Tipping waiters/waitresses




Posted by Bebop

Is it rude to not tip one?

No. I think its's rude to EXPECT a tip. Taking a plate to a table and faking enthusiam with a smile does not mean you deserve an extra few quid.

I stack boxes for 3 hours than spend another hour making an aisle look pretty. My job sucks. It's boring and theres never even the slightest glimpse of the social atmosphere working in a restuarent has. And yet I don't get tips. Ever. I deserve to get tips more than people handing plates and forgetting your order ever could.

Waiters and waitresses get basic pay at least, and probably more some in most cases I imagine, so I hate when they they moan "hey man I don't get paid as much as you". Bull. My friend is a waiter and in one night gets more tips than I get in a week. I hate it when they ***** for not leaving a tip when theres plenty of other, harder, worse shops that tipping isnt thought of e.g. working in McDonalds.

**** tipping.




Posted by Lord of Spam

Have you ever worked in a restaurant? Its not pleasant. People are arses every chance they get. If the slightest thing goes wrong, you have to listen to them ***** about it (even if you had NOTHING to do with it), fake a smile, and then make them feel as if you're their number one buddy and you'll love the long time. The tips are the compensation for people acting like huge *******es.

Also, it should be noted that tipping is a regional thing. In certain countries, its actually considered rude to leave tips.




Posted by Fate

At my job we're not allowed to take tips, but **** straight I'm not going to reject one if offered. I deal with horrible people all day. I don't fake enthusiasm. I like to make sure customers are well taken care of, and if there are any problems I can remedy, I will do whatever is in my power to do so. One time some guy asked for garlic powder on his sandwich and I told him we didn't have any. I bought some just for him since he comes by every day. I know him by name and he always thanks me for something so small. I don't expect tips ever. If you have a good waitress that tries her best to make sure that you, the valued customer, are happy, then tip her 15%. Waiters and waitresses are paid in peanuts, and make a majority of income on tips. If you have a piece of **** waiter or waitress, skip the tip. Personally, I think it's kind of rude not to leave a tip to someone who serves well and makes sure you have everything you need at your table.




Posted by Speedfreak

It's as awkward as hell for both parties. That's all I feel like I can say, really.




Posted by mis0

I tend to tip fairly well, especially when someone is a gracious server, faking it or not. Their job is Hell, and at least trying deserves something extra.

At my job, I work in the back doing clerical stuff, so my labours of filing, re-organizing, inventory, etc, tend to go unnoticed, so I understand how you feel, Bebop. But not dealing with the customer is the best thing ever.

Most places I know around here have a collective pot for tips. They're split up amoung servers. I guess it's to even the playing feild..? Same goes for pizza delivery - even if you get the pizza there in 5 seconds, you can't keep your tip. Everyone gets some.




Posted by Arwon

The correct answer is "it depends on the culture". Tip in America always. Don't always tip in Australia. Etc etc.




Posted by Kodachi

Tips are factored in to waiters/waitresses' salary, aren't they?




Posted by Fei-on Castor

I tip very well if they deserve and not at all if they don't. Seriously, I've been known to tip a good 70% or so.




Posted by Bebop


Quoting Lord of Spam: Have you ever worked in a restaurant? Its not pleasant. People are arses every chance they get. If the slightest thing goes wrong, you have to listen to them ***** about it (even if you had NOTHING to do with it), fake a smile, and then make them feel as if you're their number one buddy and you'll love the long time. The tips are the compensation for people acting like huge *******es.

Also, it should be noted that tipping is a regional thing. In certain countries, its actually considered rude to leave tips.


I've just completed an 8 hour shift working in the hottest aisle.
I work in Waitrose which has acquired itself a 'upper class' reputation which means 99% of the customers fall into the sterotypical of a posh, snobby British person who expect you to treat them as if the sunshine pours out of their arse. Aside form that customers moan too and get in your way. Add the fact I don't like touching cardboard and it's Christmas Eve and it appears I have possibly a harder/worse job. I'm just glad I chose not to work on checkouts this evening.I deserve a tip but I never get any. So when people say "omg have you EVAR workied in teh restatuenrn???" I say it's a weak agrument for expecting a tip. Working anywhere is a hard job so it's ignorent to assume you should only deserve a tip for only working in the dining industry.

