How much would you tip a waitress that forgot the salad and soup,before the main course?

Question

This happened to me 1 week ago, and I tipped her the standard 15%,figuring she had a bad day! I did ask for those two items in a to go box however, and she obliged ! What would you have done?

Answer 1

It happens some times. Never judge a waiter on this alone. Always look at the following things when considering a tip.

1). Did the waiter / waitress refill my drink before or right when it was empty?

2). Did the food come out in a timely manner (if it did not, did the waiter / waitress forwarn you of the lenghty time)?

3). Did the waiter / waitress come back to check on the status of your meal (a "How is everything" question).

4). Did the waiter/ waitress pick up dirty plates quickly when you were finished?

5). Did they give you a check and run the check quickly?

6). Did the waiter / waitress seem sincere on apologizing for any issues that arised during service?

If these answers are all good, then you should tip 20% or more. If not then 15% should be the minimum unless he / she did something that really reflected bad on you (like spend a meal talking to a friend at another table ignoring you) then it goes way down (or a manager should be requested).

Answer 2

I think you should tip. The only time you should not tip is if service is bad to non-existent. However if it is good, you should most definitely tip. Perhaps, you should look up the origin of how tipping came about. It may give you the answer you seek. Despite an increase in minimum wage in California, the cost of other items and goods will not go down. They may take home a little more, but what they have left over will still be negligible. There are too many 'working poor' in this country already.

Answer 3

Some things just happen. I would have inquired about the soup and salad when they did not arrive within a few minutes after ordering. These things are usually pre-prepared and shouldn't take long to get out to the table. If the waitress is really busy, it's easy to overlook something. I don't make a big deal out of something like that provided she doesn't have an attitude. If she or he does, the tip starts going down rapidly.

Answer 4

I would not tip nor pay for anything, I would call the manager over and tell that person what happened. Come back another time and ask that she not be your waitress. If she could screw up like that, then who knows what other mistakes she made including your bill. She don't belong serving people no matter how bad of day she had. It is hard enough to find Really good Waitresses!!!!! They are very seriously that important!!! They are relied on for our night when we go out, just as important as the food is, and when they are good, we tip a heck of allot more than what is expected!!!

Answer 5

Im usually very forgiving. The last time it happened to me I had watched the waitress goofing off and yaking with the other customers. She got nothing in the way of a tip. She actually wanted to argue with me and tried to say I did not order what we were not brought. She even had the nerve to continue arguing and tried to show me a check from some other table. That will get ya 0% tip, a complaint to the manager, me a coupon for a free dinner for two. As a rule for me the tip starts at 20% and can go up or down from there depending on the service. Im very forgiving but I have my limits. The food needs to come out in the order its supposed to. I even make exceptions for poor service if the place is too busy. Ive eaten out enough that I have no trouble putting a big fat 0 on the tip line if it calls for it.

Answer 6

I would have asked for my missing courses when they were missing - not sat there and eaten just the main course then said something at the end!

I would have judged the tip on her response to being reminded that she had forgotten the preceding courses.

If she apologised and rectified the matter swiftly and professionally then she would have got her tip. If she had been otherwise, then the tip would not have been forthcoming but a complaint would have been.

Part of what you are paying for in a restaurant is service. If you do not get adequate service then you are being ripped off. It is no different from finding you were short changed in a shop, or that all your goods that you paid for were not included in an order you have made.

People do make mistakes - we all have bad days. My estimation of a business is how they deal with mistakes. If you walk away feeling good - they are a good business. If you walk away angry or feeling short-changed they are not. Businesses are dependant on customers - not the other way round.

Answer 7

Something similar happend to us just a week ago. It was a nice buffet at a resort. They said they'd be right back with condiments and water and our drinks. No condiments, no water, and my husband got his drink, and despite a waitress running around promising me my drink every few minutes, I only got it AFTER we were finished and paying the check! We were so disgusted with the service (how hard is it to bring drinks and send you to the buffet??) that I couldn't finish my drink without having to slurp it down, so I paid for a drink I only drank half of.

We only left two bucks. And we did complain at the register and the excuse was that they were short-handed that day. They did take 10% off our bill though. Even after I told the woman that I didn't even get to enjoy nor finish it!

If the service would have been better, she would have gotten a lot more of a tip.

Answer 8

Since she handled it appropriately, I would judge her tip based on the entire experience. Was she polite? Did the rest of our meal come to us hot and as we ordered it? Was she sincerely apologetic over the mistake? If everything else was there, then I would tip just as you did! I own a restaurant and we have a rule that a soup or salad goes to the table first, then the order is rang in.After that, the server can move on to the next table. But, still mistakes can happen and I have seen even the best server drop the ball because of unexpected happenings.

Answer 9

As my entree arrived I'd ask where my soup and salad were. I certainly wouldn't have tipped for such a breach of protocol.

Lest anybody call me cheap, I've not stiffed a waitress ever, and I usually tip about 20 to 25%. But then again, I've never had my soup and salad not arrive.

Answer 10

You want to know what really pisses me off , when you go by and ask the customer if everything is all right they say yes then when they go to pay they then say this was wrong or this was tell the dam waitress when she ask the first time if something is wrong use your dam mouth and say something. yes there are some people that shouldn't be waitress, If you have not been a waitress or waiter for that matter keep your dam opinions to your self it is not an easy job.