 September 1st, 2010
12:15 PM ET
Would you like that restaurant coupon with a side of extremely heated debate? When BlackboardEats.com founder Maggie Nemser shared her 5@5 on ways to use discounts politely, our commenters, as usual, had a heaping helping of feedback.
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Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match! @KarenAndAndrew pair off aphrodisiac foods with their perfect wine. http://t.co/AkbIpJMW 11:54 pm UTC, February 10 2012
Goat thong: no. Wine: yes, please. @islewine on optimizing Valentine's Day joy, no matter with whom you spend it: http://t.co/A32IV67K 5:19 pm UTC, February 10 2012
These twists on the classic PB&J are nutty by nature! http://t.co/d0melajH (Blame @PeanutButterCo for what that picture does to you.) 10:33 pm UTC, February 9 2012
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If given the option, would you downsize meal sides? @kittenwithawhip dreams of super-sized Brussels sprout option: http://t.co/LJiwQzK9 6:57 pm UTC, February 9 2012
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Next time you are in a good restaurant, ask a manager if he/she hire their waitstaff to stand there and passively take an order, or are they looking for people to sell the menu. Servers are the sales staff.
Restaurant owners love the tip system because it motivates staff to sell. If I am lazy, I will not bother to turn my tables, describe the food and wine, or make suggestions. My sales will be $300, and I'll go home with $50. Or I can hustle, highlight the food and wine to it's best advantage and my sales become $1000. I go home with $200. And I scored some repeat customers who will ask for me next time. I made good money for the house and provided customer satisfaction.
Actually Deb, a full time server in an urban area in a chain like Olive Garden might make $17K- $21K a year. A high end steak house maybe $50K for a few top VETERAN servers. I doubt any one could make a living wage a Denny's.
Keep in mind a waiter is a sales person working on commission. For a server to make 50K a year they would have to sell over $250,000 in food/ beverage a year and handle about 5000 diners. That's a pretty darn valuable and hardworking employee.
Naomi,
By your logic here, the most valuable employee should be the person who man's the cash register. If it's just one person (most of the restaurants I go to), they handle all of the revenue and food sales, so should be paid the most, right? Of course not!
Servers are not is Sales, they are in Service jobs (I am in Sales and know the difference, btw)
Tip 20% at least? Please, its waiting/serving tables and a high value tip should be 20%, not an intro tip. A meal prepared by a chef warrants more than say a meal served at Red Robin or other chain type restaurant. However; the server takes the biggest chunk and they really don't do much. If you get a 100 dollar meal, are at the restaurant for an hour, that is a 20 dollar tip. How much of that is the waiter keeping for coming to your table 4-5 times in that hour? It is waiting tables, it is not a career to retire from. I wish there were 2 lines on the bill, one for your tip for the service and one for your tip for the food. Final thought: USE THE COUPONS. It is not against the restaurants will to offer the coupons. They want people to come in and use them. So what if the waiters are jerks about it, if they are just complain to management. Be sure to tip on the amount your meal would have been without the coupon though, that is a given.
You don't really know what a server does. BTW, what is YOUR idea of a career? Mine is working in the restaurant industry. Over 30 years. I love it. I love people and I love food. Thanks for the put down. I hope your "career" doesn't' involve people, because you are a bit of a snob.
I don't use restaurant coupons for the same reason that I refuse to take any discount at a store that is having a sale on clothes or groceries. It takes a little longer to give the money back to the cashier, but the people behind me in line recognize how cool I am.
Having a coupon or not doesn't determine where I go to eat. I use coupons as much as I can. If they didn't want me to use them, why did they issue them. As for tips – I believe you get paid what you earn. I have tipped handsomely for very good service. Just like my job doesn't give me a bonus for poor performance, I don't tip for poor service. I especially like take out. The bill is less due to lack of pressure to buy an appetizer or dessert, I don't have to pay for drinks, and I don't have to leave a tip. It just tops it off if I have a coupon to go with it. In fact, one of my local eateries gives a $5 off coupon specifically for take out – can't use it if I dine in.
Here's how I see it.
It is not the restaurant patron's job to ensure that the server gets paid minimum wage. That is the job of the employer.
In the event that, the hourly wage + tips does NOT equal minimum wage, the employer is responsible for making up the lack.
Supporting evidence: http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/q-a.htm
An employer may pay a tipped employee not less than $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equal at least the federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.
If your employer is not doing this, then it's up to -YOU- to know your rights and fight for them.
That being said.. I am going out to eat because, for whatever reason, I don't feel like cooking for myself, or I want the ambiance. If I am going to a restaurant for an omelet and they charge 6.75 for it, then -THAT- is what I am obligated to pay. NOT 6.75 + 20% 'Gratuity'. What, precisely, did you do to deserve or earn the gratuity? Showing up to work? That's your job. Remember, you're there for minimum wage. That's what they're obligated to pay you.
If you want MORE than minimum wage, then don't be a douche. Don't bring your problems to me; I've enough of my own. You smile, you be in a good mood, you go above and beyond, then I'll tip the hell out of you. I have, on many occasions, tipped over 100% simply because the server was really THAT good.
She -EARNED- it. She KNEW she was not DUE it, and she went out of her way to make everyone's day that much better for having met her. She succeeded, and I rewarded that.
I have also been in restaurants where the service has been crap-tacular. These folks got ZERO tip from me, because they didn't EARN it. They did a minimum wage attempt, and in my eyes, that's all they EARNED. Minimum wage, as dictated by law.
You want more than that? Earn it. Don't bring your self-righteous indignation and your entitlements anywhere near me.. unless you WANT to be told where to stuff them.
you really should read more than the first sentence before you start quoting entire documents...
"Tipped employees are those who customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. Tips actually received by tipped employees may be counted as wages for purposes of the FLSA, but the employer must pay not less than $2.13 an hour in direct wages."
And you need to learn how to read. If you'd bothered to -READ- the links I'd put in, then you'd see that they MUST BE PAID MINIMUM WAGE. The employer pays the 2.13 or whatever, but if tips do NOT make up the difference, by law they must supplement up to the point of minimum wage.
No I eat the coupons they usually taste better than the food
I love coupons, use them as often as I can, but tip based on the total bill before the coupon amount is deducted. The server worked just as hard as if you didn't have a coupon, so should be treated accordingly.
Being in the industry for over 26 years now (geez!), I have dealt with it all. I have worked in the 5 star, the local bar, the corporate, the family-owned. Tipping is not a requirement. But, it is the same as saying 'thank you' and 'please'. It is expected. Minimum wage for those receiving tips varies from state to state. But one place I work currently is in Kentucky. I get $2.13 and hour! So, when someone doesn't tip, not only is it rude, it is cruel. Less than ten percent is horrific and the diner should be embarrassed at their lack of tact. Ten to fifteen percent is old school. I expect it from the elderly and the foreigner. Eighteen to twenty percent is the norm, and received with appreciation. Anyone who tips less than the above is viewed as cheap/low-class/undereducated, and upon return will (and should be) treated as such.
PS "When you get a chance" is not equal to "Please"
Why not?!? I especially enjoy the buy one get one free. I always drink water with my meal. No one has de-caf iced tea, and I don't like soft drinks. But do enjoy a glass of wine. I tip for what the actual price would have been, and the sevice.
So what's not to like about it?
I wonder what the screaming would be if we just paid server's minimum wage, and leaves tips as just a courtesy?
Just sayin!
;)
have fun learning Spanish so that you can place your order.
If you use a coupon at an upscale restaurant (e.g., Ruth's Crist - which experienced a slump in customers due to the recession), tip on the entire amount you would've paid without the coupon. Anything else is ignorant, insensitive and juvenile.
Can anyone answer my question? Why does a waiter at Ruth Chris deserve more of a tip that a waitress at Denny's? Just because the food is more expensive has nothing to do with the amount of work, level of service, or dining experience provided by the server. Shouldnt they be tipped the same? All else being equal, the greater the tab, the less I tip by percentage.
yes it does have something to do with the service. For one, food and wine knowledge (more than the diner's) is expected at nicer places. To obtain that knowledge, which countless diners depend on, is only one part of a fine dining job. Analogize it to a physician. Doesn't the specialist deserve more $$$ than the bottom-of-the-graduating-class free clinic? (not saying that all free clinic doc's are the bottom!)
I understand thats the way it should be, but in my experience, YMMV, and quite alot! Still dont buy the whole tipping thing, sorry!
Serious?Do you expect to pay the same hourly rate to an experienced and certified mechanic to fix your car as the HS dropout at Jiffy Lube makes to do oil changes all day?
Naomi,
Mechanics are a bad example. ASE certified mechanics at least must display their credentials. Other than being a wine somalie, I am unaware of any equal certification programs for waiters. Also, at a reputable shop, a mechanic will only charge a flat rate for a repair based on the average number of hours that type of repair should take. And, in most cases, these rates are negotiable. Besides all of this, how often do you tip your mechanic?
Tips are a silly practice made absurd at expensive restaurants!
