Question for Waiters & Waitresses

[Krivak]

For most places, it is what Racket_Man said.

At my job, if you pay in cash, and you tip in cash, the computer calculates 15 percent of the bill as a tip at the end of thier shift. If you pay in CC, the computer automatically assumes that the CC has a tip included, and does not calculate it. As such, most servers at my job prefer CC payment, cash tip. Cash tip because the checkout screen only calcs tip in (this is the screen where it asks what you were tipped all day, for taxes) based from cash payments, not CC payments. Alot of the servers at my job attempt to claim as little as possible, and therefore, love cash tips. However, they will not turn down the CC tips at all

At the end of the night, when they go to cash out, the servers always have cash. It takes their total sales for food/drink, then whatever left over is usually the amount they get. I.e. you have 200 dollars in sales. However, in your hand is 250.00. That meant you have 50 in tips. Take out about 1.5 percent for tip outs to bartenders, and you have what remains, pretty much. You only have to pay that 203.00 at the end of the night. So regardless, they have cash by the end of the night.

Darden restaurant groups, for the most part, seem alright with their practice of it. I haven't had any problems myself.

[sms001]

Or is it more correct to just say Waitstaff or some other term nowadays?

In-house I always used "waitrons." I suppose waitstaff is the most politically correct, or (hopefully, for brevity) it will go the route of actor/actress and become gender neutral waiter.

I concur w/ the ask the staff suggestion. If it's a place we frequent less, if there's a folder we use cash and put it in there with the CC slip. (Don't forget to write 'CASH' or otherwise make the tip line unusable. Probably not needed with a waiter you found agreeable, but better safe than sorry.) If the slip is delivered bare and we're paying elsewhere (front register or what-have-you) we just put it on the slip.

[Merriweather]

I usually tip cash too. Although, I'm in the same boat you are right now Merriweather. Fast food is out of the question right now, much less going out to a sit down restaurant.

I'll keep you and my husband in my prayers. That he gets an even better job than before and that things start looking up for the both of you.

Will do the same for you, and all others in the same boat, it certainly isn't a rare occurance these days, I know plenty of people even worse off.

[blas]

There are a few places, like at the salon school, where CC tips are immediately changed for cash for the students, so I don't worry as much about them not getting their tips.

[neon81159]

I did 2 years delivering pizza.. cash tips, please...

I leave cash on the table.. 15-20%, depending on the service, if I eat there a lot, with the same waitress.. she knows I want sweet tea, no lemon, no tomato on my salad, etc.. and remembers that from my twice a month visit.. SHE gets 20% automatically.

my cellphone has a tip calculator, so its simple to figure.. then I round it up to the next 25 cents

works for me

[reimero]

When I was waitstaff, I also preferred cash.

[Jester]

Or is it more correct to just say Waitstaff or some other term nowadays?

You can go with waiters and waitresses, or, if you want one all inclusive gender-neutral term, I would suggest server, since that pretty much covers it.