocious the service is....Are you serious? Maybe you should start tipping the cop that gives you a ticket too, or the cashier at the grocery store. Get real!
my family of 15 ate at a restaurant while on vacation. The restaurant didn't have a table big enough for us to all fit in; so they split us up into different tables- 3 and 4 per table (total of 4 tables). The tables were not next to each other. When everyone got their bills, the server had automatically charged each table 15% for having more than 6 in the party. The service was good. I would have given 15% anyway, but I just didn't feel right that the decision was not made by me. In parenthesis, the server wrote (6 or more ppl) on the check eventhough there were only 3 of us in the table.
I left 7 cents one time because service was terrible and then he charged us for something we did not order nor did we get it. Finally he took that item off. I left the 7 cents and when he found it he chased us out of the building screaming all the way. We never went back.
Laura- It's not a matter of "can't" for most of us, it's a matter of "won't" for lousy service. My husband and I expect to pay $200 or more for dinner in many places for two, and I don't mind one bit leaving $50 to the server if they are at least average. I CAN leave at least 15%, but if you're ruining the experience that I paid $200 for, I'm not rewarding you for it!
.........meaning if the waitress is younger and/or hotter than HER, the experience is completely ruined for her, as her husband tries to put his eyeballs back in their sockets.....LOL!
Believe it or not, in many fine dining establishments, the wait staff is comprised of men. And if you only knew how stupid your comment was... Ignorant a$$.
Do you know what T.I.P.S. means? To Insure Proper Service. If you get good service, leave a good tip.
i don't buy the argument of "we'd have to raise menu prices" fast food, and the like pay minimum wage and higher. if a 20% tip is "expected" why not increase prices by 20% and bam. there ya go. i don't have an incentive at my desk job to work any more.
and moreover the gov't say's its ok to pay less than minimum wage AND tax the waitstaff total SALES. that's just foul. because i spend 45 bucks on a steak dinner, the gov't assums the wait staff get's a tip of 20% of that final cost. change the gov't reporting as well!
i work at olive garden in wisconsin,... i get 2.33 an hour. it's like this throughout the state.
Ask your employer what happens if all of a sudden no one gets tipped. The employer is then required to increase your overall wages equal to the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr (http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm).
And thats my problem how? You are the one not insisting that you get paid the regular minimum wage. Thats not my fault, its yours.
A person should be allowed to decide what tip the server or any other service industry person is due based on their service. I was recently in Miami and paid a minimum of 17% on all service bills. I had no problem with that and added to it when service was good. I was however frustrated when I received horrible service and was just about ignored completely by my server when I received my bill and was forced to pay 18.5% of a tip. Then the second line on the bill for additional tip. Are you kidding? You get what you work for. If you want a regular wage because you suck at service, find a new job. Service work is NOT for everyone.
The courts have consistantly ruled you do not have to pay a tip that has be placed on your bill. Next time take off the tip and leave what, if anything you want.
Really...Didn't know that. This is the first place I was faced with that. It really made me upset. I almost felt like doing a dine and dash because of it. But I paid the "required" tip and put a big 0 in the additional tip location, turned the bill over and wrote all my complaints down (and there were many). Good to know though. Most servers deserve their tips and I know that they have to deal with some awful people, but some servers should just not be in the industry. They don't have the personality!
Many black people are familiar with the "no-tip" technique. I wishe we could see the survey results based on race.
I waited tables before so I tip well. If they don't deserve it they get nothing, if the do well I give more than 15% rounding up to the whole dollar. Really good service and I've done over 25%. Note to that things happen that they have no control over how they handle it is how I tip. So a bad cook won't ruin it for them. Carry out is not tipped what are you tipping them for 1% of the effort of my meal is not worth a tip. Yes those who serve food don't always get min wage but those who are not waiting tables must get at least min wage.
We once sat at a table waiting for service. After 15 minutes I went to the bar and got us waters and a pitcher of beer. When the waitress finally came buy she scolded us for not waiting for her. We were polite, but she held a grudge was rude the entire meal. Zero tip as it should be. I am in sales, when I treat my customers bad, I get no tip(commission). If I get average service I give 15%, if it is great, about 22%. Tips are earned.
Tips are optional and should only be left as a reward for very good service. Too often, though, people see them as yet another entitlement they should be given no matter what.
Some people have money for the meal – a restauraunt gift card for example – but have no money for a tip. Not even a couple of bucks. I've been in that situation. Some people just can't afford to tip sometimes.
if u have a gift card, u better bring money to tip. if u dont even have money to tip, stay home!
Technically, as their meal cost them nothing, by giving the waitstaff nothing they are still tipping 2,000%
I have a general guideline. If my glass remains filled it's good service. If service was excellent, never had to wait for anything, always came by to asked if I was ok or needed anything, was friendly etc, I will give 20%. If Service was good, small waits, didnt show up or got a small thing wrong I will give 15%. If service was OK, but I had to wait, they didn't come by enough, or they got an order worng or forgot something I will give 10%. If service was bad, as in forgot major things, took forever to fix it, bad attitude, ignored us, never came by to fill drinks, then I give no tip. Tips are NOT mandatory, especially if the person isn't even working for it.
Here here!
I left no tip at a restaurant in Asheville NC after they wouldn't allow my nephew to use his debit card to pay for his and his wife's meal which was over $20.00 because that was still under the restaurant's $$ limit to use a debit card. I put the entire tab on my debit card and left no tip. If a restaurant can not afford card fees perhaps they should not be in business at all.
but thats the resturants policy..dont take it out on the server.
Having minimum amounts for credit/debit card transactions is actually illegal. It is written into their contracts with the card companies that they must accept the cards (so long as the machines work) to pay a balance... no matter the cost. They don't like accepting cards for small amounts because they have to pay a fee every time they accept the card and sometimes they are left in the negatice... but that's part of the deal when you decide you want to accept plastic. Do you ever see large chains with minimum balances (McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Friendly's, etc)? NO. They understand that it is bad business and illegal.
No, I've been lucky enough to never have such incredibly poor service as to merit no tip. As a previous waiter, I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to service, and I typically default to 20-25%. However, the one thing that really peeves me is when a waiter appears genuinely disinterested or even annoyed to do something as simple as take my order.
im a server. i make $2.71/hr. if u cant leave at least 15%, dont come out 2 eat. if u leave a bad tip, dont come back. i know servers who will spit in ur food!
We all make choices. You chose a path that led to a low paying job. Don't expect me to pay for your poor choice.
Bad choices?! It's not like she's a prostitute coke whore! Get off your high horse!
Tip or else, how Mafia of you.
What a load of lies. The federal minimum wage is $6.55
At times it makes me sick when someone whines when they hear you left no tip with hearing why.
I have had service where a waitress screwed up a glass of Iced tea.
Glass check, Tea, check...
No ice, spoon or lemon.
Then my meal, then was talking to friends making me wait 35 minutes for a check AFTER screwing up all our orders. Only so much you can blame on the cook. Seriously I have also had Waiters/Waitresses that when cooks screw up they have been so friendly I have left 50% tips...heck I have had a meal comped for it being so messed up and left a 100% tip in the meals cost to my server.
Before you gimmie the bleeding heart story about Momma or daddy is working hard for those tips, yeah they SHOULD. And if they don't....i HAD THAT JOB. You just expect it, treat me like dirt your getting the penny cut in half and dipped in ketchup....another reason why I carry my leatherman on me other than the basics heh....
Wanna feed the kids and make the bills...just do your job. Don't act like a jerk and just expect a tip. And I know when it's the cooks fault...i had the job i'm not stupid heh.
I have to laugh at alot of these posters who say tipping is not "required". Servers do get paid less by law, why? Because its expected they will earn tips. Weather or not the customer tips them, they still have to tip out the bussers, bartenders, ect... People who go out to eat should count on paying at least 15-20% more than the bill, if they cant afford to eat/drink at a cheaper place or go for fast food. If any of the ignorant non-tippers have ever been outside North America, they would find that the tip and or increased wages are allready built into their bill, hence the higher prices. You guys cant have it both ways, either tip the staff any pay a reasonable price for the meal/drinks, or have it worked into the price before you even sit down.
If you havn't noticed, we are not outside the United States. Our system, whether a waiter or not, is based on effort. Work hard and do a good job, you earn. Waitstaff is expected to make tips because they are expected to provide good service. A friend of mine is a professional waiter at a top restaurant and makes nearly $100k, nearly all from tips. People that do a half-assed job, and expect to get tipped, are clueless. I am a former bartender and I can tell you from experience that serving the public seperates the haves and have-nots. Those that provided bad service then complained about the tips have no idea on what it takes to be successful.
Yeah, my first job was working in the cutting room of a factory that made jeans for Walmart. My job was to sweep up the pieces of denim as they fell to the ground after cutting. I was at the very bottom of the totem pole. It was hot and sweaty and the work never let up. When I would blow my nose after work my snot would be blue from all of the denim dust and fibers that I had inhaled throughout the day. I got paid $5.15/hour and I did my job well. If someone seriously expects me to feel sorry for them when they don't get paid extra for work that they do poorly at a job THEY CHOOSE to stay at, I'm sorry. You want higher pay, I think my old job at the blue jean factory is vacant. Cry me a river. For the record, I usually am a good tipper.
I have left a penny, on one occasion; I wanted the server to know that I had not simply forgotten. In all my years, I have only been that irritated with the wait-staff. The other time, I went to the owner and said that the woman should be fired.
But it HAS to be clear that is was the waiter or waitress. There are a number of times when I have been irritated, but realized that it may not have been the server that was at fault.
I don't mean to be rude, but it seems that many of the people on this board eat at very low class places. Only once in my life have I ever not left a tip. As for the amount, I often leave of tip of $20 to $30 or more because the bill is over $100.00. Tipping often speaks more of the person leaving the tip than the service. If you have even a $50.00 meal and leave $2.00 to $5.00, you need to get some class
I was thinking the same thing lol.
Vladimich – the norm in the US is to tip 15 to 20% based on the level of service you receive. You should not just round up because it is more convenient for you.
Servers are paid less than $3/hr – unfortunately that is the way it is – and it is not the server's fault – so they should not be punished because you don't agree with the law. If you don't agree with it,t hen don't go to a restaurant and expect someone to wait on you. Eat at home.
Restaurants sometimes include the gratuity on a party of 6 or 8 to protect the server. That is because larger parties take up more time and more tables for that one server. And unfortunately, there are people like you out there, who just round up, or don't tip based on good service, and the waiter gets screwed out of money they could've made having more tables that shift.
Why would you refuse to eat at a restaurant that includes the gratuity for large parties? It is usually a 15% or 18% gratuity which is the norm anyway. It is not like they are tacking on a 30% gratuity or something outrageous.
I always tip starting at 20% for good service. As the service level decreases so does the tip, but I will not tip less than 10% unless it was AWFUL service. Being a waitress for 7 years I know what to expect, and when it is the waiter's fault. And don't punish the waiter if your food is cold or you don't like the way it tastes, or it took too long. That is the kitchen's fault and should be addressed by the manager. The waiter should still get their full tip for taking your order and bringing your food to you.
BS. The federal minimum wage is $6.55 (and you dont get taxed on that little)
PK,
http://www.laborlawcenter.com/t-federal-minimum-wage.aspx
It’s more then 6.55 now, but waters, Bar-men and some others do not always apply to this law.
Cindy,
It is not really my purpose in eating out to tip the waiter or evaluate the promptness.
Naturally it takes a little longer to get processed in busy place then when the place is empty also some meals take longer to prepare then others that should be reflected on the waiter.
But I do come to restaurants for the food. So it would seems more logical to leave the Tip based on the quality of food.
Sitting there with a calculator and counting out change is annoying.
As far as service, I am not that picky, bring me a plate with something or other on it and keep an eye on the drink (if it seems empty, chances are I want another). It’s ok if you screw up the order, most of the time I don’t even remember what I ordered.
Also, I am perfectly fine going to the kitchen and getting it myself, or getting more beer in the bar, but I get yelled at for it :(.
My husband and I have both worked in the food industry, and we regularly go to dinner at local restaurants. We usually tip well because we have been in the role of server and understand just how demanding and picky diners can be. I have, on a one occasion left a 2 cent tip for deplorable service, (if you could call it service since we had to find another server actually bring our drinks, and another for our meal) when I was out with family members. The person who took our order expected an 18% tip because we had 6 people in the party, even though she brough a very expensive bottle of wine instead of the house wine we ordered, told us it was the same price, then never returned to our table!, we had 3 other servers help us that night (only after we tr acked them down) and our meals came out incorrect – 35 minutes after the party of 5 who came in 20 minutes after we did!
Usually my husband and I leave good tips, even if a server is having a bad day. You never know if they have just been triple sat, haven't had a break yet, and have been yelled at by another server's guest. We also make it a point to let the manager know when we have had good service so they hear the kudos for their servers, not just the complaints.
Some college friends and I once left 3 pennies in a dirty jalepeno cup because the waitress was rude and condescending. I think that's the only time I've ever left a tip like that, but I've left smaller tips for poor service.
I've worked as a server before, so I'm usually pretty generous unless the service is down right bad. A short wait or small mistake on the order, I don't "penalize" for that, as it's often not the waitresses fault anyway.
This is the way I see it – waiting tables is a craft, just like cooking, being a mechanic, carpenter, etc. I have seen wonderful waiters and waitresses who absolutely spoiled us, and I have seen the other end of the spectrum – wait staff who think they deserve big tips without performing their job. The first group obviously knows their craft – they know how to interact with people, get their food and drinks making it look almost effortless, know the food, what to recommend, etc. The other group make it seem like you are bothering them just by sitting in their section. Would you go to a mechanic that talked down to you and told you that you needed stuff that you really didn't, or a carpenter that can't cut a straight line – those are the ones that either don't know or don't care about their craft. So the bottom line is if you study and practice your craft you will get good tips, otherwise not.
Left a penny and a comment on the receipt a handful of times for exceptionally horrible service in the last 10 years. I've received a call back from the manager only once during this time. I normally tip between 15-20% depending on service.
1."If you're a server get an education so you can get a real job" What the hell do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to get myself through college and grad school with this job! Why does everyone assume that servers are deadbeats?! Fact is: I'm working really hard to get myself through school and it's seriously insulting when someone just assumes you're a lazy kid who doesn't want to get a real job. Believe me–I can't WAIT for the day when I don't have to rely on the general public for my paycheck.
2. "It's not my job to cover the cost the restruant won't pay." Fine. Don't eat out then. The fact is "tipping" is the national standard for service. If you don't like it–the answer is not to stiff your server. Rather- if it bothers you that bad–go out and create awareness, petition to change the standard–believe me, I'll be right there with you. But the answer is not to stiff your server or tip poorly for that matter. If you don't want to tip, fine–but don't go out–or get fast food.
3."I don't get tipped at my job why should I tip you?! When you're making 2-4 an hour at your job–we'll talk. Until then this argument is irrelevant and you know it.
4. "I only tip for good service" Fine. Totally understandable. But when it comes time to tip–are you HONESTLY answering that question or do you find yourself dreaming up little reasons–lying to yourself– to feel justified in stiffing or leaving a small tip for your sevice (i.e: he/she said you guys instead of everyone, he/she bent down to take my order etc). Odds are if you're getting all defensive reading this–you're probably this person.
5. I can promise you that Chester- and everyone else on here who "never tips"–they've never been a server. I challenge Chester and everyone else who doesn't tip to get a serving job for ONE MONTH–come back and report to us...and if you STILL feel the same way–by all means go about your life. Until then–I think you're cheap dirty rotten scoundrels.
6. To those who tip when they get good service- a sincere thank you from a hard worker trying to get through graduate school.
First of all, you only make 2-4 dollars and hour because you are receiving tips, which makes up for the low wage. However, if for some reason you received no tips for that month, the employer is required by law to compensate you up the federal minimum wage or $7.25/hr (www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm)
Second, tipping is not a standard, it is a form of gratuity. Gratuity is a favor or gift given in return for service. How the hell can you expect or require people to give you a favor or a gift. Bullocks.
Third, seeing as you do get paid minimum wage, why dont janitors at schools or other really crappy jobs get tips?
Charlie- nobody likes a cheapskate. If you can't afford an additional 15%, stay home. I've never worked in the food industry, but I know that waiters live on tips. I'm sure you're not so stupid to realize this as well. The alternative is to charge an additional 18% for every menu item. The idea behind tipping is to insure good service. If you get good service, and no spit in your food, then you should tip 15-20%.
Charlie- I've been a sever for the past few years. I don't need you to tell me what the labor laws are. I know them.
1. AGAIN AS I SAID BEFORE–I would LOVE for the country to change the way the system is set up right now. I say–have the business CHARGE you for service instead of relying on your lousy tip. It would be easier for everyone (I get paid a decent wage) and you don't have to strain yourself dreaming up reasons not to tip.
2. Yes– tipping your server for GOOD service IS a standard for THIS industry. You are well aware that nation wide– the restruant system is set up in a way that relies on the tips from customers. Of course for most other industries and other counties–tipping is NOT standard, but rather something reserved for a special circumstance. AGAIN–the restruant industry in OUR country is NOT set up that way and you know it.
3. I take it you don't accept my challange (from my previous post) as it's clear you've never served a table in your life. As I said before, if you've never served a table–refuse to do so–and then still complain and or stiff those who serve you...well then there is nothing that I can say thats going to change your mind. You've clearly justified being a dirty rotten scoundrel to yourself so keep doing what you're doing and we'll just know thats the kind of person you are.
JD – What an eloquent response. I hope you're going to law school because you made an excellent argument – sold me perfectly!
Cecil-! I'm not in law school but my father is a lawyer and my roommates are in law school. They must be rubbing off on me. Thanks Cecil! You made my day.
JD – you're welcome. I read so many posts on CNN and it's really nice to read one that examines both sides of the issue and presents a clear, logical argument (as you do very well). Not sure what your goals are, but based simply on your ability to express your opinion, I'd have to say that you will achieve anything you want.
I am usually a good tipper. But there was one time that a server was SO bad that I didn't tip.
He seated us, took drink orders and then disappeared. When we finally asked someone where he was (after 15-20 mins) he came back with our drinks, got the food orders and then left again. Someone else brought us our food (very late) and he never came back to refill drinks or anything. After more than an hour (at a place which usually doesn't take more than 30 mins to eat at) we asked someone else for the check again and it was another 20 mins before he brought it to us.
I don't have a problem with tipping and will generally tip for all but bad service. I don't really like the idea of gratuities, though; they have their place in large group meals or events, but gratuities built into coupons or for buffets only seem to give waitstaff an excuse to slack off. More than a few times, I've had to serve my own drinks and run down my own check at a buffet because the server didn't spend a moment to check on me or ask if I needed anything after I ordered. In that case, I will take it up with management.
I took a guy friend out to dinner one night. The watiress gushed all over him bringing him extra water and coffee, but never brought my soda, forgot my roll and salad dressing, then only asked if he wanted dessert. She touched him so many times, he became embarrassed. (He's fairly attractive, but she was over the top.) You should have seen her face when she brought the bill over to him and I reached over to get it.
I think the bottom line is tips stands for 'To Insure Prompt Service' if they can't do that then they don't deserve it, why would I pay them for something they aren't doing. To me a waiter will get a great tip if they go above and beyond just bringing me my food.
If we followed the European or Canadian system of tipping, this would be fine. But in the U.S., although we call it a tip, it's really the service charge. You can lobby to change the law, or write letters to your favorite restaurants asking them to change their policy, but it's absurd to live as though tipping in the U.S. really means "to ensure promptness." It doesn't, and you just come across as cheap.
Only once – and we tried to allow the restaurant to salvage the experience / impression, but they kept insisting on failing to correct the issue and offered solutions to problems that didn't exist.
It was a Sunday evening in 2006 in Indianapolis at the downtown PF Chang's. Now granted, this was the closing night of GenCon (a 40+ year old gaming convention where 25,000 nerds, geeks, dweebs, et al descend on Indy for 4 days of gaming [D&D, board games, roleplay, card games - you name it]), so the waitstaff might have had their fill of boisterous, opinionated, sometimes smelly gamers - but I saw it as no reason for our waitress to leave our table before we had place our complete drink and appetizer order, and then return to effectively "throw" our food and drink order on the table. We talked to a couple managers, but all they wanted to do was replace our waitress with someone else. But our feeling was, why allow the waitress to get away with her behavior and then give us someone who had nothing left to do but refill our water / tea / soft drinks, take away our plates, and give us the check - we wanted the original waitress so she could attempt to redeem herself or fully earn her 0% tip. At least we can say she was consistant.
My buddy and I have returned to GenCon every August since then, but have never set foot in PF Chang's again (see you in 3 weeks Indy!).
I never go to a resturants that add a manditory tip at the end of my bill. Most cases the waitstaff know they're getting a tip regardless of the service they give. Paying a decent wage will not give a bad waiter/waitress motivation to give good service. I once waited tables and, I know it can be a tough job at times. I waited tables in the day you greeted the customer with a glass of cold water and a smile!
Restaurants pay very low wages. Which makes no sense to me. Why should the public be the ones to make up the difference in pay. You don't see people paying for a service in a store than tipping the clerk that rang them up. I as sure store clerks are paid the same as a waiter.
You are wrong. Store clerks make miniumum wage, which in NYS, is 7 something an hour. Wait staff get a couple of buck an hour with the expectation that they will get tips. BTW, the public pays for it either way with higher costs.
The only times I have left really bad tips (like round up to the next dollar), is when the waitstaff has lied to me.
I am a server and work very hard every shift to make good tips. I believe I provide excellent service to every table. There are some people who will have a flawless meal- no waiting for drinks, food out on time, check presented, etc. and don't leave big tips. Hispanic families never leave more than %10. (And, I know that sounds bad, but in my experience it is 100 percent true) It's disappointing to work so hard for people and then not get paid what you deserve. People treat servers like they are stupid. I, and most the other servers I work with, are not drop outs, single parents, or idiots- just college students trying to make some money.
The next time you go to a restaurant- by all means, expect great service. Tip according to the service you receive. But give your server the benefit of the doubt. She/he is probably working harder and trying harder than you realize.
15% or not, when paying cash, you leave to the nearest 0, like ( $15.65 bill gets paid by a $20 (And I do not expect any change)…) Maybe sometimes it would come-out 14% instead of 15% percent also.
Sometimes tipping gets confusing, like in those all you can eat places, the nurses give water and take away the empty plates. Are you supposed to leave a tip?
Sometimes they have Gratuities included in the bill, so there is an 8% gratuity already added in, do you leave extra?
This tipping thingy is confusing, why not just pay the gargoyles a wage like at MC Donald’s and raise the price of the meals to reflect it?
At a good restaurant, on a good night, a waiter or waitress can easily make $200 in one shift (which is usually around 6 hours). What restaurant is going to pay their waitstaff that much of a salary to work there?? And if they didn't pay them that much, then nobody would want to be a waiter!
Gratuity based jobs, especially serving in restaurants, are some of the few jobs in the world where someone can walk in off the street, critique your performance, and decide your income. Total bs. More factors should go in to judging someone's value to a company than one drink taking too long, on one random day. gratuity is also bad from the customer perspective as it allows the restaurants to bait and switch you with the prices, leaving you unsure of what the bill is going to be until it is in front of you and you have performed your own calculations. Who is gratuity good for? Poorly run restaurants who will quite reasonably expect you to take your poor experience out on the server, although you are not really in a position to know exactly why this or that certain thing didn't go right. Did the server really want you to have a bad time, or did you not get full attn. because of a decision the manager made hours ago, completely outside the server's control?? Keep in mind that in the chains, nearly everything they say to you was spelled out to them by the management to allow for suggestive selling. Who else is it good for? Attractive, flirtatious young women who men will throw money at despite the worst service. Suckers. Anyway, it is time to start holding the organization accountable rather than just the dumba$$ who carried the drinks. There should be no exceptions to the minimum wage.
Wow you are a thief because someone with common sense and integrity would talk to the manager, you sound like you wanted a free meal. Degenerate.