This article simply represents exactly why the American economy is now failing. In our post-industrial era, we now have an overwhelming service-oriented sector as opposed to the manufcaturing/industrial sector-workers who actually MAKE something exportable to bring money into our economy. The service industry just trades money that already exists in our economy. In essence, people now expect what used to be an after-school high school student's job (cutting the grass, waiting tables, dog walking etc.) to provide enough income to support a family at a middle class level. I'm sorry, but that's just not going to happen.
to courtney – obviously you didn't read how much some of the servers were making at some of the restaurants – they make more than I make and I've been working at my employer for over 40 years and I doubt they were expected to work comp at straight time at the drop of a hat either. I had almost 300 hours extra put in because it was expected yet we have "executive secretaries" that make almost as much as some of us and they can get paid at 1.5 their salaires. doesn't really make sense to me but just because your title is different some of you get comp and some you get paid for overtime. When a server makes $40,000-$100,000 I don't think you can say that's an after school job. But most of the good wait staff I've talked to get pretty darned good tips on weekends depending on where they work or they probably wouldn't work there. In the restaurants we frequent, we seem the same wait staff – so I'm thinking they must be getting good tips or they would move on.
I agree completely. I have a friend that is working at Red Robin making 60k+ a year waiting tables. Now I no longer tip more than 10% at that type of restaurant. There really is nothing to warrant that.
It's not tacky to use a coupon. The coupons bring business for the establisment. They want you to use it. However, it is tacky to soak up the experience and not tip you server on the bill before the discount was applied.
I use them as much as possible, and if it comes down to 2 places, 1 with a coupon and 1 without, the coupon wins., With 4 kids, going out for a meal adds up quickly, If I can save x% or x$ it may allow me to go out another time that week. I always tip off the full amount, and as long as the service was good, and the server attentive, I do not skimp on the amount they get
"All of these recent "How dare you not tip me 400%" arguments make me want to stiff my next server. Hope it's one of you!" – Comments like these make me want to spit in your food. Hope it's yours. =)
If they are offering the coupon, I'm taking em up on it, and it's not my problem if they lose money on it. The problem I have is when they print the coupon and then try not to honor it. I had a coupon that stated "kids eat free" up to two free kids with Each adult purchased. I tried using this and they tried telling me that there is a limit on 2 kids free on the coupon which is totally wrong. The coupon says with EACH adult purchased. Not with An adult purchase. It's not my problem if they are losing money because of their own coupon, but to try to put a limit of 2 when it says 'With EACH adult purchsed' is totally bogus. In reality, I should be able to go in there with 20 adults and get 40 free kids. All I wanted was 4 free kids with two adult purchases and the dimwits wouldn't give it too me. They ended up paying more in the long run when I went online and complained to corporate and they sent me 4 free kids coupons for my next visit. So instead of honoring their own coupon, it ended up costing them even more money. Of course when we went back and used the coupons, the manager who is usually very very nice to us, totally ignored us this time, I guess she was mad that we complained and she got her butt chewed out by corporate for trying to save a few bucks by not honoring the coupons they way they are supposed to and just hoping no-one complained.
If you print a coupon, prepare to have it honored. Splitting hairs later will only anger customers. That's true with ALL businesses.
Anyone have an opinion on folks complaining about their meal in order to get it free?
If my dining experience was simply unsatisfactory, but not revolting, I will complain to management, but I won't insist upon a free meal. I only press that particular issue if my experience was absolutely horrible.
Like a few others said, the simple use of a coupon isn't tacky, but using it for particular occasions is. For instance, in some circumstances it may reflect poorly if someone uses a coupon when taking someone out on a date or when doing something related to business. Otherwise, if the restaurant gives the coupon out to the pubic, it seems rather obvious that the establishment wants people to use the coupons.
If a restaurant pays to print coupons then it's an indicator they want people to use them...that shouldn't make it tacky. Now if you use a coupon on lets say a first date then we can talk tacky.
As for the tip, it should be based on service not some percentage that falls across the board.
Some people drink water for health reasons- many people cannot have caffeine because of cardiac issues or migranes. Diabetics should have sugar or alcohol. Lots of people with acid reflux shouldn't have carbonated drinks. The list goes on and on. Not many restuarants offer caffeine free diet coke or decaf iced tea. I usually drink water- not because I am boring or cheap- or diabetic or have reflux- it's because it is healthy and what I honestly like with my meals- and yes, it is what I drink at home. I waited lots of tables in college, and while I despise a cheap tipper, I equally despise snotty wait staff. There is no call for either except lack of class.
We go out to eat often. The tip starts at 15% and can go up or down from there depending on the service. I have on a few rare occasions used a coupon, but it only comes off the bill....no effect on a tip.
It's amazing that only in the US is tipping as high as it is. In most countries it's 5%-10%. Guess what, the owners of the restaurants have figured it out and use OUR tips to pay THEIR employees. They are allowed to pay Waitresses/Waiters LESS than minimum wage because it is PRESUMED they will receive tips to more than make up the difference. The W/W thinks they don't need to provide the good service to be tipped because it is part of their wages anyway.
BS...
Are you kidding, most countries don't have tipping, including most English speaking ones! Some countries see it as an insult saying that they need extra money to do a good job (somewhere in Eastern Europe).
Wow, I had no idea that so many people thought that using coupons was a faux pas! I see nothing wrong with using them. Isn't that what they're there for?
Like most of the other posters, I tip based on the total before the discount.
And, also like a lot of other posters, I like water and I'm not cheap! Sometimes I'm just really thirsty and that's what I'm in the mood for; the fact that water is free at most restaurants is just an added bonus.
I will say that I hope that anyone complaining about customers being cheap doesn't treat the "cheap" customers any differently (as long as those customers are polite); with the economy being the way it is right now, people may not necessarily spend the type of money that they would have in the past or might in the future (say, ordering an appetizer with water and using a coupon instead of ordering a meal with an alcoholic beverage followed by a dessert)...if customers are treated with less respect for being "cheap" now, they will likely remember that in the future when they have more spending power. Just throwing that out there.
Simple economics, companies and businesses offer coupons and discounts because they can afford to. As for the servers, they make up for the discounts by volume. The business is offering an incentive for consumers to choose them over their competitors, and the benefits trickle all the way down to the servers as well. With so many people out of a job or living on reduced income being able to afford to take your family out to dinner and still be able to pay rent makes a world of difference. Servers have a job, although their wage rate is lower, it can be supplemented by tips. My job is hard, I deal with mean people everyday and i don't get tips for my excellent customer service. I tip regularly at 15% more if the service permits, my point is discounts don't kill servers.
All these bad customer stories.Its a shame people dont know how to behave themselves when they order from someplace.
I see it on both sides,when I go someplace I am always courteous and never ask people for what I can get myself(I eat a lot of self-service places)when I wait on people Ill give them the benefit of the doubt if they are unintentionally rude the first couple times,after that they can GTFO.You dont have to be someones whipping post just because they are the customer.You do have the right to refuse service.
I sometimes use coupons but as a single person who occasionally dines out alone, most don't apply to me (2-for-1; buy one get one free/discounted). If I do use a coupon I tip based on the original amount less the tax.
I may ask for water in addition to another beverage. I usually order a beverage when dining out.
I use coupons, if I have them, and stick by my tried and true tip method. If the waiter/waitress serves me well then they get 20% of the original bill. The amount is adjusted, up or down, based on service and friendliness.
I order water because I do not drink alcohol and really don't feel like paying $2.50 for a glass of ice and 3 ounces of soft drink or tea. So call me a cheapskate........restaurants want to clean your clock and then have the customers pay their wait staff. Whats wrong with this picture?
"As someone who works with food and discounts and coupons, every time someone orders a water theres a good chance it's a cheapskate. "
Or doesn't want to pay 2.75 for a watered down pop. I hate people in the service industry. Guess what, you really don't do anything special and there are a plethora of jobs that are more stressful and harder (and that you take home with you every night). The sooner we stop tipping and treating these, "I am special, give me more money" morons the better off our society will be. We are one of the only countries that tips like we do. And it isn't even a tip anymore.
My college daughter works a few waitress shifts per week while in school. The restaurant is a national chain in a nice part of our city. However, the customers are such CHEAPAZZES! Recently, 4 old hens came in for lunch with each having a coupon. They all ordered water and took up her table (she only had 4) for almost 2 hours. With the coupons the final bills were about $5.00 each. She said they ran her to death and complained non-stop. Between the 4 old bags, they left her a grand total of $2.00. I told her next time to politely hand the money back to them and tell them "Have a nice day". Quit being such cheapazzes people or STAY AT HOME!
Maybe your daughter just gave really bad service.
All of these recent "How dare you not tip me 400%" arguments make me want to stiff my next server. Hope it's one of you!
You have every right to tip like a cheap jerkface and I have every right to give you craptastic service the next time you decide to frequent my place of business. =)
When I do use the coupon, I tend to order a little bit more than normal, or if it's an open coupon (no specific item), I usually get something I usually don't get. I also tip the waiter/waitress/bar more, usually half the coupon or more. Coupons get me in the door; if I like the food, I'll be back again.
reading all this makes me angry. My new standard is $1 no matter what the end of the bill is. If you are nice, you will get more. It is your job....if you don't like your job....GO GET ANOTHER ONE!!!!
You should print this comment on a T-shirt and wear it every time you go out to eat. See what kind of service you get then. =)
be glad u will ever get that. it could be 0....lol
I am a professional server in my late 50's. I started waiting tables in the early '70's. I have a 4 year university degree, AND went to Culinary School.
