Tips for tipping!

[Rapscallion]

Let's share the wealth - how do people in serving positions increase their likelihood of getting a decent tip?

Rapscallion

[Banrion]

Well, I know my waitress last Friday night got a nice 30% tip by guessing my favorite dessert ever and bringing me a free one.



Fully Story. Chili's has recently introduced these dessert "shots". They are a double shot glass filled with layers of yummy. There are 3 versions: chocolate, strawberry cheesecake, and apple pie. My waitress, who I wasn't super impressed with in general, she was at best average for this restaurant, came over about 2/3rds of the way through our entree, and offered us the chocolate shot. She says that she bought the 3 for herself, and couldn't finish them. After that, I began to wonder if maybe the small issues we had with service for the night weren't her, and there was a problem in the kitchen, and she was trying to apologize without throwing the kitchen staff under the bus. I'll never know for sure, but a happy end to the meal. The bill was $45.00, and I left an even $60.00.

[Boozy]

Most people have a set percentage for their tip already in mind when they walk into a restaurant. If they've decided that 15% is what they tip, then they'll always tip 15%, give or take a percentage or two. Running your ass off to be extra speedy or smiling and chirping away like an idiot is a lot of hard work for little payoff.

The absolute best way for a server to increase tips is to increase their check averages. You'll usually get about 15% of whatever they buy....remember that. A good server is a good salesman. Make the appetizers sound too good to pass up. Always suggest a wine pairing for their entrees. Selling dessert starts with selling them coffee.

An added bonus is that most restaurant managers will give the best sections to those servers with the highest check averages.

Also, if you ever have a patron who tips well (20% or so), make sure they remember your name. Tell them you had a really great time serving them, and if they are ever in the restaurant again, they should please feel free to ask to sit in your section. You can build a regular clientele this way, and often times end up with full sections on otherwise slow nights.

[iradney]

For me, it's being polite, cheerful, giving me reccomendations when I ask for them, not helicoptering.

The best waiter I ever had was at a certain fancy steakhouse.
TTO and I went there, the waiter was funny, friendly, fast and just plain ol' awesome. The good man got hisself a 50% tip. We went to a different branch of the same steakhouse, and the waiter there, even tho he was subjected to the slightly-racist, no-social-skills humour of TTO's sister's fiance (that's an entire post by itself), he was truly awesome. Even organised all the waiters together for a fabulous birthday singalong with african drum. He got a 45% tip as well.

[Emrld]

From a customer stand point - pay attention to what is being asked about/ for

Due to digestive issues . . .I can come across as being picky.
Typically a server will check an order before they bring it to a table. If however it is a runner and not the server . . .and as the waitperson shows up realize that something isn't right . . . that will add to tip.
If you have friends show up - don't treat them better than another table.
Don't hoover but at least glance when you walk past.
If you are new - tell your table. If you are unsure about something on the menu actually state that, say that you will find out, then follow through with that.

Alot depends on the type of place I am eating at . . . .
if I am at a average chain resturant and get average service - they get 15%
if they go above then yes it will increase the tip

if however I am at a more upscale resturant I expect more formal service and a little more attention to what is going on . . . they get 15% (remember the items here are higher priced to begin with - ergo they are getting more than I would pay in tip elsewhere)

the other end - I go to a dinner (think scattered smothered covered chain) their prices can be as low as $5 for a ton of food. If I get just the basic of order taken, served, and a drink refill . . . they get 15%. On the other hand if they pay a bit of attention, ask how am I doing . . . or I see them glance and check if rushing past . . .the tip goes up.

I guess I have an easier time overtipping at a place where the prices are not all that high to begin with. I figure that those that work in upper price are working their because they know on average they will have bigger tips . . .and don't always try as hard to make it a dining experience. (True that does not apply to everyone . . . their are servers dedicated to making a dining experience just that - an experience . . .however they are far and few between where I live. But, when I do find them, I do become a regular and tip well for it)

[mae]

I usually do 20-25% at a restaurant (if not happy with the service, I'll do 15% but that's verrrry rare).

Pizza delivery guy usually gets $5-7 depending on size of the order.

[digilight]

For me here's a few things that can help increase the size of a tip.

