Why do people in the food service industry automatically think they deserve a tip?

Question

Aren't you supposed to earn a tip? It seems like today, waiters/waitresses expect a tip when they don't even check on my table once!

Don't get me wrong, I think if a person did a great job and checked up on me to make sure everything was find, then I tip 20% or I'll tip my barber 30% because he's actually doing the job of cutting my hair. All waiters/waitresses have to do is take orders, serve the stinking food and refill cups. Not exactly rocket science.

And for all of you who say, "Waiters have to make a living off just tips." Well, go find a new job that pays at least minimun wage otherwise shut the heck up. Waiters must make a decent amount if they are still working there otherwise there wouldn't be any waiters in the world right?

If the waiter/waitress did the cooking and it was delicious I would leave them 20% for great cooking....but all they do is take the food to you....Do you usually tip your mailman for doing a great job of delivering your mail?

It's ridiculous how tipping is a burden placed on the customer....$2/hour...HELLO??! Isn't there something wrong there?!? Expensive restaurants: exorbatant $$ amount for food, maybe they can pay their waiters more...Restaurant chains: multimillion dollar chains can afford to pay their servers more.

I love the responses of "stay at home and cook your own food" or "stop being cheap"...like supplementing their salaries is somehow my burden.

Answer 1

This is ignorant thinking. I'm a chef, and my servers work their butts off to satisfy customers. If you really knew what went on behind the scenes in a restaurant, your normal tip would be around 20%.

Now if you are in a TGI Friday's, etc, that may be a different story. Plus, a living wage is different than the minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is $5.15. Could you live on that working full time? No. Servers usually get around $2.50 in salary, with the rest coming from tips. So stop being cheap.

Answer 2

Waiting tables can be an incredibly hard job and I tend to tip 15% for average service (they brought my food in a reasonable amount of time) and more for good service.

Minimum wage in the US is $5.15 an hour for regular employees; $2.13 an hour for waitstaff. It is "assumed" that they will make up the additional $3.02 an hour. Keep in mind that generally waitstaff do not keep all of the tips they receive, either. It is traditional to "tip out" to the kitchen helper and the bartender. So on a $20 tab, a 15% tip is $3 and a waiter may actually keep $2 of that.

To assume that no one would be a waiter because he would not do a job that doesn't pay well is incredibly unfair. Many people work jobs because they are utilizing the skills that they have. In addition, often you get at least one meal per shift when you Waitstaff in a good restaurant of course do better in tips than waitstaff at an inexpensive place like Friday's or Chili's. When you say why should the waitstaff receive a tip when they didn't check my table once, what were the circumstances? Did you see many people waiting tables? Is it possible that the restaurant was understaffed that day and the waitstaff on duty had all they could do to get the food out in a timely manner? Or did you feel that the waitstaff was sitting around doing nothing?

If I see that a restaurant is very busy and seems to be understaffed, I am much more forgiving if the waitstaff is somewhat inattentive than if it appears to me that all the other tables are receiving better service than I am. If you feel your service was unacceptable, you are within your rights to not leave a tip - however, I would ask to speak with the manager and explain why you felt your service was lacking. The manager may offer an explanation of things going on behind the scenes that you are not aware of - if not, then simply advise the manager that you will not be leaving the server a tip because of the lack of service.

Answer 3

I think the key word here is deserve. I have had good service, excellent service, and then I have had service that left much to be desired. I realize that they earn part of their wages from providing a service, but I feel the degree of their service warrants the amount of tip.
I start with a dollar for a cup of coffee at the counter, for table service I start at 20%. If the waitress makes eye contact when taking the order I throw in an extra 5% just for their attentiveness. I deduct for things such as chewing gum, yes some still do, ignoring a request for a sauce or something offered as a condiment, but only on request, or having the waiter/waitress ask if I would like a drink refill then proceed to go on a break without letting the person covering know of my request.
If my order is wrong I blame the expeditor who normally checks the order for correctness. After all it is the kitchen that puts the order together and is technically supervisor of the kitchen. A tip like a salary is earned. Do retail employers pay the sales person, that insults the customer, refuses to wait on the customers, or sneaks off on a break whenever they feel like? Do other employers write their employees checks to come in and sleep on the job?
Every one earns what they get based on their performance. think about that when it comes time to leave the tip.