I LOVE my job. I love the culture. I love the creative people I work with, and both the lovely, and the difficult people that choose to spend their hard earned money in our restaurant.
That said, it is a VERY, VERY challenging job. Fast paced, intense, stressfull, and physical. I start running as soon as I walk in the door at 4:00, trying to get all my ducks lined up for inevitable rush, when all Hell breaks loose. My brain and body are FRYING trying to do 20 things and be in 20 places at once. 99.9% of you would be a quivering, beaten mass of goo if you had to step UP into my shoes on a Saturday night!
There is a lot of preparation before service, and clean up after. My shift is 8 hours long, but hey, people eat betwen 6 and 9, so really I have only 3 hours to produce income. The waitstaff wage in my state is $2.63/ hour! 20% of my tip income is tipped out to the support staff, the bartender and bussers. Another 15% must be set aside for taxes as my hourly wage doesnt even pay half of my obligation. I buy my own health insurance.
I'm not complaining. I feel fortunate I can provide for my family, pay my mortgage and my kids tuition doing a job I enjoy. I AM disappointed to find so many people look down on what I do. What's with that???
Yes, I usually EARN a 20% plus gratuity from my customers. Not because I'm greedy or expect it, but because I have worked hard and deliberately for many years to hone my craft to a point where the value my service adds to the dining experience is that evident.
Good luck abolishing the American tip custom. Have you ever dined out in France? Or the UK? Professional level service is factored into prices. $$$$.
I rarely, if ever, use discount coupons at a restrurant. EXCEPT for McDonalds, etc. If I do use a coupons at a restrurant, it is because it is a new restaurant and if I happen not to like the food, I haven't wasted the full price of the meal. BUT, I will leave a tip at a decent %age.
In regards to the many comments about being a lousy customer, complaining about the food, etc., my sister takes the cake, both figuratively and literally. A couple of years ago, I took her and her husband out for a birthday lunch for her. When the entrees arrived, she stuck her finger into the mashed potatoes and loudly proclaimed to the server that they were cold. She also cut her steak into 3 or 4 pieces and complained that the steak wasn't cooked as she had ordered it. This was to make the chef and/or cook re-make her order. If the meal was not to MY liking, I would have called the server over and politely and quietly told him or her that I was not happy with the order. But my sister - NO WAY! She ended up calling over the manager and complained to him. She got what she wanted: her meal deducted from the bill, as well as a free desert (and not a small one, either). Embarassed? You bet I was. As we were leaving, after I had paid the check, with a very decent tip to make up for the extremely rude behavior of my sister, I apologized to the server and the manager for all the trouble they had to endure with my sister. I haven't been out to eat with my sister since!
Hmmm, I always order water, not because I'm cheap, but because it's the ONLY thing I drink! This must explain why I always get terrible service.
Why would any restaurant need or want to offer me a free meal? I get suspicious.
Then my mind goes into arithmetic mode to calculate
- should I just go in feeling happy about it? Eating away merrily?
- should I feel thankfully remorseful that the restaurant is resorting to this?
- or should I feel remorsefully thankful.
Too much emotional arithmetic to make. It's not worth it.
TIP stands for "to insure promptness", I tip well for good service and not at all for bad service. Some days I am a little tight for money, but will come back and give extra the next time. I will also not tip the same for the owner as I do a server as they are already making money on me. I think some of these "attitude" comments by servers are the type that I would not be leaving a tip as often that attitude comes with pre judgements on what people will pay and serve them sucky and then go "I knew they were going to stiff me", talk about a self fulfilling prophecy. Try giving great service for a whole week regardless of what you think you are going to get and put on a happy face and good attitude and watch your tips go WAY up!!
TIP- To Insure Promptness. next time you go out to eat, tip the waiter when you sit down. how much you give them will determine how well they take care of you. I like this plan, i wouldn't get stiffed after spending an hour refilling the cokes your children keep sucking down
of course i put on a smile for every guest. My livelihood depends on it. it is naive to assume otherwise. But when i give great service and someone tells me that verbally then leaves me $1 on an $80 check, that is wrong.
15-20% is what you should tip, making 15% a baseline. as a person who serves tables at a chain restaurant, i can testify that i have to tip out ATLEAST 3.5% of my sales to bussers,bar,ect. (i only receive about 12% tips on my sales on average because of DB's who think that 10% is a good tip) so that means i make about 8.5% of my sales. that means that i have to sell around 750 dollars of food in 4-5 hours to pay my bills. my hourly wage is only $2.13 an hour, i get taxed on my tips, and for those who used to serve "back in the day": most people pay with plastic now so no one is receiving anything under the table. Learn to tip well. these people you are tipping live and help shape your community
I use coupons when I have them, but I always, ALWAYS tip 15-20% on what the full amount would have been. Getting a good deal is nice. Making your server suffer for your good fortune is another story.
Tipping is like putting monetary value on human nicety.
Customers want to save money. Waiters want to earn money. Customers are called "cheap" if they are frugal. Waiters usually get more sympathy due to this conflict of interest. Why? Is it because waiters are more inferior than customers?
The culture of tipping discourages people from eating out and forces more and more restaurants to go out of business and eventually worsens the recession. People in countries with no tipping culture eat out more often than people in countries with tipping culture. Something should be changed about this inefficient culture.
maybe if restaurants paid a bigger hourly wage than 2.13 an hour we wouldn't expect to get tipped. learn about what you're talking about before you start spouting.
Maybe the fact that your industry has a crummy pay structure should not be my problem as the client. Choose another career if you don't like it.
it's only crummy because you decide to pay less than what you should. perhaps you should pick a cheaper place to eat if you don't have enough money to pay the bill...?
My wife insists on bringing coupons when we go out to eat. I told her it is customary to leave a good tip - one based on the original price not the discounted coupon price - for the service provided. She has even pulled out a coupon, handed it to me and I've ripped it up. Believe it or not, she'll try to pass off expired coupons on some places. Out of courtesy, or pity, some have taken expired coup's. As stated elsewhere, if you can't afford to eat out - DON'T!
I'd love to see a 6 month span where all coupon users boycotted eating out. At that point, after the business has dried up, I'd be interested to see if the attitude from servers was still stay home...
sounds like your wife is more financially responsible than you are.
I'm hesitant to buy coupons through Restaurant.com anymore. I bought two of them for a local restaurant here in Pflugerville, TX – Springhill Restaurant – only to discover a sign on their door stating, "We will no longer accept Restaurant.com gift certificates." The certificates clearly state there is no expiration date and they'd been purchased just a few months before this sign appeared. Email to Restaurant.com went unanswered; apparently they don't care once they get their money.
They should have an 800# on their website- this happened to me too and was able to exchange it for another coupon. Call and get a customer service rep to help you.
I don't generally use coupons at restaurants (although I DO use them at fast food restaurants) – but I definitely take advantage of special offers and promotions. I sign up for e-mail notifications with the restaurants I like best – or join their "club" or other group. I generally ignore their messages until I'm getting ready to go out to eat with my husband or family. With one teenage boy in college and the other teenage boy at home eating anything that doesn't actively try to escape, I don't like to go out and pay the full amount unless it's a special occasion. That said, I do tip generously. I consider it part of the process, and I know how little servers usually make in wages, and I've seen for myself how much they put up with.
BTW, to those who have commented that being obnoxious is the way to go – I've found that we get markedly better service (and more special little touches) when we make a point of being friendly and pleasant. Yes, sometimes we have to wait fifteen or twenty minutes more than the obnoxious man who came in after us because HE raised a fuss, but it's not hard to notice that our server made absolutely certain that our drinks were always full, plates were cleared promptly, and that the round of deserts my boys ordered and my coffee never made it onto the check. And when it comes down to it, how seriously pathetic are we if we can't WAIT OUR TURN with patience and good humor? I always find myself feeling sorry for those people – I have to suspect that their lives must truly be sad and unfulfilled if they've been reduced to treating people badly so they can get what they want when they want it like a spoiled child.
LOVE your description of your teenage boy's appetite!!!
Seems to me the "tip" should be done away with.
When I was a kid working at Dunkin Donuts they had a no tip policy. Not any more.
Then about 10 years ago my local sub shop started putting out a tip cup. Now they all do! Heck, I'm going to put one outside my cubicle at work.
I tried that once but only got a bunch of pennies.
In regard to the tip jar in places like that (aka "pity jar"), proper tipping etiquette, at least in the US, doesn't suggest anyone has to put anything in them. I only put money in those things if I was given exceptional service, beyond the call of duty, or if I have a particular positive interest in the establishment, like if it's my favorite pizzeria.
I use coupons to try new places. I figure if I don't like it, it won't have cost me as much. However, I do tip on the full ticket before discount and I do not hold the wait staff responsible for the kitchen's shortcomings.
I pay more attention to coupons than I used to but a coupon doesn't make me want to try a new place.
Why is the baseline tip, for good but not great service, 15%? Not so long ago, the standard tip was 10%, now it's 15% and I have read that folks are reccomending 18%-20%. The job of a server hasn't changed at all in the last few decades, why should they get paid more? As a tip is calculated as a percentage of the bill, monetary inflation is taken care of. Also, what about the role that wine prices play? You can add $20 to your bill with a bottle of plonk or add $120 with a good bottle. It takes no more time, effort, or care to open and pour either bottle. so, it makes sense to tip a percentage of the food bill and add $5 for the wine service, yet servers aways expect a tip on the total bill regardless of the percentage of that bill due to wine.
because servers have to tip out the bar, bussers, runners, on the entire bill. if you choose to only pay $5 on your $100 dollar bottle i lose money waiting on you.