As far as the "only give teh goot waiterreres tips" statement goes: well duh. But I find people give tips to the bad waiters too. From my eperience people are more than willing to leave some extra money as thanks for a half arsed job well done. Personally if Fate was my waitress and did that for me I would tip her. That's actually going the further strech which deserves recoquiton i.e a tip. Putting a smile on or just being a run of the mill waiter/waitress is not enough to be given extra dough when there's someone else doing a better job who deserves it more.



Posted by s0ul

STORY TIME!! Mexican restaurant, yeah? After we ordered and got our meals, and of course, no longer had menus, I asked for a bit more guacamole. She just says "okay" and gets it for me! Awesome. We get the check and the guacamole cost 3 dollars. She did not tell me this and I had no way of knowing!

Her tip was a moist combination of what was left of the guacamole and my Coke right where I was sitting. What a *****.

You know, some restaurants pay less than minimum wage because the waiters make up for it in tips. If they deserve more than minimum wage, give it to 'em, if not, they should get better at their job.




Posted by sabre

God I love not having tip culture in this country. It makes these things so much easier.

That said, if anyone were to give particularly good service I would voluntarily tip them.




Posted by Fei-on Castor

Heh, interestingly enough, there is the Mexican restuarant here in my town. A man named Juan used to do the chips and salsa there. If you got a table, he'd bring you your chips and salsa. But then he got bumped up to some other position in the restaurant, I think he is a server now. But when he sees me come in the door, he puts down his server tray, and grabs the chips and salsa tray and rushes to my table to ensure that he is the recipiant of my generous tip for the chips and salsa person.




Posted by Lord of Spam


Quoting Kodachi: Tips are factored in to waiters/waitresses' salary, aren't they?


It depends on how you mean it. I had a friend who worked at a place that paid him about $2 an hour (minimum wage is $6.15 here). He still made more than me though, because he went home with about $50 a night in tips.



Posted by Echo

Yeah, you can get paid less than minimum wage if you get tips. My sister's a waitress. So since waiters/waitresses get paid so little, I think it's just polite to tip if they did a good job or if they deserved it. For example, if I go to Sonic (drive-thrul, but instead of going to a window people come out and bring your food to your window) I don't tip the person, although a lot of people do. Mostly because all they're doing is walking about 20 feet and handing me my food. It's not like a real restaurant at which the waiter/waitress does a lot more than that. The only time I ever tip there is if the person is on roller skates, and they occasionally are. But at a normal restaurant, if the waiter/waitress made it a point to be kind, courteous, and put up with **** from me or others at my table, I'll normally tip 15%.




Posted by Ch

I find tip to be based on service. Not only in restaurants with waiters do I tip, but I also tip places like Dunkin' Donuts. If the person got me what I wanted quickly and without having such a glum appearance, I tip handsomly. If not, **** tipping. I also leave tips for someone who just got yelled at for something so trivial, even if they didn't serve me. That's how I roll :rolleyes:




Posted by Bebop

Saying you should tip waiters/waitresses because they get less than min wage is dumb because the employer is only giving them les than min wage because he/she is epecting YOU to pay them for their job. Communists!
By not tipping I'm fighting the system and sticking it to the man, to make sure waiters and waitresses alike are entitled to at least minimum wage like the rest of society.




Posted by Lord of Spam

No, you're sticking it to the people who are relying on the tips that your cheap *** doesnt want to give.




Posted by mis0

Exactly. Resturants are sucessful primarily because of the low wages earned by most all their employees, and this goes double for the "ma & pa" establishments.

And besides, if these places had to pay minimum wage, you should expect to pay more for your meal and get bad service (resturants that pay minimum wage tend not to allow tips, thusly servers make less, and they're less-than-enthusiastic.)

Tipping makes the world go around, Bebop, m'man. Time you learned it.




Posted by Aesthetic

Repeating what most have said already, tip when you get good service, don't when you don't. It's not that difficult. Of course there are a lot of difficult jobs, but as it's been pointed out, a lot of restaurants pay well below minumum wage (Pizza Hut paid my sister about $2.25 when minimum was $5.25). If the waiters/waitresses don't get good tips, it's there own damn fault. However, if they do, it's probably because they're good at what they do.

The one waitress that royally ****ed me off worked at Uno's. Ang and I had already eaten, received the bill and gave the money to the waitress - not having exact change, we gave her $35.00, expecting to get a few dollars back in change. After she rung it up at the register, she yelled over, "There was only a couple dollars in change, so I kept it. Have a nice day!" Doing something like that after being a complete bi
tch throughout the meal ("Oh, you're going to have that? ..Well, it's your decision.") just did not set well with me. Way to lose customers!




