Why is tipping in restaurants in America mandatory? Don't waiters in the US get paid enough?And why is it 10?

Question

Why is the rate of tipping at 10%?

In Australia, waiters in cafes get $12.00 per hour with very little tips. Do you feel obligated to tip even when the food or service is poor?

Answer 1

It is actually 15% to 20% now .
These people only get paid very little .
I live here and I can't explain it .

Answer 2

Tipping is not mandatory, but it is the bulk of a waiter or waitresses wages. The standard rate of tipping is in the 15-18% range.

If they provide poor service or get your order wrong and don't return to make sure everything is to your satisfaction, the tip would be in the 10% range - or less.

Restaurant work is about the only place where a person can control the amount he/she is paid. Smiling, efficient service is worth every penny of 20%. The better the service, the better the tip should be to reflect your appreciation for their attentiveness to your needs and comfort.

The higher the class of restaurant, the lower the paid wages a waiter/waitress gets. You know the kind - where a glorified hamburger costs $18 or thereabouts, the waiter is getting MAYBE $2/hour. They don't even get the mandatory minimum wage - because they get tips.

Have worked in more than one restaurant in my lifetime and wouldn't wish it on anyone with a bad back, weak knees or a bad heart. It's hard work and a thankless job.

I've also noticed that when everything is fine or better, the patrons never care to see the manager to complement his staff. But let there be one thing wrong and that's when patrons want to see the manager. If the service and food were equally pleasing, please take a moment to say so to everyone you can, including the waiter/waitress. It does help to know that at least one person took an instant to acknowledge another person.

Answer 3

Waiters and waitresses generally get paid MUCH less than minimum wage- $2.18 an hour last I checked- they are highly dependant on tips to make a living.
I don't know how or why 10% is the norm but I generally will leave about 10% if the service was mediocre and for excellent, cheerful, and above and beyond the call of duty service I will leave a bit more

Just an added note regarding why I still tip when the service is bad: No one is perfect.- everyone has bad days and often waiters and waitresses are working because they HAVE to- the job is stressful and often so is home life, they are dependant on tips and I am not going to punish someone for a bad day- now if I go back a few times and still get poor service then a talk with the manager is in order

Answer 4

Servers in the United States are generally paid between $2 and $3 an hour. Most of the time they never see any of this because of taxes paid on tips earned.

10% is a piss poor tip. Anything less is just disgraceful. A decent tip is ATLEAST 20%. If you can't afford the tip -- stay home and cook your own damn food.

Paying very low wages like this to the servers keeps the labor costs in restaurants down. Keeping the labor cost down makes the FOOD less expensive.

If restaurants paid the servers more, the food would cost more. A waiter provides a service for you and deserves to be compensated for it. If you believe that you have received bad service, ask to speak to a manager. They will usually do anything they can to make you happy.

Answer 5

Tipping is mandatory if you want good service.

The average wage for a server is $2.50. If they were paid more, the cost of your dinner would reflect that. Would you rather pay $7.00 for a burger and tip accordingly or would you rather pay $10 for a burger, not tip, and get bad service??

To be a server is to be in competition with the other servers. They ALWAYS strive to give the best service. The better servers get the better shifts and better sections. The bad servers get fired. So, if you had a bad experience with a bad server, most likely they won't be there the next time.

15% is the norm for ok service. If they go beyond the call of duty and you had a pleasant experience please leave them 20% or more. Trust me, servers remember bad tippers. I've never known anyone to do anything bad to food or drink, but if they have to choose between 2 tables who will get their refills first, believe me, you will wait. They will give more attention to the better tippers.

Also, if you were going to tip $5 and it's about 18%, consider leaving $1-2 more on the table. That amount of money out of your pocket is nothing, but to a server, getting that extra $1-2 is EVERYTHING. $1-2 difference can make the difference between an "ok" tip and a fabulous tip.

And while we are at it... tipping bartenders. $1 per drink is the norm. If you order 2 drinks, leave $2 please.