I use coupons occasionally and I always just drink water. I drink water because I can't tolerate carbonated beverages, alcohol or caffeine. I have no other choice but water. However, I always tip at least 20% of the meal (as if I didn't have a coupon) as I'm grateful for good service and really appreciate it when my water gets a refill.
When did the service industry start this 15% gratuity is inadequate nonsense? When a bill already has 18% figured in, I think, what a bunch of presumptuous greedy bastages. Mr Pink is right. Tipping is an idiotic custom. Five years from now, waitstaff will demand 25%.
and a loaf of bread used to cost a nickel, things change.
If you're getting tipped on a percentage of the bill, you are automatically getting covered for cost of living increases. A 15% tip on a nickel loaf of bread changes to a 15% tip on a two dollar loaf of bread. You don't get a 20% tip just because the bread went to $2. Last I checked, eating out is more expensive than it was in 1950 when bread was a nickel.
Well, the standard gratuity at most restaurants is 18%. Whether or not you choose to leave more, well, that is all on you as a patron. You have to remember that servers are getting paid substantially lower, like around $3.35 an hour. It is your responsibility to pay the 18% tip, regardless of the service quality. That's like me coming to your work and only paying you 80% for your services provided? Quit being frugle and just leave a decent tip, or risk having your food spat in during your next visit, because the staff WILL remember you.
So what? If they wait only wait on a few tables per hour that 3.35 turns into 40 or more!
"40 or more"..... this is a flat out lie. you sir have obviously never been a waiter.
My responsibility to pay REGARDLESS of service quality? Umm...no. Absurd. I tip very well when I get good service. I reduce a tip only if my service is unusually poor. But if you're my server and you think I'm obligated to give you 18% just since you have a pulse, well, you're sadly mistaken.
The whole country is suffering from recession. So is the restaurant industry and the waiters and workers. Deal with it if you need the job. The restaurant owner is trying to keep his head above the water barely by offering coupons. Would their waiters and workers prefer even fewer people going to their establishments with or without coupons and give them big tips cause they are some special breed of workers. You are lucky if you have a job in this economy. Or you rather be unemployed like millions of people in this country.
what if your boss suddenly started paying you less and told you to deal with it because "lots of people don't have jobs".
They have. Our hours have been cut to save costs.
It's really quite simple. If they offer a coupon and you like the place, then use it. Why throw out the offer to save money?
If the waiter is bad, they get nothing because they earned nothing. They diminished your experience. People who say that you tip anyway because maybe the waiter is just having a bad day or the tip is part of their earnings are wack jobs. If you want a tip, earn it. A few tables with no tips will quickly adjust a bad mood, and everyone will be the better for it.
I would like to point out, that 20% tip is excessive, for wait people. As restaurant prices rise, so does the tip. There is no reason to tip more than the traditional 15%, which in most cases, turns otu to be a fair amount for what is often 10 mins. of someone's actual effort to take your order, and serve you.
Those who think 20% is correct, are simply throwing away their money.
As for couponing......in general, coupons simply encourage you to buy something you might not ordinarily buy, and as such, is NOT cost effective. We as a society, should actually discourage the use of coupons, across the board, and simply ask for better prices, in lieu of.
Remember.....you cannot actually "save" money, by spending money. That is ridiculous. All you are doing is getting a better value, for money spent.....if......you would have bought the item anyway. If you would not normally have bought the item......then you not only have not saved money, you have actually wasted it!
I think that ideally coupons either allow to buy stuff you want to but can't quite justify or to save you $$ on stuff you buy otherwise. I don't see a problem with using them...if we pushed for lower prices across the board, it wouldn't be as good of a deal – coupons allow for price differentiation. You get a good deal because you looked harder for it. It allows for economic stratification between those who are willing to pay the full price and those who aren't.
I use coupons. In the state I live in wait staff get full minimum wage, and ours is higher than the national. So, I pay for what I get. Yes, I tip based on the original cost before coupons, but if you don't serve me well, you will not get 20%. It just depends. Now, if I were in a state that wait staff gets less than minimum wage, which I know there are, then yes, you should probably give a bigger tip. But again, wait staff should not expect it, it is earned. If you have a large party than the madatory gratuity is usually justified, as the wait staff has a lot more work and good attitude to use, but if it is just a couple or a 2 couples then it should be based on how well you are served, treated and cared for. Look up the definition: 1. (Business / Commerce) a gift or reward, usually of money, for services rendered; tip
2. something given without claim or obligation
you sound like one cheap %#@^%
I barely tip... and that too only if the service is good.. I dont remember saying anything about paying their employees when I entered the place...
The Federal Governement assumes that waiters get tipped at least 8%. Sot they have to pay income taxes on 8% of your check reagrdless of what you tip. So if you are tipping less than that then they are actually paying for the privledge of serving you. Tipping is an established American custom. If you can't afford to tip eat at home or fast food.
we spit in your food
I always order a water, but end up having more than a few cocktails. I think most people order water because it's easy to say and it gives people more time to decide what they want to drink. IMO
It's only tacky to use a restaurant coupon on a first date. Other than that, if the restaurant did not want you to use a coupon then it would not offer them.
Well said! I use restaurant.com coupons often. I always tip pre-discount. Sometimes, they automatically add 18%- the coupon tells you this- just read the fine print. I also use coupons at places like Olive Garden- sometimes combined with a gift card. I would not get to enjoy dinners out as ofen if it weren't for these discounts.
In this economy, I am not embarrased to use a coupon. I'm married, but if I were still in the dating scene and it was a first date, yes, I would get turned off. Same for bad tipping or rudeness to wait staff. In an established relationship, it is viewed as being smart with money.
Hmm...I've used coupons on first dates. Esp if the guy is paying or if we're splitting the check in which case I offer to split the coupon too. If he doesn't like it, well that's okay. I personally don't like dating people who waste money. Stiffing the tip is another matter – that's about how he treats people, but using a coupon is a smart thing to do financially.
When my parents were growing up (and my mom was a waitress), 10% was the standard. Then 15%, now 20% - and some servers think they deserve more. When is this going to end? 40%? 50%? Your tip is the same as the cost of the meal?
The tips would be increasing, even if we stayed at the same % because the price of meals have been increasing, but service hasn't been getting better. I say we freeze tipping at 18%. Who's with me?
If the restaurant offers the coupon, what's the problem? Honestly, when times were good I never would have thought about it. But currently, it's enabled us to take our kids out for dinner on special occassions like the first day of school, whereas we wouldn't have been able to otherwise. And does it create any future loyalty to those restaurants? Absolutely.
I clip coupons and use them on a regular basis for my shopping and will clip those restaurant coupons as well, but will not travel 40 miles to redeem them and only use them if we happen to be in a town. I had always thought users of coupons were "poor people" who couldn't afford to pay full price for groceries. Boy, was I wrong!! My daughter is an expert at using her Q's and has helped me in getting started. Now, I see it as "beating the system" especially when it comes to Wal-Mart!! That's the ONLY time I have a pleasurable experience in that store!
How is using a coupon tacky? The restaurant has decide to offer the coupon in the first place!
I use them occasionally, especially if I see an offer for a place I didn't know existed and want to give it a try. But I ALWAYS tip 20% on the full amount of meal (assuming the service is good).
I most definitely use coupons! TGI Friday's has great BOGO coupons! One is for regular entrees, the other is for Jack Daniels. Ruby Tuesday's has decent coupons also. And I most certainly tip on the amount BEFORE the coupon is redeemed. It's only right. I used to be a server at Red Lobster and it's really hard work! The money I save on the food I usually spend on drinks anyway!
What is awful is receiving horrible, horrible service if you mention your coupon when you order (which you are often required to do) and then having to pay a mandatory 18% gratuity for the use of the coupon. This happened to us recently when we used a restaurant.com certificate at a place where we had eaten many times and had recommended to others. Needless to say, we will NOT be back. They punished us with awful service and incomplete entrees in return for using the coupon and they lost all of our future business as well as our good word of mouth.
Does anyone know the guidelines, or what is acceptable as far as tipping when you pick up a take-out order? I usually do about 10-15% and wonder if I'm being a cheapskate.
I wonder that too...in my case it usually depends on the restaurant. If it's a place I order take out from a lot or a place where I feel like the servers don't make much (not many customers/cheap food) I'll tip like I'm eating there – esp the local chinese place because honestly they mostly do take out so I have to imagine the tips are low. Other times if it's a popular place or one I'm only going to once, I tip small or not at all since really, they don't have to prep a table for me, do clean up, or anything else other than bring me an order in a bag. It's one thing to tip delivery drivers like servers...take out seems more optional. I mean I'm not getting the service, why should I feel obligated to pay for it?
I don't tip when I am picking up food. My husband sometimes leaves a dollar if they have a tip jar. I just don't think about it- I'm not being cheap or rude- I just don't get why I should have to since I'm just picking it up. If I made a lot of money, I would.
I never tip for take-out. What service did you get? It's like tipping at the grocery store deli counter.