If I walk in, place an order, and pick up the food at the counter, I do not fill in the tip portion of my receipt. Same with take-out orders that I call in. I hate that every single receipt has a "tip" section now, even at the freakin' coffee shop!!!
I agree!
If no one tips, the waiters and waitresses will be demanding higher wages from the restaurants. Higher food price is OK with me as long as it's reasonable. Tips are not guaranteed. If the restaurants pay reasonable wage, the income is guaranteed. However, I am not sure if the majority of the wait people like that.
In a restaurant in China, before going out of the door, I left some tip on the table. The girl ran past several shops to return me the mioney. I told her it was for her. She said she got paid by her boss already.
One thing I've come to learn is that tips are only expected in the US. In Canada, they aren't expected but are appreciated. Everywhere else... well sometimes they even get insulted by the offer.
I have a question. PPL are always asking about tipping a waiter or waitress. What about tipping a dog groomer, or tipping your hair stylist? Better yet, what if you know your hair stylist is the owner of the hair salon you go to? As far as tipping your waiter or waitress, I tip accordingly. If I want to order an adult beverage I go directly to the bar and tip the bartender. If I have to send my food back, I don't want it and I ask to speak with the manager and have it removed from my meal, PERIOD, and yes I do hold the waiter and or waitress responsible for my food order as well, they are not there just to bring me my food, they took my food order, they need to make sure it is accurate, and is the proper tempurature. If there is a hair in my food, a bug in my food I call the health department. If my glass is not clean, I ask for the manager. YES, I am a prude, BOTH parents worked in the restaurant business, I know what goes on and what shouldn't go on. Plus I live in the great city of San Antonio, where roaches are prevelant and dirty ppl and kitchens are even more common.
It seems to apply to anyone in the service industry these days ... but definitely your hairdresser (or dog groomer if you care what your dog looks like), esp. if you are going to be going back to them regularly... everyone can't see the results on you of poor tipping for a meal!
My hair dresser gets a $7 tip from me, and no more. And thats being nice. She also gets me coming in regularly, and she makes three times as much for an hour to cut my hair (even after she pays all her fees) than I do in an hour. I make $8.75 an hour at my job. SHE makes $40 to cut my hair and then gets a $7 tip from me. Even if she pays out half for her space and items she needs, she STILL makes way more than I do. There is no way in hell I'm giving her even more.
If the idiotic idea is that you should tip everyone in the service industry, then you should start tipping front desk clerks at hotels too. No one thinks of that, even though the clerks rarely make more than $6 an hour unless its a large tourist city.
T.I.P. = 'To Insure Promptness'
ENOUGH SAID.
Tip = Gratuity
Tip is just the common name for it. And according to dictionary.com, a gratuity is "given without demand". Meaning, its not expected. Meaning, waiters should NOT expect it.
Typically, I am a very generous tipper. In all honesty, there have been a few occasions where I've left no tip at all. It was not because of poor service (I still tip, just not quite as generously). My only 'non-tip' events were when I was too broke to pay anything but the price. I explained it to the wait-staff before I ordered, and was very upfront about that.
Tim, I have to reply to your comment – you said that you didn't tip a couple times because you were too broke to pay anything except the price of what you ordered and explained that ahead of time.
That is COMPLETE nonsense. A) You go into a restaurant and receive a service – someoone WAITING on you – and unfortunately they earn money by getting tips. B) if you only had a certain amount of money, then order something LESS EXPENSIVE.
I was a waitress for 7 years and if a customer ever told me they didn't have enough for a tip and only what they were ordering, I would not wait on them. I am not going to provide a service for free. Thats ridiculous.
Cindy I'm on your side in this, but this is the problem – you are being paid (OK not a lot...) to wait on the customer. Now he says he can't pay you *extra*, so you refuse to do your job of waiting on him? What if he (I don't know) called the police or the BBB and said this restaurant will not serve me, and this is the only reason why. What then? I do tip but I just wonder how that works because tipping is unofficial, but yet would you be allowed to enforce it without having a written policy that tips are required in this restaurant?
realistic, you need to stick with carry out, you're an idiot. However I still feel a tip is not automatic, it is for service, the better the service the better the tip. Horrible service, no tip, period.
I worked in a small retail store that normally had 2 staff at a time. It was a Christmas store that sold ornaments, figurines, those little light up villages, etc. Because there were usually just two of us, and it got very busy during the season, you were running up and down three stories pretty much all day, and because the store was in a privileged part of CT, the customers did not always respond well to the phrase "that is out of stock" or "we can't discount that" and were not always the nicest people. But I was always cheerful (which on some days physically hurt) did my best, because a) I took pride in my work, and b) I wanted to keep my job. I received a tip once in 5 years. Tips should not be required as a motivation for servers to do their jobs well, you should not tip out of fear that if you don't the server will spit in your food. That's unprofessional and a gratuity should not be required to guarantee that wait staff do their job. I tip well because of the really low wages they pay waitresses, which is another problem entirely.
Hm, it would just never occur to me to tip someone in a retail setting. I guess in a small business it makes sense, I've certainly had better service in some places like you're describing than some restaurants! No doubt this will become the next thing...
The women I worked with were shocked! They'd been at the store longer and never received a tip, and I never expected on before or since. And to be honest, I've had to work way harder for much more difficult clients than the man that gave me the $10- but the point I was making was not that it should be necessary to tip in other professions, but that I worked just as hard for all those people as for him. Because for me, as in most other professions, you do a good job with everyone because it is expected, there isn't a class of people it is considered acceptable to be rude or lazy with, even if they themselves don't appreciate you. It's why the store had such a good reputation, and got more repeat business and new customers.
It sounds like a nice place. And I think some of your former not-so-nice CT customers have come down south to become customers of my dh in retail. I wonder if he'll ever get a tip!
Once after a long day of house hunting, my wife and I stopped into HOOTERS. We ordered and waited. A group of 4 single guys came in about 15 minutes after we did, and ordered the same thing we did. She spent a lot of time at their table flirting. They got their orders first, and when we finally got our order (steamed crab legs), it was cold. My wife called her on it, and the waitress got into an argument with my wife over how long our food had been sitting on the pass waiting for her to deliver it. We called over the manager and continued the discussion. Eventually, they re-did our dinner and gave it to us to go. Not only did we not leave a tip, the manager told us the price of the meal would be deducted from the waitress's check.
I don't know why the "standard" tip somehow increased from 15 to 20%, I stick with 15. I do tip larger (20-25%) around the winter holidays. For a buffet, it depends on how much is required of the server. If the server brings the drinks, I leave something, a buck or two. If I get my own drinks, and never see the server, then nada.
yep. that's who the gratuity system caters to, suckers (single young guys) and those who don't mind taking advantage of them (hooters servers).
well that's not to say that the hooters servers herself is not already being taken advantage of by some slimy business that makes its money demeaning women.
How do you know the 4 guys were single? Did they tell you they were? You sound bitter your married azz was stuck sitting with your wife, getting NO attention.....LOL!
Whether or not they were actually single, they came in as a group with no females and flirted with her, and that's where she spent most of her time and attention, including approximately 15 minutes while our food was sitting at the pass waiting to be served. Not getting attention from the waitress was not an issue, we were both hungry. My married ass is a happy ass.
I normally tip about 20% and think that it is shameful that restaurants pay their servers less than minimum wage. With that having been said, I have left low tips on very rare occassions when I felt the service (not the food or facilities) was extremely bad. But it has to be pretty bad for me not to tip at least 20%.
For reference:
"According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are individuals engaged in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages.
An employer may credit a portion of a tipped employee's tips against the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. An employer must pay at least $2.13 per hour. However, if an employee's tips combined with the employer's wage of $2.13 per hour do not equal the hourly minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference.
The employer who elects to use the tip credit provision must inform the employee in advance and must be able to show that the employee receives at least the applicable minimum wage (see above) when direct wages and the tip credit allowance are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Also, employees must retain all of their tips, except to the extent that they participate in a valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement."
Therefore, it is never correct to state that "waitresses make less than minimum wage." No, they don't. Their NORMAL hourly wage may in fact be less than minimum wage, but the amount of money they earn from wages and tips will always be at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 (or if not, the employer is breaking the law).
Actually, when I visited Europe about 16 years ago the wait staff was offended when we Americans tried to tip them. It was an affront to their pride that we thought they needed the extra money. I don't know if it's still the same way now but we learned not to try to tip there.
Basically the same in Canada, where I'm from. Tips are not expected but they are much appreciated. In Canada, wait staff make minimum wage (sometimes more) which is currently $8.40 or so in Alberta (more than $10 an hour in some parts of the country), so they don't need you to make up for their wage. Sometimes I tipped back home, sometimes I didn't depending on the service. Delivery drivers usually got at least a few dollars from me since they had to go out in the weather (and delivery in winter can be torture).
In the United States (I'm currently living in Louisiana), it never ceases to amaze me the utter arrogance of expecting that you not only tip them, but treat them like they're gods because they brought you a glass of water and smiled at you. I don't care if you make $3 an hour or not. If you have a problem with your wage, then you need to go to the management. I am NOT making up for the wage you aren't getting when the plates are dirty, you got my orders wrong, you were rude and surly to me, and you ignored me the whole time I was there except to take my order, drop it off and deliver the check.
If the food's bad I take it up with whoever is running the show – not the server's fault. But there have been times when we've waited endlessly beween courses – not because food's not ready but the server disappeared – or I'll ask for an extra plate – napkin, glass of water and it jsut falls on deaf ears. If it's ruin the meal bad – no tip. The other side, recently out with a group of 7 – small kid – changed tables – we knocked over water – everyone's nightmare – I left 50% because no fuss – nothing was a problem. Serving is hard work whatever you think of the system they're barely getting paid – so kick in.
Yeah, when our kids are with us, I leave a standard 25-30%, and they are generally well-behaved, staying in their seats, etc. To be a good server, you have to be part athlete, part mind-reader, and part saint. It's a job that earns a lot of disdain, but it sure would suck eating out without them.
I am usually a generous tipper, but once - and only once - did I leave nothing. Two friends and I were the first customers at a French restaurant just after opening. Our waitress was surly, and took the orders incorrectly. When the wrong food was delivered and we wanted it replaced, she was incredibly nasty. One of my friends, a waitress herself, remarked to us that she would never tip for service like this. The waitress must have overheard her, because 18% was tacked on to the bill. We called over the manager, who very apologetically said that his English wasn't too good. Well, my French was excellent and, when I told him what had happened, he went ballistic. He immediately removed the 18%, thanked me for telling him because he assumed the waitress was like this with other customers as well, and, as we left, was reaming her out using words I had never learned in French class. I don't know whether or not she spoke French, but she couldn't have missed the drift.
A lot of my friends constantly complain about bad service. My first question is always did they eat there before? Usually the answer is yes. Was the service good? Yes, it was, but they don't know what happened when they went back. Well, I ask, did you leave a good tip?
There's your problem right there. Waitresses talk. They talk about their customers and they talk about their tips. They mention the good ones and they mention the bad ones. They talk about the ridiculous special requests and they talk about the easy going people they like to wait on. If you get a reputation for being a bad tipper, you're going to end up getting bad service, because you're not worth extra effort, plain and simple. The more time you require, if you expect endless special requests or constant, prompt refills, the less happy about it they will be and the service will begin reflect that.
Before long you're in some stand-off with the service staff. You walk in the door and expect bad service, they see you come in and expect a bad tip. Tempers flare, and you can't understand the problem. You assume waitresses are just hateful people out to get you.
Cultivate a reputation for being a decent tipper, and never have bad service at an establishment you frequent again. I promise this is true. It's simple economics.
People look at tips like an unfair expense. It's her JOB to wait on me, they say. She gets PAID to do this, they say. I look at is as an investment. I do not disillusion myself into thinking that a waitress is any more eager to go to work than I am, especially not for a paycA lot of my friends constantly complain about bad service. My first question is always did they eat there before? Usually the answer is yes. Was the service good? Yes, it was, but they don't know what happened when they went back. Well, I ask, did you leave a good tip?
There's your problem right there. Waitresses talk. They talk about their customers and they talk about their tips. They mention the good ones and they mention the bad ones. They talk about the ridiculous special requests and they talk about the easy going people they like to wait on. If you get a reputation for being a bad tipper, you're going to end up getting bad service, because you're not worth extra effort, plain and simple. The more time you require, if you expect endless special requests or constant, prompt refills, the less happy about it they will be and the service will begin reflect that.
Before long you're in some stand-off with the service staff. You walk in the door and expect bad service, they see you come in and expect a bad tip. Tempers flare, and you can't understand the problem. You assume waitresses are just hateful people out to get you.
Cultivate a reputation for being a decent tipper, and never have bad service at an establishment you frequent again. I promise this is true. It's simple economics.
People look at tips like an unfair expense. It's her JOB to wait on me, they say. She gets PAID to do this, they say. I look at is as an investment. I do not disillusion myself into thinking that a waitress is any more eager to go to work than I am, especially not for a paycheck that basically disappears once the taxes are covered. I don't imagine she just *wants* to serve me with a smile. But I still want her to jump if I need something at my table. These two combine when the waitress picks up $8 for a $40 check... there's that smile. When I come back, there's that jump.
And she's going to tell the other people about it in the back of the house. And they're going to compare notes and decide it's nothing unusual when I get what I want. When I go back, I get better service because the girls know I am worth the investment on their part. Waitresses don't figure up their hourly wage until they're done for the day. They look at each table as a new balance sheet. You want them to put forth their best, they want money. Previous experience with you can change that blank sheet into a more fair proposal.
$5 is my minimum tip for adequate service. Say I'm there 40 minutes, I want about 3-4 pops and probably a water. If the waitress stays on top of that and I don't run dry, that's another dollar if I'm alone, a couple bucks if I'm with a group. Extra running, like getting hot peppers off the salad bar or whatever, that's another buck. If anyone orders dessert and she has to make it, that's another dollar.
That payment may seem exorbitant, but that tip is just my investment in future dining experiences. I'm not rich, but frankly I'm want good service. I don't want to sit there waiting for refills. I don't want my food to sit in the window. I don't want to have to send my food back because my order isn't right. I am a polite tyrant. I want to sit down, look at the menu while someone gets my pop, order my food, eat and leave. If these conditions aren't met, I don't yell, I don't flip out, I don't cause a fuss. I just start deducting dollars. It's almost never necessary, though. New girls get clued in by the vets. Vets hope it's their table up when they see me at the hostess station.eck that basically disappears once the taxes are covered. I don't imagine she just *wants* to serve me with a smile. But I still want her to jump if I need something at my table. These two combine when the waitress picks up $8 for a $40 check... there's that smile. When I come back again, there's that jump.
And she's going to tell the other people about it in the back of the house. And they're going to compare notes and decide it's nothing unusual when I get what I want. When I go back, I get better service because the girls know I am worth their time.
$5 is my minimum tip for adequate service. Say I'm there 40 minutes, I want about 3 pops and probably a water. If the waitress stays on top of that and I don't run dry, that's another dollar if I'm alone, a couple bucks if I'm with a group. Extra running, like getting hot peppers off the salad bar or whatever, that's another buck. If anyone orders dessert and she has to make it, that's another dollar.
That payment may seem exorbitant, but that tip is just my investment in future dining experiences. I'm not rich, but frankly I'm want good service. I don't want to sit there waiting for refills. I don't want my food to sit in the window. I don't want to have to send my food back because my order isn't right. I am a polite tyrant. I want to sit down, look at the menu while someone gets my pop, order my food, eat and leave. If these conditions aren't met, I don't yell, I don't flip out, I don't cause a fuss. I just start deducting dollars. It's almost never necessary, though. New girls get clued in by the vets. Vets hope it's their table up when they see me at the hostess station.
The opposite of this is true as well. There are waitresses who establish a reputation for excellent service. People come in the door and hope she has an open table, or stand around and wait to get into her section. Because they know, going in, that she is going to be worth it. These waitresses are rare, and usually new. They have it beaten out of them by the constant string of bad tips.
for some reason my post is like half doubled... it starts over a few paragraphs in and then continues to the end. I'm not sure what happened, but other than the twice over beginning, the post is as I wrote it.
Ending screwed up as well. Entire post muddled and unreadable. Here it is in a slightly more legible form.
A lot of my friends constantly complain about bad service. My first question is always did they eat there before? Usually the answer is yes. Was the service good? Yes, it was, but they don't know what happened when they went back. Well, I ask, did you leave a good tip?
There's your problem right there. Waitresses talk. They talk about their customers and they talk about their tips. They mention the good ones and they mention the bad ones. They talk about the ridiculous special requests and they talk about the easy going people they like to wait on. If you get a reputation for being a bad tipper, you're going to end up getting bad service, because you're not worth extra effort, plain and simple. The more time you require, if you expect endless special requests or constant, prompt refills, the less happy about it they will be and the service will begin reflect that.
Before long you're in some stand-off with the service staff. You walk in the door and expect bad service, they see you come in and expect a bad tip. Tempers flare, and you can't understand the problem. You assume waitresses are just hateful people out to get you.
Cultivate a reputation for being a decent tipper, and never have bad service at an establishment you frequent again. I promise this is true. It's simple economics.
People look at tips like an unfair expense. It's her JOB to wait on me, they say. She gets PAID to do this, they say. I look at is as an investment. I do not disillusion myself into thinking that a waitress is any more eager to go to work than I am, especially not for a paycheck that basically disappears once the taxes are covered. I don't imagine she just *wants* to serve me with a smile. But I still want her to jump if I need something at my table. These two combine when the waitress picks up $8 for a $40 check... there's that smile. When I come back, there's that jump.
And she's going to tell the other people about it in the back of the house. And they're going to compare notes and decide it's nothing unusual when I get what I want. When I go back, I get better service because the girls know I am worth the investment on their part. Waitresses don't figure up their hourly wage until they're done for the day. They look at each table as a new balance sheet. You want them to put forth their best, they want money. Previous experience with you can change that blank sheet into a more fair proposal.
$5 is my minimum tip for adequate service. Say I'm there 40 minutes, I want about 3-4 pops and probably a water. If the waitress stays on top of that and I don't run dry, that's another dollar if I'm alone, a couple bucks if I'm with a group. Extra running, like getting hot peppers off the salad bar or whatever, that's another buck. If anyone orders dessert and she has to make it, that's another dollar.
That payment may seem exorbitant, but that tip is just my investment in future dining experiences. I'm not rich, but frankly I'm want good service. I don't want to sit there waiting for refills. I don't want my food to sit in the window. I don't want to have to send my food back because my order isn't right. I am a polite tyrant. I want to sit down, look at the menu while someone gets my pop, order my food, eat and leave. If these conditions aren't met, I don't yell, I don't flip out, I don't cause a fuss. I just start deducting dollars.
It's almost never necessary, though. New girls get clued in by the vets. Vets hope it's their table up when they see me at the hostess station.
The opposite of this is true as well. There are waitresses who establish a reputation for excellent service. People come in the door and hope she has an open table, or stand around and wait to get into her section. Because they know, going in, that she is going to be worth it. These waitresses are rare, and usually new. They have it beaten out of them by the constant string of bad tips.
If you treat me like crap because I didn't give you a good tip last time I came in, you should be fired, and it most definitely isn't incentive for me to give you a good tip this time around now is it? Learn to grow up and stop being so irresponsible. You get a tip when you go above and beyond. You don't get a "good" tip (above 10%) unless your service was exemplary, and don't get an "excellent" tip unless you saved my life. Thats the way life works. I'm not kissing your butt just because you brought me a glass of water, and smiled at me, sorry.
You don't think prior experience determines future interactions? Your stock broker must love you, if you are as willing to sell the farm for an unknown return as you expect your waitresses to be.
What do you consider excellent service? The girl is just supposed to bring you your food and drink. If she does that, pay her. If she doesn't, don't. What's money, anyway, except time in a more portable format? You spend time getting money, you spend money to save time. Good service, to me, is worth a few bucks. I don't need a calculator to figure out a tip. I just need a refill.
I don't have a stock broker. Did you happen to notice what happened during the last stock market crash?
Good service is paying attention to fill my glass when its almost empty without me asking. Good service is stopping by my table at least once while I'm there to ask how things are. Twice is better. The first time should be within the first ten minutes after food delivery to see if there's a problem that can be fixed immediately. Good service is paying attention to promptly remove dishes so they aren't cluttering the table.
Excellent service is what happened two years ago. I was in a large city alone for meetings for my American immigration. I decided that I wanted to go to the city aquarium which happens to be in the middle of a large park. When I called for a cab from one company they "didn't know when they would be there" and wanted to leave me alone in the park by myself after hours to wait for them to arrive. I called another cab company and told them what happened (I'd been waiting 45 minutes by that point and was in tears because it was dark and I was scared). They moved one of their cabbies next pickup to another cabbie, and this new cabbie arrived in less than five minutes to pick me up. Then he was so nice and sweet to me. I literally felt like he saved my life (or at least saved me from getting attacked in the park). The bill for the cost to take me back to the hotel was $40. I gave him $60. He deserved it.
'"I am not kissing your butt" of course you are rude because you must be an ugly and the servers behind is nothing what yours looks like or ever will for the matter IMAO LOL.
Oh and he didn't ask me for a tip or expect it either. When I offered it, he tried to give it back. That made me even more glad I had given him the tip because he showed humility.
Okay so it is clear you are jealous of woman because the only time you get good service is by a male. No competition there, you are a real loser.
jay, she does get paid. Its called 'wages'.
If you don't expect to be treated rudely when you have the audacity to go back to a business after refusing to pay for a service, then you're living in a fantasy world. All of these people saying the cost of the service should be built into the price of the meal... fine. In the regular business world, 20-30% of operating budgets in small businesses are allocated to payroll. If restaurants are going to be expected to fully compensate their employees, then you can expect the price of the meals to increase by at least that much. If you aren't tipping at least 20% now, knowing that the server is NOT being paid by the restaurant, then you are stealing their services and you deserve to be treated rudely, if not outright banned from the restaurant. At least in the tipping system we have now, the patron has the ability to directly reward and punish performance. 20% should be the baseline, though, as the standard amount for basically adequate performance. If you have high standards and want to dip below 20% for relatively minor infractions, fine, no one is going to have a fit over it and most servers recognize that a single table isn't going to make or break them. But if you're starting at 10% or less as your baseline, then you are clueless about how business is run, and lacking a sense of what is fair compensation for a service.
Carmen, don't be stupid. They DO get paid for their service. Its called "wage". Just like a front desk clerk gets paid for their service. Its called "wage". And a hair dresser gets paid for their service. Its called"'wage". And a supermarket checkout girl gets paid for her service. Its called "wage". If you don't like your wage, then don't do your job, but don't expect me to make up for the wages you aren't getting because you aren't insisting on getting them.
Yeah they do get a wage, but it's different for servers than it is for, say, a hostess or a cashier or a dishwasher. It's not like a barrista's tip jar or a sandwich maker's tip jar. Waitresses (in PA at least) get $2.13 an hour, and they have to claim 10 percent of their sales for tax purposes no matter what they actually earned. The taxes on their wages plus their tips come out of the paycheck. So it's not unheard of for a waitress to put in 40 hours and still take home less than $20 on their check when it's all said and done, depending on the volume of the store.
If you look at the big picture though, they're probably getting a pretty decent hourly wage once tips are figured in. But I'm not paying an hourly wage or trying to suss out her take-home pay. I'm only worried about my table and my food and my pop. I'm paying for the service I recieve, and you'd be surprised how easy and accomodating a waitress can be once she recognizes you. The easiest way to get recognition to to offer it, the easiest way to offer recognition and appreciation to a waitress is with money, since that's the only reason they're even in the building.
From here on it's not directed at you, Melissa, or at anyone commenting in particular. Just wanted to add to the discussion.
Eating out should come from your leisure money. If your rent or your car payment depends on saving five bucks on a meal you should be cooking at home or bagging a lunch.
It's easy to say that you disagree with tipping, or that the system is unfair to consumers, or whatever you have to say about tipping. But the time to make that opinion known is when you're deciding where to eat, not once your belly is full. Get your order as take-out, or go to a place that doesn't require tips like Subway or something, and then you don't have to worry about it.
