Question: Tipping in Restaurants, for Services, ??

[MrNewportCustom]

I tip according to the service. One waiter gave me and my date excellent service. Everything went perfectly and he was prompt, pleasant and very efficient, but never hovered; he got a 40% tip. (No, I didn't tell my date about it.)

Another time, I got what I would consider no service: I'd place my empty glass at the edge of the table and it'd take the waitress five minutes to retrieve it. It would then take her another five minutes to return with it. Before, during and after refill time, I'm watching as she's chatting away with the group at the next table (they weren't friends, just customers; I asked) and the drink station is right behind my head. When we left, she had a note waiting for her that read, "I looked for you all through the meal. You look for the tip." I'm sure it didn't take her long to not find one.


Lee

 

[scottyrocks]

For those of you that decided that it was wrong not to leave a tip, I am not a sheep and dont give a surly/lazy server a tip just because they are a server.

I never said I didnt tip because the food was bad, etc. On the rare occasion I dont tip, its because the server made the experience less satisfactory than it should have been.

Today, I was at a diner for lunch with my gf. The waitress came over with an attitude, got my gf's order wrong, and then claimed that my gf asked for what the waitress brought when I know she didnt, and then never brought over the dressing for the salad that was asked for. I got up myself and got it from the counterman. It was then that the waitress came over and asked me if I needed anything. I told her, no, I got it.

Despite this, I left her a 15-20% tip. Where I live, sales tax is 8.5%, so I customarily double it (17%), and then round up to the next dollar.

So evidently, the service has go to be a heck of a lot worse than that for me to not leave a tip.

If you wanna tip a server regardless of the quality of their service, be my guest. But just because you bring food to my table doesnt automatically mean that I should reward you with extra $$ if you dont seem to give enough of a adfvj about your job or your guests to do it pleasantly and competently.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

I had a unique experience where I went to a diner; it was recommended as a "family" diner.

Well, I sat opposite some friends and had a pretty clear view of the food coming out to be served. Imagine my shock and amazement when I saw the waitress just standing around plucking french fries off one of the plates. I was hoping that one of my friends would get the half eaten dish. So I kept quiet. lol

No such luck!!!! It was plunked down right in front of me. *yucky*

Needless to say I spoke with the owner and I explained that I appreciated the "family" atmosphere, but, the waitress was not part of "my" family.

I didn't eat there that day or any other for that matter. But I did leave a tip because of the entertainment value.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

I just remembered something: My grandmother owned a restaurant in which she, due to a small staff, often provided table service, and she always told us, "Gratuities are gifts, not requirements. If the service is bad, you don't tip: They have to earn it!"

When I eat out, my allowance for mistakes is very generous. If the service is good, especially in the face of rectifying mistakes on the order, I'll tip generously and even compliment my server to the manager. If I didn't enjoy the experience due to the service, I do the opposite.

On another note: In the early '80s, I worked at a car wash. One of my co-workers was finishing a car when a gentleman walked up and handed him a ten. "Oh, this is your car, sir" he asked. "No," said the man, "I just like the way you work." He then got into his own car and drove away.


Lee

 

[Paisley]

The thing to do is tell the manager or owner about bad service (or especially good service). They need to know what's going on to make improvements.

Servers probably won't quit or improve because of poor tips. Ever notice how poor performers in any workplace tend to stick around until they're let go?

 

[Subvet642]

I had a unique experience where I went to a diner; it was recommended as a "family" diner.

Well, I sat opposite some friends and had a pretty clear view of the food coming out to be served. Imagine my shock and amazement when I saw the waitress just standing around plucking french fries off one of the plates. I was hoping that one of my friends would get the half eaten dish. So I kept quiet. lol

No such luck!!!! It was plunked down right in front of me. *yucky*

Needless to say I spoke with the owner and I explained that I appreciated the "family" atmosphere, but, the waitress was not part of "my" family.

I didn't eat there that day or any other for that matter. But I did leave a tip because of the entertainment value.

Ya know CB, I'm a pretty non-fussy customer, but I would have sent it back with the words: "Please take this back, I won't be served half eaten food"! :rage: And then I would have asked for the Manager. A few years back, I was served a lobster roll at Hampton Beach with wet, shredded lettuce, which subsequently glued the roll to the plate; it was awful!*yucky* (really, who puts shredded lettuce on a lobster roll?) I tipped the waitress 20 bucks, because it wasn't her fault, and the poor kid looked like she was having the worst day of her young life.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Ya know CB, I'm a pretty non-fussy customer, but I would have sent it back with the words: "Please take this back, I won't be served half eaten food"! :rage: And then I would have asked for the Manager. A few years back, I was served a lobster roll at Hampton Beach with wet, shredded lettuce, which subsequently glued the roll to the plate; it was awful!*yucky* (really, who puts shredded lettuce on a lobster roll?) I tipped the waitress 20 bucks, because it wasn't her fault, and the poor kid looked like she was having the worst day of her young life.

Hi SV I did not eat that chow. I didn't want them to make me another plate. My stomach was doing "flip flops" but I could not stop laughing. lol lol lol

Lettuce on a lobster roll :rage: are they crazy???:eusa_doh:

 

[Subvet642]

Lettuce on a lobster roll :rage: are they crazy???:eusa_doh:

Leaf lettuce I can understand; lobster is expensive, gotta stretch things a bit, but it was shredded! I tried to eat it, but the texture was like confetti. :cry:

 

[KeyGrip]

I started tipping a lot more after I worked a stint in food service. Nothing makes the post-wedding day nicer than hearing about that extra cash you got because of tip. I can't hold a candle to my brother, though. I won't go into details, but he once tipped more than I had in my bank account.

 

[Bustercat]

Cabs, bars, restaurants, barbers, coffee joints and pizza deliveries. I'll tip on takeout if I like the place and service.
Bars, I tip $1 per drink.

