I'll admit that I haven't read this whole thread, just the first post actually, but I want to suggest reading the book Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. It's a really good and enlightening book that sort of deals with this subject indirectly. I think it's a book that almost everyone should read.
What he said. Nothing makes me sicker to my stomach than some perceived obligation to pay people regardless. I can appreciate your viewpoint. Like any other job if they are good at something they should and will be compensated appropriately. If they are not good, are not motivated or are genuinely just coasting by hoping to ride the 15% gravy train then they don't deserve a penny of it. There are plenty of jobs in this world that don't require any customer service skills - walmart as example I'll look into it - Thanks.
my perspective changed after my experience as a server in college. i pay 20% min and 30% for good service.
I hate the "You Owe Me" attitude. If it comes from a server, you can guarantee my tip will be low. I also hate haggling over price. Tell me what the price of the product is up front, provide it with good service and I'll buy it and come again often. I also hate the thing they do on military bases with baggers. They're all volunteers and ONLY get paid in tips. I'd rather bag my own grocercies--and that option is now available to me in the new self-service check-out area, which I use often because I'm a cheap 'tard. That said, I always give them something when they bag and take my groceries to my car since otherwise they'd be doing it for free. Of course, there's a bunch of people you're supposed to tip nowadays and the list just keeps getting bigger (none of this applies in Japan): - Waitresses and Waiters (traditional and I can deal with it) - Barbers and hairdressers (these require huge tips...why?) - Taxi drivers (why? With the cost of gas going up I suppose I understand, but that's why fares go up) - Housekeepers in Hotels (probably the most forgotten--again, why? I expect clen sheets and a clean tub) - Bell Boys (Isn't there job to move stuff around and do odd jobs? Just pay them a decent salary! I don't always have small bills in my wallet and would rather carry my stuff up myself!) I'm sure you folks can think of more people who are supposed to be tipped. Ever notice tip jars at the counters of some places by the cashier where you do most of the serving and such yourself? I rarely drop money into those. I'm not going to tip a cashier for taking my money. "Hey! Great job taking my money! Here's some more!" Stoopid.
i hate that you have to pretty much tack on an extra $1 to the price of your beer at the bar... Either that or good luck getting a beer next round.
I think my overall problem is, few people are willing to say that there are some servers that just do a very poor job and shouldn't get a tip. They have done a disservice to any good wait staff you've ever encountered by being unprofessional and substandard and still getting gratuity.
I think you are absolutely right. Some servers are poor at their job. But that number is probably lower than the number of customers that rationalize different reasons for shorting good servers.
not really, most of the time im solo anyway. tab is only 20 bucks at the most and tip 4-5 bucks. dont really understand how this can be a big deal to some.
I don't know about you, but I've had far more mediocre / poor servers than I ever have had good to great. It's hard for me to imagine that anybody will throw five bucks away without thinking about it, no matter how much money they have, without the server doing something to properly earn that tip.
Interesting web page, although I do not agree with them on everything. The Original Tipping Page - Tips | US I don't usually tip movers, but I do make sure I'm really nice to them and make sure I've got some sort of beverage handy for them (iced tea or lemonade or something). I don't tip much where serve-yourself buffets are involved either. I'm curious when standard tipping went up from 10% to 15%. My previous thought was 10% was standard for routine service. 15% to 20% was reserved for excellent servers.
It's crazy in the US. While everyone is getting poorer and poorer somehow people are to believe that we are to pay more for things like gas and service.
Hero here is the answer to your problem. Since you don't like how the price of the food effects your tip do this. Count the number of times the server comes to the table and then multiply by .50c. If the server makes a single mess up multiply by 0. So if a server makes 8 trips to the table you tip $4.00 no matter if your ticket is $10 or $100. Then you never have to base you tip on cost, which is what you want in the end right?
That's an example of shorting the wait staff since they are taxed based on the amount of the bill. If that happened enough then the 15% will be added on to your bill at every restaurant and the waiter will make it regardless of the quality of their service.
because with that rational, you can justify having a $100 meal while calculating tip for a $20 meal. It's not a law, it's not mandatory. It's just an unwritten rule. It's etiquette. It's custom. You don't have to do it. But you shouldn't expect good service from the same server if you come back. That's the game. I'm a pretty good tipper, just always have been. Question. Do you guys pay tax on your meals? In california you do. So we're paying 7.75% in tax, and I just double that and add in a few bucks if the service is good. So we're paying 22.5% off the bat on top of whatever the advertise prices are. Me and the GF love fine dining, and when I don't have the time or inclination to cook, we'll go eat at the haute cuisiine restaurant and just expect to pay $30+ in tax and tip all the time. I'm very loose with my money though, so is the GF, so it's like, "oh it's just $20/30/40" Might be a cultural thing, I'm vietnamese, but we've all grown up with our parents and it is taboo to fuss over money amongst family and friends in public. My mom is the cheapest person in the history of cheap people, but in public she's 100% opposite. And myself and my friends have grown up that way. Which is kinda ironic, because in Vietnam you really don't tip ...
I'm not cheap at all I just refuse to give money to people unless they earn it by providing good service and doing it in a way that stands out from a customer service point of view. I still stand by the original post however.
I'm just trying to clarify here. You believe that for a server to get an average 15% tip they can't be average, rather they must "stand out" in some way?
I do not base my tips on percentage if I think they are a good server they may get 8-10 bucks given my average meal out is probably in the 30-40 dollar range that should suit them just fine. Great service will get them more than that. If they are average which means to me that I have to ask twice, or I feel that something could have gone better during the course of service they may get 5.00 If they are slow, rude or otherwise make my dining experience poor in any way that can't be attributed to the kitchen then they will be getting less. If they don't like it they should have done a better job.