Posted by Bebop


Quoting Misoxeny: Exactly. Resturants are sucessful primarily because of the low wages earned by most all their employees, and this goes double for the "ma & pa" establishments.

And besides, if these places had to pay minimum wage, you should expect to pay more for your meal and get bad service (resturants that pay minimum wage tend not to allow tips, thusly servers make less, and they're less-than-enthusiastic.)

Tipping makes the world go around, Bebop, m'man. Time you learned it.


Most people that get tipped aren't enthusiastic at all, yet they still get tipped.
It's possible the price of meals would stay the same price. Just the employer would be taking in less because they are paying what they should be. If that makes sense.



Posted by mis0

No it doesn't. Business isn't founded on good will, y'know. Those are "non-profit" organizations. They don't profit. Greed is the foundation of most every establishment on earth.

dUuuUuUh




Posted by Bebop


Quoting Misoxeny: No it doesn't. Business isn't founded on good will, y'know. Those are "non-profit" organizations. They don't profit. Greed is the foundation of most every establishment on earth.

dUuuUuUh


Either way the restuarent would be getting money. If an unehtuastic waiter is going to get tipped, he might as well get paid more and not get tipped becuase either way hell be making more money for doing nothing.



Posted by Fate

I guess the only simple solution here, Bebop, is for you to give up your peanut-paying job and become a waiter. If you envy the money they make, then go for it.

Also, think of waiters and waitresses as being paid "on commission."




Posted by The Judge

lol I came into the discussion late.

I think that people should be tipped unless they're pathetic servers. Fake enthusiasm or not, until you've worked with serving people for a living, you have no idea how hard it is to treat people nicely regardless of circumstance. I'm sure putting up with customers like you warrants a big enough tip as it is. Working in a restaraunt is hard, especially if you have bad hygene like me (horrible, people, horrible). Working in a less public environment (steel mill) is nicer for me, though it's still an exceedingly hard job. But you don't have to put up with people all day long. Waiters should get tips if they do more than what's required. It isn't required that you talk to the customers, make them feel happy about being there, or come back constantly to see if everything's alright. When a server gives you good service, he deserves a bit more than the meager earnings he probably makes.




Posted by bazariah

i usually tip on my meals at one of the chinese resturants i go to, but there is a genuine reason, and that reason is because they all know me by name and ithey get my order ready before i even sit down (been there so many times they know my fave meals)

i personally believe the custom of tipping should be abolished, or given to everybody not just those in the resturant industry

i mean we all go in to shops right, and sometimes there have been times when the item you may not isnt on the shop floor, yet some people are willing to run their as[SIZE="2"]ses[/SIZE] off in the back stock rooms traversing through all the sh[SIZE="2"]it[/SIZE] just for something you may have given a very vague description of, in that instance you dont even think of tipping them, so why bother with the young ladies who walk a plate over to you




Posted by NES Queen

if you've never worked in a profession where your tips basical are your salary, then you wouldnt fully understand. most places around here that are tip based (restaraunts, diners, bars...) the base salary is well below minimum wage because you make up for it in tips.

that being said, i have no compassion for rude servers or people who suck at their jobs. if you know the way you make most of your money is off of tips and you choose to be a penishead or screw up my simple order without making amends, then you dont deserve a tip. you didnt do your job well so you dont deserve to be paid well. however, if someone goes out of their way or just does a good job and is pleasant, i tend to give well above the standard 15%. The extra $5 isn't going to hurt my wallet that much, and it will help make their day a bit better and remind them that when they're nice it pays off.




Posted by Speedfreak

I think the point Bebop is trying to make is, why only waiters/waitresses? Why doesn't the chef, for instance, get a tip for specially catering to certain customers needs?




Posted by The Punisher

I tip becuases its a habitual thing. When I stood in line, for ten minutes at pizza hut, no one else in there besides the waitress, the workers, and me and my freinds. I still tipped, even though I shouldnt have, and they kept making smart *** comments too me because I yelled at them, or rather kindly asked for some service. I usaly dont go by percentages though, 3-4 dollars for the waiter or waitress.




Posted by mis0


Quoting Speedfreak: I think the point Bebop is trying to make is, why only waiters/waitresses? Why doesn't the chef, for instance, get a tip for specially catering to certain customers needs?

