"I'm a server and understand but you get a buck tip"

[aurelemsrealm]

I generally tip about 20% for good service. If it leaves an odd amount of change, I'll round up to the next whole dollar for satisfactory service, and leave off the change for minimal to adequate service that was less impressive. I consider my approach to be easy math: move the decimal point to the left one spot, double it, and then round it to a whole dollar. So, a $25 bill goes like this: $2.50 is 10%; $2.50 X 2=$5.00; and the tip will be $5.00 for minimal to adequate/$6.00 for going above and beyond the call of duty.

I refuse to tip for bad service, period. Consider yourself lucky that I've decided not to complain to management about it. Earn it, and you'll get it from me. I'm also one of those people who has a problem with a manadatory gratuity being added to the bill. Tipping is totally given at my discretion when I'm paying the bill, and I think I'm a very reasonable person, maybe even a little lenient, when it comes to deciding how satisfactory the service is.

I think there've only been two waitresses I've stiffed on the tip in my entire life. Both of them were horrible servers, so I didn't feel obligated to leave so much as a token tip.

One was at some little mom-and-pop cafe in a small town near my hometown. The waitress spent more time sitting in a nearby booth chatting with a couple of old farts and chain smoking cigarettes than she did waiting tables. The only times she even visited my table was to take my order, bring me my drink while I waited for my order, then when she brought out my food. That was it, no offer to refill my drink or ask if I needed anything else at least once after I've had a chance to sample my food. She never checked on me again, never brought a bill to the table, and never even bothered to get off her butt when I walked to the cash register to indicate that I wanted to pay. I stood there looking right at her, and she just kept sitting. One of the cooks happened to see me, so she came up from the kitchen to ring me up. Needless to say, I never went back, and laughed when I saw the cafe was closed a couple of months later. Gee, I wonder why if the service never got any better than that!

Then, there is this one clueless waitress at the local IHOP. I don't know how she's kept her job this long. There have been three occasions on which I visited IHOP to get stuck with this particular waitress, and her service has been horrible each time. The only reason I go back to IHOP still is because I do like the food, and they do have a couple of really good servers who are regular customers at my c-store. The other IHOP servers who are good at their job already know that I tip more generously with them because I know them.

One morning, I waited 20 minutes after being seated, and the place was dead. I was the only customer in the entire restaurant. She asked me what I'd like to drink, and I told her coffee. She walked past my table without saying a word several times. I finally asked about the coffee I'd ordered after about five minutes. She said she'd bring it right out. Another 15 minutes passed, and I still was waiting for my coffee, so I just left.

Another time, a coworker and I had gotten off work at 7 a.m., and we decided to go to IHOP. We got the same waitress, but she got my coworker's drink order wrong. He asked for iced tea, I ordered coffee. She comes back with two coffee cups. Our orders took forever for no more business than they had, and my eggs were cold by the time we finally got our order. I left no tip because I remembered her service on the previous visit, too. My friend actually wrote a note on the back of his receipt and left it on the table, "Here's your tip for today, work harder!"

Then, another time, my wife and I went out to dinner with some friends after church one Thursday evening. They wanted to go to IHOP. Guess who we got for a waitress? Yep! I was nice, but I just thought you had to be kidding me. I don't think she remembered me, but I never made a scene those other visits. I just paid and left without tipping. She got the orders all wrong, and another waiter had to help her straighten the mess out. The husband of the other couple was about to lose his temper because his order was wrong when the waitress brought it back a second time. I ended up giving our portion of the tip to the waiter who saved the day. I told him about my previous experiences with this waitress. He didn't say much, I assume out of professional courtesy, but he didn't seem all that surprised.

Honestly, I wish I was making all of that up. I mean, how did this woman keep her job all this time? I'm to the point that I ask who's working when they seat me, and I request any other server if this woman is working. I just simply explain to whoever is the hostess that I've had bad experiences with this particular server on several separate occasions, and prefer not to be served by her. When I get the puzzled look from the hostess on duty, I always just say that I'm too nice to complain to management because IHOP's food is good and the other servers have always been good, so I don't want to rock the boat for them.

The bottom line is that I'm low-maintenance and lenient type of customer, but I still have expectations if I'm going to leave a good tip. Bad service equals no tip.

[Nekojin]

Two things to keep in mind:

1.) For the wait staff: Tips are voluntary. Don't get bent out of shape over small or nonexistent tips... you'll get some people who overtip, too.

2.) For the customers: Leaving no tip when there haven't been any problems with the service or food is especially low-class. You're telling the wait staff, in essence, that you didn't value their presence.

No, those two aren't mutually exclusive. The first is advice for wait staff to keep their sanity and keep their blood pressure low. Some people suck, that's all there is to it.

