Is it totally inappropriate to not tip a bad waiter/waitress, or just give a small tip?

Question

I know that waiters and waitresses don't make crap without their tips and I respect that!

However, if I am treated rudely or ignored beyond acceptable (note: I mean way beyond appropriate service) is it bad to not tip them?

I had to do this the other day; but please understand our waitress was rude whenever we asked for anything additional, she never returned to get us refills (we had to catch a busperson going by), the place wasn't any busier than their norm (we go there now & then), our food was undercooked (I understand this isn't her fault) and well you get the point!

I felt bad not giving a tip, but on the other hand did she deserve it?

Answer 1

I usually give a small tip; so they know I didn't just forget, but I thought they were a sucky waiter or waitress.

Answer 2

I would definitely have docked her tip. However, being on the receiving end as a waitress I know it can be hard. A older lady once made me almost cry because she kept yelling at me. I had dropped a plate and had to have her salad remade, when it didn't come out in time she decided not to get anything and yelled at me. I apologized though and she still paid for her drink and left a dollar.

You server should have explained if their was a problem. I would think you probably would have understood.

Also, sometimes the restaurant may not look busy, but maybe someone called off and they were down a server or the server got double or even triple seated.

It sounds like your server was not doing well, but I always try to leave something because I understand what it is like to be a server. If it was really horrible though I would ask to speak to a manager and perhaps they can explain the situation better.

Answer 3

I served in a restaraunt for 4 years and very rarely was "stiffed". Sometimes I did not deserve it, other times I knew I did.

If you are going to stiff a server make sure you say why. It's a very big disservice when people are left guessing. There were times I got stiffed and people would leave reasons why. Some of them were brutally honest, some of them just wrong, or rude.

I remember things like "Get a better job and you won't have to worry why I didn't tip you", and other times where it was nice complements.

I guess my point is if you're going to not tip, be tactful about it and honest. Take it up with a manager and inform the server. They're not perfect and if they aren't informed, then they can't correct the problem and help you.

PS-some servers are just turds and don't deserve to be tipped.

Answer 4

By your description, I might have given her a penny. My little way of saying: "I didn't forget to tip you, you just sucked."

If I get crappy service, but the waitress is trying (like she's new maybe), then I tip at least 10% because that's what the IRS takes out of her wages anyway.

If it's reasonably good service, but the food or some other aspect sucks, I'll tip 15%. It's not her fault & she tried.

If it's good - excellent service & food, I tip 20% or more. That's a hard job I wouldn't want to do, and I'd like to think that when I go back I'll get great service again.

Answer 5

I didn't leave a tip one time because I found 3 hairs in my food that were obviously not mine (I have long brown hair and 1 hair was blonde, the other was really short, and the other was grey). She was a crappy waitress. She never did refill our drinks and didnt ask us if we needed anything else. We waited 20 minutes and then finally asked for our bill. The manager who was checking out people said there was no way that I found that many hairs, so I dont go back very often.

Answer 6

Thats a hard question...I waitressed for 9 years. If someone has never served its hard to understand how hard the job is. There are alot of things to factor in on the kind of service you are getting. There is no excuse to be rude to your customers though. You should be able to tell if the waitress is overwhelmed with the business flow, or is just a crappy server. Don't feel bad for stiffing a person who treated you rudly. I've been in a bad mood plenty of times, and have been stiffed. It hurt alot more if I was just simply to busy to give each table my full attention...if I really tried to keep all my customers happy. But I'll tell you what, if I was being crappy to a table, and they still left a nice tip...thats when I really felt like the jerk.
P.S. Keep in mind...servers never forget a bad tipper. If you regularly tip badly, expect poor service. If the server knows theyre serving you for nearly nothing anyway, they won't even try!
P.P.S. Did you ever see the movie 'Waiting'? I laughed thru that entire movie, cause that is exactly what working in a restraunt is like!

Answer 7

Take it from an old hound dog sweetheart... you pay for the service you get not for the service you don't get.

You can do what I have been doing for many years now. If a waitress doesn't satisfy your serving needs to please you leave her a buck. If she displeases you completely.... tell her what I do on the way out. "Let me give you a tip, DON'T wait on me again". Then walk out the door.

A good waitress who treats her customers right will make a tip. A poor or bad waitress deserves nothing.

Answer 8

I still leave a tip even if the service is lousy. If it's good service the tip is money, if it's poor service it's a note stating everything they did wrong and the "tip" is to get it right next time if they want to get money. On one occasion I was out with my parents (this was about 10 years ago) at a restaurant we'd never been to before and got such lousy service my mom complained to the manager. People who came in after us were being served and we were still waiting for our order and when my mom pointed this out to the waitress, she tried to argue with my mom about it. There was no one else there but a large group at a double table when we arrived. Turns out, the waitress gave our food to a table that came in after us who ordered the same thing. It also apparently wasn't the first time it'd happened because the manager took her aside and we could hear him yelling at her and few minutes later she stormed out of the restaurant with her stuff in her hands. The manager apologized profusely and our meal ended up being free. So if you get really lousy service, it doesn't hurt to complain to management.

Answer 9

A "tip" is a Gratuity which is a gift given for service. Poor service should never be rewarded with a tip, however a point is made by leaving a very small tip. When I have received extremely poor service, I ask for the manager since he/she needs to be aware of what's going on. If the management doesn't care, dine elsewhere. I tip very well for good service and not so well for poor. You aren't obligated to tip 15% for poor service.

Answer 10

Here is the best solution to a bad waiter or waitress...Leave nothing, then as you are leaving, go to the cooks, if you can see them, and tell them what a great job they did. Then tell them you left them a $20.00 tip with (give waitperson's name) and he/she said he/she would give it to the cooks from you. When the cooks ask for thier tip, and do not get it, they are gonna be pissed. That person will be hated by all the cooks until the day they quit.

Answer 11

A tip is for service not for bringing you the food. If you're buying food someone has to hand it to you. Should you have to pay for that? The waiter/waitress is supposed to make sure that you have everything you need to make your experience a nice one including a nice attitude. If it was that bad I guess I feel like you.