But if you sit down and take up a girl's table, that's money you owe the waitress regardless of what happens during the meal. Bad service should be punished, just as surely as good service should be rewarded. But knocking money off the meal because the steak was undercooked, or because the salad bar ran out of something you wanted, or anything that doesn't directly involved the delivery of food and drink to your table and the removal of dirty plates, then it's not the girl's fault.
And waitresses have a lot of pull over the rest of the staff. You'd be amazed at what a waitress can make happen if she's wants to. Like if the cook puts it up food that's anything less than picture perfect, she can take care of it before you even know. If there's something that's usually in the back but only occasionally put on the salad bar, she can go and make them get that for you. If you need to have a meeting and ask her if she'd be willing to give you some space, or if you expect to sit at the same table for more than the time it takes to eat because you want to talk with your guests, she can make all of that happen, too. If she wants to.
Most people seem willing to take the chance, to put the quality of their experience upon the mood of their server. I choose a different path. Because if you bare minimum the tip, you can expect the waitress to bare minimum on the service. And expect the other waitresses in the joint to hear about it. That's just how the service industry works. To me, it's worth it to spend a few extra bucks on the tip, especially since it's money that I'd just blow on something else anyway. If you can't afford the tip, you can't afford to eat out. Sure, I may not get to see yet another god-awful movie, or I may have to skip a treat on my way home, but it's really hard to put a price on the excellent service that regularly leaving above average tips will, not can not might, will get you.
The service industry isn't full of people eager to serve because it's their calling, or even because it's in their job description. Not any more than management is full of intelligent people who want what's best for a company. Not any more than medical school is full of people who want to benefit humanity. People do what they do for money. If you want them to work hard for you, then you need them to know that you will reward their effort. The easiest way to let them know that is to do it on a regular basis.
The people who get stiffed the most are the valets!! Don't forget to tip your valet as they are taking care of your most valuable asset!
If your car is your "most valuable asset", you probably can't afford to tip the valet. lol
20% is my standard, and no less than $1-2 on small tickets. I have a very wide range of tolerance, and it takes major issues for me to lower my tip. If it's easier to round, I'll round up, but otherwise I don't usually tip more than 20%. If the server makes mistakes but is obviously a beginner, I'm very patient and forgiving, although I'll usually mention the problems so he or she can improve. If it's an attitude problem, or if the server just isn't very skillful, then I'll mention something and if it doesn't improve, the tip is likely to be lower. I start off by just not going out of my way to leave a proper tip, like if they don't bring me any small bills with my change. If it gets to the point where I have to do their job for them, or ask someone else to do something I've already asked them to do, then I'll deliberately lower the tip by 5-10%. It's hard to imagine a situation where I would leave no tip, unless it was bad enough that I got the entire meal comped by the manager.
Maybe restaurants should have a rating system, so customers can rate their service. Each server would have an average rating, and customers could pay in advance for the rating level they want–three, four, or five stars. Three stars means basic service: you ask for something, and they bring it to you. No anticipating your needs. No special favors. No song and dance. Four stars means they keep your water glass filled and smile when they take your order. Five stars means they make you feel like you're the only table they've got, and they're bringing you the little extras before you even know you need them. You can tip over and above the service charge, but that is truly voluntary. And if you pay for one level of service and you feel like the server hasn't delivered, then you can talk to the manager about refunding part or all of that service charge, just like if you get crappy food and don't think you ought to pay for it.
I would avoid that restaurant. The tipping regime is too rigid as it is. I'm defintely not voluntarily paying someone extra to smile at me.
I meant to say that I wouldn't *pre-pay* to get the "service" of a server smiling at me. They should smile because their employer has customers, so they still have a job.
If the server isn't getting paid, there isn't much about the job to smile at, is there?
I've left, on rare occasions, a single penny. The service has to be pretty bad for me to do this, but leaving a single penny sends the message that the service was very bad. If you leave nothing, the server doesn't know if your stingy or if it was bad service. A penny leaves a clear message that you are not stingy, but that the service was horrible.
I always leave a tip, despite poor service. I do, however, follow up with a letter to the manager of the establishment (providing a copy of my receipt [showing I tipped] as proof that I was a patron). More times than not, I am contacted by the management and provided a gift card for a future visit. It gives them the opportunity to provide better service.
Why would you leave a tip for someone that doesn't deserve it? Thats completely idiotic. You actually let them think they did a good job and feed the "I'm entitled to a tip" mentality. Don't leave a tip if they don't deserve it, and THEN write a letter to management too.
Haha you are probably butt ugly and get jealous of the younger, hotter servers that your date would rather be with.
jilly, how old are you? You're behaving like a child and you've managed to invalidate everything you've said to me because of what you just said. Maybe its time for you to grow up.
Accepting a tip in Europe is considered rude...wait staff consider take their jobs very seriously and perfect it....unbelievable service...if they'd adopt that here in the states (with appropriate salary raises), then things would be a lot better (I think).
That would involve you paying ~20% more for everything you order at the restaurant. Then what do you do it you get absolutely horrible service? You cant just pay 10% less than what the bill is because you didnt like the service. With our current system if you are unhappy with the service, you can choose to tip out less and save money on the entire meal.
Never leave a tip - that's between them and their employer. Learn to type!
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I just don't tip, period. No reason to, whether service is great or bad. I stopped tipping years ago when it became "expected." This goes double or triple when I'm out of town and know I'll not return for years if at all. What's the point except to enable an industry's shakedown? Nope, no tip. Lots of smiles and "thank-you's," but no green. And what's up with BUFFETS expecting a tip? That's where I get my own food. Servers bring me water and rolls, both of which I don't care much about...what gall.
New for you, George. Waiters and waitresses remember EVERYthing about bad/no tippers. If there is a place that you eat at regularly, I can guarantee that when you walk in, there's a rush to NOT be the person stuck with you, the food won't come to you as hot as it could have been, and your water glass doesn't get filled as often as it should be. They smile and nod and be kind to your face, but they are talking about you when you come in, when you're sitting and flipping you the bird when you leave.
You're cheap, and you are hated.
You are a disgusting filthy degenerate.
And I'm your server...be scared, be very scared. :P
We should all learn from George, and stop tippping. Tipping is a scam! Look, you can't have it both ways. Either it is for good service and optional, then you shouldn't expect it! Or it is a service charge and required, then you should add it to the menu price!
On newspaper blogs, I have had several waitresses admit to prejudging customers as they walk through the door. Saying theKNOW how that person will tip even before ever speaking a word. They then treat the cusotmer bad and even admit to spitting in their food. Then have the audacity to gripe about bad tipping.
I tip based on service. If you are friendly, attentive and basically doing a great job, I tip 20-30%. If I have to chase you around the restaurant to get anything done, or you are rude, you need to find a new industry to work in that doesn't rely on tips for service provided. It takes a lot to get me to that point, but I have left nothing or $1 for very poor service.
l never tip, why should they get paid twice? Not getting paid enough by their employers? Get a new job.
Should you tip well if the service itself is good except that the server is dishevelled and has a bad lingering odor?
Tipping is an incentive to a server to provide good service. It should not be considered a given – if you don't want to do the work, then don't expect the tip. Simple as that. Maybe those servers that don't want to earn the tip and complain about their wages should find another job. If you are a good server, then you can make a decent amount of money in tips. I served tables for many years and I know how easy it really is, so I have relatively high standards for my servers.
I will tip well when the service is great, I will tip average if the service is average, and I will tip poorly if the service is poor. I will also send food back if served cold, or undercooked or overcooked, and if my experience is awful i will make a point of pointing it out to managment. Am I difficult? some will say yes, however in this economy, I expect at least an average experience. anything less and i wont return to the resturant, and the management should know why they are loosing customers.
I am so tired of servers expecting to get a tip no matter what. Here's a shocker for you people... tips are not to make up for the wage you aren't, they are to promote the behavior of going above and beyond for your customers. Since 99% of the time, none of you go above and beyond, you don't deserve a tip. And I am NOT giving you a 20% tip no matter how good the service is unless you saved me from being blown up, shot, or something else equally as horrible. Eating out is a luxury for everyone, and you are just lucky you have a bloody job. I cannot afford to make up for your wage when you give mediocre and average service. Deal with it.
You simply should not be going out for dinner, if that's your attitude.
No Janine, you people should stop expecting me to make up for your wage. You are NOT entitled to a tip.
Now I'm laughing...I can only imagine the kind of service you get when you eat out at places you've been before.
Again, you should just stay at home...all the time...you're departure through your own front door collectively brings down the IQ of the general population.
I get fine service. If you can't be bothered to give good service regardless of whether I kiss your butt like you're the queen or not, then you shouldn't be in your business.
I once tipped negative 1 dollar. I put the total bill from my chargecard to be less than what the bill actually came to. I had issues with bad service, rude waitor staff, over 2 hours wait for food (when it was not busy), messed up appetizer, messed up salad dressing, undercooked pork meal and refusal to serve an alcoholic beverage on an outside patio (even though others who purchased drinks inside were drinking outside on the patio). My charge on the credit card statement showed up as if I had tipped zero... I was a bit bummed, but I'm sure my message got across.
"ginamero", OMG you are an F-ing moron- I bet you gave half your patients the wrong meds- I mean WTF??? you can't see the difference between a nurse and a Server? Last time I checked nurses get paid pretty damn good! OMG please tell me you didn't have kids, I'd have to think there are people you brought into this world who look at you as a role model.
I've left no tip and low tip. I always write down why. As for food not prepared properly, most of the time I don't blame the server. But I had food come out burned, smelling to high heaven, at a high-level restaurant, and that was the server's faults. He should never have brought that to me. What is it with women who won't say anything about the service or the food? I have several friends who will complain to me and not say anything to the server or the manager. The manager usually wants to know if you have a less than satisfactory experience. I also tell the manager when the server has been excellent.
I normally tip 10-20% depending on service which is usually very good in the U.S., so typically 15-20+ pct. That said, I left less than the bill ONCE, by 25 cents. So a negative tip. In short, server took break, his replacement either never got message or ignored us for 30 mins. We had to walk to bar and essentially has no service. Imagine whoever dropped the ball ended up paying for it... this was at Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, CA too -
Had dinner with some friends at a Ruth's Chris restaurant near Palm Springs (Hwy 111). Wednesday night, light customer count, yet our assigned waiter could not seem to find his way to our table from the very beginning. As the evening progressed the service deminished to the point where I mentioned to one of my guests seated nearest to me "that I was going to deduct $2.00 of gratuity for every 5 minutes the waiter was absent (after requesting the check and waiting for it to appear)." The long/short is this: After a lengthy wait the check arrived and I proceeded to deduct and total. While awaiting the vehicle from the valet, the waiter came out of the restaurant, approached me, and informed me that "there must be some kind of mistake with the gratuity." I explained that we did everything right and that "if he didn't want to provide service, that he should not be working." At this point he stomped-off and I, along with one of my dinner guests, went back in and spoke directly to the GM about the situation. The GM became very irritated upon hearing the news about the bad service and told us that the waiter was totally out-of-line and he would deal with him directly.
I don't know what transpired after we left, yet I do believe that the waiter never again pulled that stunt. . .
I can't believe the waiter had the nerve to track you down outside about his tip, but couldn't make his way to your table when you needed something. I hope he got canned...
Most establishments would immediately fire a waiter that went out after a customer about a low tip. That's unprofessional and can open the restaurant up to liability if something unfortunate transpires.
I have left a restaurant w/o tipping but not because it was the intention. I treated a group of 6 to a Chinese Buffet. Its not a place I was familiar with. The wait staff never attended me. I paid upon entry a whole lot more than I intended. I figured I was set. As I walked out the door. I was stopped by 2 staff demanding a tip. How would I have known to leave a tip when I never saw you. Anyway. I was in my purse to get a tip and another waitr stopped me to tell me how much lobster was eaten at my table. I then changed my mind and walked out leaving nothing. WHAT GALL. I am always a big tipper. I am usually a 20% or $20. Depending on the bill. Low is $20. So I was a bit annoyed.
I recently lost my job and have been a waitress now for about 6 months. The way tipping works at my job is we are paid minimum wage, we have to tip the bartenders 3% of our TOTAL SALES then 5% to the cooks. So if i do not at least get tipped 8% on a table I LOST MONEY on that table. Then to make it worse the restaurant is coming in and taking 9% out of our paychecks to give to the government based on our total sales again. So i work about 30 hours a week and for my two week period check im only getting about $200. Tips are my life and I just like the rest of the people at my job try as hard as we can day in and day out to provide a good service to the people coming in. We are only human and do make mistakes sometimes, and we also rely on out team of bartenders and cooks to get things right too.
Lola – $200 every 2 weeks? That's terrible. That's the reason why a lot of people go on welfare – because they can live just as well, get free health insurance and not have to work 80 hours or more for a ridiculous 200 bucks! I'm sure you're worth a hulluva lot more to society than that!!!
I know the feeling, I used to have tips automatically claimed for me they estimated that we made a lot because it is a casino. Everyone always complained but the nights when I walked out with 300 dollars. Servers whine so much but where can you make money like that, even in rinky dink bars they have potential . Serving is like gambling some love it or some hate it.
When i was younger i waited tables at a diner in Jersey. All i have to say is to all you cheapo's that dont feel like they have to leave a tip. Stay home or go eat at McDonalds.....waiters depend on your tips. I have never left less then 15 percent even with horrible service.
If you're tipping 15% for horrible service, the more fool you.
Why should staff even offer a minimum level of service if they can always bank on that?
Fuhgeddaboudit.
Tip about tip: Take out your food, go somewhere comfy and eat in whatever way you want. If someone here says that you must tip for take out food, (s)he is a waiter(ess) and you know the deal. Or go to the little Italy type places (infact it is the Euro tradition) where the tip is included in the bill and saves this slider bar system. If you really want to eat in and call the waiter(ess) every 2 mins, you better tip.
Federal wage law states that if wait staff do not make enough in tips to bring the wages up to minimum wage of 5.85 then their employer must. So wait staff you are all paid a minimum of 5.85 an hour whether from your paid wages and or tips. You are paid for a basic service go beyond that and I will tip generously do just the basic with a good aditude and get a smaller tip, do only the basic or less get nothing. Yes I am a former waitress.
I worked in bars and restaurants for 15 years, regularly overtip, and still find an occasion to leave no tip. I recently watched a bartender/manager in my usual hang-out berate an experienced, excellent waitress in front of regular customers. He was totally in the wrong in everything he said and did to her, and he got zilch from me; I explained to her why.
One time I left a guy 2 cents. I hope he got the message because he was an incompetent jerk.
We had a waitress who was playing on facebook while our food sat waiting to be delivered. When it finally (after ~45 min) came it was cold. Needless to say we spoke with the manager who comped our drinks and dinner, and had our orders remade. Her personally brought the food out this time. I was impressed. He apologized for the disorganization as the restaurant had only been open 2-3 weeks. We left a tip after leaving. Hopefully it went to the manager though.
Do not go out to eat if you do not want to tip. Tipping in an social norm and is expected. Bottom line.
Unfortunately, bad service is a social norm too. Why should you be rewarded for doing your job badly.
do not go into a service industry if you don't want to provide service
True and this is coming from a former cocktail server, I always made more than most of my co-workers because I actually went above and beyond. The whiny ones in the waitstation texting made soo much less-no brainer.
if you leave nothing they think it was you being cheap. if you leave a very small tip they might get the hint. I used to see cards printed " if the service was better the tip would be bigger " !
I was out with friends and we had service that was very bad. I ran a restaurant and if I knew a customer had a bad experience and the waiter or waitress informed me I would go over to the table to personally apologize. Our server came back after talking to the manager and said the manager told me to give you some free drinks. I asked him to get his manager because I felt slighted that he couldn't take the time to come over and offer any apology. Had the bad service been a result of the cooks not getting food out on time I would have still left a tip, but our meal was cold and the waiter was rude. We left $1 just so the waiter knew that we had thought about the tip and gave him what he deserved!
If you can't take my order correctly and bring out the food that I ordered, do not expect a tip... not even a penny.
Also, why should I tip a waiter, when they spit (and do other disgusting things) in my food? A lot of waiters I have seen lately seem to be really pissed off, I assume from other customers. Why should I get poor service when another customer was rude to you? Why should I tip when I'm getting poor service?
Think about it...
P.S. I worked my way through college as well, just not as a waiter.
Um. Do you KNOW that your waiter did disgusting things to your food? And why do you think that it's the waiter's fault that the food was wrong? Almost 90% of the mistakes made are made by the COOKS...who the waitstaff have to then make apologies for to you, the jerk customer who won't leave a tip because of it.
My sister is currently a waitress and I used to work at a restaurant myself, so I know how important tips are to the people that work there; but I also know from working in a restaurant that if you expect a tip you don't treat the customer like they're a problem. I have left no tip before, but that's because the waiter gave me the worst possible service ever, including bringing us entirely wrong dishes and drinks and then just disappearing. After 20 minutes of waiting to try and spot the waiter we had to track down the manager so that we could get our bill, and this was the middle of the afternoon when we were almost the only folks there.
Aside from that one time I always leave a 20% tip no problem.
I went to a place where they had a times express lunch deal. The food came after the time on the clock that they leave at the table. The waitress quickly cleared the time and said it was not late. She got no tip and we told her boss she what she did. It would not have been a big deal had she just been honest. It's not like it's her fault the food comes late out of the kitchen but becuase she lied that made it her fault. We got a gift certificate from the over apologetic manager but we never went back.
This was NOT my experience, but I watched it take place at a busy mid-west airport eatery. Two very impatient customers were trying to grab a quick bite/beer between flights, and displayed that impatience to any and everyone in the place. They finally went up to the bar and yelled at the bar tender who promptly replied that all guests must be served by the waiters. They shortly had their food and drink but complained to the waitress continuously (obnoxiously). They got their bill, left cash, and literally ran out to catch their flight. Fearing that she had been stiffed, the waitress quickly checked the bill, shreaked, and ran after them yelling so all could here "you forgot your change". We could not hear their reply, but she then said "I think you must need it more than me" to thunderous applause from the other guests.
I'm generally a fairly good tipper – though I think the "usual" tip is getting a bit out of hand. When I was younger 10% was acceptable, 15% generous. Now 20% seems the norm. Still I usually tip 20% if service is decent, 25% for excellent service, and have been known to tip over 100% when the service was exceptional or I was a bit of a jerk (it has been known to happen).
However, for really lousy service I will tip poorly. I've probably never intentionally left NO tip, but I've certainly tipped less then 10% on really horrible service.
I have however made sure someone other than my server got the tip. At a buffet type place one time the server assigned my station introduced herself, then proceeded to clean all the tables near by, wait on the next section, sit down and visit with friends, but never returned to bring additional plates, refill my beverage, or offer ANY other service. I finally waved down a waitress from another section, and she ended up checking on me several times, keeping my glass filled, and in general taking very good care of me. When I left I left no tip on the table, but sought out the waitress who had actually served me and gave her a tip that was about 50% of the meal. She earned every penny of that tip.
Tipping is great for one thing: pointing out how crazy some people are. Tipping isn't a particularly controversial issue (people have opinions about it, but tend not to get "mad"), so you can calmly look at the different positions of the people in the conversation and see that, as in most arguments, there are actually three sides.
The first side is the crazy customers: "I NEVA TIP! TIPPIN IS BAD! GET ANOTHER JOB SLACKERS!" That guy's clearly an idiot, and I don't think anybody's listening to him.
The second side is the crazy waiters: "TIPPING IS MANDATORY! NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE SUCK! IF YOU DON'T TIP YOU ARE A HORRIBLE PERSON!" It's not that this person is an idiot, they've just lost all perspective and have completely forgotten what it's like to be insulted by a crappy waiter who's blatantly ignoring you and then be expected to pay for the privilege. A few years after they stop waiting they'll probably go back to normal.
Then there's EVERYBODY ELSE. Fully 95% of the posts in this thread. They're all saying something along the lines of "man, I know waiters and waitresses need tips, and I usually tip pretty well; but this one time..." which sounds completely reasonable to almost everyone but gets virtually no attention or replies because, well, it's reasonable.
The only reason I find it funny is that it parallels all the political back and forth on this website perfectly. Just keep this much in mind, and use this thread as evidence: the vast majority of folks are nice, reasonable people. Don't let a few crazies pull you out of this frame of mind or change the way you deal with society in general. There's NOTHING wrong with being a centrist, because in any argument the extremists fueling it are bound to go too far.
Good point!
I've never left a drastically low tip, but I have dropped my tip from the usual 18-20% down to 10-15% for poor service.
Most Americans think that by leaving the tipping wage up to the customer rather than including it in the cost of the food, that they will receive better service. But this isn't necessarily the case. I've lived in France for extensive periods of time, where there is no tip and the servers are paid a living wage. Despite the stereotypes about French servers, the most consistent and pleasant service I've ever received is usually in French restaurants.
Being a server in France, because of the culture and because they are paid rather well, is considered a more honorable profession than here in the United States, where we often consider it menial labor. Thus, servers take a great deal of pride in their work and provide good service regardless of extra financial incentives. Furthermore, they consider themselves professionals and take great pride in knowing the menu and the food well.
There are extra benefits to the system. For example, the server has no incentive to turn your table over as many times as possible. So, when you sit down at a restaurant, that table is yours for as long as you want it; no one will glare at you, bother you, or bring your check before you're ready to push you out the door. The server is getting paid well no matter what food you order or how long you sit at your table enjoying your food, your book, or your company.
I NEVER TIP. MONEY IS TIGHT AND EATING OUT IS EXPENSE ENOUGH. I VERY RARELY EAT ANY WHERE THAT HAS A WAITRESS OR WAITER EITHER. DON'T REALLY TRUST RESTERAUNT FOOD THAT MUCH. HOME COOKIN' IS SO MUCH BETTER AND WAY CHEAPER
THEN DON'T GO OUT FOR DINNER, JERK.
I have left a penny tip once, at the Grand Lux Cafe, Luxor, Las Vegas – our server was the worst I have ever had, rude, obnoxious,you name it.
Other than that I tend to over tip, minimum is always 20%, sometimes a LOT more.
If people are complaining that waiting table is a low paying job why are people still doing it? If my company would pay me crap I would look for another job... simple... Just get a better education and step up....
What makes you think that your waitstaff doesn't have an education? Really? That's pretty arrogant.
My tip depends on the service given. If I see a server struggling but doing their best, I still tip pretty good. I see a server barely doing what needs to be done, the tip isn't as nice. I agree with tipping, yes I was a waitress, but I also know that payroll is a huge expense for a business. In NH server pay is 40% of minimum wage. You start paying the staff minimum or better, the restaurant will raise their prices. In turn you still pay. At least tipping ensures good services most of the time. Servers cannot help if the kitchen doesn't put up the food fast, what they can do is be personable and let us know that we are not forgotten and take care of what they can.
Once.. a group of about 10 of us had a joint b-day celebration dinner and had very very poor service. Slow service, cranky waitress, incorrect orders, empty salad plates and wine glasses etc were never removed from the table. The icing on the cake was when the waitress asked if we wanted to order dessert and then said "Please say no". I said no all right – to a tip. I'm sure there was a gratuity added in, but I will usually leave a little extra even when that occurs. In this case, I didn't. Haven't been back to that restaruant since.
I once went to a restaurant in which the waitress (an old lady) had us waiting for the coffee and menu for 30 minutes, we had to call the manager and ask for our order to be taken, then when I was ordering I asked for some cottage cheese to be added to my fruit and she said NO, that would cost you extra LOL, it took forever for her to bring us our food and when she did the food was cold and she practically threw the plates at us. Then at the middle of our meal she brought us the check without us asking for it first. That really pissed me off and we decided to leave no tip. Other old ladies at the next table saw what was happening and thought that we were abusing the waitress when it was the other way and they called the manager and congratulated her for the "perfect" service she was giving them despite the fact that they also had waited more than 30 minutes for her to take their order. What is wrong with this people!!!
We left no tip and we felt GOOD about it, I'm sure she didn't care cause she also didn't care about being good at her job or good enough to keep it.
I always tip... but in reality the gratuity should be covered by the owners in the form of a better paycheck.