You arent supposed to tip takeout. Greedy servers will whine about having to take a whole 20 seconds putting your food in a super hard to use bag or gathering those tricky bags of ketchup and forks, but most dont expect a tip. Most of the time its the host that does takeout orders and they dont work on tips, its only customary for rich people to tip hosts in upscale restaurants (mainly just to show off and get a good seat).
I will only tip takeout if I go to the place a lot and they know my name and what I order, but I dont tip every time, only every once in awhile just to be nice. As someone who does takeout a lot I know that they do not expect a tip and wont resent you if you dont tip, at least not at local places where you get to deal with the owners.
I tip take out if it is curbside and they bring it to my car – generally a $1 or $2 depending on how much I'm picking up. Otherwise I don't tip takeout when I go into the restaurant and pick it up myself.
You don't have to tip for takeout at all. Those tip jars are often referred to as "pity jars." If you want to be nice, you can leave a dollar or something, but you aren't expected to leave anything.
They are amazing! Say they are tacky all you want, but when you can pay $2 for a coupon worth $50 in food...look who is laughing now tacky? You always tip on the full amount and anyone who doesn't is a piece of @#$%, you are getting a discoutn from the restaurant, not the server, always.
I have saved over $2000 just this year on eating out with my friends and family and goign to places I have a group buy coupon or one directly from the restaurant. I got a $110 punch card for drink at a local bar for $15.
TIP stands for To Insure Promptness. I tip based on service. I have tipped 50% on some occasions and nothing on others. A TIP is earned and should not be just expected.
To Insure Promptness would mean you were tipping before the meal so that you knew you would get good service.
The water thing is ridiculous. I always want either water or an alcoholic beverage when I go to a restaurant, never anything else. If I'm not boozing, I will just order water. I absolutely hate it when the server notably snubs me for this. What's wrong with effing water?!?! -> it's delicious, nutritious, and helps digest your food!
OHHHH, it's free. I'm sorry you offer free water. Maybe you should change that, I could care less. If they offered tap water for free and filtered water for a price, I would defiantly get the filtered stuff (not bottled water, just somewhat filtered... not straight out of the sink or from one of those dirty soda machines).
I am so glad this was one of the poll's. A lot of people think i am crazy because i think using coupons at restaurants is super tacky. Especially on a date.. let alone a first date. That should be an absolute no-no! But seeing some of the reasons pointed out on here i can understand it a little better in other situations.. like with family..
I'm not sure why you waitstaff folks complain. Odds are if that person hadn't had that coupon that's one less group spending money at your restaurant. One less group to make a tip on. If you'd rather have an empty section and less money with no coupon customers, by all means.
Coupons are great marketing tools for restaurants, and it encourages me to try a restaurant I normally wouldn't otherwise. It is not tacky, it is a business decision to drive new/more customers, and hopefully generate repeat customers. I understand it may not be easy/ideal for the wait-staff, but that is the managements 'fault', not the customer who decides to take up the offer.
Also, I am a solid tipper (18-20%) and I do tip on the orginal balance (before discount). I also order water as my beverage, as does my entire family... not because we are cheap, because it is our beverage of choice. I have the same for meals when I am at home. We don't drink soda, and are pretty picky about the quality of iced tea...so water is usually the staple. We will still order and tip generously, so please stop rolling your eyes or giving us lesser treatment because our first order is a round of 4waters!!
We sometimes use coupons, but I always tip on the "before coupon" amount. And I'm sorry, I believe a tip is for good service. If I get good service, 20%, if I get excellent service, it goes up from there. If I get bad service, it is reflected as well.
I think it's a great way to check out new places and/or get rewarded for being a regular. Then again, long before 4Square, I was getting free coffees at Starbucks not for being a mayor but for going there every day and tipping a lot.
These days, the ony way a family can afford to go out and eat is with coupons so if you think it's tacky you are probably a rich snob to begin with. That said, I do agree with tipping on the full amount. I tip on the full amount INCLUDING tax. I'll bet the coupon snobs don't even do that.
Coupons are good marketing tools for new or marginal places trying to drum up business. For me it is a great way to get me into your restaurant if it's a new place and I'm on the fence about giving it a go. If the food was good but not great and you post a great coupon, I'll usually take advantage of it. On the other hand, if the place was only so-so, even a free meal isn't going to get me back through your doors.
I hate reading these stories that seem to suggest that because you have someone waiting on you they deserve a big tip. I'd say don't go over 20%. If the waiter sucks it should be less than that. You are already paying for the service. It's included in the bill. Not my fault the restaurant chooses not to pass those profits on to the people on the front lines. I typically leave 5 dollars for a 30 dollar bill. If a waiter waits 5 tables in the course of an hour and they all have a bill close to that then they are making about what I make in a hour and I went through 4 years of college to get where I am. I knew a person who waited tables and made 500 dollars a night in tips. Not at some fancy place either. At a bar and grill. Not saying they shouldn't do well, the sky is the limit right. Just saying don't make them out to be some kind of victim because a few people stiff them. And some of them deservedly so
Christopher, please remember that even if it seems like a server is bringing home as much money as you are in the job you got with your four year degree your job most likely has things like health insurance, a retirement package, a corporate ladder to climb, job security, SICK LEAVE, vacation days, and so on and so forth. Most servers don't get ANY of these things, so while you might bring home the same amount of money each month what you are actually earning at your job is worth so much more.
LovinToBeAServer, please remember that Christopher and other like him likely spent four years in college (paid for by savings or student loans he is still paying off) and works 45+ hours a week to get those benefits like sick days, vacation days, etc. Being a server is the career YOU chose (I am assuming) knowing that things like PTO aren't granted. Why don't you find a different line of work if you want those benefits? We all make all choices in life and have to deal with results of those choices, so no whining. And yes, before you ask, I was a server. Most nights, my shift started at 5pm and ended around 9:30pm, so I worked an average of 4.5 hours a day. Most office jobs are a 9 hour day.
why do servers complain and want people to pity them????? you want sick time.. get another job..its that easy! I dont wanna hear about schedules and blah blah blah.. I went to school 18 hours a week I also did accounting at wal mart (with vacation time, sick pay, health and dental and vision discounts) I was a server at one point too.. I didnt like it so I did something else.. get over yourselves you are not some kind of martyr for being a server!
Resturants offer coupons because they want business, repeat business, new business, any business. Using them isn't tacky at all, just being a savvy consumer. I regularly use coupons that I get from Groupon, and I love the deals that tare made available. Every place that I have used them at have been happy about it. I tip well if the service that I am given deserves it, reagrdless of a coupon. Same thing with a prix fixe menu, resurants offer these menus as a way to bring in business by basically offering a full meal at a discount. Again, I will tip well. Any place that makes an effort to get and keep my business works for me.
I'm actually kind of amused that some people think using a coupon at a restaurant is tacky. If the restaurant printed it they want you to use it.
Discounts attract people, introduce people to new restaurants or new menu items. of course you should use them, the restaurant wouldn't provide them other wise. as for tipping, gimme a break, tipping is for extraordinary service, all of the atmosphere and normal service is already being paid for in the drink/food prices. Also I don't want to drink pop, I want water, with a lemon wedge.
@Nicole
Several of us work in crappy jobs dealing with the public. Several of us have to put up with complaining or rude customers. At least you get a tip for it, most of us don't.
AMEN!
Seriously AMEN.. Entitled people..
I bet you get health insurance though.
Ive noticed that when youre in a party you get EXTREMELY bad service from the waiter because they get a tip forced on the receipt. Has anyone ever gotten that removed for bad service?
If I use a coupon, I always tip based on what the check would have been otherwise. I was at a restaurant for lunch once, and my meal was late (not insanely late, though), so they gave the entire meal to me free. I still left the waitress my normal tip.
I do occasionally use a coupon at a restaurant, under a couple of circumstances. First, It is a place I am unfamiliar with and might not visit otherwise. It is a win-win I think... I get to try a new restaurant and the restaurant gets the opportunity to win a new customer. Once I place is on my "Go-List", I don't think I would use one... unless they mailed/emailed it to me or something. One place I frequent has special events; tastings, etc and will send out a "coupon" for these, not really a coupon more of an invitation.
Second, I almost never go to chain restaurants but when I do it is only with a coupon for a free appetizer or something similar. In this instance, it takes a coupon to get me in to eat their mediocre food. Good example would be a free blooming onion at Outback makes the $30 Steak and lobster seem like a decent meal. This is usually a right after work trip; we share an appetizer and Entrée and are in and out.
Oh, and in both instances… I tip well and on the full amount.
Same here. Coupons are a great chance to try new types of food or new places. I'm a lot less hesitant to go try something I've never had and not sure I'll like if I'm getting two for one etc. If I like the food then I'm a lot more likely to go back and eat at full price in the future. I hate going in a new place and finding out their food is crap then paying 60-80$ for something I didn't enjoy (rare but it happens).
Ohhh and yes, agree on the chain thing.. I really don't care for most of them unless I'm in the rare mood for cheap drive through..