If the joint serves coke I get a diet coke and my wife will get a regular. If the server just naturally puts the regular in front of me I get pissed (don't worry no SC behavior I just simmer). But if they ask or remember I am happy and notice that fact. - Point being, don't assume that the woman would be the one getting the diet soda!!!!

If I ask for extra butter/sauce/dressing/blue cheese please get it to me quickly (I try to ask for these extra's when I place the order to make it easier on the waiter/waitress or will ask for it as soon as possible. When I don't get my blue cheese dressing for my fries or butter for my potatoe or whatever until i'm halfway done, guess what I'm remembering that come tip time.

And most importantly, a good friendly attitude. You can usually tell a waitperson who is good at their job. They make it look easy and you go wow, they are handling a 4 top a 6 top and a couple of 3 tops and we are still getting good service, thats impressive.

You don't have to try and be funny, but it helps to have recommendations, like if you love something that person ordered, tell 'em that it's one of your favorites.

No these are what work for me. Its all about personallity and skill.

Oh yeah and I'm one of those assholes who needs a soda fountain at their table. For some reason I just seam to drink a metric fuckton of soda. When they seem to allways bring me a new one either right before I need it or very quickly, I love that.

[TheseFightingWords]

From a customers point of view I tend to start at 25% and then factors cause the tip to decrease from there.

1. If the server doesn't recognize my daughter as a person.
2. Doesn't ask if I need a refill on my drink.
3. Doesn't ask how our food is, and/ or how's it going.
4. How long we have to wait for the check after we're done eating.

One thing I never do is give a waitress a tip based on how the food was, or how long I waited for it. Because I have been in the business and I've seen cook's drag down the person bringing the food.

[TheseFightingWords]

Oh yeah and I'm one of those assholes who needs a soda fountain at their table. For some reason I just seam to drink a metric fuckton of soda. When they seem to allways bring me a new one either right before I need it or very quickly, I love that.

I'm the same way

[mae]

1. If the server doesn't recognize my daughter as a person.

Yeah, that's not very nice... Just curious, how old is your daughter?

Which brings me to another topic:

Ever had someone ask how many children's menus are needed if there are no children in your party? I go out with my parents for dinner quite a bit. I have been asked no less than almost EVERY TIME if a children's menu is needed... FOR ME.

Dude, I'm 28 years old... Aren't most kid's menus for 10 and under?

[Gurndigarn]

If you can track down a book called Streetfighting-- it was a marketing book from the late 80s or early 90s-- it's got a great section on how to nudge tips upward just on presentation (above and beyond service issues and the like).

Actually, if you can find it, it's a great book on store-level marketing for retail/foodservice/etc. I believe this is it: http://www.amazon.com/Streetfighting-Low-Cost-Advertising-Promotion-Strategies/dp/0138515433/ref=sr_1_1/104-0156857-1990304?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193274604&sr=1-1, but I won't swear to it (it's been too long. But it was an excellent book.)

[Estil]

Let's share the wealth - how do people in serving positions increase their likelihood of getting a decent tip?

Rapscallion

Always, ALWAYS treat tips as a privledge, not a right. That is, if you don't get a tip from someone, don't get all grumpy and call them cheap (even just to yourself). You never know; they may not have even known you were supposed to tip at a place like that (someone who was more used to eating at fast food places). Just as long as you always do your very best (both in service and in personality) you'll never have any problem getting good tips over the long haul.

[Boozy]

Always, ALWAYS treat tips as a privledge, not a right.

Tips are not a privilege; they are what is owed to a server for table service.

If tips were only a privilege, there would be no "server's" minimum wage.

[Palsgraf]

Always, ALWAYS treat tips as a privledge, not a right. That is, if you don't get a tip from someone, don't get all grumpy and call them cheap (even just to yourself). You never know; they may not have even known you were supposed to tip at a place like that (someone who was more used to eating at fast food places). Just as long as you always do your very best (both in service and in personality) you'll never have any problem getting good tips over the long haul.

Here in the U.S., there is (as mentioned above) a tip-wage, which is a fraction of minimum wage. At my last job, working a 40-hour-week, 52 weeks a year, would have only paid me $4,430 in tip-wage per year. So tips are expected.