I once left the waiter a note saying here's your tip” don’t piss off the guy who is paying the bill” and another to " not plant corn in the winter" both of these were horrible dining experiences, that tips to the wait staff were entirely out of the question to the point I was compelled to leave sarcastic notes, then speak with management. Far too often tips of 20% are expected rather than earned. Tipping the employees of Dunkin Donuts, Subway and take out eateries for the employee to do nothing more than bag and bring you food you already paid for is ridiculous at best, and most people seeing the tip line of the receipt feel compelled to do so. I tip well when the service rendered calls for it. I tip my local Pizzeria delivery drivers so well they all want my ticket, but this also insures I am the first stop on the delivery route.
One time the service was so bad I put the pennies I left in my water glass, one of my friends then proceeded to place a piece of paper on the top of the glass and turn it over on the table.
This left the pennies in the water on the table, the only way to get it was to spill the water all over.......that was a little mean. The waitress was incredibly rude and we were out of state so I don't feel so bad about it!
There should be another question to the survey;
Why does a very large percentage of Black people leave little (5% or less) or no tip at all. Even when service was never any problem. Ask ANYONE who has been a server
Sounds to me like you've got an issue with "black people." Perhaps you've been treating them like you have issues with them and their response has been a 5% tip.
No, Rob's right.
kts: You have obviously never worked for tips before. Ive had black friends who are servers or bar tenders and they will tell you the exact same thing. Ive noticed the same things about Europeans, but most of them dont realize that you are serving them for 1/3 the minimum wage because the waitstaff in Europe get paid a normally hourly wage.
I've left a penny before. I hope they got the message that I didn't forget but their service was bad.
kts that's correct, I waited tables all thru college, I understood I was tipped for service not just showing up. If you smile and do your best to please, I found most would tip well, even if I wasn't perfect.
It's really simple. If you cannot or will not leave a tip, stay home and cook your food yourself.
Why is this country so tip crazy? Tip, tip, tip. Everyone has their hand out. As an RN for 19 years I saved more than a few lives. Made more than a few people comfortable and did my job well looking out for my patients in ICU...no one ever gave me a tip for a job well done because I'm SUPPOSED to do my job. If I get a massage and pay $65 they should only expect $65. Why more? Aren't they supposed to do a good job? If I get an $80 haircut why should I tip? Aren't they supposed to do a great job so that I come back and give them another $80 in 6-8 weeks? Don't like your job? Get a better one. It's not up to me to fill the gap between what you make and what you think you are worth.
Ok, so then pay them 15 dollars and hour and they won'[t have any incentive to go out of their way for you- or being friendly to you.......there are PLENTY of people that make a "salary" and don't do anything above and beyond because they are going to get the same amount of pay, regardless...........and that includes a couple NURSES I had when I was in the hospital! Have a great day!
I think it is quite interesting, the varying responses that this is getting. As someone who has served as a main source of income for years, in multiple countries, including my home country... USA. I am shocked by the "I deserve it" attitude that some of these comments display.... serving is just that... you do whatever you can to make the dining party feel as if they are kings and queens. You are as pleasant as possible, they have worries surrounding them everywhere outside of that eating establishment, they pay to go out to eat to have to play hide and seek with their server or leave wearing a new shade of soup... they go to breathe and unwind. I once spilled red wine on a beautiful white cashmere sweater. I appologized profusely and made every attempt to sop it up, I asked my manager to speak with the party and he offered to comp her meal. I asked for her to send me the dry cleaning bill, she did and I happily paid for it. This woman became one of my most frequent customers, always bringing in new folks. We later laughed about the situation and she nicknamed me "Merlot". All this is to say... the food industry is one of chaos behind the kitchen doors, but at a server, it is our job to go to whatever lengths we can to entertain and please our guests with an extrordinary dining experience, whether you are working in a midnight diner or a 5 star restaurant. - Stepping off my soapbox now
Well..I do tip good ..around 20%. But, When I hear someone complain about it or if the waiter(ess) tells me that the table overn there did not leave him/her any tip....it ticks me off. like they are trying to give u a hint to tip them good. First thing, if you're gonna complain about your minimum pay, go find another job. No one is forcing you to live off of commissions. you get paid for your service and your commission is a bye product of your service as well. And if someone does not tip....dont whine about it..be prepared for it or find a steady job.
It seems we have been so brainwashed to leave tips that we have forgotten what they are for. I for one will not leave a tip if I've had poor or surly service. I'm not hard to please but I won't be made to feel guilty for not leaving a tip when I've been treated like crap.
Restaurants pay servers a low wage. This encourages servers to work for their pay. And by paying lower wages, the restaurants can afford to serve you an over-sized portion of food at a lower price. Want to pay for a 4 ounce cheeseburger for $12 or a 1/2 pound burger for $6 and a small tip?
5 year server, a tip is too much to ask if you performed like the waitress I described above.
for me if its like $10 take out...yea not giving a tip maybe if its like $50 will i even consider it..
if i rack up a $30 bill at a real restaurant (not a self serve joint) sure ill give a tip if i have cash available...
i will not most of the time give a tip via credit receipt..as either the tip never goes in or the value ive tipped is wrong when it comes through..ie its either higher or lower than i put. so yea prey i have cash man.. i know it sounds like im some cheap good for nothing who does not get how hard the service industry works, but these days tip lines on receipts are coming on everything from general takeout, to self service taco joints, to movie theater tickets where they serve food but where the tip goes to the booth worker not the server..as the servers ticket is separate...so yea im at war with the concept that i see occurring, witch is pay people nothing and use tips as means to justify it-
I have left a negative tip before – and yes it actually works. Remember the price of the meal is the starting point of negotiations. If the restaurant attempts to charge you full price for the sub-standard meal and service simply contest the charge with your credit card (you don't actually give anyone anything of actual value any more do you!?). The multi-billion dollar credit card company will readily side with you and either eat the cost or tell the restaurant to get over it.
Tips are gratuity – which of course means given "voluntarily" or "at my grace".
If a server or restaurant fails to qualify to meet my grace by just doing its job, guess what... no tip. If you do your job poorly, guess what... negative tip. If you, however, do a really good job you'll get a tip.
Don't like those terms? Tough. Stop waiting tables.
Additionally, I'm free to go somewhere else.
I assure you, my money is very good at other restaurants.
I'm a server.
To the customers: If you won't leave less than 15%, then don't go out to eat at a sit-down restaurant!
To the servers: Your paycheck is determined by the customer's desire to be catered to. If you don't meet their minimum expectations, how can you expect the customer to meet your tip demands in return?
Please give and take more on both sides folks. Thank you!
I do not think the tip should be a % of the bill. I have gone to a breakfast place and the waitress works 100% harder for a $10.00 bill than for a dinner place with a much higher bill. Tip for service..period, NOT for % of total bill
I have once left a single penny as a tip. (I'm loath to leave no tip when paying by credit card, the less-than-ethical could just write it in.) However, I also wrote an explanation on the credit card slip as to WHY I left no tip. It was a while ago, so I don't know exactly what the waitress did. However, after waiting tables in college, it takes a lot to get me to leave only a penny.
For stellar service, I tip 20%-30%. I've been in the industry, and I've had my days...so even the worst of service gets some sort of tip just for being there.
I have never left a decent server without some tip, only once did I leave zero, it was at Red lobster in Columbus Ohio, I'd almost have to demonstrate what happened, but after a long wait for a table, a long wait to order and a very long wait for our food, when the waitress brought it she came to the table, completely with her head turned in the other direction, sat our food on the edge of the table, without EVER looking our way and left. That's about as bad as it gets. the waits were not her fault, but the horrible service was, we never even got any of the garlic rolls,and had to chase someone down for the bill. I finally said I either get it now, or I'll just leave.I do hope she found another occupation.
I usually leave a 20% tip if the service was decent, 10% if poor. There has only been once or twice I didn't leave a tip because the service was so poor. You guys work in the Service Industry, you need to provide good service. If you have a problem with the low wage, and poor tippers, get an Education, and a real job like the rest of us. Also, don't bring me the Bill, three minutes after my meal is served, it implies you want me to hurry up and leave, or are done taking care of my needs. You guys do of course claim all those tips as income, and pay taxes on it like the rest of us, right?
Eatsoutoften, it's arrogant to assume that waitstaff DON'T have educations. I'll tell you what, I work at a "high-end" restaurant, and I make about $2000/wk working PART-TIME. Why do I make so much? Because I am an AMAZING server. I'm requested every night I work by people who come back SPECIFICALLY for me.
I also have a Master's Degree in History.
Arrogant, and ignorant. Your education hasn't done much for you.
And by the by...yes, I do pay taxes on my tips. Why would you question that? Because if you were getting cash you wouldn't pay taxes? Also, the word "education" doesn't need to be capitalized. And did you consider for a moment that the waiter/waitress is bring your check simply because it is ready? What's with all the "reading into it" stuff?
It seems like you might have some personal issues you need worked out, buddy. I would tell you that I, of course, would still give you great service if ever you were at one of my tables, but I sincerely doubt that I would ever see someone like you in an establishment that has 3 Michelin stars, a waiting list booked months in advance, and entrees that START at $45.00.
If the service is bad enough to warrant no tip, I make sure that both the waiter and the manager know about it. I try to be very nice and understanding – I do understand that kitchen mistakes are NOT the waiter's fault, but leave me or my family sitting with empty drinks and fawn over a table that's on expense account and you'll get nothing but a complaint to the manager.
When I was waiting tables through college I came to ONE conclusion........serving men always garnished a better tip than waiting on women, especailly women at lunch together.....same service, same friendliness, same everything from me.......my conclusion? Personal insecurities, prejudices, etc....always comes into play when people are parting with their money to someone who is "waiting" on them....................just my opinion.......
For reference:
"According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are individuals engaged in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages.
An employer may credit a portion of a tipped employee's tips against the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. An employer must pay at least $2.13 per hour. However, if an employee's tips combined with the employer's wage of $2.13 per hour do not equal the hourly minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference.
The employer who elects to use the tip credit provision must inform the employee in advance and must be able to show that the employee receives at least the applicable minimum wage (see above) when direct wages and the tip credit allowance are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Also, employees must retain all of their tips, except to the extent that they participate in a valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement."
Therefore, it is never correct to state that "waitresses make less than minimum wage." No, they don't. Their NORMAL hourly wage may in fact be less than minimum wage, but the amount of money they earn from wages and tips will always be at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 (or if not, the employer is breaking the law).
source: http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm
Charlie is a hateful person and a lost cause. Everyone leave him alone now so he can devise a new way to take candy from a baby because " they didn't earn it !!!"
Tell the truth Charlie. You really just want to pay an extra ~20% for everything you order at the restaurant so that the employer can may the waitstaff straight minimum wage. Either that or you are completely incapable of figuring out how much 20% of 35.77 is so you can tip like decent human being.
Go take a nap or some Prozac or something.
Charlie, obviously you have no experience in the food service industry. If you did, you would know that servers in a lot of places often times do you make less than minimum wage, even with tips. This business about the employer "making up the rest to minimum wage" is a crock. It my be labor law to compensate the server, but I can guarantee you that in a lot of restaurants, the employer will NOT make up the difference. So, tips do matter. I don't think the customers should be forced to pay a waiter's salary, but that's just how it is in the US currently. So if you go out to eat, please keep in mind that if you're not going to tip, neither is the wait staff's employer. Please have a little common decency. No one is asking for $100 tips, but be reasonable. If you can't abide by that, there really are a variety of fast food establishments where tips are not accepted and you would fit right in.
We black folk just don't tip. Shoot.
I have had service that was so poor that I left no tip, but normally when I do, I leave a note or have discussed it with managmenet in an attempt to correct the problem. I don't want to be mean to someone who is just overworked, but at the same time if I have to wait for a drink for an extended period of time, I will get pissy.
Breaking down my Paycheck (In california where the min wage is 8/hr) I make $4/ hr. Really All A server does is ask for double the tax (and really is that so much to ask for? Thats like $5 on a $25 bill). Also If you feel that A server isn't doing a good job look around for them, are they talking to a party with menus? Are there many tables around you with menus? Chances are then the server is bogged down with new tables and can bring you the bill while they are taking that tables drink order! One time a table tipped me $2 on an $60 and since it was at the end of the night and it was my last table I chased them down and asked why the tip was so bad? They responded that we didnt have the dessert they were in the mood for (Really people?!) Think about the fact that most servers work that job to pay their way through college. Its not an easy job and not much is being asked for in a tip (think about it your tip pays for maybe 2 gallons of gas)
How busy the server is is not my problem. Want my money? Move faster or have the hostess not double seat you. I don't care what your day is like...you are the job, I am the customer. All I care about is my good time that I AM PAYING FOR!
I rarely tip at restaurant. I don't know why people think we should. The people working there made their own decision to work there so I should make my own decision if I want to tip or not. I work in a different customer service field and it's over the phone service. I'm paid well but there's 0 chance I will ever get a tip $$$ from the customer for the service I give. The only tip I get and find rewarding is the Thank you I get at the end of the call. So tipping people in restaurant should be at your own decision and no one should point fingers if you don't tip....
Maybe you should eat at home if you are so cheap you cannot tip for good service. Part of eatinig in a restaraunt is providing a tip to the wait staff, and if you do not want to, then you should just go to fast food or stay home.
In this customer service job of yours, do they pay you under the legal minimum wage with the expectation that your customers will tip you enough money to make up the difference? If not, then you analogy is absolutely meaningless. I hope you loose your customer service job and have to take a job washing windows at the car wash for $2.13/hr plus tips so that your kids dont starve.
This is in response to Chester.
I get your point. The problem with your view is that it's based on incorrect assumptions.
I am in Ohio. Servers in Ohio, for the most part, received a base salary of $2.13 an hour. They are taxed based on sales, 8-10 percent, depending on the establishment.
So. If I have $1,000 in sales, the government assumes that I've made $100 in tips. Right there, I'm paying out in taxes more than my $2.13 an hour so I now owe the federal government and will pay out during tax season.
If you do not tip me on that $20 meal you purchased, I have not just lost a tip, but I have to pay the taxes on your meal. So I am PAYING for you to screw me.
For the record, I'm not a server. I was during my college years, and let me tell you that my boss would have rolled with laughter if I suggested that I earned less than minimum wage. And on dead afternoons, I certainly did. We all did.
The Labor Department wasn't knocking on anyone's door to make sure we got our due, either.
For those who think that servers don't work hard, I suggest you walk in their shoes before spouting off such inane comments. Don't like the way the system works, there are few things we can do: Don't eat in restaurants. Don't work in them.
This is America and it's how we do things here. Want to pay $40 bucks for a burger? No? Play by the rules, then.
Jennifer, thanks for doing your homework! I hope everyone reads your post!!!
Oh but we are playing by the rules..
Great service = great tip
Okay service = average tip
Terrible service = no tip
So serve well and we do pay up. We aren't trying to cheat or screw anyone. We just like when people go above and beyond and absolutely hate when we aren't "served" with good service.
If service is good, I tip 15%
If service is quirky, I tip 10%
If service is average, sometimes I do not tip. Just for the heck of it. I hate average
One time a guy "forgot" to tip me. He came driving up in an Escalade with big rims on it, flashing his expensive clothes, etc. at me every time I'd come to the table, and I gave EXCELLENT service to him and his buddies. Maybe it's because I don't have a set of boobs, but they didn't tip. Well, lo and behold, he left his cell-phone at the table. When I came back by to bus the table after they were gone, I saw it and raked it right on into the pan with the french fries, mustard juice, and other rancid sourness that you wouldn't believe. He came back and wondered where it was, and I told him that because he didn't tip I had put it in there because he didn't pay me enough to care. :) Morale of the story: Don't "F" with the people who bring your food.
And "if " he really did forget kinda makes you an immature punk arsed kid. What a friggin' loser.
I am 21 years old and work two serving jobs while I'm attending a university and pursuing two degrees. I can hardly afford it, and it's just a regular public university. Unfortunately I often receive no tip, or a tiny tip like 8%, even though there were no problems with the guest, they complimented the food, thanked me for the great service, even ordered dessert, etc. etc. There are tons of people out there who tip crappy for absolutely no reason, well, I always think it's because they've never waited tables or never knew someone well who waited tables. With many guests, there is nothing I can do to get 20% out of them. People on this forum who are calling waiters lazy and stupid and all they do is get drinks and don't even cook the food, etc... There's a lot more to it. Servers have to set up the restaurant in the morning and take it all down at night. They have to help the cooks carry stacks of dishes to and from the cook line. The cooks rarely move from their stations, and the servers bring them their supplies and are always bustling around everywhere. Bar staff (not managers!) have to do bar inventory and stock heavy supplies. Our feet ache from standing for 5-8 hours but if we aren't smiley and cheerful, guests will complain about us. Everyone is responsible for sweeping, stocking, cleaning, mopping, etc. We have to set up for parties, catering events, and banquets, and then take it all apart when the guests are gone.. And with the economy the way it is, there's a lot of pressure for servers to be able to handle the amount of work of 3 peoplein the same amount of time, to cut down on labor costs. We don't just walk in there, bring you your drinks, and then go home. You are paying for both time and service... otherwise you can do all the exact same stuff in your own house and not have to tip yourself. Even if your waitress was slow or forgot a refill or something, you come and tip $3 on $50? I say that that table could have been warmed by someone more socially aware, even if that person tips the same $3 on $15.
I have been a waiter and bartender and I tend to tip very well! Servers work very hard for that money because they receive very little, if any, regular hourly wage. I have also taught my dad how to tip well and he now does a great job. However, there was one time where we had a waitress who was slow and forgetful. The restaurant was not busy and we saw her lounging at the bar and elsewhere in the place and not helping us out. I was so angry that I left a tip of one penny! If you leave nothing then there is always the possibility that the server will just think you forgot, but leaving one penny makes the point that you WERE thinking about it, and that was your intention.
To anyone who has ever left Zero Tip... Next time you think about going to a restaurant, stay home. As a server for many years, I have always maintained my tables with the utmost efficiency. Every now and again, I wouldn't get a tip. This wasn't from poor service I can assure you. Every time you leave a server no tip, not only does it ruin that person's night, mood, and future interactions with the remaining tables for the evening. Furthermore, that person will remember you forever, and if you do go into that restaurant again, rest assured that person will tell all of their co-workers just exactly how cheap you are, and you will receive poor service again. That person isn't serving because they want to, but because they have to in order to pay bills, tuition, etc... Just a little something to chew on before the next time you decide to stiff someone.
p.s. most servers only make $2.65 an hour... try working for that plus tips, then we'll talk
Otie pootie
When bad tippers come in, I give them the service they are tipping me for and tell me coworkers to do the same. So they don't get the extras... I don't bring them refills unless they ask... I don't bring them napkins, sugar, spoons, etc. I don't go back to ask them if their meal is good. Because all they're paying for is Food and Drink, like at a grocery store, not the service that goes with the restaurant experience.
You are one of those I describe. Prejudging customers and treating them bad before they have a chance. Tips are left as a customer leaves. So you could not POSSIBLY know how they tip until after they have left and given you a bad tip for horrid service they got becasue you prejudged them. You got more than you deserve.
So, to all these poor whiners (yes, that would be you folks working as wait staff).... let's cut the cr*p and get this out in the open: What are your average earnings per week?
An earlier poster stated she was earning $700-800 per week, so roughly $15-20/hour. That's a good deal more than minimum wage.
While we're at it, how much of that are you really declaring for tax purposes???
- GY
My husband and I left the waitress a note on the table. " $-5.00 YOU OWE US MONEY" The service was so bad we got disgusted and never returned. We waited for the waitress for over 15 minutes to take our order, after another 45 minutes of waiting she showed up with our food only to find out she got my husbands order wrong TWICE (burger and fries, how can you mess that up?). When she went to refill our soda after we asked her to do that, she then spilled it on my back, she took another 20 minutes to get us our bill. She never came by to ask if we needed anything else or extra napkins, or if our food was ok. The table next to us was seated 20 minutes after us and were done eating 10 minutes before we even got out check. HORRIBLE. Thank goodness that place is now a Walgreen's.
I guess if everyone at one time or another worked in the industry where tips were needed to live, they would feel differently about leaving one..
I've had wait staffers tell me that if a particular wait staffer is taking home less than $40,000 (that's forty thousand!) a year, they are doing it all wrong. They tell me that tips come natural and generously when it is done correctly. Those complainers are worthless and in need of finding a job asking "Would you like cheese on that?" or "Which pump number?"
The comments in general reflect what I understand. If you don't provide good service, don't expect a tip. Period. If I ask for a certain food and you don't bring it, don't expect me to balk and give you a hard time and fight with you. But don't expect a tip either. When I come to the restaurant for a meal I am paying a good price for the meal. You bringing the food correctly is what I pay the tip for. I don't pay a tip for you to show up every 2 1/2 minutes after the food arrives and ask me how things are when you just brought me the wrong drink and the wrong food after a half hour without any food showing up. Oh and by the way? I think the leaving a penny thing is a GREAT idea! That way the wait staff will understand I was upset and not just cheap. If you do the basic things like deliver the right food in a reasonable time frame you will get a good tip. If you go above and beyond and make things right quickly when something went wrong (as they do from time to time) you will get a great tip!
There was only one time that I didn't leave a tip because the service was so bad. I actually left a note that said "here is your tip...get a new job" it was harsh but I did find out that she was fired. My husband and I are very good tippers and always get great service because of it. We've both worked as servers in the past so we know what it can be like. There were more than a few times that bad tippers would leave a $2 tip on a $60 bill even though they got great service. These people did it EVERY time they came in. Nobody wanted to wait on them because it would actually cost the server to wait on them after you factored in tip out at the end of the day. Some people tip bad regardless of the service and when you are making less than min wage as a server you really depend on those tips to pay bills.
My husband and I once left no tip in a particularly disgusting Chinese restaurant in NYC. The server - who had been remarkably rude from the start, had not brought all the dishes we'd ordered, and had not even glanced at our table after delivering the dishes that we did get - chased us down the street and yelled at us for leaving no tip! If ever there was an example of why mandatory tipping is a stupid idea, this guy was it. I tip well when service is good (20% plus), and I tip the minimum when it's just acceptable (18% minus). I will tip low if service is poor but not offensive (10% or less). But I will not tip someone who is abusive and surly. It's not my problem if the employer is underpaying the servers (or not paying them, which may have been the case in this Chinese restaurant). I have refused to tip especially rude taxi drivers in NYC, which is within my rights as a passenger. But it seems that doing so is putting your life in danger: I have gotten some violent reactions. There are also the drivers who flatly refuse to hand back all your change. Better to use a credit card, so you have some control...and a record of the cab number.
Tipping is for services rendered. No service, no tip.
Why should I tip . I provide a service to my customers and I would never expect a tip .
Do you get paid below the legal minimum wage for these services that you offer clients with the expectation that if you provide excellent service they will make up the difference with a nice tip?
It's simple for you, then: Don't eat out. Stay at home and cook your own food, lazy a**.
Wow, I am amazed at not only how many people have not left a tip, but how many people have not left a tip on multiple occasions or regularly don't tip. First I will admit that I once experienced service so poor that I was inclined not to tip, but before it got to that point I would have liked to have gotten up and left the restaurant. However I was with 4 friends and they wanted to stick it out so it was not my choice.
I think what many people fail to realize here is that in the restaurant industry a waiters and waitresses have to tip out other workers in the restaurant. Assuming you are a decent tipper and leave 20 bucks on $100 dollar check, the server probably only gets $15 of that, sometimes less. At many places tipouts are based on the servers sales, so by not tipping, they actually lose money they made from work that had nothing to do with your table. They PAY for you to sit there. Sure, it's no much, but it can range between 4% and 7% of your check.
Another thing I'd like to address is the fact that people have no compassion because a server picked that job and could easily get a job that paid not based on gratuity. Some of us don't have parents who can afford to pay for higher education, yet we still work for it. Waiting tables is one of the only jobs available that allows for a schedule that doesn't interfere with a school schedule. Maybe that server has another job already that doesn't pay the bills and was forced to get a waiting job.
