Tipping

[Sinister]

I know what you're thinking: Sinister doesn't like to do it. Untrue. I like to tip waitresses when they do their job and go above and beyond somewhat, even make a half-assed effort, I will tip. I'm not like Steve Buscemi's character, Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs and don't believe in it. But there are times that I'll be damned if I'm slapping down a few extra bucks for someone who didn't earn it, and today was one of those days.

First, I take Omega to a restaurant for his birthday that we frequent from time to time when I go back to the old neighborhood. We had to wait, I know fifteen minutes for a table (they were full, but there were at least four tables where the goddamn hillbillies seeing folks standing at the door waiting, could have gotten up and went and belched and farted somewhere else. We weren't the only ones waiting.) The waitress asks if we wanted to go ahead and order our drinks--okay, what the hell! Another ten minutes pass. A table comes open, it takes a waitress at least another ten minutes to clear it. We order our food, and they didn't bring pickles for the burgers which came with the dish. We wait until we can't afford to wait any longer for them for fear our food would get cold. The waitress shows up and asked, after we were done, did we still want pickles--uh, no, we're finished now. Our glasses were re-filled only once AFTER WE WERE FINISHED EATING! By that time, the restaurant waas only a quarter of the way full. So they could hardly be claimed to be too busy. So we got up and went and paid the check. Do you think I left any extra? Not only no, but HELL NO!

To any of you out there in the profession of waitressing, god love you, you are a godsend, but if you don't do your job, go get another one. You aren't doing anyone any favors in the job you're in. :mad:

[Zombie-F]

That's how I've always felt about it too. Ask Raxl about his last trip up here and the service we got at the 99 Restaurant when he came to visit me here. Then ask what we left for a tip.

[dougspaulding]

It's his birthday and you get him burgers? What's up with that!

I know what you mean. My great restaurant peeve is when my water glass goes dry. I have to stop dining and wait until I am replenished. I hate that! It's only water - how hard can it be? More than once I've gotten up and went to refill my own glass. That gets their attention!

[dougspaulding]

Ask Raxl about his last trip up here and the service we got at the 99 Restaurant when he came to visit me here. Then ask what we left for a tip.

Raxl, how was the service and what did you leave for a tip?

[Zombie-F]

Wow. Most restaurants up here don't even give you water unless you ask for it. Same goes for bread, which some places don't even have at all.

[Sinister]

That was what he wanted, Spaulding! :mad: :D I would have opted for Chinese or some such, but he wanted to visit the place again, so... Remember "The Gator Cafe'?" They have THE BEST Malted's there of any I've ever had. That's what we usually go for.

I have been known to get up in a restaurant when I knew where their waitress station was and fill my glass with tea/Coke when they were too busy talking about what happened on Survivor or their failed dates or whatever they were jabbering about at the moment. Then they get all indignant because YOU do THEIR JOB for THEM. If you don't like what I just did, THEN FILL MY GLASS PLEASE! Don't make me get a manager (I've done that a time or two as well.)

[SuFiKitten77]

The last few times we have gone to a restaurant, I swear I have gotten the wait staff from hell .. we ordered our drinks and 20 minutes later I had to go FIND the waitress and ask her how our drinks were coming along .. that to me brings chance of tip down to almost nothing .. they weren't even busy or anything .. she was just off bullshitting with her friends :( grrr

[Sinister]

This is how I do the whole tipping thing: When my glass is empty, I sit it on the edge of the table where the waitress can visibly see that the thing is empty. IF they fill it like it should be or more, I'll go over the 15%. Ten percent, if it sits there a certain length of time and I get only one or two refills. If it sits there and I'm forgotten--Then you are forgotten, Miss Thanks-For-Crappy-Service. :rolleyes:

[mikeq91]

Thats what I don't understand. If I go to a restaraunt and get good service, great. But thats what they're getting paid to do! The restaurant shouldn't rely on us to spend extra money on their waitstaff. Now, if they do a good job, I think you should tip them. But people shouldn't feel obligated to tip for mediocre or worse service.

What other places do you tip? Being a gas pumper, I do get tips, though less and less as the gas prices increase. Some people will tip me on good service (we wash windshields, check oil, try to be friendly), but some people are planning on tipping me anyway. Like some people will complain about me taking a while (sometimes when the credit card machine is broken), but still will end up tipping me. Wierd, but I'm not complaining...