I have to agree with many- if the restaurant offers coupons, I see no reason not to use them. As far as tipping, if the wait staff gives good service they should be tipped accordingly. Recently I was waited on by a watiress that plopped her butt in my side of the booth and proceeded to flirt with my husband, refilled his drink immediately, ignoring mine, and not mine despite my ordering the spicy meal, I watched for her to flag her down and never saw her again until I finally gave up on my meal. When we were finished she brought the drink with her, and asked if we wanted dessert. The restaurant wasn't that busy so it wasn't a result that she was too busy with other customers. When she brought our ticket it has a survey which she promptly REMOVED when I gave her our credit card to pay. I was so angry when I left the restaurant. I had to have her paged to ask her for the survey. Her response? Oh I laid it up here on the register. She still received more tip than I thought she deserved between 15 and 18% but the survey received the results of my ire.
That sounds horrible. What an awful experience. I'm glad you were able to express how bad it was in some way.
I don't mind people using coupons. Sometimes its the only way to get people through the doors. Unfortunately, most people who use them only tip on the amount AFTER the discount. The service I provide isn't discounted. I worked just as hard for them as anyone. Also, I'm HAPPY with 20%, and I do expect at least 15%. That being said, I do make considerably more than the minimum wage, so over all I can't complain. It is a high paying non-skilled labor job.
It is not tacky to use a coupon at all! I would admire a guy who took me out to a restuarant and saved money, That shows me he if budget conscious and responsible. However, if he is a bad tipper for no good reason, then he is a classless cheapskate. I remember one date I went on and saw the tiny amount he left for the server and I snuck a $5 underneath when he wasn't looking. $2 tip for a $30 meal? FAIL
good for you!
Tipping is a ridiculous practice at 20%. I know servers don't get paid much, but wasn't 15% considered gratuity? If I am served well I don't mind tipping out 15% but I have had far more poor experiences than positive and these definitely shade my judgement when tipping. If I go out with my wife and dinner + drinks rounds out to $45 I will not tip $9 to take orders, carry plates and refill water for an hour, the waiter/waitress would get better than twenty dollars an hour with this math for just my table. That is unreasonable. A five dollar tip is more than enough and any more is just ridiculous for an average night out.
If you can't afford to tip then stay home and have your wife serve you. You have odviously never been a server! Why in the world to people have suck low opinion of servers??? Not tipping well is tacky, rude and cheap. I put my way through medical school while serving tables and had to put up with people like you all the time..... It's disgusting.
After saying what you just said do you really have to ask that nicole? Im surprised servers arent the most hated people around. Telling people to "stay home" is absolutely despicable.
I'm not entirely sure why Nicole is so bitter about her time as a server. Yes, you do work hard, but you are compensated well considering that this is a job you can do without an education. I worked at a mediocre chain restaurant (not a fancy place) when I was in college and made more money doing that then my first three years in the workforce AFTER graduating with my Master's degree. Of course you have the occasional jerk that doesn't tip well, but for the most part people are very generous to their servers as long as you give them decent customer service. If you aren't getting tipped well, perhaps you need to reevaluate the way you are treating your customers.
Hard to believe Nicole is a dr with her poor command of the English language. Makes me wonder how many mistakes she made as a server – more than she makes in her posts? Maybe that's why she's so bitter.
The fact is, the server is sharing sometimes up to 50% of the tips with their support staff. Bartenders, bussers, food runners, etc. In many restaurants the server tips out on their sales. Regardless, of whatever tips they receive. So when you leave a five dollar tip for your average night out. That server may actually be paying to wait on you! You can think it's ridiculous and in the end, you are not required to tip. However, it's a practice that isn't going away anytime soon and your just making excuses because you're cheap.
The fallacy you're using, and it is you're (a contraction of you and are, please use it) is called ad hominem. I'm not cheap, I'm just not going to overpay for service, as I said, I will tip 15% when service justifies it, however, it is NOT a baseline, it is something a server can earn with good service. I understand a server has to tip out to the rest of the staff, as such they should remember they are representing them and work accordingly.
15-20% is what you should tip, making 15% a baseline. as a person who serves tables at a chain restaurant, i can testify that i have to tip out ATLEAST 3.5% of my sales to bussers,bar,ect. (i only receive about 12% tips on my sales on average because of DB's who think that 10% is a good tip) so that means i make about 8.5% of my sales. that means that i have to sell around 750 dollars of food in 4-5 hours to pay my bills. my hourly wage is only $2.13 an hour, i get taxed on my tips, and for those who used to serve "back in the day": most people pay with plastic now so no one is receiving anything under the table. Learn to tip well. these people you are tipping live and help shape your community.
While I appreciate the grammar correction, it doesn't change what I'm saying. Earlier you wrote you'll tip fifteen percent. Then, you said no more than five dollars is fine. Which is it? Five dollars isn't fifteen percent on a forty five dollar check. It also seems that you're ready for the service to be bad wherever you go so that you can justify your practice. Most servers do not expect a twenty percent tip for giving bad service. Those that do aren't waiters for long. Like I said, you don't have to tip anything. No one can force you. However, you're not going to convince me or anyone else it's okay.
Yes 15% is considered an appropriate tip for good service. 20% is what you get if you give good service and the customer really likes you and wants you to remember them and give them special treatment cause you know they are a "really good" tipper. Anything less than 15% is appropriate if something went wrong that was not really the server's fault but she or he did not bother to fix it. And if you got bad service you should never tip, because if you tip a crappy server they will never change and their bad habits probably irritate their coworkers as much as they did you!
i have never once remembered someone for leaving me 20%. But trust me when I say that ALL waitstaff will remember you if you leave a 10% tip. If you are going to leave 10-15% on good service, just make sure you don't plan on going back. Cheers
servers start working hours before the restaurant is open, and stay hours after it is closed so that you may have a place to come and eat. In most states servers are paid 2.13 an hour. From the tip you give us, we must pay out to a bartender and in most places, at least 1 server assistant. then we must also pay the restaurant the 3% credit card fee on our tips. When I get home I must pay 100% of my family's health insurance, because very few restaurants have insurance plans for their employees. How am I making $20 an hour?
Using a coupon at a restaurant can be tacky, but in the vast majority of cases, it isn't at all. For instance, it's tacky to use a coupon on an important date/night out, around certain friends/family (if you're concerned they'll see you as "cheap" instead of "thrifty" and/or "smart"), or for business lunches/events. Just about any other scenario (casual meals and most meals with friends & family), it is NOT tacky, and is very smart.
Many people have already stated the obvious point that these restaurants spent advertising money trying to make sure you do use their coupon, in order to draw your business. Not only do *they* feel it isn't tacky, but they are encouraging you to patronize their restaurant in the hopes that this coupon "brings you back for more".
If you do use a coupon, it is an absolute and unwritten rule that you must tip based on the full, not the discounted, amount of the check. You are getting the food at a discount, not the service.
The reason servers are such snobs to people trying to save money is because theyve never had a low paying job before. They dont know what its like to not be able to afford a $3 coke on top of their $8 meal and THEN have to add a tip. Being a server is one of the highest paid unskilled labor jobs in the country, I doubt a single server at a Chilis makes less than $20/h. Its the only profession I know of where someone can seek pitty for low pay right after they bragged about making $500 every Friday night.
YOU have odviously never been a server. You work your ass off all night long putting up with people's crap and whining. Don't get me wrong, you do get some people that are just plain nice and make your night, but for the most part people are ugly to servers for some reason. I was broke as hell wile being a server and going to medical school! I would work twelve hour shifts and night and then go to school eight to ten hours every weekday. Being a server was the hardest job I ever had. AND there is no guarantee on what you will make in a night/week/month/year.... You would know that if you had ever served before. I think that being a server should be a college requirement! OND, by the way, I do understand the value of a dollar and I aleays tep very well.
I hate it when someone expresses an opinion and then someone else comes back with "You've obviously never been..."
Just because you see things one way through your experience doesn't mean that everyone who differs in opinion from you didn't have that experience.
Case in point, my mother and sister. They both were waitresses at different times in their lives. My mother worked at a greasy spoon in a mall in the '70s, when she was pretty young. She worked long hours, made less than minimum wage, and didn't receive good tips because it was a crappy little diner in the mall. People just didn't tip well. She came away from that embittered. She now barely gives tips at all, unafraid to leave a penny if she didn't like the service. She carries around a tip calculator so she can tell exactly what 15% is if the service is good. If she doesn't feel she has enough, she'll leave whatever change she has regardless of the cost of the meal. That's just how she feel, because that was her experience.
My sister, on the other hand, worked for an upscale restaurant/pub. It was a hotspot while she was working there, always busy. They had event weekends where they had bands or kareoke or games after hours. (when the restaurant was closed and the bar took over.) She got good tips from the fine diners and even better tips from the late night drunken crowds. She could make $1000 in tips on a good weekend. She was never hurting for money there, and now she tips very well most of the time.
Even though they both did the exact same job, their experiences were completely different. So just because someone says wait staff can make big bucks, don't discount that person as not knowing what they're talking about.
Hope I never need serious medical assistance from you if the hardest job you ever had consisted of carrying a plate across a room. Oh, and could I get a refill?
@Rules.....so what you are saying is YOU have never been a server? @Lou.....you must not have been one either. By the way, my career is not hard at all. I am highly skilled and have been running my own practice for several years now. Being a server is very hard because I had to put up with uneducated individuals like yourself thinking it's perfectly ok to talk down to a stranger and not pay them for their services just because you have no respect for their job.