I understand that bad service happens but was it truly the waiters fault or was the kitchen backed up. Did someone call out sick leaving your server with extra tables? If mistakes occurred did they apologize? Maybe something went terribly wrong at another table that had nothing to do with your server and you are feeling the shockwave. Now you are going to not tip, and possibly ruin that person's night. Not getting tipped is like a punch in the face. I'd like to see how well you work after getting punched in the face.
When it comes down to it, if you have said "yes I have not tipped on multiple occasions" on this thread, you should not be going out to eat, STAY AT HOME. If you can't afford to tip, STAY AT HOME. If you feel like 15% is a good tip, STAY AT HOME. If you don't tip on bottles of wine your server retrieved, and poured for you, STAY AT HOME. These are indicators of your decency as a human, if you qualify for any of these you should take a long objective look in the mirror.
I was unable to go beyond high school, but that never made me start waiting tables for a living. I pressed myself to be the best that I could. I impressed perople with my abilities. When I retired 1o years ago, I was pulling down almost 50 grand a year. Luck had nothing to do with it. I worked at it, not standing around waiting for someone to hand it to me, I worked hard for it. Waiters and waitresses get more than they deserve in tips for the most part, expecting 15 to 20% for just being there.
I know several restaraunt owners and not one pays beyond minumum wage. The rest of the wait staffers take home is made by tips, deserved or undeserved.
This is complete hogwash. Tips are not guaranteed, they're earned by providing exemplary food and service. And being able to "afford" to tip is not the point of this discussion. I've never not tipped because I "couldn't afford to". I've not tipped because the waiter was a jerk, or he was incompetent, or the food was bad, or wrong, or cold. If the problems with the restaurant go beyond the waiter, it's not my fault. They need to fix it. For all intents and purposes, the waiter is the "face" of that restaurant, to me. He/she is their representative, and it's his job to ensure that my visit is satisfactory, If not, he/she gets no tip. It's as simple as that.
I was at a Denny's once with a group of friends, and our waitress was rude, ignored our requests, and actually sat down at another table with some of her friends and smoked a ciggaret while our food got cold on the serving counter! Of course, we left no tip! The next night we came back to the same resterant and sat in another section, and we actually heard the waitress from the night before tell our waitress not to bother taking care of us, because we dont tip. She, however, still took excelent care of us... So we took up $10 each, and left the 80 dollar tip fanned out on top of the "Specials" display so everyone could see the fan of bills we left for her!
I would never tip in the first place. You have to be a self-entitled cuuunt to think that you deserve a tip just because you fetch food. Food fetchers are some of the world's biggest losers. This is why they whine about not getting tipped. Only losers whine. Winners do something about it. If you don't like the pay, GET A REAL JOB, YOU IDIOTS. STop crying like little babies and expecting strangers to subsidize your living. I wish you would get hit by a truck. Recap: food fetchers = stupid losers.
I hope that tomorrow your fired from you job and in order to support your family you need to take a job washing windows at the car wash for $2.13/hr plus tips.
You really need to get some compassion in your soul. And eat at home.
WOW. *applause* It's too bad we don't have to use our actual names & photographs here.
tips are for good service, and great food. i'm not tippin if both are not satisfied. In other countries, waiters are gracious for ANY tip at all, here in US, these waiters/waitresses expect it so much that i love to just piss them off.
I've left a penny for awful service – that sends a better message than no tip at all – as well as speaking to the manager about very bad and very good service as well. For average service they get an average tip – 15%. For above average service I've left over 100%. With Bartenders I usually leave the change for a twenty up front (Typically about $16-$17). This usually keeps 'em coming before the the ice is clinking. The few times it didn't work, they got nothing more when I left, which is usually 25% +. I bust my butt at work and don't make a lot of money (Middle class) and I know what no appreciation feels like, so I typically leave above average tips for good service.
I don't tip for bad service, which is more frequently lately it seems.
Waitstaff are inattentive and don't care.
You need more money? Get an education and a real job, or start being nicer.
Maybe a drink refill every now and then.
We could hire trained monkeys that could do a better job than some people I've seen waiting tables.
tips ia actually and old acronym, To Insure Proper Service. And was originally given at the forefront of the meal to insure proper service
That's an urban legend.
http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp
I hardly ever leave less than 20% – I was a waiter for 2 years when I went to school and I will never forgot the back breaking work of a 10 hr shift AND having to come home and study. Even my 7 year old knows about tipping and why I think it is so important. Many times if a Server gives great service and its a dive kinda of a place I'll leave a 50-60% tip. You crappy tippers are freaking jerks.
I always tip in the US, unless the service is particularly bad. But I have not given a tip before- I was in New Zealand, out with classmates and they told me that because the wait staff are paid a good wage, people don't tip there like in America. Why do servers in the US make such poor money? I get that they need tips, and I usually tip 20%, but paying your waitresses a working wage seems more sensible to me.
I think its better for the consumer this way. The alternative is to charge ~20% more for all the food ordered at the restaurant. But then, what happens if you get absolutely horrible service? You cant choose to pay 10% less for the meal because you were unhappy with your service in that case. At least this way the price of the meal stays down and you can tip whatever you feel the service is actually worth.
When the service and food is bad, in lieu of a monetary tip, I leave a written "tip" in the form of a note, which reads: "Here's your tip. Provide good food that's hot and flavorful and service that's friendly and memorable, and I'll leave you a monetary tip next time. Today, you did neither, which is why I'm leaving you this piece of advice. Have a nice day."
I guarantee you that most of the people who complain about having to leave a tip have never worked as a waiter. Its so insulting that you wouldn't leave a tip. Are you kidding? This idea of leaving tips wasn't introduced yesterday. Get a grip, if you're not going to tip, then go to McDonald's and suck down all of that transfat and enjoy your diabetes.
Don't tell me I need to be 'nice' and leave extra money for someone just doing their job.
Don't tell me there is a minimum percentage I need to give as extra to the meal, I will give what I want to give, if anything.
All this attempt to make people feel guilty about what they do or do not pay.
If I feel a service is worth extra then fine, I could leave a tip. If I think however that its considered a given, and I'm being judged on it, then all you do is get me p****d and you will get jack.
Lets tip the servers, lets tip the barman, lets tip the taxi driver etc, For what? doing what they decided to take as a job?
Don't get mad at the customers that are poor tippers, get mad at the management that are laughing in the back room about how little they are paying their staff.
It should be that getting a tip is a bonus and you say thank you. Instead people expect a tip and get upset when they don't get one. Talk about entitlement.
I hope you loose your job tomorrow and are forced to take a job cleaning windows at a car wash for $2.13/hr plus tips to support your family...
You do Sean? thats so nice of you.
I'm fairly sure however that if I was in that desperate a situation then I would be gratefully receiving any tips I got, rather than expecting them as standard. See how that just confirmed exactly what I said in my post?
And Im sure if the lively hood of your family depended on it you would work your heart out for each and every customer and have absolutely no problem if people like you left you no tip at all?
My wife and I would visit my grandparents in southern Texas every year and go to a specific restaurant that we both liked with my grandparents who could not understand why when we were with them the service was so much better than when they came alone. They thought it was that because they were old and retired that the "Mexican" help was intentionally ignoring them. Come to find out, they were only tipping $2.00 on a $20.00 to $30.00 tab. When we went with them, we tipped ~20%. My wife and I knew right away why the service was so much better when we were there.
Yep, that's how it works. We remember everything and everyone.
Having been a server I rarely leave no tip. With exceptional service I pay with a card and put $1 and some change on the card and then leave teh real tip in cash (let them tell the tax man what they want). If the food is bad, tip is not effected, if it is cold, then that is the server's fault. I will knock 5% off the tip (give 15% instead of 20%) if I pay in cash and they ask "do you need change". They should say "I will be right back with your change."
Canada's minimum wage is at least 8.00 hr, so tipping for someone to cook for food, bring you your food and do the dishes, when they get paid to do that (it's called their JOB), is up to the individual. If the service is outstanding then I tip, but if they perfomr their minimum job requirements....no tip.
Nobody tips me for doing my job and I only get 24.00/hr.
I am a servre and make great tips 99% of the time! The other 1% it terrible! Some people you can't please no matter how hard you work for them. Just the truth. I work my hardest to make sure you have a good time and are happy. If I make a mistake I will own up to it and apologize, if we are busy and I know things are taking longer I WILL tell you that. If you are rude to me I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you are having a bad day. I have MANY tables that come in and if they see that I am working request to sit in my section. Doesn't matter the age group they apprecaite me for a reason! I have some people that don't tip as well as others but I could care less beacuse they are so much fun to have in my section. They tip and I know they appreciate the service I give them. However, if you are RUDE demading impatient, and outright disrespectful and I still work hard for you and you leave me a terrible tip...believe that I will remember who you are and I will not make nearly as much effort if that is how you act everytime you walk in. I LOVE my job and enjoy making people smile and hope that they have a great time! It is a part time job to me, but I still give it my all!
Why in the world is the tip based on the $ amount you spend. Did the server work any harder to bring my wife a $10 burger than they did to bring me a $21 steak. With our current system, I pay twice as much on my portion of the tip than my wife's portion of the tip. Makes no sense to me.
Good question. I also wonder what is the proper tip in a buffet. They just bring the drink and I have to do everything else. ???
The alternative is just a flat ~20% increase in the price of all food that you order at the restaurant. At least with the way it is now if the service is very poor you have the option of leaving a much lower tip.
Why do any sales people make commission based on their sales. Oh, because it's SALES. A waiter who knows more about the food and beverage will likely provide a better service and you are likely to leave happier. A waiter who knows more about the food and beverage will likely be working in a place that sells less burgers and more steaks. The reality of the situation is, tips on selling burgers doesn't pay bills, it requires a few steaks to even have a waiter or waitress there to give you service.
Thank you Andy!! That is what I think. The poor breakfast wait person filling coffee cups over and over and actually making some of the food get % of a low bill whereas the dinner wait person just brings out the food that someone else prepared and gets a big % of a very big bill. This is wrong!!
I normally will leave a 15%-20% tip depending on the quality of the service and price of the meal. That being said, there was one instance in my life where I absolutely did not tip. Our waitress extremely overcharged us for our meals, almost double what was on the menu! Also the price she charged was completely pulled from thin air, was not even on the menu. Me and my friends who had ordered the meal were teenagers and didn't even have the money to pay the ridiculous bill she gave us. When we argued with her about it she absolutely refused to hear us out and I had to ask multiple times for the manager, and finally got to see him after about a half an hour. Even though it hurt the rest of the wait staff there was no way I was letting the woman get away with any of my money after the way she treated us.
If you don't like the service, don't give a tip. But NEVER leave a penny – that's stupid and insulting.
That's the point, so the server knows you didn't forget.
Kat, good point. I worked as a delivery driver for Pizza Hut once upon a time and I always greeted people with a smile, the "yes sir, no ma'am" blah blah blah...well, this one dude wrote a check and it was for 10 cents too much and when I told him, he says (giggling) "well, I guess you get a tip." That's the kind of person that deserves to get a booger in his next order.
Many restaurants require their servers to tip a percentage of their sales. T.G.I. Friday's, for example, operates on a 3% tip out (at least the one I worked at did), meaning on a 100 dollar bill I'm giving management 3 dollars at the end of the night to be dispersed amongst ancillary staff. This happens regardless of the tip I received on that 100 dollar bill. So if someone comes in and doesn't tip, I didn't simply serve them for free–it actually cost me money to serve them.
Generally I'm what my wife calls an "over-tipper", but there have been a couple of times over the years when we have left no tip at all – one time in particular comes to mind, when we were at a significantly upscale restaurant in Boston. The waitress got both of our orders significantly wrong, starting with the clam chowder that my wife received instead of the barley soup she had ordered and later bringing me a seafood dish when I had ordered lamb; she made no apology for her mistakes and banged the lamb dish down when she finally brought it a half hour later. After the bill came, we waited... and waited... for her to return with our change; eventually she came over and asked us to "hurry up and leave" since they had people waiting for the table, and when we told her we were waiting for our change she want ballistic. At least the manager was apologetic when we spoke to him on our way out.
In Europe, it's considered rude and arrogant to leave cash behind on the table as a tip. The restaurants there pay their servers a real working wage, and the tip is usually small and figured into the bill by the customer. Here, the capitalists insist on paying their servers below minimum wage, and give their customers the burden of supporting the server's livelihood. The Europeans are doing it the right way. We've been duped here in the U.S.
That is simply not accurate. While tipping in Europe is quite insignificant compared to the U.S., it is ridiculous to say it is considered rude and arrogant to tip. It is generally the change on the dollar.
READ CAREFULLY: I said it was considered rude and arrogant to LEAVE CASH ON THE TABLE as a tip.
I've lived in Europe and they never saw a tip as rude, just unnecessary. Some non touristy places might think you forgot your change and hand it back, but they are not insulted – more complimented that you were that happy.
READ CAREFULLY: I said it was considered rude and arrogant to LEAVE CASH BEHIND ON THE TABLE as a tip.
READ CAREFULLY: I said it was considered rude and arrogant to LEAVE CASH ON THE TABLE as a tip. Is isn't done over there, trust me.
How is it our burden to support the server? Let's say American restaurants are all of a sudden required to pay the waitstaff minimum wage. Your $8 burger now costs a minimum of $10 and you have no choice but to pay the server. As it is if the server is bad you can chose to tip or not. Say you tip 20% on an $8 burger it will cost you $1.60. That's still cheaper than a $10 burger.
I use to be a waitress as well as a bartender so I tend to be a very good tipper because of my previous food service history. At the same time because I know what it takes to keep a customer happy nothing infuriates me more than terrible service – you know it when you see it. You have to constantly ask for refills, napkins, utensils, your order is incorrect – everything is WRONG and the server is unapologetic. I will not leave w/o giving a tip at all but I do know a fancy trick. If I feel you did not work for a decent tip – you WILL WORK for the tip I leave – which is to take a couple $$ bills and put them under a glass full of water turned upside down. For me flipping this glass over on top of the money is the easy part – its the waitress trying to get pick this glass up that is not. You will either (A) – make a mess with spilled water all over the place OR (B) you can take the time to try and slide the glass and the money to the edge of the table where you have a tray or bin waiting. Either way, as I stated earlier, you WILL WORK for my tip – as I am not in the habit of just giving money away to the undeserved!
you're a sadist.
See here: http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
This is what the government defines.
Unfortunately anyone taking a job as a server knows the job provides what is basically performance related pay, if you perform, you earn more, you disappoint and receive less or none. If you don't like it, don't take the job. I really don't understand why the USA as adopted this scheme – having traveled around the world, the US is just about the only country where tip money is substituted for the servers pay – elsewhere the tip is just that, a thank you to the server/chef for doing an excellent job, on top of a fair wage – however here it has become an obligation, very much akin to a "tax" – perhaps it should be renamed "service tax"?
- GY
...anyway...I am NOT complaining...in reality I can go nowhere else in this financially depressed region and make 600 or 700 a week like I am now!! No, I don't have insurance..or retirement...or sick pay....but I have a nice place...nice cars....and have fun doing what I do...Thanks to all you folks who recognize good servers like me and actually request that only I serve you!!! Those people, who wait an extra 10 minutes for one of my tables to free up are the folks who make my day!! Sincerely....thank you!!
The problem is that we have lost the whole purpose of tipping. I understand that servers make less than minimum wage, and although I beleive that at a minimum they should get minimum wage, tipping has become more of a requirement than anything. Everybody says that you should tip cause the people work hard, well do we tip the store salesperson that went to get you 3 different sizes of dress while you were trying them out. In todays environment servers beleive that they are automatically entitled to the tip. Let them earn it just like every one of us has to earns those tip dollars.
One time I was in Denver dining solo and the waitress (Hannah at the Capital Grill) charged me for two iced teas because I "had like six refills and most customers only have three or four at the most." So I left her a very lengthy tip – a tip about what good customer service is and that I was appauled. Her tip was origially $14 (I was alone) – as I had written in the tip before I noticed the error. Needless to say I wrote a letter that night to the manager via the website, and three weeks later I got $200 gift card. My meal was only $55. So, not a bad result.
As a restaurant owner with servers, and a former server/bartender, short of being yelled at our insulted, I will always tip a server. It is a deceptively difficult job, and one that many guests just take for granted. The server position is pivotal to the overall dining experience, and in my view, it is very reasonable to express your appreciation for the role they play in feeding you by tipping them. In defense of the restaurant industry, a fundamental reason restaurants pay 2.13/hour to servers is not because we're greedy(most cannot fathom how low restaurant margins are after all expenses, and how big of a component labor already is), but because patrons demand excellent service and to provide that, it takes lots of bodies on the floor. Those bodies, at $8-10$ per hour, would be insupportable, and we'd have to put less servers on the floor, which means slower, less accurate, less friendly, dirtier service. Our American culture would not tolerate it. Yes, there are a handful of states, like California that do pay the regular minimum wage, but what you'll find at a typical restaurant there is an 80-seat restaurant with 3 servers, empty water glasses, unbussed tables, and slow service.
Many jobs are difficult that do not allow for tips; janitors at school, teachers, homer repair workers, etc.
Tips are optional. Nobody is holding a gun to your head to tip your waiter; however, they are customary in this country and others. If you don't like to tip or don't want to tip, don't go out to eat. In fact, tips aren't just exclusive to waiters. What about the valet guy? Or the pizza delivery person? I have even tipped housekeeping for a great job done. My personal rule, in the service industry good service deserves a tip.
I've left a penny before, but only for life-threatening service. I mean that literally.
We were at a chain restaurant we went to regularly, me, three buddies and two of their girlfriends. One friend ordered a sundae with no nuts, since he was really, really allergic to nuts. It got to the table, his girlfriend asked for a bite and, lo and behold, nuts. We flagged the waitress down and complained. Without a word she grabbed the sundae & left, stomping as she did. The sundae came back with the whipped cream scraped off. We informed her this wasn't sufficient, she gave us a dirty look and left with the sundae, again. We could hear her in the back complaining to the staff, and we were fully a room away from the kitchen. She came back with a new sundae and slammed it down on the table, saying only, "There!"
We called the manager over to complain. As soon as he left she swooped down on the table and proclaimed, "If there's a problem with THIS one the MANAGER made it. Bitch to him. HE made it." One of my friends replied, "No, our problem's not with the sundae." She looked at us, silently, for about thirty seconds. Then she left.
We left the penny so she'd be sure we hadn't just forgotten to tip her, but somehow I suspect she didn't learn much.
A tip is a gratuity: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gratuity
I used to figure exactly 15% with my iPod's calculator, now I do it in my head.
I do not believe in the tipping process - it's a totally convoluted system. If the employers' prices aren't enough to cover salary, raise the prices. Salary is overhead like any other overhead.
Tipping is too "convoluted"? Man, you're gonna have some major problems when you discover "sales tax".
Basically what I hear you saying is that you want to pay ~20% more on your actual bill and not have to worry about tipping?
I have never left no tip at all, but I have left tips as low as 5%. I usually tip at least 15% for average service but will tip up to 25% for good service or lower for poor service Once when I was a teenager a few friends an I were eating at Dennys or IHOP or something where you pay the bill up front. We were at the counter paying with large cash bills and getting smaller bills to leave a proper tip. The waitress was clearing the table and found some pennies that we were playing a game with and assumed that was her tip. She came up to us at the register and started b1tching and yelling. The manager started to kick us out when the women at the register stood up for us because we mentioned to her that we needed her to break large bills to pay the waitress an actual tip. Needless to say her cussing us out and the manager attempting to kick us out severely effected her actual tip in the end.
i get better service from most fast food joints than i do when eating out, and we dont expect to tip the server at Mc Ds etc. At the end of the day you choose a profession that invovles voluntary tips. No other person other than your EMPLOYER is responsable to help with your bills. I have worked at several jobs that involve tips so i've been in the trenches, but at the same time thats why i now choose to not work for tips. And a general rule of thumb, if I have to wait to get my water filled or if i go the whole meal with an empty glass of water the whole meal.....suprise you get no tip!!! at the end of the day if you have extra money to throw at someone when you feel they SERVED you well then by all means go on ahead, but at the same time SERVERS understand that tips are voluntary and your actions determine what you do and dont get. And also we are in one of the worst economic times ever many people are struggling just for that meal, let alone tack on another $5-$10 per person for a tip.
What restaurants are you eating at where the service is worse than McDs? You know you have to serve yourself at Golden Coral? J/K, but seriously what McDs has servers other than their diners?
There have been times when the service was so bad I was tempted to leave a small tip, never less then 10% but on average I usually leave a 20% tip. I have worked in the service industry and know that they survive by what the customers leave them. I also know from experience that the majority of people who don't tip or tip less than 20% (usually 5 to 10%) are people who can well afford to give a 20% tip.
Something that bothers me is when there are six or more people in the party and the restaurant automatically adds 18% gratuity to my bill when the service sucked – I have no decision in the tipping process!
Cecil,
If you don't feel that the "included" tip matched the service you received, you should speak with a manager for 2 reasons: one, he/she will remove the mandatory tip and will let you write in what you think is fair (if anything); and two, he/she should be made aware if you're not receiving excellent service so he/she can fix the problem.
The truth of it is the waiter has decided on the level of service you will receive by the time you sit down. Call it "customer profiling" if you will. People obviously tip over a wide spectrum. You only have to read these blogs to understand that. A good waiter can tell where you probably are on the spectrum by the time you get your menu.
I have many friends who have waited tables so I'm always generous (too generous according to my husband) when I leave a tip. That being said, I have left no tip a couple of times when the service was beyond bad. I also made a point of letting the manager know because they can't improve the service if they don't know there's a problem to begin with.
Tipping in restaurants is done here in Canada, but it does not seem to be as mandatory as in the US nor is it as widespread through other service industries.
Last year, when minimum wage came up for an increase, the business community tried to convince one of the provinces that there should be a separate "minimum wage" for servers in restaurants, so the business owners could afford to pay higher wages to the kitchen staff (apparently it is harder to keep good kitchen staff than good waitstaff). I believe they were surprised by the immediate backlash by the general public. Never worked as a waitress in my life, but it's easy to see how hard they work, so I was one of the many who wrote pointed letters to the politicians indicating opposition to the proposal and the intention to boycott any establishment that promoted such a practice. Waiters and waitresses are entitled to a living wage in exchange for their honest work, just like everyone else. The proposal did not pass.
In answer to the poll, my family and I normally tip in the 20%-25% range. On the other hand, I don't recall ever having "bad" service from a waiter or waitress at a restaurant, except for one clerk at a MacDonalds in Quebec....and that hardly counts.
I lived in Japan for a while, where there is never any tipping at your average restaurant (or any service industry). It is simply built into the expectation of dining out that your waiter does their very best for you. While this did allow for lazy service without repercussion at times, when there was good service it was refreshing to eat in a system where that wasn't a "bonus." In retrospect, it made me very aware that in a tipping culture it is the very function of tipping to ensure good service. If an establishment feels that tips are a required fee, they should include it on the bill and be up front about it, which many do, particularly for large groups. Aside from that, if tips are left to the customer's decision, the entire point is to reflect service. Just getting the food is not enough; that's what the check is for.
I have not left tips when they add it onto the bill, already. Most cases i would have tipped more than what they charged on the bill.
My friend is the worst tipper, even with great service she will leave no more that 8 to 10%. Oy vey! We take turns buying, when she buys I hide cash under my plate to make up for her poor tipping.
Being a server for 5 years...I understand why we have tipping....it ensures better service for you...and gives me a reason to be my best. I guess what people really want is for me to show I care about them. I can screw up an order and STILL get 30 percent because I am honest about it and really do care!! I enjoy it and thats the difference...if you don't like serving...go do something else!! And guess what? My biggest tippers are family folk from the hills that look like they have no money!! The business types are really tight...as are the bible thumping sunday crowd...Do you REALLY think a freaking bible tract is a tip?..
Love this discussion. I definitely have not tipped for poor service in the past. But I also tip extraordinarily well for extraordinary service. The problem lies in the fact that there are individuals who feel entitled to a tip simply for doing their jobs. The status quo won't cut it if you're hoping for a great tip–you've got to go above and beyond the call of duty. I also imagine that the people who are upset in these posts are the victims of poor tipping, and likely extreme laziness on their parts. Where are the waitresses getting great tips? Why aren't they complaining?