[Blackwidow]

I've spent a lot of years working as a waitress and for the most part I loved it. I really enjoyed meeting new people and would go all out being friendly and doing my best to take care of everyone the way I would want to be treated if I were the customer. I think a lot of the poor service comes from those that hate the job and are only there to make a few bucks and don't give a hoot whether their customer comes back or not. Those are the ones that should find another job. They're not doing the customers (or the other waitresses) any favors by being there. I think everyone should tip according to the service they were given...crappy service = no tip!
My pet peeve about restaurants...mandatory tip sharing between the waitresses. It is so unfair to have to share your tips with a waitress who doesn't care enough to do a good job. :mad:

[Nefarious1]

"The Gator Cafe" ? We used to have one here in Gainesville. Probably owned by different people but they made the BEST cheeseburgers I have ever had! The went out of business though. :(

[Tom K]

I usually go 15 to 20% most times...Depends on the place and the service...

There have been a few times I wouldn't bother because the service was so bad...Doesn't happen much though...

[Nefarious1]

Ok.. Here is my spew on tipping.

The server ALWAYS starts out at 15%. Depending on thier courtesy to me and the attentiveness I receive their tip could go up to as much as 30-40%. The lowest would be like 5-10%. I can't just not tip because that's these people's paychecks!

Let's face it, we all have shitty days. Most of us work for an hourly wage and when we go to work and only give 10% they don't dock us a days pay. We still get $5.15 (or whatever minimum wage is)+ an hour. If you are served by someone and they give you shitty service one night it may not be the same the next time you patron the place.

Servers do get a paycheck. It's usually for $2.15 an hour and taxes come out of that including insurance and other necessities. Not only that but most of the time the tips they do make they have to claim those, too! Which means they could be paying more taxes than most people who make $15 an hour!

And you had to serve a bunch of asses like all of us, I would be a slack ass everyday, too! LOL

I don't know... Call me a bleedin heart or whatever but I would NEVER not leave a tip.

[Pete]

I belive in tipping well, too.

Unless I'm at the Waffle House. :mad:

[Sinister]

I belive in tipping well, too.

Unless I'm at the Waffle House. :mad:

Whut? Dem wimmen wiff three teef ain't worth a lil' extree? Sum of dem be sweet thangs! :D

Inattentive waitresses are just a bad impression on those ladies who really bust their asses to make ends meet. The latter deserve what they recieve, but as for those others--I am not moved by the opinion that they deserve something, except maybe they need to be taken to the back office and have a "pep talk."

Whoever thought it would be cool to screw waitresses out of at least minimum wage need to be dragged out into the street and publicly caned. And it doubly sucks that waitresses in some restaurants have to divvy up their earnings with a bunch of ditzes who don't deserve a dime of it.

[Sinister]

Bump time again, guys. So far here in Colorado, I haven't run into the problems I did in Florida with this practice. What are some of you new folks take on this?

[Hellrazor]

Up here in Canada, the minimum wage is less here for wait staff as well. I went back to school a couple of years ago and Tried my hand at Watitressing. The min wage was 6:15 per hour (compared to 8.00 per hour for other jobs) I ended up making 16.00 per hour per shift, cuz Im that good. I SCREWED up A LOT too. Im not all that organized. I would smile and APOLOGIZE - theres the operative word. I would never snub anyone, whether it be my fault or not....I told you that to tell you this... loll

Some people just dont tip. No matter what kind of service you give. They will vocally say its because of the service they have a scale, but sorry... some people just dont tip. While others (usually those who have been in the restaurant sector at some point ) tip really well. Those people in between just need to be treated with common curtosy and you will get your just desserts. I will tip a minimum of 5.00 and it goes up depending on the service. That is just because I think that in Canada 11.00 per hour is a decent (still small) wage for a server.....

I have worked many many jobs. .... retail, factory, cleaning. ... And waitressing is BY FAR the most difficult job I have ever held down. Retail is clean, but about the same effort. Factory is more effort but you can be brain dead some days if you felt like it (except for health and safety but I know that doesnt come into play here) Cleaning for people is just gross. but waitressing has it all.

I would go back for the money , but it is definatly the hardest, worst job i ever had and I went in every day with bells on...

So theres my 2 cents - or 2 bucks, whatever. :)

PS: IF you cant afford to go out and eat AND leave a tip - then stay at home to eat.

[slimy]

I make my money on tips. Here is a plan to guarantee good service. Right when you set down, order your drinks, slip the waitress a couple of dollars right off the bat. Then just look at her and say, 'this is for taking care of my friends/family/partners/whatever, do a good job, and more will follow'

You will be the talk of the kitchen, and I Guar an teee your glass will not go empty the entire night.

Those are my two cents .

[Hauntiholik]

I think I've not tipped at a restaurant maybe twice in my lifetime. I'll tip even when my order is messed up. I'm pretty easy going about things and I understand when there's a rush.