They get paid more. Alot more.



Posted by Bebop


Quoting Fate: I guess the only simple solution here, Bebop, is for you to give up your peanut-paying job and become a waiter. If you envy the money they make, then go for it.

Also, think of waiters and waitresses as being paid "on commission."



I plan to take advantage of pussies as soon as my fat juicy March bonus finds my bank account.

I recently went to a restuarent with my girlfriend where throughout out the evening 3 different workers helped us.

The first was your average waitress who showed us to our table. Being average does not deserve a tip.
2nd was a guy who didn't even say hello and simply asked our order in the most unenthusiastic manner.
3rd was James. James was more friendly than both combined, spoke politely, re-filled our drinks without us asking and wished us a happy new year. We tipped. But sadly only a small portion of that tip will go to James becasue like in many restaurents tips are put togehter and divided. The other 2 didnt deserve a tip but James, the only waiter who in my opnion deserved one, will only receive a small portion of his tip. Thats not fair and its more unfair than not leaving a tip at all.



Posted by Speedfreak

[quote=Bebop]I plan to take advantage of pussies as soon as my fat juicy March bonus finds my bank account.

THERE GOES YOUR ARGUEMENT, BABY BROTHER.




Posted by NES Queen


Quoting Bebop: The other 2 didnt deserve a tip but James, the only waiter who in my opnion deserved one, will only receive a small portion of his tip. Thats not fair and its more unfair than not leaving a tip at all.


so why not just hand James the tip directly, explaining to him your reasoning. then it becomes his choice as to whether to put into the communal tip jar (provided one exists at that location) or keep the well deserved tip all to himself.

as far as other professions and the lack of tipping, just because it isnt customary to tip the kid who's packing your groceries for you or the server who brings you to your table, it doesnt mean you can't if you feel they somehow are deserving of one.



Posted by Shin-Ra

I tip at restaurants when I have the money to spare, which is pretty uncommon. Sucks for them though, since most places add tips into their pay, so they pay them less (like Kodachi already said).

However, if I go to some place like Sonic Drive In, I refuse to tip the car hops and ALWAYS tip the cooking staff. I've worked their before and know that carhops hardly do anything. Spreading the advice, don't tip the rollerskate wearing bitches, tip the guys in the kitchen who are actually working.




Posted by Bebop


Quoting NES Queen: so why not just hand James the tip directly, explaining to him your reasoning. then it becomes his choice as to whether to put into the communal tip jar (provided one exists at that location) or keep the well deserved tip all to himself.

as far as other professions and the lack of tipping, just because it isnt customary to tip the kid who's packing your groceries for you or the server who brings you to your table, it doesnt mean you can't if you feel they somehow are deserving of one.


I'll do that next time but unfortuantely James had already spread his wings to go clean otehr tables.

As for the grocery comment I work in a supermarket and part of our training was that if we're offered a tip, no matter how small, if we keep it and refuse to hand it to the safe our job is at risk.

[quote=Speedfreak]THERE GOES YOUR ARGUEMENT, BABY BROTHER.
No, not really. Becase I'd be a good waiter. Take Waitrose. When a customer asks for help I do everything in the book adn then some to assist while others merely redirect the customer to Bill. I would be a great waiter.



Posted by Arwon

Yeah I can't imagine how I'd deal with being offered a tip in a supermarket.

But then, in America it's probably different. So again we come back to the "it's all about the local culture" thing.




Posted by mis0

It'd be really bizzare to tip someone in a supermarket here, too.




Posted by Ant


Quoting Bebop: As for the grocery comment I work in a supermarket and part of our training was that if we're offered a tip, no matter how small, if we keep it and refuse to hand it to the safe our job is at risk.


Same here buddy. I was offered one...I refused at first, but the guy insisted so I took it. It was only 2 bucks. But hey, I thought he was cool for it :cool2:



Posted by NES Queen

the whole supermarket thing depends on the area. back when i was a youngen i too worked in a supermarket. when i was working out in the hamptons people would tip us all the time, for packing groceries, getting them a wagon, taking them to the car... sure it was usually just a couple of bucks (unless a celebrity came in, ooh la la) but it was a nice gesture.

however, the type of people living and shopping out there were meg-millionaires. so the extra buck or two meant nothing to them. they expect people to bend over backwards for them simply because they have money (think of the Simpsons episode when Homer becomes Burns' patsy). When i came back to working here where i live, getting tips was unheard of. the people around here dont have that kind of money to just throw around to a kid who's techincally just doing his job anyway.