Meanest thing I ever did: left a big, smiling happy face in the tip box. But the service, attitude and food were all lacking. :O)
Oh, I forgot. The stupidest thing a waiter ever did to me was give me horrible, rude service, and then give me back more change than I was owed because he didn't want to mess with counting change. I actually walked out of there paying less for my meal than the ticket stated! HAHAHA!
I am usually a good tipper, but I always make sure to leave the tip on my card, not in cash. That way the waiter has no choice but to report their taxable income.
Before I waited tables I was extremely critical of service. Now having waited tables I am still critical of service but have a much better understanding of what goes on in the kitchen. I always tip 20% unless the server is rude. In which case I tip 20% (because the busboys depend on those tips too!) and write a note or talk to the manager letting them know that I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt – maybe they're having a bad day but I hope they're nicer to the next table. On very few occasions I have tipped less because service was SO bad, in which case I left a tip for the busboy and foodrunners with the manger letting them know that our server was flat out mean. It's a hard job and in the US, they're income depends on tips.
Chester is the one with no clue, waitstaff have a completely separate minimum wage from everyone because their wages are subsidized by tips Bartenders, waiters and waitresses legal minimum wage is $2.13 an hour! TWO! In your workplace there should be a poster in the break room with the current minimum wage and underneath or off to the side it will have in parenthesis "Food service $2.13" This is a fact per the Department of Labor http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm
your wrong, it depends on what state you live in. I just checked. In Cali, all people are required at least minimum wage, even food service employees.
The reason why Cali (a state that I think should disappear) pays their servers min. wage is because the cost of living is so much higher than other states. So, in effect, your still stiffing your servers.
Dont' forget that most waitstaff also has to tip out ther bartender and busboy, and sometimes the chef and host. So the tips they earn are not going straight into their pockets. Additionally, many times, restaurants do not compensate employees if they had a very slow day and didn't make minimum wage per our. Yes, that is the restaurant breaking the law but that's what happens.
There have been times when I have been too broke to tip. Yes, I realize that you shouldn't go out if you can't afford to tip, but if you are broke sometimes you have to splurge a bit. Also, there are some cafe style restaurants that I'm never sure if you should tip or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
"Yes, I realize that you shouldn't go out if you can't afford to tip, but if you are broke sometimes you have to splurge a bit."
Ah yes, the mentality that keeps broke people broke. Thanks for making the rest of us feel better about ourselves.
If someone is waiting on you, you need to tip them. Perioed. If you can't afford to tip a dollar or two, you should be home, making Hamburger Helper, not eating out.
I have never left nothing but the idea that you HAVE to leave 20% is absurd. The way we were taught is there were 15% restaurants and 20% restaurants. The 20% restaurants are the finer dining establishments where you actually dress to go to dinner (normally $30+ a plate), the chain sit down dining restaurants were 15% or better for good service but 15% was minimum. Etiquette stated that you ALWAYS leave a tip but if the service was bad, you talk to the manager and make sure the server knew that you were dissatisfied with their service. A bad tip is usually only known to the servers, not management.
That being said...and having MANY friends who were or are in the food industry...we usually tip 20% or better unless the meal is comp'd by a friend. Then we give the server what the meal would have cost us since their service is usually pretty good since we know the Chef, owner, etc.
Well I tip but i believe its become an accepted practice in the service industry. The owners pay crap wages and expect us to subsidize the rest. So why don't we do it for all services performed for us? Do you pay tip at the movie (well they clean the seats before you get there and sell you tickets) or for collecting my garbage.
My point is, you should only tip as an acclamation of great service and at your discretion – not because you are being forced to and made to look bad if you do not. In other countries, it is not the same and you are not chased out of a restaurant if you do not tip.
good service, bad service, tip, no tip......regardless of all that, the end result is still the same. we eat, we crap. simple as that
I have waited tables for 15 years. I believe that people who do not tip know that they will not tip before they walk in the door. These kind of people disgust me. I have had all kinds of service; however because I have been in their shoes and I completely understand I leave at least 15%. For instance Father's day five of us went to outback and it was great total bill before tip was $122. I left a 28.00 tip. When I'm in a big party especially with kids I know they are going to grat us. There are usually two or more servers working on this kind of party! I tip over the 15% to cover them. If you cannot tip right you shouldn't go out to eat!
Its very simple if you get good service reward them; if you get poor service, dont reward them. One thing the wait staff doesnt tell you about living off of tips is every place has what is called a minimum wage adjustment. By law no employee can make below minimum wage so if an employee comes up short (base pay + tips) during his pay period the company has to adjust his pay to meet minimum wage requirement. It's very simple, if you want to make above minimum wage serve your customers well, if not don't complain.
I don't get tipped, I never tip, the service is irrelevant. Don't get paid enough? get another job. Sorry.
Have a nice day. (On the other hand, I go to sit-down restaurants maybe two timer a year...)
I absolutely never tip. The idea behind tipping started off as a gesture to show someone that their service went above and beyond; now people just expect it! My father is a TV repair man, he is 76 yrs old, he literally makes house calls and bends over backwards for customers. I know this because I helped him with the business my entire child life up until when I began college 5 yrs ago. Of the thousands of jobs he had throughout his career and my time helping out, we got tipped approx 4 times (and this is a very generous assumption). My point here is that tipping is generally a practice reserved for the food service industry, and I sure as hell wont tip a waitress who brings my food or a bartender that pours me a damn drink. My father dealt with so much crap from customers, but no one game a crap about him. I won't start tipping until it is generally accepted, in all professions, that tipping is acceptable and only served as a REWARD for doing an exceptional job, not a mandatory fee relied upon the employee. I have been approached and threatened by people who convince me to pay tips, but it will never happen. A waitress makes minimum wage + tips, a welder in a factory makes minimum wage; both work hard, why does only one get tipped?
Charlie: A server makes $2.13+ tips!! When they wait on you they make $2.13!?!!!
Are you kidding me! By law you can't make below minimum wage, or the company must compensate you. I have tons of friends working at Denny's...all get paid minimum wage. Why? Because it's the law.
Charlie: I worked at many different restaurants while I was in college (Chili's, Laundry's, etc.) and never once was I payed more than $ 2.13 an hour. I urge you to please look at your states labor department to get the facts before you stiff any more servers.
Karma. That's all I can say to people like you Charlie.
Karma...seriously? For treating people fairly? Janitors who clean the vomit off the floor of campus rest rooms don't get tipped...do you tip them? If not, "karma is all i can say...blah blah blah".
douche is all i can say
"By law they have to make minimum wage". If you are going to quote the law you should know what it says. Servers here in Florida make $2.33/hr. Restaurants can legally do this because its assumed that waitstaff earns tips to put them at least at or over the minimum wage. Unless they wait on you, you cheap bastard. Im sure if your father did TV repair for $.25/hr plus tips, you would have a different outlook on things.
Your a damn fool:
"According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are individuals engaged in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages.
An employer may credit a portion of a tipped employee's tips against the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. An employer must pay at least $2.13 per hour. However, if an employee's tips combined with the employer's wage of $2.13 per hour do not equal the hourly minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference.
The employer who elects to use the tip credit provision must inform the employee in advance and must be able to show that the employee receives at least the applicable minimum wage (see above) when direct wages and the tip credit allowance are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Also, employees must retain all of their tips, except to the extent that they participate in a valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement."
Therefore, it is never correct to state that "waitresses make less than minimum wage." No, they don't. Their NORMAL hourly wage may in fact be less than minimum wage, but the amount of money they earn from wages and tips will always be at least minimum wage (or if not, the employer is breaking the law).
source: dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm
Charlie is a hateful person and a lost cause. Everyone leave him alone now so he can devise a new way to take candy from a baby because " they didn't earn it !!!!!!"
Yes, I am so hateful that I choose not to tip 1 individual over the other. If I can't tip a bestbuy employee for helping me troubleshoot my computer I bought at CompUSA, why should I tip a waitress who makes the same direct wages? As I have said before, the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. The employer can choose to pay and hourly wage of $2.13, but the amount of money they earn from wages and tips will always be at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 or the employer must compensate.
Charlie, seriously look up your state's labor laws. It may very well be that your particular state requires minimum wage to servers, but the majority of states only have to pay $2.13 or another amount far below minimum wage. At least be armed with this knowledge before you go out to eat next time – you may be absolutely right about your area, but may be wrong if you are on vacation in another state.
You really are a douche. Not tipping because of poor service I can understand. But to not tip because you don't want to give into social norms is a d*ck move. All this does is show what cheap bastard you are. If anything I overtip because of pr*cks like you that assume that because you don't get tipped for your job that you shouldn't have to tip someone else. All the server is trying to do is make enough money to pay the bills. That can be hard to do at just over $2.00 an hour. Enjoy your phlem burger the next time you go out. A$$.
Charlie, you sound bitter. Maybe you would start feeling better about yourself if you did unto others as you would have done to you. Why don't you be a bigger person than those unappreciative customers of your father instead of being just like them and continuing the chain of selfishness?
Thats a bad mentality. All people should have the right to be tipped and accept tips for doing a job over and above their call of duty. However, the food industry REQUIRES a tip. How can you require "gratuity"? Furthermore, in many occupations, such as working for large retailers, employees cannot accept tips.
A buddy and I went to a bar last night and ordered a couple New Castles on tap. The bartender took a mug and filled it up, my buddy tipped $2 for that "service". Why? Because of "pri*Ks" like me who dont tip? The bartender got that job knowing the hardships it may cause. Ohhhh, but the tips are great! Right?
Gratuity should not be mandatory, and no one should make you feel bad for choosing not to.
Charlie, I hope you lose your job and are forced to wait tables or bartend for your money.
You won't make much, though...I promise.
I work at a technology service desk helping students with computer related problems. Do you know how long it takes to help an emeritus professor set up a Thunderbird account on a Mac over the phone? How about helping students compute syntax code for SPSS or website building on the schools FTP? Takes me a long time. I get paid minimum wage, work my butt off, and I don't get tipped–I dont expect it either. There was one time though! I got a $100 tip from an older student for helping him with visual basic software...I was required by my employer to refuse it. Everything I do is a JOB REQUIREMENT.
Honestly you all seem pretty ignorant about the topic.
@Charlie: You have a very good point. Personally I have always made it a point to tip people for good service. Growing up I lived in PA and made it a habit to tip even gas-station attendant whom would offer to finish pumping my gas while it was snowing. My family always did similar things. I remember making hot chocolate and some sandwiches for workers fixing a drain pipe by our house or plowing the road. The point is, you are correct in theory that tips should be used for exceptional service. The problem is that it has become the social norm.
@Other people posting in this portion of the thread:
Stop with all the attacks at the guy. he has a valid point. There are numerous professions that are considered services, most of which are not deemed acceptable to tip, let alone required.
If you are a waitress and your pay comes out below minimum wage, after averaging the hours, your employer does need to make up the difference. If he/she do not, contact the local labor office - they are screwing you.
Personally while I was in grade school I worked as a Caddie, Dishwasher, Cook and Waiter. Some days the job sucked, sometimes it didn't. Overall I would never say that the job was hard. You want a hard job, try being an engineer or an architect. Those are hard jobs. Just because a job makes you tired and your feet hurt after standing for eight hours doesn't make it difficult, so please stop saying your profession is "hard".
As for actually tipping. I will never leave zero tip, but on certain occasions, which are few and far between, I have only left some change. On other occasions I have left tips upwards of 50%.
I remember one time at Melting Pot just outside Wilmington DE we had a gift card that covered our meal and our waiter was amazing. Always quick with orders, refilled our drinks without asking, didn't try to bother us and gave well thought out advice on the flavors of their different items. I paid the bill with the card, then tipped the guy the total of the bill, around $70.
Sometimes you find a person in the service industry you really wish to reward, other times you wish you could take some cash away from someone and give it to another person.
Feel free to flame me now. I am sure several 'adults' will insist on attacking me and resort to name-calling instead of providing anything worthy of discussion.
@doesnotcare
Thank you. I would like to say, however, that although it may be a "social norm" it does not necessarily mean it is right. Pirating music is now a social norm also slavery (although an extreme point) was once a social norm. It may be socially desirable, but I refuse to engage in an act I feel is unfair to others. Tips are fine only when the opportunity to be tipped is allowed for everyone "But no, society says don't tip these guys over here, but tip these guys over here. That's bullshit. "
You bet your butt I've walked out without leaving a tip! The service was HORRIBLE. At one point my husband had to get up and walk around the place asking where our waiter was. He was found outside, smoking......it was a horrible night made worse when we asked for to speak to the manager/owner.....and the best part was when the waiter came running after us in the parking lot, flipping us the bird, when he discovered we left him nothing. I would have no problem doing it all over again. If I am provided with bad service, then I am not going to reward you for it.
It's fine if some people don't want to tip. They're not being very fair or nice to their server, but it makes the server more motivated for the rest of us. Unless you go to a new restaurant every time, you'll be ID'd very quickly. If the same for good tippers – servers know who they are. The worse the public at large tips, the more valuable my good tip is to a server. So...thanks(?)
I have rarely left no tip, but I have certainly reduced my tip based on the quality of service. I also could care less about how "poor" food servers are either. They work for the restaurant's owner and it is their basic job to make me feel like a welcome guest and bring my food to me promptly and cheerfully. I give a full (15%) and sometimes 25-30% when a server treats me like a valued client and is very attentive, but less than that, they've earned their wage which was factored into the price of my meal. Tips are earned, they are not a God-given right!
I keep reading, over and over, about how a resteraunt provides you with a clean table, and that it figures in to your tip. Ummm, hellooooo.... clean eating enviroment is required by LAW. If the table's not clean imagine what the kitchen must be like!!!
I only tip 15% if the service was poor, but usually tip 20% for average to excellent service. Many of my friends are servers and I see how they struggle. However, one time I was going from one flight to another and stopped at a bar/restaurant in the Pittsburgh airport to have a cigarette. I ordered a soda (that's it, no food). It took quite some time to get this soda, about 15 minutes, although the restaurant was not busy. I did not drink the soda and left exact money for the soda, but no tip, because I had to run to the next flight. Sorry, but it doesn't take 15 minutes to get a soda, and I was about to miss my flight.
Folks, can someone define what a tip is and why one should tip??? I am not mean or conservative....but this question has been lurking my mind. Here's my argument, you go to a shop you buy something, you pay the bill; no tip there. So why this has to be different in food service industry. I pay my check for the food I consumed; why am I being expected to pay extra 10 to 15% ??? This is because the person is cleaning up the place before and after I visit? In that case we should be tipping janitors after using the restroom, going by the same logic...
TIPS is an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service". It was a way people would ingratiate themselves to the service staff at a particular eating establishment. Now, food service workers wrongly expect them just for doing their job and complain all the time about how little they make. In this time of national recession and rising restaurant prices, I would think food service employees would be glad they have a job and people are still coming in (because many are not to conserve money) regardless of their tip. But that's just my point of view.
You go into a shop and buy something. You bring an item to the register, they ring you up, put it in a bag, you leave. No tip, makes sense. You go into an eating establishment, you sit, you hem, you haw...you order your food, you ask for water, a soda, a coffee, another napking, different sugar, more salt, another straw because you dropped yours, another fork because you dropped yours, you spill your water, the waitress cleans it (and you) up, you need more water now, you leave your table a mess that needs to be cleaned up when you leave, and you then don't leave a tip? Does NOT MAKES SENSE. Service is SERVICE...you pay for SERVICE.
Now, if you want all of that withOUT a smile and a "no problem, I'll be right back with that." Then keep NOT tipping people...they'll remember who you are and treat you accordingly.
With this logic, I should be tipped for being a mother. Oh, wait, it's my job.
Oh Janine, there are many service jobs that aren't tipped. Why don't you do a little research..
Auto Repairs
Janitors
Bag Boys at Grocery Markets
Nursing Home Caregivers
Psychiatrists
Doctors
Teachers
Those are all "service" jobs right, they give you some sort of service? EVERY JOB DOES. So why aren't we all treated as equal and either given tips for everything.. or given them if they are deserved.
You know what? A bag boy at a grocery store makes more money per hour than people who wait on tables, without the tips. You know what else? Bag boys don't have to do nearly as much work as a waitperson. All the other service jobs you mentioned, idiot, have a base pay MUCH MUCH higher.
That's why your argument makes no sense. You want to pay me $20/hr. to wait on tables? Ok, that'll be $20 for your burger and fries. IDIOTS.
I'm surprised to read so many comments claiming to leave 20-25%. While I appreciate good service, and routinely tip 15-18%, I am more and more disturbed with the expectation of tips of 20% or more. Where does it end? I was a busser when I was younger, and the waiters and waitresses were not very generous in sharing their tips – usually $2-$3 out of $100+ for bussing their tables and getting their customer's drinks. I don;t have that much sympathy, as in my experience, people usually leave more money for the server than they should. Sure, it's a demanding job. Still, I work just as hard as any server, in long hours with crappy pay, yet I am not tipped or otherwise rewarded for a job well done. It's simply expected.
AK-
Here's a scenario for you. My friend works at a cafe on the weekends. In response to the terrible economy, they started a breakfast special...2 eggs, toast, bacon, fruit or potatoes, AND coffee or juice for $3.99. Last week, she had 10 people walk in, take up 3 of the tables in her section of 6 tables for 2 1/2 hours, getting all specials and drinking cup after cup of coffee because it was so "cheap." The tab was $39.90 for 10 people who were a LOT of work. They tipped her...no kidding...$3.00.
Do you think that 8% is appropriate just because all those people ordered the special? No, it's not. Next time you tip someone out, consider the price and tip with THAT instead. Then you don't have to deal with percentages.
You are so defensive and ignorant, go to college and quit complaining about the measley tips.
I ordinarily leave a generous tip. Wait people are very hard-working and poorly paid. Once, though, I waited 45 minutes while my waitress chatted with her friend as I watched my ice cream dessert (Which had been made and placed up on the delivery counter) melt. I was unable to get her attention and the dessert was ruined by the time I get it. In that case I left a note describing why I gave no tip that time.
The only times I've left no tip were in Europe, when tip is part of the bill.
For really superb service or if I occupy the table for a long time when the restaurant's busy, I'll tip around 25%. For good service, between 15-20%. For really bad service, or when the server is makes the experience uncomfortable or unpleasant, less than 10%. Like other people have said though, I take into account the things that servers have no real control over.
As my Dad used to say: "Great servers stay servers, bad servers become hosts/hostesses." I just figure by tipping them low, I'm helping the free market.
I usually tip. Granted depending on the service some tips may be smaller then average and if the service was great then I usually tip more then the average. I just think that if you aren't going to tip and you are going to purposely let a waitress who is having a bad day get to you, then maybe you should just stay home. We all have bad days and on those bad days sometimes we do things without even realizing how we are coming off to others. I never go to the manager or complain about anything. To me that's just a waste of my time. If service was THAT bad then we know to not go back to that establishment again and leave it at that.
When I have bad bays, my attitude stays at home. If I am that distraught, I call in sick. People need to grow up and do they damn job.
Though if you don't go to the manager, then the restaurant owners may never know why they're bleeding business, especially since servers work pretty independently. If you tell the manager, they can decide if A) this server gets a lot of complaints and should be moved to a different position or let go, or B) this server has never received a complaint before, so it was probably just a bad day.
That being said - service usually has to be quite bad before I issue a complaint.
i just had lunch at a local restaurant...the waitress had HORRIBLE breathe...does that make it okay to not tip? because i didnt
I say the US should be like Australia. NO tipping. A taxi provides you with a service. You pay the fare and be done. A restaurant provides you with your meal. You pay the bill. You go home. Restaurants need to start paying a LIVING WAGE, because the government isn't going to dictate it. JUST DO IT. Pay a decent wage. Post a sign, NO TIPPING REQUIRED. I bet the place would have plenty of customers and plenty of people wanting a job.
"T.I.P.S."-To Ensure Prompt Service! Lest we forget what its all about!!
Insure
I love the way Europe and most of the rest of the world does it... service and taxes are all included in the price. Leaving a few extra Euros is strictly discretionary. It's a pleasure to leave a small "tip" when you've had wonderful food, nice service and haven't been rushed through your meal. In France, we sit for hours and NO ONE CARES. It's lovely~
p.s. only left no tip once... in LA... and the waitperson (female) literally chased us down in the parking lot. Horrible service and snooty attitude. Then we got a lecture on how sad her life was...it totally reinforced my decision to leave nothing.
Oh yes.... and the being rushed is a whole other discussion in itself!!
I have three rules of tipping:
1) If the service is truly exceptional, I have been known to leave anywhere between a 15% to 50% tip.
2) If the bill comes with "tip included" then I just pay that. I find this offensive.
3) If the dining experience is horrendous, waitress still smelling of perfume and sex from the previous night, who forgets what I ordered, swing by with about 10 wrong orders and over an hour later I still do not have my food (and it is not that busy) gets the goose egg.
sorry should have read 25% – 50% tip for the first one
I have left no tip before. I don't do it often, but I will if the service is horrible. Do I feel bad about it? Not really. You don't do your work then you don't get my money. Simple really. You are not automatically entitled to my money the second I sit down at that table. Each mistake you make, each rude comment, don't come stop by enough to refill my drink, ect, deducts a small amount from your tip.
I once left a negative tip. I sent a $4 side dish back because it tasted terrible. The waiter insisted on charging me $1 because I tasted it. When the final bill came it was $14. I wrote in ($1) in the tip area and $13 in the total. The Visa cleared my account for $13.
In many European countries, a tip is given for "special service" only and wait staff do not demand or require it. In America it has become twisted into a required "service fee" almost like a tax. In fact, many restaurants add at least 18% to the bill for larger parties ( large meaning 6 or more). It has become a real problem here in the US-a function of simple greed. I once had chinese food delivered to me-the guy came 2 hours late, my food was cold and an item was missing. I was adamant that I was not going to give him a tip and when he realized this he stuck out his palm and said, "Give me dollar!". I was really peeved and I certainly did not "give him dollar".
To Fx1221-If you truly are giving 110%, the you certainly deserve a 10% tip. If you simply did your basic job (what is required of you in your job description), then you should receive 0% tip as you are being paid by your boss for your work as it is. As someone mentioned above, it is not the customer's duty to subsidize your pay. However, if someone did not leave you a tip it was probably because you did not give the extra 10% that day. Also, if the next time that they come into the restaurant and you give them bad service just because they left you no tip, then you deserve nothing less than to be fired-end of story.
I have only stiffed ONE waitress in my life and she MORE than deserved it. She was beyond rude to our table and the surrounding tables. Another customer asked if he had somehow offended her or did something to "piss her off" and she said, "Yes- but don't worry about it." When his table didn't leave a tip, she went on a tirade at him as he walked out the door, giving him the finger and cussing him out in front of the whole restaurant and his kids. We got up at that point and left without eating our food (which was VERY late and cold). The manager tried to apologize to us, but seriously, how can you behave like that? He fired her on the spot and we found another place to have dinner. Aspen CO is now one waitress short...
Anyone who says servers don't earn their tips REALLY needs to spend a day in our shoes! Unless your a lazy, rude server you work hard! On a busy night you'd be amazed at the amount of walking we do! I've worn a pedometer and was in shock when I got done for the night. Serving is NOT a job for everyone and at the bar I work at people who can't make it are weeded out very quickly! We have demading management who will tell you if you are not doing a good enough job! But anyone who says we don't earn out tips can jump off a bridge as far as I'm concerned... Walk a mile in our shoes before you judge us. Most of us work to put ourselves through school or to make extra income if need be for some reason!
It's only happened two or three times, but I have deliberately not tipped when I got BOTH bad service and rudeness. I'll tip an incompetent server who is polite and friendly (IOW - someone who is clearly trying), and I'll even tip a rude server who is prompt and competent. But rude, incompetent service gets nothing from me. One thing I will say is that all diners at the table should be in agreement. I took some friends to one of my favorite restaurants and they wanted to skip the tip for what I thought was a minor issue (my friends' guest was VERY rude and demanding, and the server eventually made it clear he'd had enough of her). They only relented when I made it clear I wanted to be able to return to that restaurant and would make up the difference in the tip if they shorted the server.