[HibLaGrande]

In highschool I had a part time job delivering pizza's. I always rememberd who tipped and who didn't, those who tipped got their food warm and untouched, those who didn't, well.... , I always tip well. :D.
When my wife and I go out... like tonight, the check was $20.00, I tipped $5.00. I'm usually in the ball park for 20-25 percent, I will sometimes go higher when the service is great. Example... My wife and I went out for breakfast ground zero during a Notre Dame home game weekend, the place was PACKED! I asked for a side of peanut butter for my pancakes ( yes Peanut buter ) the waitress said that the place did not have peanut butter then she smiled and said "I like peanut butter on my pancakes too, and I have a jar I brought from home, I'll give you some of mine"... I got my peanut butter for my pancakes and she got a $10.00 tip. Don't get me wrong I have left the table tip free before as well, but it is very rare that I have service that bad and if it's that bad I will never go back to the place. ie. Carrabba's Italian grill can kiss my ass.

[Frighteners Entertainment]

Thanks Sin for bringing this thread alive. enjoyed reading the whole thing.
I wish I had time to tell you a few stories of my own, some good ones too!

I'll have to revisit this after the season is over!

[slightlymad]

Definitely a great thread.
I tip much the same as Sin but based on how full/hot my coffee stays.
Some people drink water i drink coffee.
I still work in the service industry and at one time cooked in a restruant so i kinda know the servers perspective and it actually makes me more critical than most service is something judged critically and sometimes overly so. the better half keeps me in line.

[Bodybagging]

Heres my Favorite tipping story......Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
I took My crew and their dates out one night for dinner, drinks and a comedy club as a bonus for a job well done........
We had a great dinner, with Great service, our dinner tab was over $700.00 I gave the waiteress over 40% for the tip, she was happy....
We proceeded to go downstairs for drinks ans await the comedy show, twenty minutes later I get a tap on the shoulder, I turn to see a group of people standing there looking very very perturbed...The Manager of the restuarant asks me if there was a problem with my service, I said No, he asked if there was a problem with my food, I said no, he then asked why I did'nt tip the waiteress.....WHAT!!!!!!!!
Come to find out that the waiteresses had to split their tips with the other waitstaff and I guess she didnt feel the need to..... On a sidenote the guys drank free the rest of the evening for our inconvience.....

[HibLaGrande]

alot of places make the wait staff split tips. I think that is a crock. It has a way of bringing the good staff down to mediocre, and the crappy wait staff gets paid the same... no reason to change. The place we went to last friday had the bus boy swiping some of the tip money. when the waitress was across the room talking to the manager she was real pissed, you could tell, but, when she reached our table none of it showed.

When we had our wedding catered I asked the owner if it was customary to tip the wait staff, he said it was not nessasary because he paid them well. They did a great job so I gave them $20.00 each, not quite 15% but they were not making minimum wage either.

[Zombie-F]

One thing I really hate is places that work the gratuity into the check. If I got really piss-poor service, what says I want to give them an 18% tip, or any tip at all (if we were treated badly)?

[HibLaGrande]

That happened to my in-laws down in Key West, They insisted that the manager remove the gratuity, after some arguing it was finaly removed. I guess bad service is rampent in Key West, they said they won't go back as they were treated poorly in almost every shop they went in.

[jdubbya]

Okay. Aside from how much to tip, WHO do you tip?
I don't tip my barber. He sets his price and I feel a tip is not warranted. I also don't leave a big tip at a buffet restuarant where you are serving your self. A little bit if the drinks are refilled is one thing. I know people who tip at carry out places! Never understood that.
I will tip pizza delivery guys, and well at that. If service is really crappy, I'll leave a ridiculously small tip just to make the point. I'll also tell them if they ask "so how was everything this evening."

[krypt]

we tip the pizza guy 10 bucks..... extra 5 on holidays i belive in tipping, b/c of one reason on the doors of places it says do not tip. Well i know thats horseshit ive worked some of these places when i was younger i know what they make if it wasnt for tips they wouldnt eat. When eating out i have'nt had bad service i have where the food was'nt fully done or just plain sucked did'nt eat and not complain "i never complain they go out of way to serve me dont smack the hand that feeds ya." .....they see plate they go out of way to make it right by getting you somthing else on the house. I guess im just lucky i dunno i have always had great service.

[Pete]

I don't know how accurate this is, because I didn't catch the whole story. Apparently some politicians in Florida are pandering to the food service industry by proposing to make tipping mandatory and automatically adding the gratuity to every check. They say this is necessary due to the number of foreign tourists who never tip.

I just see it as a bad idea that will be detrimental to the industry. If people are forced to pay 15-20% more--regardless of the level of service--less folks will eat out. I know I'd eat out less.