It's based upon a mathematical formula which encompasses your entire meal. The job pays steadily it's just a lot less than minimum wage. The tips help make up for the compensation that the restaurants are too (lazy? poor?) to pay.
I dont think anyone needs to rip the industry and claim that service jobs like this dont have a vig figured into their income. TIPs have been around a long, long time, are taxable, and therefore part of their income revenue. Restaurants try to account for expected tips, and therefore account for the income of their staff - over and above the hourly scale. You can tip what you want, but dont rip the job, or profession, or those that are employed through it. You dont want to contribute a "industry viewed standard" as a tip, fine, but again, claiming they should get a job that pays steady money is unjustly going beyond the purpose of you justifying your tip levels.
I really do understand that and within reason I will always accomodate that. I will pay the server for any work I make them do above & beyond the scope of normal service (ton of refills, side of guacamole, extra bread etc..). I'm just ripping the expectation of people that think they should get it no matter what. Face is there are some lazy turds that work as waiters who could give two damns about the customer but at the end of the meal still want 15-20% on top of it. So yes, I'll retract my steady pay comment as I don't mean to include those persons who do a great job at what they do.
i was a waitress for two years at steak and shake from 16-18 and then i was a waitress at red lobster for about 6 months when i was like 19 or 20.....it's like any other job...you perform to the best of your ability....if you aren't any good, you find another job. i always tip according to my service....and i don't feel bad leaving a ****ty tip if i got ****ty service....it's their job to SERVICE you. if i was paying gratuity based on the price of my meal, i might as well just pay the restaurant.
I spent 16 years in the restaurant industry and tend to tip a little on the high side. If the service is bad I stick with a flat 15%. It's a very difficult demanding job, and many times patrons treat you like crap. I am the easiest customer you could ever have, gimme my Southern Comfort, bring me my food, gimme my espresso and my check, run the credit card and I'm outta there.
I usually tip 15% unless you are bad or exceptional. However, that is usually just for dinner. Lunch could be a lot less or a lot more (depending on my mood and how long I was there, I am sorry, but I am not tipping more then 15% if I am only there for 30 mins for example). At dinner (or weekends), I add an extra dollar for every hour I am there. So like if I am at the bar/pub watching the fins, I will add $3 extra to the normal tip since I was there so long.
If the service is bad then 10%. If the service is reasonably good then 20%. If it is off the hook, and there is more chips and salsa, and beers on the way before you run out then 30% or more. Here is one for you bro. My wife and I last Friday traveled to LA. We stopped at one of our favorite burger restaurants, Red Robin. My wife ordered a different burger, and she didn't like it, before she can flag down the waitress I am almost done with mine. The server comes over says I am so sorry, I will go back to the kitchen and get you one you like at no charge. It comes out quickly, server keeps drinks filled, and checks back with us to make sure everything is fine again. We left 40% for her outstanding service.
I used to wait on a really old couple every Monday afternoon for an early bird dinner. They came in at exactly 5 o clock, both drank decaf, both liked the salad with the dressing on the side, he ordered spaghetti with meatballs, she ordered eggplant parmigiana (I still remember even though it's been over 12 years) they took their dessert to go and they always tipped $2.50. None of the other servers wanted them, so I always took care of them. They were nice folks and done in 40 minutes. After about year they accidentally left a $100.00 bill with the usual tip. I grabbed it and caught up with them outside, telling the man he made a mistake and that I was glad I caught him. He told me there was no mistake, I was the only server there that took the time to take care of them and he wanted to thank me.
Very true. It makes sense to give extra if you are occupying a seat that another paying customer could use and you have no problem with the server. Red Robin - that's a good burger 5 Alarm is far and away my favorite.
Reminds me of an older guy that I used to help at my parents old office. When he came in he needed help moving stuff around a warehouse he rented. He supplied furniture for hotels so there were a lot of tables, chairs etc.. and my favorite these rolls of carpet must have been 15x15 or so, not huge but in stacks of a dozen or so. He seemed to always want the one on the bottom so I would have to move all of them, get the one he needed then put them all back every week or two. Every time out he would give me 2-3 dollars in loose change out of his pocket, I don't think I ever saw a paper bill come my way. My story though has no happy ending with big cash money prizes.... nope just a palm full of quarters from a wealthy old man and he died. dead. didn't even leave me any quarters
A couple of things. I am kind of a big deal, so I tip higher than usual so that the staff doesn't get bent out of shape and call the tabloids. I HATE it when that happens. The last thing I need is people think that I am a lousy tipper. Also, a fun game to do to see how they handle the pressure is to place a cash tip on the table BEFORE your order has been taken. When the Waiter/Waitress shows up, explain to them that this money is their potential tip. Each time they screw up (forgets to refill the drinks, doesn't bring the mustard etc.), you are going to take some of it away. They get to keep whatever is left on the table when your meal is donel. It works every time.
I usually leave 15%, depending on the service. Now we have a restaurant that adds the tip to the tab. I will not eat at this place.
I subscribe to this rule as well. I will always tip 15-20% no matter what...and if it's a pretty waitress, I'll throw in a few extra bucks.