Answer 4

First off, if you feel dissatisfied with the service you should bring it to the attention of the manager of the restaurant. Not all issues that a guest may think is service is within their control. What happens when a bartender makes the wrong drink, doesnt make the drink quick enough, the chef overcooks a steak, or an item gets missed by a food runner? Many people sit down at their table determined to be bitter and masty before they even start. They are mad because they had to wait for a table, or a 25 year old gets carded and has no ID, or doesn't like that the restaurnat is out of one of their dishes. If your mechanic didnt do the job you expected you would likely talk to the manager to make sure it was fixed, but instead of addressing the issue with the management. By the way, every poll ever done wants to keep tipping as opposed to paying servers a fair living wage. Too many people only come to eat when they havea coupon, or are getting a free birthday meal or what not. If servicwe is so bad for you, then stay home and cook your own meal. Cheap bastards

Answer 5

Really? Try it some time and see what you think then. Sure it sounds easy just to take orders and refill drinks but not when theres 20 tables needing attention all at the same time. Geez.

Being a waiter/waitress is alot harder than you think it is.

Some literally make $2/hour plus the tips which are suposed to equal minimum wage but what about slow nights and slow hours? And most people only tip $1-2. Sure some waiters make alot if they are working at a busy, AND expensive place - but they are going to be extemely busy and you can not expect perfect service all the time.

Oh and BTW - Just because they are working there does NOT mean they are making enough. Walk in to any restaurant and ask them what their turnover rate is. People quit ALL the time they can't handle it.

Oh and PS - haven't you ever gotten those Christmas tip cards from your mail or newspaper delivery guy? My father-in-law used to deliver for the L.A. times and at Christmas he would receive like $500 in tips and gift cards. He had a long route at like 3am-8am every morning. He quit when gas started getting too expensive but those tips really helped.

Answer 6

I will agree with you that most of what waitpersons do is not rocket science. However, that said, a good attentive waitron is worth their weight in gold. They keep the meal flowing and help when there are problems like spills. Particularly for business people they can help make a positive impression on your client.

I understand your point though about some that just assume they are due their tip regardless of the quality of service they give. I was once chased from a Chinese restaurant for not tipping, but all during our time there they made us feel rushed and unwelcome and we had to repeatedly summon the waiter for routine things he should have been aware of. We were his only customers at the time. You really have to do a bad job for me not to tip. I've worked that industry enough to understand the importance of tips to the wait staff.

My tips range from 10 to 30 percent based on quality of service, with the aforementioned exception for someone who really tanks.

Answer 7

Technically, you are supposed to tip if the service is decent. If the service is excellent (your food arrives in under 10 minutes, the waiter/waitress was very friendly and helpful), then leave a great tip. However, if the service was awful, leave them a tip they'll never forget: nothing!

Answer 8

It's part of the culture!

Don't they make only two dollars a hour?

I agree some waitpeople(?) don't deserve diddly, the best insult is to leave a penny. That's worse than not tipping at all!

One time I had a mattress delivered and I didn't tip them. When I left my apartment all the trash from the delivery was outside my door. I guess they expected a tip.

Service is service. We need to all band together and fix this! Do ya tip yer mechanic?

Answer 9

I agree to some extent but hello if you are rude to them then there will be no more waitresses or waiters to serve you. I think if they did good service they get a good tip more than the 20%

Answer 10

You've obviously never worked fooservice or you wouldn't be asking this question. Just know that for every person who is respectful and friendly to their wait staff, there is another who treats them like garbage. Treat your wait staff the way you would want to be treated. Usually this results in a better experience. And by the way, your wait staff may not actually cook the meal, but they are your ONLY CONNECTION to the kitchen. A kitchen that is busy with the orders from every other table in the restaurant. So if your wait staff made sure you got the food you ordered, that it was hot, and treated you nicely while doing it, then for God's sake, give them a tip.