I consider 10% to be a standard tip for standard service. Andara usually pushes for 15-20%, and I don't usually fight her on it.

Note that I once worked as a Blackjack dealer - a job that is as dependent on tips as wait staffing. I do understand, and appreciate, the work that goes into it.

[Pezzle]

I read stories about people trying to stay past closing in a bar before. Wanna know how to do that? Leave a 45-50% tip on big nights. Tippings all about saying "you rock"

[wagegoth]

I think servers should receive minimum wage, regardless. But tips should be paid. Waiting tables is one of the closest customer services situations you can have. This person takes your order, makes sure it's correct, brings your drinks and food, checks on you, checks back with you, and brings you the check. (At least they should do the above.)

There are few other retail situations that are that involved. Salespeople who are commissioned are in a similar situation, providing a lot of dedicated customer service. If you tie up a salesperson on commission (not very common, but higher end stores often still have them), then don't buy anything, you've stolen from that person.

In states where servers are not paid minimum wage the assumption is that the tips will make up the difference, which means the server is really only expected to make minimum wage by the state. Frankly, as many of you know, it's pretty much impossible to live on minimum wage without a lot of workarounds.

I tip 20% for decent service, 10% to 15% for barely there service, 25% and up for excellent service. I take into account how busy the restaurant is, how many servers are working, if the food was correct, if problems are promptly fixed, if the server makes an effort. I live in a state where servers are not exempt from the minimum wage statutes, and I still tip.

BTW, Etiquette Hell agrees that if you don't have the money, don't stiff the waiter. Eat less, drink less, and pay your server. I always check my cash and card balances before eating out.

[Emrld]

Real Estate is a commision based industry.

I can't tell you how many times I have gone and shown house after house after house . . . only for the people to decide they are going to stay right where they are.
So basically I have drvien them around and shown them houses . . . so there is some gas money and milage . . .and I don't get a dime. Unless and until they actually close and fund on a property that I am agent on record - I get nada.
I think it is in the rare category of you get services and don't pay for them.

[Shabo]

I think servers should receive minimum wage, regardless. But tips should be paid. Waiting tables is one of the closest customer services situations you can have. This person takes your order, makes sure it's correct, brings your drinks and food, checks on you, checks back with you, and brings you the check. (At least they should do the above.)

If servers were paid minimum wage, they would make a ridiculous amount of money. Plus tips would be less freely given, and cost of food would go up for the restaurant since the restaurant would have to cover the increase in wages. Plus, there are more waitstaff on at any given time than any other position, so it would increase costs quite a bit.

[wagegoth]

If servers were paid minimum wage, they would make a ridiculous amount of money. Plus tips would be less freely given, and cost of food would go up for the restaurant since the restaurant would have to cover the increase in wages. Plus, there are more waitstaff on at any given time than any other position, so it would increase costs quite a bit.

I live in California, so unless the servers are making over $100k, they aren't making a ridiculous amount of money. $4 more an hour on an 8-hour shift is only $32. Besides, if they earned it, they earned it.

It doesn't seem to affect the amount of tips given. Many people who live in states where servers are paid less than minimum wage don't know that, unless they've been in the business.

Yes, it costs the restaurant a bit more, but compared to the other costs, paying your 4 or 5 servers an extra $4 an hour is not a huge expense. Rent where I work is a HUGE expense; it certainly causes more of an adjustment in food prices than the waitstaff.

Waitstaff are usually not the majority, unless you include the hostess and busboys, who are usually not tipped, and the waiters normally have to share their tips with them, so that they get good customers from the hostess, and quick help from the busboys.

[Shabo]

I live in California, so unless the servers are making over $100k, they aren't making a ridiculous amount of money.

The waitresses that I worked with at Friendly's made $20 per hour easy at $2.63 per hour plus tips. Considering that is a "dry" restaurant with cheap food, that's pretty damn good. I don't even know how much more servers at respectable "wet" restaurants make.

4 or 5 servers

That's only at slow times. There are far more servers on during busy times. For example, our F-ly's had 7 people on the floor on busy nights, 8 if we had a trainee.

Waitstaff are usually not the majority, unless you include the hostess and busboys, who are usually not tipped, and the waiters normally have to share their tips with them, so that they get good customers from the hostess, and quick help from the busboys.

No, they are not included in the calculation. (I never shared my tips with the hostesses either, and we weren't lucky enough for busboys.)

At most, my restaurant had on 4 cooks, 2 dishwashers, 2 hostesses, 2 fountain (ice cream shop) servers, and 8 waitstaff, plus 1 manager. If you add all the non-waitstaff together, they are a larger group than the waitstaff. I was counting them as separate entities instead. IE more waitstaff than any other position individually.