The gasman and maintenance guy get offered a drink, as well as anyone who helps me move something.

 

[Miss Scarlet]

In most restaurants I go, service is included in the bill at 12.5%. If this service is what I'd expect, I pay the included service, if it is appalling I don't pay the whole bill (just the food, drinks). If it exceeds my expectations I pay more than 12.5%.

With regards to other areas of services I tip only for exceptionality, but have often found that their employer will not allow them to take tips. I think it must be very different from America.

 

[Dr Doran]

I always tip 15%. Once in a great, great while 20%. I cannot afford more. I can only remember two times in which I did not tip. One was when it took 20 minutes for the waitress to come to my table. I gave her a penny. Another was when I went with a group of about 8 people to Fellini's, a restaurant in Berkeley. We were all dressed up as we had planned a film noir night (we were going to watch "The 7th Victim" on dvd). We got in slightly before 7:15 (which was when our reservation was) and didn't get seated until 8. It would have been very easy for them to push two tables together but they just couldn't do it. The owner, who was also the maitre d', was right there and was schmoozing with other guests. We sat at the bar and had a drink or two. Finally we ate. The bill was about $100.00 and I wrote a note in lieu of the tip. I still recall its wording. I wrote it in all caps: "I am uncomfortable leaving any kind of tip when our reservations were for 7:15 and we did not get seated until 8." The food was great, but I never returned.
No tip on a $100.00 meal is cold, but they really should have known better.

On the one hand, it is always good to tip. On the other hand, there needs to be a feedback system whereby restaurant staff (and owners) know that there are consequences for screwing up. I figured the annoyed waiter would probably show the note to his idiot boss who might think twice before letting a (polite, well-dressed) party of 8 wait 45 minutes for their table AFTER their reservation time.

 

[Slim Portly]

Doran, you didn't tip the wait staff because the maitre d'/owner seated you late and wouldn't push two tables together?

 

[Dr Doran]

Doran, you didn't tip the wait staff because the maitre d'/owner seated you late and wouldn't push two tables together?

45 minutes after our reservation? When we had a movie to watch?

That's too much to overlook.

 

[Viola]

I always tip 20% and if I can't afford it I figure I can't afford to eat out. I don't go over unless service is good, though, or I'm just rounding up to a dollar.

I think it varies by region, though - 15% is still considered okay someplaces, and occasionally I am chided for not going to 25%.

I think you should have walked out, Doran.

 

[Diamondback]

Bear in mind, a tip is a "gratuity"--a GIFT for recognizing quality service, NOT an Entitlement.

Or at least, that's the way it was before the restaurant industry got that deal with "federal minimum wage, but you'll be taxed on 10% of your sales on the assumption that you get that in tips".

 

[LizzieMaine]

The federal minimum wage for "tipped employees" such as waitresses is $2.13 an hour. Think about that the next time you stiff someone for something they had no control over.

 

[Dr Doran]

Bear in mind also that, while I utterly sympathize with the waiters, the kind of crap that wouldn't fly in a restaurant in Manhattan is not the kind of crap that needs to fly anywhere except maybe an ethnic restaurant in a foreign and exotic (and inexpensive) land.

If I went to a restaurant -- even a medium-priced restaurant where you can eat dinner for 4 people with one (1) bottle of wine and get out of there for $80 -- in Manhattan with my friends who live there (admittedly, one is a lawyer and one an accountant) and we were seated 45 minutes after our reservation time, when two tables REALLY COULD HAVE BEEN pushed together, we would never go back; in fact, no one would go back. By insisting on high standards -- not crazy high standards, just less lax standards, standards that aren't necessarily any skin off anyone's back, but just standards that show professionalism -- you are improving the waiters' skills and the dining experience for the diners.

I like being nice also. And heaven knows I've worked in retail -- 10 years in grocery stores (NO tips there), 2 years in cafes, before I stumbled upon the racket-that-is-academia. But I also like my money and I have a basic level of service that I need to receive in order to part with my money in the form of a tip.

 

[Diamondback]

Don't get me wrong, I usually tip generously--but it's a pet peeve when somebody just walks up to you and asks "Where's my tip?"

Granted, sometimes servers do steal from each other's tip-envelopes, particularly in places that don't exactly hire The Best & Brightest, but...

I mean, come on... is coming by to see if I'm ready to order within AN HOUR of my clearing the door too much to ask? And yeah, I know I'm kinda quiet, but is the odd swing by to check on things and see if I'd like to order anything for dessert or to-go or need a top-off on the caffeine reservoir really THAT UNREASONABLE? Especially on Graveyard Shift, when I'm damn near the only one in the place?

I mean, I don't mind parting with my money, but I DO expect at the bare minimum a token indication that you're interested in earning it... if that makes me A Horrible Godawful Nasty Person in this community's eyes, then so be it.

EDIT: Also, before I start dinging tips I do try to do a little investigating to find out where the problem was. If there's a mistake and you correct it, we're cool--you might even get a little extra. HOWEVER, if after I specifically look you in the eyes and say "NO ONIONS" and you tell the cook to put Sauteed Onions on it, I think in that case a noticeable reduction is quite reasonable for your inability or unwillingness to either follow instructions or pay attention to them.

 

[LizzieMaine]

My point's simply that when you stiff a waitress, it's no skin off the management's nose. It's not going to make a whit of difference to the owner of the place, or the person who makes policy -- all it's going to do is make someone with long hours and sore feet go home in a worse of a mood than usual.

If you want to make a statement, make it to the management -- ask to speak to whoever's in charge and give them a piece of your mind. Write a letter. Post a hostile review on a website. Picket the place. But don't take out your frustration on a waitress unless it's over something that's obviously her fault.