With 4 kids, I really like kids-eat-free nights and coupons; but I always tip (20% usually, rounded up to the next dollar)on what the meal would cost without the coupon or other deal, less tax. I DO NOT TIP ON THE TAX. People who do are morons, IMO.
Why not tip on the tax? In doing so you are making a happier server since they are the ones who profited... You're rounding up anyways.. that just doesn't make sense. It's not like your tipping the government any extra
I already tip sufficiently. Why should the server benefit if the sales tax just went up? It makes no sense (to me) that I should tip more for the same service in a higher tax area than in a lower one.
To the server who said that people who order water are just cheapskates: that attitude is what gets you lousy tips. I'm one who always orders water with my meal. Because – wait for it – I like water when I eat. I don't like tea, or coffee, or soda. I'm not always in the mood for alcohol. I just like water. And, pay attention when I order. Don't tune out when someone says 'water'. When I ask for my water without lemon and you bring it to me with lemon, I know you weren't paying attention.
And you shouldn't order lemon. They're handled by EVERYONE, and full of germs. I avoid lemon wedges like the plague.
I agree. If I don't feel like a soda, that doesn't mean I'm a cheapskate. Even if I don't order soda because I don't want to waste $2.50 on a drink, I'm not a cheapskate. I might use that money for an appetizer, dessert, or even part of the tip. People should be allowed to order what they want without prejudice.
Agreed, Im a huge water fan! It's healthiest for you, so why wouldn't I? :)
THANK YOU! I order water because it's my preferred drink. If you join me for dinner in my home...I'll be drinking WATER! I hate when a server automatically labels us a cheap-skates because we order water. Your loss!
we don't think your cheapskates, we just think your boring. the cheapskates are the people who ask for water with extra lemon and sweetener
I'm sorry I'm not exciting enough?
I completely agree! I like water with my meal, period. I go out to eat for the food and drinking fills me up so I can't enjoy my meal. More than once I've been given "the look" when only ordering water. We more than make up for our water drinking by selecting some of the more expensive entrees plus add ons (apps, dessert, sides). There's no quicker way to ensure a mediocre tip than giving me "the look" when I order water. If you treat my preference with respect you'll most likely end up with a generous tip, rounded up.
And you're darn right I use coupons, whether it's fast food or fancy (just used a $10 off on a high end $140 steak dinner on our anniversary, thank you very much). If you don't treat me or my coupon with disdain, I'll tip generously on the pre-coupon bill and round up.
i agree.
and water is the most healthy option
I also order water while out because it is kinder to my stomach. But I have a little catch, I want it with no ice. That seems to be a real kicker for some waitstaff. I agree with Ijustlikewater, when I am brought a glass of water with ice I wonder if the server paid attention at all to my requests. Then I wonder what meal I am going to end up with. I use coupons when I get them in the email, sometimes ones from the paper. Always tip on pre-coupon price. And if the water comes without ice there's a little extra in the tip. :)
Use it if you want, why not? The restaurant is presumably offering them to drive business. Why not use them? Not every one that orders water is a cheapskate. I usually order water, I don't drink sodas, I don't really drink more than one beer or cocktail if that and at 8 months pregnant right now, I don't order alcohol at all! Also, if it's towards nighttime, I don't order caffeinated tea. I don't let my kids suck down a bunch of soda, sugary drinks or caffeinated beverages either. How about a restaurant coming up with better "mocktails" to offer than just the standard virgin pina coladas? Boooring! We always tip at least 18% on the amount of the meal that we would have paid without using the coupon.
What I don't like is restaurants that offer coupons on "dine-in only" service. What's the difference? One time that wasn't printed on the coupon, but the restaurant said they wouldn't honor it on our phone in order. We didn't order from there, and haven't been in since.
I don't order water because I'm a cheapskate, I order it because it's INSANELY marked up! Carbonated beverages cost the restaurant pennies for a glass the customer pays $2-$3 for. It's marked up WAY more than food. And, for my husband and I, it adds $4-$6 to our meal. I'd rather spend that money on food or your tip, thank you. In this economy, be happy people are coming to your restaurant and maybe consider that, the only way they could afford to go to your restaurant and tip you fairly was to use a coupon.
I order water at a restaurant not because I'm cheap more because I like water. I drink it at home, at fast food, at expensive places and buy it at gas stations.. doesnt mean i'm cheap.. means i'm not a fat ass that wants to chug soda.
I buy vouchers from Groupon, where you may buy 2 $25 dollar vouchers for $25. I always tip according to the total bill, not the discounted bill.
People use coupons for grocerys, dry cleaning, car washes, etc. People look for bargins in stores,at movies and when traveling. Why should using coupons in resturants be considered anything but "smart shopping"? The resturants offer them because they hope they drive head counts; increased head counts can result in increased revenue which can increase profits which in turn can result in more people working. There is nothing wrong about taking advantage of something that was intended to be used, including coupons.
As far as tipping goes, this isn't really about coupons as that is the same arguement about tipping on the amount of the check before or after tax. People are going to tip what they feel they want to tip. There are no laws about tipping, just "best practices". I tip based on service. Food quality is not the fault of the waiter / waitress if they got the order correct. Being seated and where isn't part of the tip. What matters when tipping is if your waiter staff was prompt, attentive, accurate and effective. If they meet your expectations, tip accourdingly. If the food is bad, talk to a manger. If the table you were seated at was not to your liking, as the host to move you. Each person in a resturant or bar as a job to do and eachs need to be help accountable.
All that said, I go to a place with a percent that I am going to tip in my head. Most times the starting point is 15%. From there the waiter or waitress can earn more or earn less. Earn being the key word. I will not automatically tip 15% just becuase. If the service is poor the tip goes down (although I do not stiff anyone and will not leave only change). I have tip $5 on a 1 dollar check and have tipp $5 on a $175 meal. Each person got exactly what they worked for. The $1 waiter busted his humped, talked to me, checked on me, kept refills flowing with a smile on his face an no issues with me just drinking coffe and reading the paper. The $175 waiter couldn't have cared less about me. He got the order wrong, made no effort to fix it, didn't take a drink order at all, never checked on my party, was curt, rude and had an out an out nasty attitude. I understand people have bad days, but I am not paying an individual my hard earned money to be treated like crap.
The whole tip thing is a bad concept. These places hire people in at less than minimum wage with the governments approval counting on the consumer to make up the differance. I get it, lower costs = more jobs. I don't by in to that at all. When somewhen creates a business model for a bar or resturant they know what to expect. If the model changed so would the business plan. If you are opening up a resturant and need 20 people, you need 20 people. This is just another huge break given to business owners (and do you think all the chain resturants / bars really need the break?) at the consumer expense.
As long as I have to pay the wages of the resturant / bar staff they are going to have to work for the money, coupon or no coupon.
Well said!!
You know who I don't like tipping... The people who make my smoothie or sandwich at a carry out restaurant (Subway, Smoothie King, etc.). Why do they feel they deserve a tip? They get paid more than minimum wage and are just doing their job. I don't get tipped for helping one of my clients. When I used to work at a smoothie place my boss wouldn't allow us to take tips. So annoying.
Only liberals use coupons, although that may change the way that Obama is going with the economy.
God, that was a stupid comment.
You should consider a new hobby. I suggest traffic dodging.
Only liberals traffic dodge.
Apparently conservatives expect the traffic to stop for them because they don't want to budge.
Only stupid people will voluntarily pay more for an item than use a coupon – financial planning 101 – Please can I pay $20 instead of $15 for my sandwich...teach your children how to spend wisely and our country wouldn't be in the turmoil that we are in today.
I was waiting for you!!
I've run restaurants and I've run restaurants, and I'd fire the people who made those comments by Friday if they worked for me. "irritated23" would be washing dishes for the rest of her life.
Um, were those comments on this thread? I went to look for them and don't see them.
Irritated23 is in the body of the ariticle, right at the top (the one who expects 20% tips). Actually, the tip for adequate service should be 15%. Irritated23 is just being greedy.
If I have a coupon or gift card and I'm going to that restaurant, I'll use it, but I don't go out of my way to only eat at places that I have coupons for. And sometimes I'll go with a coupon and not use it because I decide I want something different than the coupon offers.
I think they're a great way to get people to notice a restaurant is there and come in, but I wouldn't want to limit my experience of every restaurant to whatever is printed on a little ticket.
I don't think there is anything wrong with saving a buck or two when I'm out to eat but I also make sure I tip on the full bill so the waiter/wiatress is not shorted!
Umm...yeah. Thousands of people use them. Its called Groupon – one of the largest discount companies on the planet right now. But, you should still tip based on the regular cost. That's a no-brainer.
I have tried so many new places using Groupon, LivingSocial & Home Run; love them!
Me too. I also use villagevines.com which gives great discounts without being "tacky" and having to use a coupon
We almost always use coupons or gift cards when going out to eat, because every little bit helps. That being said, we also tip on the amount of the bill before the coupons are applied; how much we paid doesn't change the value of what we get.
If restaurants send them to me in the mail, email, or I get them with my Sunday paper, yes I will use them. In times when you are on a budget, even 3-4 dollars helps.
I don't understand why some people think its tacky to use a coupon-if a restaraunt creates and distributes a coupon trying to get more people in their restaurant, they WANT you to use it. They have spent money having them made and sent out, and are expecting people to use them. How exactly is that tacky? If a restaurant doesn't want you to come in with coupons, they won't make and distribute them.