Actually there are plenty of restaurants that will add gratuity to the bill even if its only a party of 4. Its expected. If you can afford to eat out, you can afford to tip. Heaven help what I would have done to your food when I was in college waiting tables if someone messed with me like that. Some of them, I remembered ended up wearing their drinks, some of them much worse then that, the rest of them I reminded they needed their $2 more then I did. And no, I didnt get fired or reprimanded, because my boss wasnt firing his best server. Just remember you be nice to the people serving your food. Some of them do it as a career, and while thats underachievement for anyone many waitstaff are usually college kids or people who do it to supplement their real jobs. You may not be a pain to serve but try serving twenty of you at once and you'll understand. Even the easy ones are harder when youre serving a ton of people at the same time.
so your supposed to tip so we won't get our food messed with?? lol right........ I get ****ty service ill literally tip 50 cents......i gotta pay for over priced small portion meal anyways.....then I gotta tip some 19 yr old who can't pour my soda right because its expected?? no sir......if you can't handle 20 a-hole clients.....get another job.....we didn't make you fill out an application.....
two things 1) How can one not pour a soda right 2) Come on man you don't want to tip cool, but don't act like someone deserves to have you be an ******* with them just because of their occupation.
See thats the thing, if the server sucks *** then they deserve that kind of bad tip. I would literally time how long it took me to get their meal and if i was too fast I would keep it warm til they were ready. Ive had both good and bad customers. LL Cool J left me $50 on a $50 check. I didnt expect it from him or from anyone. I expected the typical 8-$12 you normally get on a $50 check. Less then 10%, I made a point to remember your face. I always held up my end of the bargain and had a ton of people that would ask to be seated by me. So no for the lazy waiter you dont owe them junk. But for the person who hustles, shame on you if you leave less then 15%....just stay home.
dude I used to wait tables..... if there is good service I tip great....but ill tip ****ty if I get the equal service.... I'm not bashing it at all....ive done it....ive sold christmas trees for tips.....i know the deal.... I just feel tips are earned not expected imho
I just had more issue with your if you can't deal with the *******s don't apply comment. But guess I misunderstood. I lifted furniture for minimum wage while I went through college. I did it because they worked with my schedule and I had worked for a corporation already and didn't like it. I can tell you from personal experience, every little bit of cash helps. I also realize that everyone has bad days, and sometimes **** happens, so even if I'm pissed I'll leave at least 2 dollars. Thats just me though.
I'm amazed that all of us and your ego can fit in this thread Amen to that I get the pretty waitress thing, I really do - but "no matter what"? A schlep should not get the same reward as somebody busting *** to get it done right. That's the thing - the tip is always after the food is in my belly and again I'm probably easier going on servers than the average customer I just expect good service. It isn't like I'm dangling a carrot out there to mess with anybody. I just really feel that if I order a 30 dollar meal or a 40 dollar meal it shouldn't mean that a waiter gets anymore money than if I ordered a 20 dollar meal - unless, as I said earlier in the thread I ask for a lot of extras and that, if I do it, will toss a few extra bucks on for it. I've never once been an a**hole to any server I just refuse to drop a lot of cash for something that I don't think is worth a lot of cash.
**** that. I am not tipping someone well for ****ty service. Tips are earned in my book. I know tons of waitresses from the restaurant jobs I had who never claimed all their tip monies either (I am sure it happens all over), so they can't give me a ****ing excuse about taking away from their livelihood when they are cheating others out every day. I pay taxes on all my money, they should to.
Again, nothing at all to do with how much a person can afford when dining out. Let's just revisit my original scenario. If I'm going to give you let's say 5-6 bucks for decent service on average meal ticket and you do nothing extra but I change my mind and get a slightly pricier meal why is the server entitled to a cut of my steak (pun intended).
I was just trying to reply to whatever all of your asteriks were. More of a statement of general response, didn't necessarily feel you were directing it towards me specifically.
So if your boss asks you to do less one day he can give you less money the, correct? By your logic, thats ok because even though the amount of work given to you that day was less and was out of your control, he still has the right to do that? Do yourself a favor and dont think an upset server wont find a way to get you back. There was one table of customers Ill never forget....couple of wanna be hardcore, grade A buttheads...lets just say one of my friends who was/is a cop got an easy DWI arrest that night. If good service isnt worth anything to a customer, then you should just cook your own meals. Its no ones responsibility to serve you for cheap and you go out to eat because you want to be served. It is a point of contention for me so dont take it personally, but Ive been on the wrong end from people who follow this logic and let me just say I would only wish the same thing on them. Even now when I go out, seven or eight years since I have waited tables, I watch what other people are doing to my server and what theyre leaving. Unless the person is a complete incompetent they dont deserve less then 15%. If theyre really good Ill leave an insanely good tip.
You may not respect them for what they do and that's your choice. However, your belittling of what they do is petty. It's a lot of work and they have to deal with the public which if any of you have had to do anything where you make a living serving the avg. Joe jackass you know just how draining mentally the job is. You mention installing hurricane shutters in the summer? Big F'n deal! I'll take manual labor ANY DAY over work dealing with the public. Manual labor is cake in comparison.
I'm the public sometimes and I suck. This is what some people don't understand about retail work. The actual work itself is pie. It's working with the customers that is a PITA