If you get bad service, consider who's fault it is. Food bad? Not the servers fault. What you should consider is HOW the server handled it for you. Weak drink? Again, not the servers fault. They can't "taste" your drink before they bring it to the table. If they resolve the problem, quickly, with a friendly smile, and you are satisfied with the solution, then give them a fab tip!

Also, don't assume servers and bartenders are doing that job because they are unskilled or unqualified for better jobs. I have been in the business for 5 years. I work with 30 servers/bartenders. 80% of them are either working their way through college, or stay-at-home moms who work at night so they can be with their kids. I have a 4 year law degree. I stay at home with my kids, and make $20-30 an hour (considering my tips) a few nights a week for "fun money" for my family.

I strongly believe that every American should wait tables and work retail at least once before they are 25 so that they understand these things. And when you send your teenager out to dinner on a date, educate them on tipping! The worse night to work is prom night. You'd be surprised how many 18 year olds don't know how to tip. Some don't!

AMEN.

Answer 6

Most waiters get minimum wage, barely enough to live on. Some restaurants have talked about making their pay less than minimum wage and putting their tips in for part of their salary. Waiters are also taxed on their tips.

When it comes to tipping, 10 percent, at least in the Seattle area, is considered way to low. Most people tip 15 to 20 percent. I generally double the tax and that's how I find out how much to tip, which runs around 18 percent (depending on how good the service was.) Give waiters a break, they work their butt off and get treated like cr*p. I would never want their job.

The previous poster, that's what they did on Third Rock from the Sun. The date was too embarressed to be around the guy who tipped like that.

Answer 7

I did not know that restaurant tipping in America was mandatory. I know that some restaurants say that they will add five percent for a tip to their orders, but I have never paid a tip if I did not believe that the waiter deserved it. I do not know of any law that says that I have to do such. I do know that some restaurants do not pay waiters as much as other workers; expecting that they will receive the difference in tips. I gladly give a waiter a fair tip, if they give me good service. But I have also been in some restaurants where the waiter did not deserve a penny. For her (or his) service was worthless. They never came back to refill the drinks, nor to do anything else. And in such cases, I did not leave a penny.

Answer 8

Tipping irritates me too. I think the server should be paid well considering the cost of eating at nice restaurants these days. However, we can't deny the power that tips have on motivating good service. A good twist to tipping would be to start the evening with a twenty in singles on the table. If the service is good they get all of the $20. However, as things go bad start taking away the singles. One single for each infraction. Now tell me this wouldn't motivate people.

Answer 9

I've always wanted to go to Austrailia and I'm a waitress. The pay sounds good. I've worked various waitressing jobs besides "regular" jobs and I have a degree. I'm waitressing now because I have kids and it's a flexible job. I'm fortunate right now to be making min. wage + tips at one place and over min. wage + tips at another place, you just have to find the right place. 15% is whats expected on average. I tip 15% for terrible service and 20%+ for good to excellent. If you love people it's a great job and it can be great money if you find the right place. I make almost what my husband does and he works in a union factory - not a place I want to work. I work less hours than him too, but it's not an easy job. Don't knock it unless you've tried it. If Austrailia pays $12/hr, obviously it's not an easy job. How successful you are at this job truly depends on your work - if you're lazy or rude, you don't make any money.

Answer 10

It's NOT mandatory but keep in mind that in most retaurants the average waiter makes $2.50 per hour. They can't live on that they DEPEND on TIPS. Typically people pay 15% in the USA .. I always pay 20% ..even if the service was "just ok" .. I do that because my daughter has previously worked for tips so I know what it's like for them..

Answer 11

Well in the us most waiter and waitress get paid 2.50 an hour so they really relay on the tips. 10pecent to 20percent that percent is to show that they are a really good waiter or waitress but they do have to pay taxes on there tips so maybe that is why it s those percentage so it will be enough so they can pay there taxes. And they have to split there tips with the bus person.