That said, I'll laugh when I receive an awful tip, as opposed to many co-workers who'll get angry.

I do wonder sometimes if the bad tip is because someone doesn't have a clue about tipping, or if I'd done something wrong. Five dollars on a $68 check Monday night. Even though they guy drank soda like a fish, I never let his glass get empty before refilling it. So ... Did they feel that I'd done something wrong? Or do they just have no clue?

Even 15% makes me wonder if something went wrong when I otherwise would have expected more. (Again, unlike many of my co-workers, I'll won't complain about a 15% tip).

When I dine-out myself, I leave about 20%, rounded up or down to the next dollar. Last weekend, we didn't see our waitress much. I'd wanted a dessert, but our daughter's tolerance for sitting patiently in a highchair was quickly expiring, so we couldn't stay. I left roghly 20%, rounded down. What did our waitress think? If she was used to getting only 15% (or less), she may have believed that we thought her service was great. Oh well. On one occasion when we almost walked out, we left exactly 15% to the penny (the minimum, in our opinion, to avoid burning in Hell).

Then there's the person/people who rant on and on and on about how great everything was ... then leave a crappy tip. Apparently that's why they left the 'verbal' tip for me instead.

The next time I go to the bank, I'll try depositing the verbal tips along with my cash tips. Maybe I'll throw in some of those religious pamphlets that are made to look like money, but upon closer inspection have a message that begins, "The Greatest Tip of All ..."

P.S. I resevrve the right to call someone cheap, or an idiot, to myself all day long if I want to.


Wait! This thread was about how to increase one's tips!

* Anticipate the customer's needs. For example, we serve beverages in enormous, heavy glasses. For elderly customers, I'll use a smaller glass (that I'm no supposed to use) to bring their water or soda, because it's easier for them to manage.
* Suggest, suggest, suggest (to increase the check). I can talk almost anyone into "the most popular appetizer on our menu" with my description of it. We should track it in the computer sometime to see if my sales for that item are higher than everyone else's!
* Never allow the beverages to get empty.
* Smile, and be pleasant (no matter how unpleasant they are).
* Don't hover or constantly interrupt, but be in the vicinity to make eye-contact if someone needs/wants something.
* Eavesdrop! For example, Monday I heard a customer complain that her dish didn't include pasta, and one of her companions explained to her that she'd mis-read the menu. I returned with a side dish of fettucine alfredo. A freebie. I apologized for the "misunderstanding" as I set it on the table (even though it wouldn't have happened if she'd listened to me when I explained the menu earlier).


One Debate: I've had this discussion with other waiters and waitresses. If the tip is basedd on the customer's perception of your work, which is better: to wait for a customer to ask for something (so they see you working for them) or to anticipate and bring before they ask (where the customers might not stop to think/realize that you're working for them if they don't have to ask)?

[Banrion]

Here in the U.S., there is (as mentioned above) a tip-wage, which is a fraction of minimum wage. At my last job, working a 40-hour-week, 52 weeks a year, would have only paid me $4,430 in tip-wage per year. So tips are expected.

This is really only half of the story though. In the US, if your working wages + tips do not equal the minimum wage then your employer has to make up the difference. So even if you were the worst waitress in the world, and never earned a single red cent in tips, you would still make at least $12,168.00 per your example of 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year.

[Palsgraf]

This is really only half of the story though. In the US, if your working wages + tips do not equal the minimum wage then your employer has to make up the difference. [....]

In my first week waiting tables at another job many years ago, my tips plus the tip-wage didn't reach minimum wage. (Hey, it was my first week. I sucked.) My employer was supposed to make up the difference ...

But instead of paying their share, my employers altered my tip declarations that week to make it appear that I'd earned minimum wage. I discoverd this when I received my paycheck. (This meant that I also was able to pay income tax on money I didn't make).

It's yet another example of when I should have complained to the right people to change things for the better for everyone, but instead went out and found a better job elsewhere. (Selfish? Or just lazy?)


I just read on Wikipedia that all the Chi-Chi's in North America went out of business following a 2003 Hepatitis A outbreak. Serves them right. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi-Chi's (note the link at the bottom of the article to the Creepy Abandoned Chi-Chi's Blog ...)