I always leave 20% at a restaurant because it's so easy to figure out :) For bars, though, I think it's better to just tip $1 a drink no matter how expensive the alcohol. Which, again, is easier, and also fair - expensive alcohol takes no longer to pour than cheap alcohol.
I usually am a very good tipper. I have worked in the resturaunt industry before. But, servers are very sterotypical. They see a younge couple walk in and immediatly think they arent going to tip, and give very poor service. One time, i walked into a resturaunt, and an elderly couple walked in right behind us. We were both sat next o each other, but I was sat about 10 minutes before them. I am also a huge believer in respect your elders, so the server went to greet the elderly couple first. No, big deal. She brought them their drinks and never came to us. 30 minutes later, the elderly couply received their food, and my drink order hadent even been taken, then the manager walked up to us and asked how we were doing and i told him point blank, were leaving, its been 40 minutes and we havent even been greated yet, so he ended up taking out drink orders fine, quite irritated at this point. Our server brings them out and says woops i guess i forgot about yall. So, she took our food order, and we never saw her or our food again. after waiting 45 minutes after she took our order, we got up to leave and the manager had the nerve to tell us we needed to pay for our drinks. We ignored him and walked out, then the server ran out behind us to the parking lot and yelled at us for not leaving a tip. Sometimes, they really dont diserve anything.
We keep an eye on how many tables a waitperson has and how much time they spend on the floor. On average I tip 15-20%. I will go outside that when the service lies outside the average/expected.
If we sit with empty drinks and choke down our food...or sit for half an hour after we're obviously done eating before anyone comes by with the bill...that counts against 'em. If we've been waiting 20 minutes and finally ask someone else and get told our person is on break...that's against them as well – either they failed to check on us before taking their break or they're on one hell of a long break and someone else should've been sent around.
If they're handling 4-5 tables with average bills of say $50...20% in tips works out to $40-50 an hour. I know people with a great deal of education and responsibility who don't get anywhere near that no matter how hard they work.
If you want that 20% tip, act like it.
It sounds like you spend most of the meal calculating the tip instead of enjoying the experience.
I've left no tip in Australia where the wait staff gets paid a living wage and tipping is not expected. The down side of that of course is that since none of their income depends on tips, the service generally sucks. The only exception to that rule was when we were in a restaurant where one of the owners was our server. That was the only restaurant where we ordered dessert because that was the only restaurant where the bothered to come back and ask if we wanted any. For service, I prefer the American concept of tips. And when I go out in the US, I always leave a tip. If you want to convey the idea of poor service, leave a poor tip. Leaving no tip says nothing as you may simply have forgotten to leave it.
Those of us who have worked for tips in the past understand the true meaning of the word…"TIPS" To Insure Proper Service; and tips should be based on just that. TIPS should also not regulated by the restaurant, bar or establishment. Establishments charge a mandatory 18 or 20% if there are 6 or more in your party. Fact is unless you get a very experience wait staff person, they usually can't handle a larger party and you end up paying for is poor service, you actually hurt the wait staff that way as well…if they do a good job, most time they will be tipped better than the 18 or 20%...in this day and age not many people will add the extra tip if it’s already included in the bill.
Only once have I never left a tip. It was at Houstons Biltmore restaurant in Phoenix, AZ. I took about 6 people out to dinner. The waitress was exceedingly rude to me. The bill came and I put a 'modest' tip on the charge card but when I gave the bill & card to her, I told her she'd of gotten a better tip if she wouldn't of been so rude. At this point she said to me, I don't give a f#%#&@k about your tip and turned away. I went and got the manager and insisted that the charge be reversed on my card, signed another bill without tip.. When I got my statement, there was a $50.00 tip put on the card. I reported them to the card company for fraud, and the whole bill was removed from my card. Other than that, I can't ever think of a time I did not tip above 15 %
i saw a picture once where someone wrote on the table using mustard "waited 30 minutes NO service, you suck." the picture was quite amusing.
:-) I wish we could "Like" these comments.
I am shocked at the sense of entitlement of all the waiters on this post. You can expect a tip if you provide good service, that's it. You are not entitled to a tip just because people go out to eat, you are paid very low hourly wages, you are on your feet all day...so many excuses... I was in Mexico City where the waiters in the hotel we were staying at provided super-quick, excellent and gracious service and not once did I get the feeling that they were doing it for money. The first few times, we tipped pretty badly since we were still trying to figure out the exchange rate and never mind those phone apps for the correct tip amount. We were still treated well by the waiters under all circumstances, which is a true sign of hospitality and service.
Entitlement is a terrible mindset of a server.. I want to open a restaurant that I pay my servers min wage and tell them not to expect tips. These things must be earned and I would want my customers to feel that they arent feeling obligated to pay for mediocracy. I would have a sign that say our waiters don't expect tips and if they seem to, talk to the boss. (Cuz they would be gone, trust me).
I'd have to make $50/hr to deal with an arrogant, ignorant manager like you.
Here's a tip...paying a waitperson minimum wage would get you nothing but a job of waiting on all the customers yourself, none of us would do do this job for that amount of money.
Oh! McDonald's called again, they said you need to pick up the order yourself, because they don't take tips.
I atleast offered to pay my workers min wage, which is the biggest complaint in this whole comment saga anyways. They all get paid $2/hr. I would pay $8 and have you know that I'm actually a really personable person who I believe people would appreciate working for. Don't worry about working for me either becuase we obviously don't get along. I'm just trying to state my opinions that I believe in certain situations servers don't deserve a tip if service is terrible and you have to add something to everything I say. I do tip, I just dont like it being expected of me. My opinions, that I am now done stating. You can quit saying my McDonalds order is ready because I hate fast foods, they are terribly unhealthy and all processed.
Why should we tip? No one tips me at my work. I get the rate per hour I work for. Why should we subsidize others. You are working in a restaurant and you agreed to the wage provided by the restaurant. Why do people think it is their right to get tip.
I would also like some free money.... have you seen people helping at lowes or homedepot.. do you give them tip !!!!
You're looking at it bass-ackwards. Tipping gives people who are being served the right to determine the value of the service received. Otherwise they'd just roll the equivalent of a tip into the price of the food and you'd be forced to pay a tip whether you got decent service or not (like they often do with large parties).
The practice of tipping decouples the price of food from the price of service. That is, in all ways, a good thing for people who eat out, as it aligns the goal of the server (who wants a good tip) with that of the diner (who wants a good meal).
18%- good/great service
15%- average service
10%- poor service
I should make it a point to say that my 18% is usually a bit more than that, as is my 15% because it's left in bills and then also whatever change is left, or sometimes I have a $5 and not 4 singles. I figure that even when the service is poor, it's probably only the fault of the cook or the server, but probably not the hostess, server AND busboy. The tip goes to more than 1 person so it's not fair to screw everyone based on a bad server or slow service or even bad food.
If it were up to me, Id go to the kitchen, grab my food from the chef, and fill my own drinks. I dont need some single mother asking me how my food is or if i want desert. In the long run, she couldnt give a damn. The only reason she asks anything is to sound genuine and squeez more cash out of me. If the food is good, tip the chef.......say what?!
Sounds like you should just get off your lazy, self-entitled butt and learn to cook for yourself. Servers don't get paid minimum wage, mind you, they get about $3 – $4 an hour PLUS tips because the restaurants are too cheap to take care of their employees. And guess what, if you're too cheap to tip, then you're too cheap to eat out. Stay at home.
I work in a restaurant and am thus very conscious about leaving a tip of about 20%. However, once I left a "net tip" of zero (completely by accident), when my server gave me $2 in quarters to pay for the meter, insisting he wasn't going to break my $20 bill because he was just glad to get rid of the quarters. I was in a hurry on the way out and completely forgot the favor the server did for me, leaving him only $2 in tip (on a $13 check).
Only once have I ever left no tip....it was in NYC, the Colony Restaurant, opposite the Pan Am Bldg. (now MetLife) on the 45th St. side. The waitress's demeanor was so rude and obnoxious that it deserved it.
There are plenty of times that I have left zero tip. I work hard for my money, and I'm not going to give it away to someone who doesn't work hard to get it from me. Decent service gets 10-15%. Exceptional service gets 20% (this is rare). Friendly/funny people get better tips; and people who remember me and/or know my name get better tips.
As your typical black man, I hate leaving tips. Countless years of slavery and you get paid. Thats messed up.
I have never understood this. If you can, please explain.
Aren't you getting something out of it?
Yeah, I get revenge on the whiteman for enslaving my ancestors.
Dwelling in the past ins't going to get you very far. Thats my tip for the day. Get over it!
"Typical black man" Im convinced your not black, but there will be a day in america in which whites will be the minority. So many whites make fun of young black teen mothers but remember they are growing up with a black president and the hope is high for them. The year 2042-45 the government expect whites to be minority so a new day will come and sooner than we think. I agree with the "get over slavery" comment because thats over and a new day is here and a brighter day in near.
Ha.. typical black man must not really be a black man, I do not think he would call himself Tpical Black Man if we as. Black people do struggle with tipping, but it is more due to their lack of education than it is "revenge". Their not always the brightest race.
You mean they are "ignant"
i just did a ctrl-f on the word "black" .... it finds some interesting posts
Lack of education? Wow. Maybe you should take a look at our Black, educated president. I think some blacks tip poorly, to a servers standards, because so many of them have held low paying jobs that did not tip so, big deal get a new job or some education. As a black male i get stereo-typed for not going to tip so i have received shitty service from the start. After years of that you start to raise you standards for tipping. I have left no tip due to bad service and low funds but i wont let a server stop me from buying what i can afford on the menu. Majority of the time i leave %15 and you would be surprised at the dirty looks like thats still not enough...Geeze talk about entitled. I even had three friends out to eat with me before and we tipped our wait staff $100. Why? because we had the money and the service was great. Some of that $100 went to the cook also (i hope). If someone can not afford a tip but still want..... applebees wings, they still are paying your $2.00 wages by buying those wings. How about customers start telling managers "hey I cant tip "server #1" today, so Im going to give Burger King my $20. I bet the manager will want them to stay if they can pay the bill. No wonder the fast food places are kicking so many sit-down restaurants asses in sales and Investors.
You sir, are a retard. Everyone had ancestors that were enslaved at one point in history. Get over it and stop using it as a crutch.
If you don't tip, that's on you. I tend to tip 20% for typical service, could be more or less if its bad. I have been none to leave a penny if it was really bad, but that's happened maybe twice in the last 30 years.
For those of you that aren't familiar with the penny tradition. The idea is to highlight that you did not "forget" the tip, but that you thought very poorly about the service.
I typically leave 10-15%. I'll tip 20% if I'm blown away. I'll tip a penny if the service is repulsive (only happened once or twice). I have left a 50% tip once because my family and I were in poor spirits on that day and the waiter was instrumental in making our day that much brighter with their amazing attitude and service.
I usually leave at least 20%. On one occasion I left nothing because the rude bartender literally threw the check folder and pen at me. If i have to duck to avoid your missiles, you're not getting a tip.
There have been a few other scattered occasions throughout the year where I gave no tip, but it takes pretty ridiculously bad service.
I do believe that tips are a standard part of eating out, and I always go in fully expecting to tip well. The waiter's actions determine exactly how well, or in rare cases, if at all.
I didn't leave a tip just once. I was that pissed off. The waitress treated my friends and my family like crap. She basically dropped the silverware. She forgot our water and the scolded us for not reminding her. She gave the wrong dinner plate to my husband and then snatched it out of his hands when he told her. Then she brought the drinks over and left them on one side of the table and we had to distribute them. She got a big, fat zero for tip and that is what she deserved and I tip 20% otherwise.
I've left zilch for a tip only after letting the server know I was doing so. Otherwise, a small, miniscule amount is left behind. I tip fairly for decent service, and tip better for excellent work.
I didn't tip at a BBQ place I recently went to because, in the time period between ordering and the waitress realizing she forgot about us, they sold out of almost everything I wanted. I still would have tipped her, but she refused to acknowledge her mistake.
I know there have been other times, but it's such a rare occurrence that I can't think of any. You pretty much have to single-handedly ruin my meal to get no tip.
Wow, just 10 years back tipping 15% was for awesome service. Now, we're seeing people tip 20% and 25%, and some restaurants I've been to are putting the mandatory 18% on my bill for a party of 6. If we continue doing this, 10 years from now, the tipping norm may be 35%!!!
I know that some people are going to think that waiting staff need a living wage as well. In that case, I'd suggest they upgrade their skills and get an education. If we start tipping 35% and 40% of a meal, we might start seeing lawyers quiting their jobs to be waiting staff because it pays so much better!
That's yet another reason why restaurant visits are rare for me.
And who is going to fill in for these servers once they leave their jobs after becoming educated? More servers so stop being a cheapo and tip those who are in transition!
I've tipped 50% for super above and beyond service when the current tipping norm is 18%. So does that make you a cheapo now?
Good service was to me in 2000 as it is for me in 2010. Why should I or anyone for that matter pay 25% when I was expecting the same service for the price of 15%? Is service going down hill? If that's the case, then maybe we should tip nothing!
It is a percent of the cost of eating out. I gaurantee that the cost of eating out has gone up by at LEAST as much as most of us with non service jobs have gotten in raises...Therefore 15-20% Today is worth quite a bit more than ten years ago when food costs were much lower.
Well, Ed, the way I see it is if you don't want to tip, then cook your meals at home or use a drive-thru. I, after having been a server for years and recently getting my bachelor's degree, wouldn't wait tables again if hell froze over. Food service is not a job you go into with an "education" as you say, or at least I know I didn't attend classes for four years and work my butt off to wipe up people's messes, listen to their smart-a** attitudes, handing them ketchup so their kids can squirt it everywhere, etc.
I think tipping has gotten out of control. When we have people getting charged with theft of services for not tipping, I think it's time to restructure the system. Pay the servers a decent wage and put it into the price of the meal/service.
Actually I went out with my then-manager and other foreign colleagues on a business trip, we went to some place where the service was just bare minimum; since it wasn't the conventional thing for them and they had some credit card issue she just didn't tip altho I said it was pretty much expected. The manager chased us down the street and practically demanded a tip, saying the same thing you said, and that it was against the law there and that she would call the police. My boss was a bit jet-lagged & just gave her something to leave us alone, but man! They asked me if that was normal & I said I'd never seen that but I'd always tipped at least something in this country before!
If the service is ever so bad that I'm not leaving a tip, then it was bad enough to speak with management. Each time, I've insisted on paying the full bill so they'd take me seriously. I want them to know that I'm complaining for a reason, not to get anything for free.
Waiting tables put me through college. I'm very aware of what a hard job it is. But there are some people that aren't cut out for the job.
Those whom are African-American are likely to not tip. And Indians(India) are a real close second. This post will surely attract haters and those who will claim racism....nothing further from the truth. Just speaking as a Server.
I can say as a former server that race has nothing to do with it. I have been stiffed by tables of every race.
Hey Morningwoody, maybe African Americans don't tip well as others because they are not treated as well as others. When my mother and I go out to eat, we are avoided by wait staff because they assume we won't tip well. The sevice is generally just OK; not exceptional. My mother is a very generous tipper regardless of the service. She was out at a diner with a friend one time and forgot her wallet, the manager assumed it was trick to get out of paying the bill; but, I guess because she was a senior citizen, he let her got, but was clearly not happy. The next day my mother went back to the diner, paid the bill and give the waitress a $20.00 tip. The manager told my mother he was surprised she returned and thanked her for her honesty.
People pick up on vibes, if you feel African Americans or any other group of people are not good tippers, believe me, this is reflected in the service you provide and the customer will respond in kind.
Bottom line, don't like working for tips; get a better job
I've never gotten "no tip" from Black people, but it's true, they tip very little. And it has nothing to do with the service at all...I treat everyone the same, as if they're the most important people in the world. It's true about people from India as well...again...excellent service, very small tips.
Cultures are different, it's clear.
And if you couldn't tell, I'm racist
There's nothing racist about it. It's a simple fact.
I have left no tip. Especially if the serivce was horrible. I also left a tip but not the usual 15-20%, if the service was slow, food cold. Things like that.
What does cold food have to do with the server? Seems like you need to think about what was and wasn't in the server's control. Cold / lousy food doesn't have anything to do with the service, all the serve did was bring it to you. Sounds like you're just cheap.
Is it the customer's problem whose fault it is the food's cold??
I am a server and I have left no tip. BUT if that's the case I make sure to speak to management too, you REALLY have to give me bad service to get nothing. I overtip, habit of the job, but when I go to places that people know me I get amazing service from everyone! As a server, tell me if I screw up. Some days I have a bad day, and don't realize that I made a mistake. Then, I know I'm not getting a good tip, because I screwed up! But keep in mind there are things that are out of the server's control. If the place is extremly busy it may take longer than you'd expect to get your food, drinks, ect.
A couple of times, after horrible service, I have left $1. But I sought out the manager on duty and let him/her know that I left $1 and WHY. If they are good, management doesn't want unhappy customers.
I stiffed my waitress at hooters once
I've had fantasies of stiffing a Hooters waitress.
Did you mean to make a pun, PG? lol.
If I'm at a bar I might skip out without paying if I feel I've been treated badly
My tips depend on a combination of the service, the food, and how much I can afford. Service is of course the largest factor. One of my biggest indicators is if they keep my water glass fairly full (I rarely drink anything other than water, even at home). When the wait staff keeps walking by and I have an empty glass (even worse if they stop at the table) and do not at least ask if they can refill it, then definitely no tip. I don't feel that is unreasonable and I should never have to flag someone down for something like that. I have asked to speak to a manager before when service has been very bad, or the food bad. OR when someone has been really outstanding. And I fill out comment cards detailing what I liked or didn't in places that have them. And when a place has been reaaly horrible I make sure they know that I will not be back.
The server's tip should never be based on what "you can afford." Full or empty water glass aside, if you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out. Try McDonalds, they have a $1 menu, or stay at home and cook.
One time, we inadvertently left no tip – but only because of our scum bag dinner partners. Hubby wrote a check for our portion of the bill plus tip and the other couple looked at our check and wrote a check for the difference and didn't leave any tip. We refused to go out with them again. Only once I didn't leave a tip because the service was that bad. Another time on Christmas eve, waitress screwed up our order but was having a real bad day, looked about ready to burst into tears – we left her a 100% tip and wrote Merry Christmas on the bill. Hope the holidays perked up after that.
It has to be very very bad service for me to give the "making a point" penny tip or no tip at all. I have been in their shoes and know what tips mean to their income. That being said it seems like poor service is almost the norm these days. I still remember "career waiters" older men and women who have been doing it most of their lives. These days I only see that in high end restaurants in Mexico's resort locations. Waiting tables in the US these days is a throwaway job while kids are working their way through school or as a stepping stone to a better job later. I recognize good service with a large (20% or more sometimes) tip. But I don't as I said "make the point" unless service is utterly abyssimal.
i'll leave zero tip if its bad service. their low wage isn't my problem if they want to be d!cks or act like they have better things to do. if you dont like the low wage...get a new job! Or, be a great waiter/waitress and get a great tip! you don't have to knock my socks off, just be attentive and polite.
The only time I can remember not tipping is when a "server" at a buffet-style restaurant never picked up the dirty dishes or filled my drink. I even had time to stack all my dishes up into a sort of monument to their neglect. At the pinnacle of the monument, I left a sign reading "NO SERVICE = NO TIP".
I've also never been back to that restaurant.
I can only think of one time that I tipped nothing at all. Usually bad service gets something around 10 percent from me, but when my food comes out wrong TWICE and im told that I shouldnt be so picky by the waitress...Youre lucky losing out on the tip was all that happened to you.
Years ago our family went to a place we had not been to before. During the whole time, our waitress was very unattentive, rude and we had to ask for every thing. When we rec'd the bill, my husband was paying by credit card and left a $5 tip and our son-in-law left a few bucks on the table. As we were walking out the door the waitress came up to us and asked us if the service was that bad that we only left a $5 tip. We all were shocked that she would come up to us. Not only did we tell her yes, my husband went back to the cashier and voided out the first transaction and paid again with no tip, our son-in-law picked up the cash off the table. We always do right by waitresses, it can be a difficult job, so if they are pleasant and do try we usually leave a good tip, but when they act like this one did they don't deserve anything. A tip is not mandatory.
Having been a tipped person at one point in my career, I feel for the amount of work these folks do, so for standard service, they get a 20% tip (buffets- 15%).
I have left without tipping on a couple of occasions because the service was just too poor. And if I'm not going to tip, I also take the time to let the manager know. I want to make sure the waiter or waitress gets told why he or she did not receive a tip, so the poor behaviour can be corrected.
My dh is from England and he likes to tip with cash, but automatic and large tips are much more an American thing. He worked in a hotel restaurant as a student and if the tip was put on the bill they would just divvy it up and the staff might get some little bit out of the pot. We were in a restaurant in LA, service was OK nothing extraordinary, and he filled out the bill in front of the waitress and she actually confronted him – somewhat politely & in shocked tones, that he was not putting a gratuity on it. He then explained why he didn't put it on the credit card, and gave her something, but said to me later it was not like what he would have given her otherwise & was tempted to say I WAS going to, but you've made me change my mind.
CHUCK! seriously, would you be willing to pay more for your food and a waitress make $9 to $15 dollars per hour and get poor service? or pay less for your dinner and be allowed the choice as to how much to leave the waiter/waitress as a meter of their service? I choose the latter!
Bonbon, imagine if you were paid the same way: your salary determined daily based on the whim of whomever you were dealing with that day. Society would be filled with resentful individuals who couldn't apply for any kind of loan due to fluctuating income based on the caprice of others. Good work is frequently NOT rewarded by others when it means others have to give more of their own resources. Think about it.
Although I do tip as to avoid the uncomfortable feeling I'd feel if I didn't, I don't believe in tips. I don't get tipped in the work I do. So, why should someone else, who's doing performing a job that honestly doesn't take much skill? The employer should pay their employees what they are worth. Increase the price of the food a little bit, if you need to. But, don't force customers to have to reward people for doing the job they were hired to do in the first place. And, think about how much some waiters/waitresses must make per hour w/tips. Probably more than many of us professionals.
Might stop people from overeating too.. :-)
Doesn't take much skill? Really? How easy is it to rush around, on sore feet, hour after hour, meeting to every individual's whim "Can you get me tea", then "oh, can I have lemon for my tea" then another person at the same table "can I have a tea too?" all with a SMILE on your face as you have a bar exam to study for? nice, you sound like you have a ton of compassion
If serving is such a "low-skill" job, why are there so many complaints here about bad service? If the job was so easy, we'd all be getting great service at sit-down restaurants. Try walking in a server's shoes before you judge them.
As a former server, I don't go out to eat unless I can afford to tip 20%. Sometimes I've tipped 15% when I felt that the service was less than desirable, but I've never received service from my waiter/waitress bad enough to warrant less than that.
I'm with you, Sister.
I wonder, too...people will pay $10 each way for extra leg room on an air flight, now...but they don't want to pay $5.00 for fast, prompt service with a great attitude? Sheesh.
You're a jerk. Plain. Simple. JERK.
I have not left a tip on a number of occasion but the service has to have been beyond bad. I usually tip 20%. But has anyone else had this happen? I have picked up food to go and been given the STRONG impression that a tip was expected. For what??
as someone who works at a takeout counter, I can tell you that a tip is never expected, but always greatly appreciated. While we may not serve you like a waiter might, we always make sure that food is ready on time and is prepared according to your specifications. We take orders, pack your food and bring it to you. We essentially do the same job as servers but ultimately make less money.
L. Gorman, who do you think entered, prepared, and bagged your take-away order–a little food-angel? I don't think so. Chances are the same server that prepared your order also have about 8 tables he / she was also tending to. You need to start leaving a tip for a take-away, even if it's a couple bucks. If you don't think the server in your case did anything, next time try preparing your own order or go to McDonald's–I hear they have a $1 menu and you don't have to tip for take-away.