I use coupons & I tip based on service but also on the amount of the bill prior to the discount. Having said that, I am always ASTOUNDED at servers who think the crummy way they're paid is my responsibility, as evidenced by some of the posts here. If you don’t like the way you’re paid or your customers or the way you’re tipped, 1st look to see if you’re getting crummy tips because of the work you do & then find another place to work. There are very few places in the country where things are SO bad & options are SO limited that you cannot wait tables at a different place or find another similarly-paying job. I am in customer service, too, so I know what dealing with the public is like.
Believe me they like the way theyre paid or they wouldnt be servers for so many years. They get paid WAY more than minimum wage after tips are factored in. Only the ones working in restaurants that are on the verge of closing dont get paid very much, probably because they told customers to stay home if they cant afford a big tip.
LOL – I like the way you express yourself, Rich!
I feel the same way. I always tip well. Better than well, actually. I just hate when people feel entitled to the tip, as if it's my fault they don't get paid properly. I also don't like when they collectively decide the old normal is too low. Most people consider 15% standard, but if you talk to a waiter, they'll often tell you it has to be at least 18%, and most servers expect 20%.
I've never really understood why the wait staff at a place like say, Chili's should get a bigger tip than the wait staff at the local cafe just because their food costs more. Shouldn't the tip be a flat fee no matter where you go instead of a percentage? I feel guilty giving someone a $1.50 tip on a $6 meal so I usually give more.
Otherwise if a restaurant offers coupons I don't know why a person should feel guilty using them.
I worked my way through college waiting tables so I know what it's like to deal with customers. I'm appalled at how service has gotten so bad, and yet there's an expectation of higher tips. I will tip related to the quality of service I receive rather than some waiter's expectation of a set percentage. Regarding coupons ... of course I will use them since the restaurant has provided them in the first place, and if my service is good I will pass those savings on to the waiter/waitress.
I made more money as a waitress per hour than I do now that I have graduated college and got a job in the real world. Most waitresses aren't reporting the entire tip on their income tax return so they are eliminating a major portion of their taxable income – this also gives them a better chance at getting financial aid, property tax refunds, state paid health insurance...the list goes on. Every job has its perks and being a waitress usually means you aren't fullly reporting your tips and are receiving benefits elsewhere because of it. DON'T ever expect that you should get a tip...a tip is a tip – you are being paid for the courteous and prompt service you are providing. I waited tables for 10 years and I have no problem tipping poorly if the waitress did a poor job, but I always tip generously to the staff that goes above and beyond my expectations.
It's pretty tacky.... but at least tip on the full amount, same with happy hour
I agree 100%
Similarly, I can justify tipping the server more if a coupon is honored and the service is up to snuff.
Same here! I will tip more since money was saved.. just as long as I don't get a snippy server since it's happy hour time..
Saving money during a recession is tacky? Heh, okay.
If a restaurant is offering a coupon/deal on food that I'd like, I'll take them up on it. There's a reason that "a penny saved is a penny earned" is an old adage. I would encourage more people to cut out those coupons. Saving a buck here and there adds up over time.
by all means save as much money as possible, i try to. coupons remind me of grocery stores, fast food restaurants, etc. i guess i had a nice place in mind when i said it was tacky. there are much worse things you could do at a nice restaurant than use a coupon though, being tacky is far better than being rude
I agree! My penny saved is 143% of my penny earned due to 30% income taxes. I always take advantage of coupons. And I always tip on the pre-coupon amount.
If you do or don't use your coupon, TIP! And tip AT LEAST 20%. If the recession has been hard on you, it's most certainly been hard on the server/bartender, too.
If the person is trying to save money then why is he eating out at a restaurant? Yes, in this instance, it is tacky because the restaurant experience is not a commodity necessary for life.
One thing I really enjoyed about my trip to europe (Holland, Germany) was to not have to worry about tipping. It was almost impossible to not tip, because you are not used to do that.
Not that it really affects my choice of places to go. But it was a realxed feeling that the waiter is not judging you and will not change her service quality if u tip her 15 % and not 25%, like the way it happens in US. Actually i tipped at 90% of the places I ate.
I follow the simple rule that you tip on the full amount and think of the coupon savings as simply part of the payment. Nothing tacky about an additional form of payment provided by the restaurant. Are gift cards tacky?
BTW, I almost always order water with my dinner, that's also what I drink at home. I've never had a restaurant give me a smaller glass. THAT would be tacky/poor service. Possibly earn a lower tip that way.
Or never tip on a percent in the first place, which is a much more logical solution to tipping. The attitudes of most servers here certainly make me want to tip 20 cents on one drink next time I go out instead of the $2 I normally do, they want 30% so bad so might as well give it to them.
It's tacky? Is it tacky to use a coupon for an oil change? Is it tacky to use a coupon for food at the supermarket? The restaurant is offering an incentive to visit their establishment, how on Earth is it tacky for you to take them up on their offer? You are right about tipping at the full amount - you tip on the value, not the price you actually paid.
yes! it's tacky! i'm not saying its bad. For an oil change, groceries, clothes, or whatever else, use the coupon, that isn't tacky. But when you sit down at a nice place it's tacky to pull out a newspaper clipping and stuff it in the bill
@deathbydonuts -- It's tacky for restaurants to offer them. It is NOT tacky to use them.
How is it "tacky" for the restaurant to offer them?
Really? Tacky? Then why on earth would a restaurant put them out. That is ridiculous to say. If you think it is tacky. you are too hung up on things other than your food and lack the confidence to what you want in this world without assuming everyone else is nitpicking you.
Servers have a job to do. If they do a good job, they will be tipped well. It has nothing to with whether a person uses a coupon. I purposely use coupons because I think food is only worth what it is worth, it doesn't get better because someone put a higher price on tag on it.
Service is another thing entirely. I tip well! I was once told by a very savvy business owner, new undercut your service price, because people need support. The product can always be discounted because it is dispensable.
If someone is using a coupon in the restaurant you are in and you find it tacky, perhaps you should take it up with the restaurant. After all they were the ones that produced the coupon and HOPED they would see business out of it. Ask them and see if they think it is tacky, or if they might just wonder if you are over absorbed in someone's business.
eek.. I meant NEVER undercut.
I love how people says its tacky to use coupons at nice places...As far as I am concerned "nice" places dont have coupons...Red Lobster, Olive Garden they offer coupons but really are they nice places? I dont think so...If you go to Mortons there are no coupons but there may be an email only special that you must request...this is not tack it is being a savy shopper. Plus no matter what always tip on the pre-coupon price
@MMMMDonuts
Mortens does in fact have a coupon. The $99 Surf and Turf. It covers a full four course meal for two. That and you can substitute any item on the menu for the set piece and only pay the difference. So you can eat there and save close to %50 over the regular cost of a meal. I still give a %20 tip on the value. The server gets the same tip regardless. I however, as an educated consumer, pay less. It's not tacky it's common sense.
You snooty #1tches can turn your nose up all you like. Meanwhile – I have a little extra money in my pocket and it does add up. Anytime I have a coupon I'll use it. Meanwhile you go out and pretend that you really have money when you're all pretty much a bunch of posers. The people who truly have money rarely make a show of it.
I remember a story where people were scoffing at Barbara Streisand for using a Starbucks coupon. I say, you go girl! It's not about having money – it's about keeping it.
Amen brother!
I grew up working for tips, so I'm well versed on tip etiquette. I don't think there's any shame in trying to save yourself some money. I make a 6 figure salary and live in an affluent community in CT. My wife will never have to work, and my kids have everything they need or want. I like eating out and we frequent some pretty good restaurants.
dininghalfoff.com has some pretty top notch restaurants on their list depending on the city you're in. Anyone who thinks they're too good to take advantage of some savings is a snob. In this economy there's no shame in being money conscious. As long as you remember to always tip at least 20-25%, and always tip on the full amount of your meal ,not the discounted amount, the servers will always remember you and always greet you w/ a smile on your return visit.
I do feel I must qualify for the young guys out there. NEVER EVER EVER use a coupon on a first date.....No matter how big of a tipper you are....Unless you're dating a finance major...LOL...
Thanks for letting us know that even though you are rich, you still use coupons so it's okay for the rest of us. Snob.
A coupon for a couple of bucks is nearly a kids meal for free! It kinda sucks paying $6+ for a meal for a 2 year old! BTW, I always tip based on pre-coupon price AND, I always clean up after my kids!! Also, if you are going to expect a Tip, I expect a compliment!!!!!!!!!!
A compliment on what? The fact that you clean up after your kids when they make a mess in somebody else's house? Gee, thanks.
I don't understand what kind of compliment you're talking about. I tip for good service.
I'm surprised that nobody has commented on the "loud-mouth gets his way" part of the article. To all the loud mouths out there that get their way in a restaurant and don't care what the staff thinks of them, I should caution you about using that sort of attitude with people who are alone with your food/drinks before you eat/drink it: that server or host that you were rude to has spit (or worse!) in your food before you have eaten it. I've seen it happen 100's of times. So be nice or you'll be eating saliva or worse. Just a heads up.
How is saving money "tacky"? Please get over yourself. If you have so much money, can you please send me some? Thanks!