I think this is turning into a debate, so I'm done with this. I promise to be a good girl now mods.

[Sparky]

I've never waited tables, but mumble-de-mumble years ago, I used to drive a cab. This was in a small college town in the Midwest. The cabs didn't have meters; fares were based on a "zone" system. The minimum fare was $0.60. That ought to give you some idea how long ago this was. Some people tipped and some didn't. I think it just didn't occur to some to tip, and it didn't occur to others not to. The old man you'd pick up from the grocery and take to a run-down house in a poor neighborhood? The one who'd say "just put the groceries on the porch, I can carry the cans in a few at a time"? He'd always tip. The college student you'd pick up at the airport shuttle stop with the three suitcases and the skis? No way you'd get a tip. Worst of all were the people visiting from big cities. I'd tell them that the fare was $3 or so and they's crow "Oh my God! Why in New York that'd cost $25 and Lord help you if you didn't tip!" And would they give me a tip for my $3? No. By the way, in that job there was no hourly wage at all, just 40% of the cab fares. One Sunday I made all of $4, not including tips (which I didn't bother to count). That's for a 12 hour shift.

A question for all of you, and especially for servers: Why should tips be tied to the cost of the meal? Of course if someone's having a big dinner with several drinks they're going to require more of your time than someone who's only having a quick sandwich, but why should the waitress be penalized because I ordered the vegetable plate instead of the lobster? Why should the waiter get extra if I order filet mignon? It's not like he's going to cook it. It's not like it's heavier for him to carry. I try to chip in a bit extra if I order a special and it's really cheap. Like someone here said, "A buck is not a tip."

[Pezzle]

I live in California, so unless the servers are making over $100k, they aren't making a ridiculous amount of money. $4 more an hour on an 8-hour shift is only $32. Besides, if they earned it, they earned it.

Yeah, but imagine what an impact that can make in a forty hour work week.

[wagegoth]

Yeah, but imagine what an impact that can make in a forty hour work week.

It does add up ($6656, 52 weeks, assuming paid vacation), but my guess is that rent for a restaurant here is a lot more than that per month. Commercial spaces around here start at around $3.00 per square foot per month.

[XXDarrienX]

You ask why pay more in tips for higher priced meals. The way tips are taxed in this country is that its based on your sales for the day, and they expect people to tip more the more they spend granted it does not make a whole lotta of sense.

[Ree]

you know she got taxed on the money she didn't get from you the first time. She paid out of pocket on that, you know.

What?????????

My daughter has NEVER paid out of pocket on anything when she got stiffed on a tip.

Canadian labour/tax laws must really be quite different.

*EDIT- Never mind...that was a knee-jerk reaction after reading that post. As I went back and read through, I see that ReformedWaitress explained it.
The tax laws really are different there.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I read stories about people trying to stay past closing in a bar before. Wanna know how to do that? Leave a 45-50% tip on big nights. Tippings all about saying "you rock"

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't bars required to close at a certain time, as required by local ordinance or some other law? In my neck of the woods it's 2 am.

In which case it doesn't matter how much you tip; you're not staying past close.

[Boozy]

What?????????

My daughter has NEVER paid out of pocket on anything when she got stiffed on a tip.

Canadian labour/tax laws must really be quite different.

*EDIT- Never mind...that was a knee-jerk reaction after reading that post. As I went back and read through, I see that ReformedWaitress explained it.
The tax laws really are different there.

Canadian tax laws are the mostly the same as in the US. If your daughter had been audited, the CCRA would have looked at the restaurant sales for the times she worked divided by the number of wait staff on at those times, and calculated that she made about 10% (or 15%, I can't remember) on that figure.

However, as a waitress, I only claimed the tips that I got. That always added up to less than the figure that the CCRA would have used. Both I and your daughter are lucky to have never been audited. It was a safe bet though...the government isn't going to audit someone making what I made.

I'd also like to add in response to those who feel that tipping is somehow against their personal philosophies: I've waited tables in two restaurants, my sister in three, and several friends of mine in over five each. It is agreed among all of us that waiting tables is the most demanding and worst paid job we have ever had, even if tips were relatively good. I cannot appreciate any philosophy that doesn't embrace tipping your server. Refusing to tip or undertipping doesn't make a point; it is simply rude.

Edited to add: Wait staff don't like depending on tips any more than we like giving them! Unfortunately, it has become such a custom that Canada and the US have lower minimum wages for servers, as we've discussed. I wrote a letter to my MP to argue this point. If you feel as strongly as I do, why don't you do the same? Until the time comes that things change, I continue to tip generously for good service.