[JustADude]

One Debate: I've had this discussion with other waiters and waitresses. If the tip is basedd on the customer's perception of your work, which is better: to wait for a customer to ask for something (so they see you working for them) or to anticipate and bring before they ask (where the customers might not stop to think/realize that you're working for them if they don't have to ask)?

For my personal experiences, at least, I'd have to say option #2 is the best. I once had a guy that might just rival Jester for Ultimate Server Of The Universe working my table at an IHOP.
The guy was almost scary how good he was with his timing on everything, bringing refills and the the next round of shrimp (it was the all-you-can-eat shrimp-boat thing) JUST as we were finished with the last, skipping the fries and doubling up on the shrimp (since, you know, you don't get AYCE shrimp for the fries) without us even asking, and he bantered excellently to boot (something I consider a requirement to get a 10/10 in the Dude Quality Rating).

He ended up getting a $10 tip on a $20-something tab.

[powerboy]

The best way to get a tip from me, is to make sure my glass is never empty for more then a minute. I understand that somethings, you get busy and cannot give my refill right then. Just make sure to keep coming back to make sure I have everything or if everything is right. Do not put the wrong drink in front of me. Put the right food in front of me

[AnqeiicDemise]

As a former waitress, I know that a two buck tip isn't as bad as, say, a freakin' nickel out of a $75 bill.

As a person who is barely making ends meet, I can only hope to give as much as I can without breaking the freakin' bank.

Example:

I've been sick. Husband's been sick. We've both been working over time to make up the money we 'lost' by getting the car repo'd and returned. There's also the fact that half our bills are due on the first week of the goddamned month and the stress is making us cranky.

Case in point: the hubs surprised me last night by taking me out on a date that, *almost* broke our bank. (He didn't give a damn because we *did* need time off together outside of the home and away from the bills).

We ended up spending $46 dollars (against my will as I am the cheap one in the family) for both our meals and left behind a $5 dollar tip.

I know it was cheap, but it was *all* we could afford without dipping into money we need for bills.

The waitress in question was *AMAZING*. Came to our table with a laugh, asked us why we were so dressed up in a friendly manner -- hubs explained its our monthly date -- she says she wishes she could do that every once in a while but its hard when you can't find a sitter. Waitress then proceeded to show us pictures of her baby. (To which I was then compelled to yell at Ama that I didn't care, I wanted to have babies now!)

Eventually, we hope to go back, ask to be seated in her section and leave a bigger tip. I.e. order a milkshake to share and leave like $15.

[Emrld]

on a side note . . . the mandatory instant tip add on at a buffet . . . .
My folks went out sat night with 6 other couples (12 people) It was an upscale buffet . The bills get printed with an automatic 20% tip of $10 per couple (it is like $25 per person) All the waitress had to do was bring them drinks . . .and all they ordered were those that were included with buffet . . . water, tea, coffe, and soda. This girl had to be tracked down on multiple occassions . . .and she didn't have that large of a section. Here is a situation where none of these people wanted to appear cheap in front of each other so no one said anything and this girl got over compensated on a horrible job.
I just don't think that it is right in a situation like that to instantly add the tip. Now if they had been ordering from the menu and gotten full table service, or even if she had been paying attention it wouldn't have been that big a deal. But here they were sat in her section and she instantly knew she was making at least $60 in tips. Just not right in my book.

[Boozy]

But here they were sat in her section and she instantly knew she was making at least $60 in tips.

She probably wasn't getting it all herself. Tips at buffet-style restaurants are usually evenly divided among all the staff: servers, bartenders, busboys, cooks, hostesses, and coat check staff.

However, a 20% tip at a buffet is steep, to say the least.

[JustADude]

The bills get printed with an automatic 20% tip...

Now that, I think, is WAY too much. The point of an automatic gratuity is to make sure the wait(er/ress) doesn't get totally screwed on such a big investment of time. For that, a simple ~8% on the tab would be sufficient. From there, they could add more for good-to-excellent service, and anything that warranted less than an 8% tip would likely also warrant the talk with management it would take to remove the automatic gratuity.