Once at an uncrowded bar near my neighborhood, the bartender kept ignoring my friends and me, and keep letting her friends get free drinks, I was so disgusted I tried to close my tab so we could leave, when she finally came around 15 minutes later, I was so angry that I gave a negative tip on the credit card slip and left...of course it didn't work and I ended up having to pay the same gratuity as a tab left overnight, but I think it may have gotten the point across
A negative tip?? You took some off the bill? What a great idea, shame it cost you anyway. My dh has politely complained at restaurants before & got free deserts and stuff (spat in??), but I'm sure he would try that too.
Also, just wanted to add that despite what one tips, that doesn't give the customer the right to be abusive to the service. I can't believe the way I have seen some customers treat servers like they are indentured servants. Good customer attitude from the outset can help towards good experience.
As someone who put myself through undergrad waiting table at the Olive Garden and running a bar to put myself through Grad school, not tipping isnt an option.
I will tip 10-12% on less than adequate server but I also take the time to communicate to the manager. I do not confront the server because it is the job of the manager to work to improve the ability of the server. I do not do this to get "free food" or discounts, I do it for constructive feedback.
Leaving a less than significant tip without giving constructive feedback does not help anyone get better.
Well said.
Rick, everyone should take note of your comment and keep it in mind next time they eat out, just in case. I love common sense! :)
Thank your for your comment, Rick. Very well-spoken, indeed, and as a former server, I totally agree.
this is known by many servers.....penny alone, heads down, terrible service. 10% to 15% tip good service, normal. 20% tip and a penny left on the table, heads up means great service, will return again most definately! But there are many customers that think the server doesn't need a tip of any kind, but they need to understand that servers live off of their tips, their pay is well below liveable standards!!
I have worked several jobs as a waiter. I know how hard most waiters and waitresses work. Regardless of whether you are a waiter, a waitress, a garbageman, or a brain surgeon, what makes your job special is how well you do your job. A tip is recognition of a job well done. A tip is not automatic, a tip it is not obligatory. If a waiter or waitress does a terrible job, or has a terrible attitude, or is rude to people, then they certainly don't deserve a tip. There are too many good people looking for jobs these days to tolerate a poor work. I am certainly not going to willingly pay extra for poor service.
Great so next time dont forget to tip your dental Hygienist after she gives you a good cleaning
I ALWAYS leave 20% (on top of tax) but one single time I left 0 and would easily do so again. It was atrocious service and just a very rude server on top of his poor skills. Why pay extra for to be treated like that?
Tips should be banished from all types of service related work. Employers should be made to pay a proper wage for the work done. Let the employer deteremine who is doing a good job and who is not from comments given by customers. It is his business that he is protecting by having good employees who serve all of the customers in a manner where the the customer will come back again.
I actually tipped generously the hostess after I went to her and asked for help. The server constantly ignored us while working with other tables right beside us. When he did come by he didn't us the opportunity to ask for a beverage.
Tipping is fundamentally flawed. It is a percentage of the cost of the meal. I have gone to an inexpensive dive restaurant and had amazing service that was absolute amazing and incredible decadent restaurants with less than sub par service. If I were to tip 30% at the dive and 5% at the High end establishment the dive is still getting the short end of the stick. In short I think the tipping protocol needs to be overhauled. In this entitled world we live in service has gone out the window and the large tips have been turned into just an unearned accepted norm.
That's how it is in other parts of the world, it's just what you feel the service deserves. I guess the pay structure is different. A friend went to S. Africa with her bf's wealthy family and had a lovely lunch at a little vineyard with a very attentive server. At the end bf's Dad personally gave her a tip, he had to explain it was just for her as they'd had such a nice time, and she was genuinely shocked and almost embarrassed like she was afraid her boss would take it from her.
Thats why I never have and never will tip on percent. I give what I think is fair. Sometimes I may just order one drink, 30% will be less than a dollar, so I will sometimes tip around 100% instead. If by some chance I ever go to a really expensive place and get an $80 meal theres no way I'm tipping 30%, I will tip the exact same amount I tip at any other resturaunt which is around $3-4. The waiter didnt do anything extra if I ordered the prime rib instead of the cheeseburger, why the hell should they get 3 times the tip? And just because a waiter works at a place where everything is under $12 doesnt mean they should get 75 cents for a tip while the waiter at a 4 star resturaunt gets $40 for doing the same work.
People need to throw out the percentage rule and just tip based on people and how long you were there.
Leaving a tip is a sign of a "CHEAP EMPLOYER"
Not leaving a tip for good service is a sign of a CHEAP, HEARTLESS PATRON. Which one do you want to be? A tip isn't a bonus, it's their wages.
Paying for a servers wages is not my responsibility. I have no problem tipping my server. But tipping them because I am supposed to pay their wages is ridiculous. I worked as a teen in the kitchen and the servers made 100 dollars or more on a Friday night. Some made only 50. It was pretty clear to everyone why some made 50 and some made 100. Yeah some folks are jerks and do not tip. However, some servers deserve it.
Oh, Jan. Please don't ever, ever eat out at a sit-down restaurant. Shame on you.
The only thing I can think is that Jan is maybe not from America, tips are viewed differently in some other places. Either that or she/he only ever eats at the same place once...
Sounds like Jan needs to stay out of a sit-down restaurant, she's cheap.
I normally leave very generous tips but I know of one time I actually left 3 cents in what remained of cole slaw because of the service being so bad and the horrible attitude the wait staff and manager had. I have never been back either since I think it closed not long after I was there.
If the service is bad enough, I'll leave some change to make a statement. Leaving nothing might be misinterpreted as an "accident," and I want the failed server to "get the right message."
That said, I usually tip around 20% under "normal" circumstances – and higher for truly excellent service.
Why not talk to management instead of being an obvious passive aggressive person?
If I have to speak to a manager about poor service, I'm definitely not leaving a tip. Leaving a poor or no tip is the consumer's way of letting the server know they stink without getting them in trouble with management. Some people only understand a message when money is involved.
Just an interesting fact: In Poland most waiters and waitresses at least make a full salary (i.e. minimum wage or higher) unlike the waitstaff here in the U.S. who rarely (if ever) even make minimum wage. Please keep that in mind when tipping. (or not tipping.) I do feel that if the waitstaff doesn't do their job... they should not get a tip. You're in customer service... if it's not working out for your personality... find something less social and customer oriented and where your livelihood isn't dependent on your ability to be "of servce."
Other: I have "tipped" negative once before. the service was terrible, there was my party of 3, and about 3 other customers there for lunch. everything took forever, including our whiskey & coke drinks. we were done eating and just waiting for a check but the waitress wouldn't pay attention to us, and she was busy watching TV and flirting with a different customer. on top of all of this, the ATM machine was broken, so we finally got fed up and paid with the cash that we had on us (which was about 20 bucks short) and left.
I dont recall ever not tipping. as long as the server means well, I leave 15-20%. often the problems are beyond their control. slow kitchen, too few waiters... etc...
One time I tore a dollar in half and left half for the waitress, she argued about our drink order, and would not bring us what we requested.
I understand that wait staff are underpaid and always tip at least 20% . I am a friendly person and expect friendly service. However, when a server is rude or when I can't find him/her because they are gossiping on their personal cellphone rather than keeping track of the people in their area then I feel justified in not tipping at all.
Tipping is a very stupid American idea. Europe has it right. If a meal costs 50$ that is what you pay. If the service was excellent, you leave some change say if the bill is 53.75, you pay 55.00. Only in America!!
Agreed 100%
To Franz and Tired Chicagoan: Stay at home and eat, or go to Germany...I hear Munich has great restaurants. But, for what you would have paid in airfare you could have just tipped here in the USA.
When I was in Germany it took me a few days to figure out why the waitresses were so darn friendly when I was on my way out of the place. 20% is a pretty good deal for a German waitress!
I agree and I'm American. And the expectations seem to have risen over the years too. I liked when we went to NZ and were told that tipping wasn't done, the servers might be insulted because it was like you are bribing them to do their job for you.
Eat in your own country then.
LOL maybe this is why I don't eat out so much – I just don't like the enforced expectation of being rewarded for mediocrity or worse.
Food is generally more expensive in Europe partially beacuse the waitstaff get paid more....hence there is less of a need to tip. Waiters in Germanny are not getting paid 1 Euro an hour which is basically what the equivilant would be in America.
I am an American now living in Germany and I think I like the American way better. Here you have to chase them down to pay and if food takes 45 minutes to come they don't really care. A good American waiter would let you know what is happening so you could expect a wait. And they wouldn't bring one entree and then another 30 minutes later. And free tap water!
Sometimes after the bill comes, there was no money for a tip. Leaving nothing is better that leaving change.
diane, you're an idiot. it's called a credit card. carry one. and if your credit is so bad you can't get one, than stay home and don't eat out.
So people like me who believe in not using credit to have fun/live on and only pay with cash should not go out to eat at all? Have fun digging yourself out of debt.
agreed diane your an idiot, stay home and eat mac and cheese
Use a debit card dummy
LOL Wait – how many of you are there??
Really Diane or whoever, unless you're a billionaire having credit is always a useful thing. We always try to pay ours off every month & mainly just use them for the cashback/rewards. If you can't afford to do that, well I agree you probably need to save money by not eating out.
Thats smart, tell people to just stay home. Servers get fired and restaurants close because of people "just staying home." I'll remember that next time I think about eating out and take my money elsewhere. You should say that with the boss around and see what happens.
Nothing is better than something? Diane, you've never been waitstaff before or probably have ever had to support yourself either. Wipe off your milk mustache and enter the real world to learn that nothing is NEVER better than something when it comes to wages. Bring enough money with you to cover your expenses and that includes the tip. Otherwise, don't order that drink or desert.
If you cannot afford to tip, you should eat at a fast food joint.
I don't leave no tip, but I WILL round up to the nearest dollar when the service is horrible. I worry that with no tip the bad waitstaff thinks I forgot to tip. When I round to the nearest dollar, they know I wasn't satisfied. However, when I receive fantastic service I will tip 20-25%.
No, when you round to the nearest dollar, I don't care how your service was, all I know is I got a tip. You should stop being passive-aggressive and start talking to management if you get bad service. Sometimes the things you think are so awful are completely out of the hands of the server...cold food, sucky food, too few servers, etc. so when you think it's all the server's fault and do something like that, no one receives benefit.
I agree with the premise that the employer should be responsible for wages of the server. However, reality is what it is, and I leave a tip unless the service is near totally neglectful or abusive.
Waitress dropped off the tab in one of those folder thingys and said she would pick it up when I was ready. I finished eating, she cleared my plates, served other people, came by a number of times and never bothered to pick up the folder thingy with payment. I needed change as I was not leaving her a 50% tip. I got tired of waiting. I took the bill to the counter, paid and walked out. Why should I waste more of my time to walk back and tip her. She wasted enough of my time by making me wait for her to not do what she said she was going to do.
That was your fault. You should have shown the money in the holder by sticking it out a side, or called her over and made known you were ready to pay. She likely thought you were enjoying your conversation, and busiliy went about helping her other (shocking!) customers whole you got ready. Open your mouth and communicate. Servers can't smell your thoughts.
In fact, it is the servers job to "read your thoughts". The drink should never be less than half full, nor should the customer be kept waiting an undue time for anything, whether that is their food or the bill or the server coming to pick up the bill. Professional servers know this, that is people who have made a career out of serving others in a hospitality environment, not your generic college server at the local chain restaraunt.
In addition to this particular comment, most restaraunts count on said server to turn the tables over so a new customer can be seated. this server was not doing his/her job by leaving the customer to wait indefinately.
Once I leave you the check, it's your responsibility, especially when I say the magic phrase "let me know when you're ready." I'll continue to fill your drinks as long as you sit there, but I'm not going to badger you to get up, pay, and leave because I want you to be comfortable and at home at my table. If you don't tell me that you're ready, then how shall I know? The fault is your situation is yours, not your server's.
I don't do it often but if you are a lousy server, why should I tip you? To be nice? I just paid full price for a meal that came with crappy service. If you don't like your job or can't handle it, you may need to think about getting another one.
I have never left zero, I was taught to leave 4 cents that way the server knew you did not just stiff them and the service was really that bad. I am usually a big tipper but its not automatic, its about the service you receive
I have left no tip but, I have left only a penny that way the wait staff knows I am not canadian or forgot but the service was just that bad
Canadians don't tip??
Tips and everything is automatically included in Canada.. meals can get quite pricey there
As a proud Canadian, I am offended to hear that you 'think' we don't tip? We certainly do tip. The customary 20-25% and no, tips are not included on the bill (where are you gettting your information from?????) in Ontario. I have been all over the States and Canada and don't think meals here are anymore 'pricey' than across the border.
Do your homework before you give out false information.
Sorry Mandy, I had a teacher 2 years ago tell me (because he was from BC) that Canadian meals are expensive because of all the tax you guys have to pay. He must of lied..
After leaving a 15% tip at one restaurant following a mediocre meal, with very bad service, I was surprised when I received my credit card statement showing a higer total than the receipt I had. Calling the restaurant it seems that they "automatically" and without notice charge a 20% tip charge that is added to your bill. Not on the menu. Not on a sign. No notice, and it was added after the bill was signed! No, it was not a large party; it was a party of three.
No excuse. If I had not been quite as busy at the time I would have taken action on several levels. In the end karma did the job for me; the place is out of business.
yeah thats a great way to look at things, the restaurant made a mistake, that was fixed...and you say it was karma that put them out of business. what an asshole.
J.R. never said the mistake was fixed. YOU SIR, are the ASSHOLE!
I left a penny once when I told the waitress there was a fly in my martini. She picked up a spoon, lifted the fly out and threw it over the deck.
John, why are you such a sissy? Why couldn't you have picked out your own fly? With all the ethanol in your drink, it was sterile and you could have just eaten it.
If you sit outside, you're probably going to get bugs in your drink or food or both. Plus, most servers would have probably just given you an apology, taken the drink back to the bar, fished the bug out with a straw or even their fingers, and brought the same drink back. She just saved you some time.
I've done it once. Took 15 min for our waitress to take our drink orders, then took 20 min for those drinks to get to us and she didnt even take our main course orders at that time. 5 min later, she came back...took the orders....then preceeded to NOT put them into the system. After loosing track of time in conversation, we looked at our watches and saw that it had been 35 minutes from when we ordered. We asked her within earshot of one of the managers (we are regulars there) and the manager went to look, our orders werent in the system. We finally got food after some quick action from the manager but left no tip. That waitress was fired 1 day later.
Seriously, 15 mins for a drink order? That's stupid. Why did you even sit there?
In the resturant business you live and die by the service your staff provides, it is way to offen that good service is not provided, because the ownership is too worried about having too much staff on duty to take care of the customers or due to lack of training. Recently my wife and I had dinner at steak house and the service was horrible – the waiter did not know the menu properly (although he claimed to have previous experience) and our order was not correct. We still left a small tip as from my own personal experience of waiting tables it is just not cool to not acknowledge that someone has tried to help you.
I always tip at 15 to 20 pct. I worked as a waiter during college. If there are problems I speak to the manager. The worst tippers are religous organizations as they seem to think they are above all!
That's so true. I've had the exact same experience. People coming from Church always seem to be the crankiest and worst tippers!
THAT IS SO TOTALLY RIGHT. The restaurant that I worked at was right across the street from a big baptist church. All the customers I had, who came from that church, TIPPED VERY LITTLE TO NOTHING. It was so annoying. Instead of a tip they would leave me these little paper pamphlets saying "Do you want to be saved by God? We can help."
I have absolutely left no tip before, due to incredibly poor service. I almost always tip, even if there are a couple problems with service or meal but when the server:
A: doesn't bring my food out, forcing the manager to do so
B: doesn't check up on us at all after taking our order
C: sits at a table right next to ours to talk with friends and do shots for 45 minutes
D: does all of the above
E: and the manger, while apologetic, doesn't offer anything in the way of compensation
when all that happens at the same time, there will be no tip coming from me and I'll likely never return to that restaurant. In this economy, restaurant workers should make sure they are doing their job well and they will continue to attract customers; act like idiots and you'll be out of a job or a business.
It doesn't concern you who brings out your food. My manager used to help us carry food out from time to time, depended on what we had going on at the restaurant at the time–it's called "expediting."
Yes, memorably on my 1st wedding anniversary after a long night of horrendous service. Despite their policy of adding 18% to the bill only with parties of 6 or more, she added it and when I asked to remove it, she said "I knew you would stiff me." I never stiff the server if the kitchen is at fault though.
My mother was a waitress for many years, and I have always had a heart for servers. Even during times of mediocre service, I've left at least a minimal tip. Most of the time, with good or great service, I'll leave a 20-25% tip. It's part of the price of eating at a restaurant.
I didn't leave a tip once, when I was 13 years old. I was out with a friend at a Ruby Tuesday's restaurant, and we wanted to save the rest of our money for the mall arcade. I put a nickel on the table – without any ill intention. I'll never forget the sour, angry look on the waiter's face when we left. Learned my lesson there.
Sure, it's a part of going out - but it should be included in the bill. Not an 'expected' but unofficial add-on. And 20-25 percent? Seriously?
The only way this travesty will ever end is if we get off our lazy behinds and make it illegal for owners to force -any- of their workers to rely on tips. Then it can become what it once was – an additional bonus for exceptional service.
I love reading comments like this that make absolute sense. Thank you!
Brittany-
McDonald's called, your order is ready.
Sorry, I don't eat low life processed food. I mostly cook for myself and eat well. I like my body the 120 lbs it is and it's going to stay that way because I care about it. Haven't eaten there in years and won't ever do so again. Thanks anyways but you can have it.
I always left some tips (small some times). If I don't like the service, I do not go back to the place. My point of view; you go to a place to eat because of the service or the ambiance. If I really need a well cook meal...I do it at home.
As a long time restaurant manager, server, bartender,, and cook, I emphatically agree that tipping should be optional and only based on the level of service. I absolutely hate what they do here in South Florida with the mandatory gratuity added on to every check. It's no wonder that South Florida is recognized for having horrible service. Why should someone give a server/bartender 18% for doing nothing good or not even trying to impress. The reverse also happens because good servers/bartenders get the short end of the stick when gratuity is added.
Mandatory Gratuities are the result of the many Senior Citizens who winter in Florida and don`t tip appropriately.
It's true, a friend waits tables at a small cafe where there's a $3.99 special...the older couples routinely tip her a dollar for a table of two...10% of the total. Sick and wrong.
Once the service was so bad and the guy had racial issues, I tipped him 3 cents. I think that's worse than not tipping.
I was always taught that no tip might give the message that you forgot. A low tip says you thought about it.
Sounds like you have anger issues. Why not talk to management about the poor service?
I have left $0 as a tip before. However, I left the waiter/waitress a note on the credit card bill that "Better service = Better Tips." At least the person knew why no tip was being left.
On occasion when really bad service has occurred, I have called the restaurant's management and most have offered to reverse the credit card charge and/or offer a free meal.
Nice passive-aggressive behavior. So... instead of complaining to the manager right away and have whatever "problem" you have taken care of (poor food, service, misorder, whatver) , you wait until you've eaten all of your food and go home. Now you know the game and understand that with one phone call you can have a free meal.
Weak. Very weak.
I was a chef for 25 years. I know how hard that job is. I usually tip 20-25% or more if service is very good. But if someone is obviously not trying and rude, they get nothing.
Occasionally I frequent a Buffet Restaurant. The customer picks up their own Placesetting and their drink. The help comes up to your table after you have served yourself and tells you that they will be your "Server" Only problem is that we as patrons just served ourselves. The Restaurant has signs posted that state "To ensure good service Tipping is appreciated". I do not tip as the so-called servers do nothing. Has anyone else come across this?
yeah, no tips on buffet either. However I am pretty generous with good service between 20% standard to 25%. Have a soft spot for college kids.
I tip at buffets where the staff is cordial and friendly. When I look around and see the positively disgusting piles of crap that customers leave on the table that my poor server is cleaning up and maintaining a good attitude all the while I am happy to tip.
Of course I've left no tips, particularly when the service was horrible. Once the waiter delivered something I did not order and when I told him I didn't order that, he said, "That is what I wrote down on the order." Was I supposed to be responsible for what HE wrote down? Even my date confirmed that I didn't order it. The waiter reordered the food, but had an attitude throughout the evening. I gave him nothing!
I would never, ever leave no tip! In fact, it takes pretty awful service to get me below 20%. Servers make around $2.00/hr – tips make up the most signifcant portion of their income. While I acknowledge that sometimes servers are THAT bad, a lot of the time, negative dining experiences are due to circumstances beyond a server's control. Food takes too long, food isn't prepared right, drink is not strong enough, there is a screaming child at the next table, etc. The next time you think about leaving no tip, consider how much of your bad experience was actually with the service. Was it so bad that the server only earned $2.00 (divided by his/her number of tables) in the hour that you were there?
I agree that there are many circumstances beyond the waitstaff's control that should not affect a tip... it's not his or her fault that the food wasn't cooked properly, that it took too long... sometimes there are situations that are very much within their control as well. I don't think it's a matter of the issues being beyond their control or not, but more how the waitstaff responds to that issue. This is 99% a customer service position. I know it's a tough job, but good tips should not be expected if you don't have the correct attitude. You can choose to have a horrible day and be a jerk, but where is that going to get you? $2.00/hr.
Minimum wage is way above $2 per hr. So I think you are off here.
Wrong, for servers it's 2.33 per hour, and that depends on the State. It's legal because it's ASSUMED that our customers are paying our salaries. As it is, in a fine dining restaurant, on the busiest night of the year (which would make a 12 hour shift with no breaks, thank you) a server still only pulls in about 11$/hour. And they have to tip out upwards of 10% of their sales to their coworkers and friends.
FoodU, actually in some states waitstaff get standard minimum wage. There is no separate "tipped minimum wage."
Food U, in most states, if a server does not reach the threshold for minimum wage, the restaurant is responsible for making up the difference. Do your homework before preaching your nonsense.
Chester-I don't know what you've been reading but MOST restaurants Do Not follow that policy. In a perfect world maybe... I do not work in the svc industry any longer and I never waited tables but I did work as a Hostess and a good server busts his/her rump for you. I would help with drinks, menus, bussing tables, etc...they would voluntarily tip me out at the end of the night for helping. I have received rotten svc but I still tip something. Usually, I will tip anywhere from 20-30%. My motto is: If you are going out then you need to budget for tipping as well, otherwise, stay home.
I feel the same way. Many people don't realize that server's make $2/hour or less. In some cases, the tips are split in the restaurant with the people in the kitchen.
can you explain that? $2/hr? don't they get paid the minimum wage, $7.75/hr??
No, they don't. Look up your state's labor laws. Service industry is different.
Cut and pasted from the Department of Labor website:
A tipped employee engages in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal minimum wage. If the employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees.
I'm amazed at how many people still don't understand this. :(
Waiters and Waitresses make $2.13/hr. That's it. Which is generally all eaten up by taxes anyway. 100% of their real, practical pay comes from tips. Theoretically, if a waitress gets so few tips during a week that the $2.13/hr + tips doesn't equal $7.25/hr, the employer is required to make up the difference. But ask a waitress if their employer ever actually did that, and they'll laugh in your face. :)
we get paid $2 an hour because we get TIPS! a waiter had to claim their tips at the end of the shift and that counts as their pay. a restuarant doesnt have to pay minium wage to an employee recieveing tips. also most waiters have to tip out to hosts, bartenders, and busboys. so when you dont tip we end up having to pay out of our pockets. if you arent going to tip or you are going to leave a crappy one, go to a drive tru.
Some states have minimum for servers below the actual wage of $7.25 such as minnisota and others like wisconsin have a wage of $2.30 an hour for servers.
Some states allow for minimum wage exemptions for jobs that traditionally receive gratuity as a large portion of their income.
I've left low tips on a few occasions, with notes emphasizing why. I've also left the penny, though this series of responses is the first time I've ever seen anything on the heads-down indication. If the service is bad enough, I will contact management. If the service is good enough, or my date is watching, I'll tip up to ~40%.