Posted by GameMiestro

If you don't have tips, then waiters will have no reason to give good service.

So yes, tips are good.




Posted by Bebop


Quoting GameMiestro: If you don't have tips, then waiters will have no reason to give good service.

So yes, tips are good.


Well this is my point. Most servcies aren't good but mediocre.



Posted by Killer Jordo

IF a person actually gives a sh[COLOR="White"]it[/COLOR] about what I'm ordering, or if I want something. Then I'll eave a tip. Just to say thank you. If their bieng idiots, and not caring. Screw them I'm not leaving a tip!




Posted by Random

I always leave a tip. I leave a tip on how well they do. I normally scale it $.01 to $10.00. If the waiter/waitress are teribble they get a penny. If they do acceptionally well I have given up to $10.00. I normally give in the ball park of $2-$5 but it really just depends. I don't believe in that 15% crap. I believe in giving what they earned to get.




Posted by GameMiestro

[quote=SomebodyRandom]If the waiter/waitress are teribble they get a penny.

Thats call "adding insult to injury". ;)




Posted by The underground

no it is not rude not to tip that is why it is called a tip.
People tip out of common courtesty.




Posted by GameMiestro

From wikipedia:

[quote]If service is truly poor, tipping may be foregone. For the worst service ever received (in US), leave a one cent piece under a plate. Keep in mind, however, you will be remembered, so it may be best to never enter that establishment again.




Posted by WILLETH FOR MONTHS

Because Wikipedia says so, this is what we must do, of course.


I only tip whatever is necessary. If good service is had, they usually get all my spare change - even if service is included with the bill.

I do, however, argue the toss if service is included and I got bad service. More often than not, I win.




Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

15%, always.

Unless I disliked the waitress. Then I give about a dollar.




Posted by Sk2k52

I generally don't tip, mainly because seldom I see they doing somethign that deserved a tip. Though to the really nice people that I try tipping, it gets pretty embaressing >< once tried giving this person a pretty large tip and just leaving, but she quickly called me and said I over paid. Just took the change and left, anyone can give me advice on how to give tips? =P




Posted by Arwon

FOR CHRISTS' SAKE PEOPLE.

IN ENGLAND THEY DONT TIP MUCH IF AT ALL. IN AMERICA THEY TIP MOST OF THE TIME.

THIS IS A MATTER OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCE.

It's quite simple.




Posted by Lord of Spam

OBVIOUSLY ONE CULTURE IS SUPERIOR TO ANOTHER.

Hence, internet warfare.




Posted by Philsdad


Quoting Vampiro: 15%, always.

Unless I disliked the waitress. Then I give about a dollar.


I've never agreed with the 15% approach to tipping, because I don't think the monetary value of the food items has much to do with the service given. With percentage based tipping, the less expensive the food items, the less the tip is going to be, and I don't really think it should be that way. Suppose a waitress serves 2 people at an expensive restaurant. Meanwhile a waitress at Denny's serves 5 people. The bills come out the same, and both parties leave a 15% tip, leaving the waitresses with the same amount of money. The problem is, the waitress at Denny's had to do a lot more work for the same tip, and probably has lower wages to begin with. I usually try to calculate a fair tip based on how many people are with me, and how good the service is. If a waitress is truly horrible, I like to write "TIP" in big letters on a napkin and then write "get a new job" on the inside.



Posted by Vampiro V. Empire

See, the problem with that is that I have to do extra calculations. Even if they're basic. I'm done eating, I just wanna get out of there and go home. 15% allows me to easily determine a fair tip across the board, no matter what I ate, or where I ate at. It's just simple, quick, and easy.
And not rude.




Posted by MetalVox~55

I tip all the time. It's just the thing to do.




Posted by WILLETH FOR MONTHS

Conformist. :p




Posted by Red

hah Mr.Pink says, that waitresses don't need tips he doesn't believe in it ( Reservoir Dogs, begining scene ) as for me, I guess they shoul get tipped, things arn't what they seem in resturaunts thought, Waitresses go through alot more then you see.




Posted by Lord of Spam

Down here, a waiter/tress can expect about $40 for a 6 hour shift in a normally busy retaruant. Thats barely like 8 an hour before tax, which isnt that bad, but hardly great.