tipping -- It's not my job to evaluate waitress performance?

Question

Why do restaraunts think it's my job to evaluate their staff and pay them accordingly???
My job is to eat and be happy.....adding guilt shame math or critical thinking to my dining experience is borderline insane.....Don't tell me how much you tip normally or what you think is fair...Don't mention how you used to be a server and now feel a compultion to over tip .And don't insult us by telling us how things work in the states,or how they are under payed....If you have a logical argument for Tipping lets here it !!!
My opinion is it ruins the dining experiance..
Pay them what you as a manager think they're worth ...Just leave me out of it...
Tipping in my opinion is a gift for extraordinary service only given rarely in in special circumstances ....thats what makes it special.
In the last ten years ...I've only seen one waiter who truely deserved a tip..his service was excellent. If american wait staff think they are giving service -->they are clueless...

since no one seems to be able get past the fact that the waiter only gets 2.10 an hour ......consider this ....If people get bad food they don't tip well..so add that to my complaint of the stupid system.......come on people why are you so concerned with some 23 year old girl who doesn't care about you at all.....their service proves it everytime you dine ...the fact that spitting in food is even mentioned here ...makes it obvious that there's a flaw in this whole concept of tipping...now we're not tipping out of guilt....we;re doing it out of Fear....

Ok i give up...you're right..service in america is wonderful...carrying food to a table is terribly difficult. people are worked to death....food costs would sky rocket...restraunt food is delicious,much better than homemade...I'm just SO cheap....don't make waves...tipping to impress people or improve your chances of sleeping with a waitress will make you feel better....If you have a problem with the status quo,Leave the country...
This is all about money ! not service !!!The system, is in place because it benifits them.They make more money because they don't have to pay employees...waitresses make more because they don't report actual wages//leading to a ethical /moral question ..forcing employees to cheat lie and steal...hmm..
Screw the customer he's not important (we want paid)
If you're so concerned about the server...let her employer pay her a fair and honest wage..
i can't afford to tip real servers cuz I've spent all my money on worthless servers out of guilt n shame.

Answer 1

Actually is it not a bad question at all...but one that many don't understand. Tipping in America actually evolved out of an employment crisis. The minimum service wage of 2.13 an hour didn't always use to be around. But, the government (not the restaurants) decided that if they dropped the wage of these service employees that restaurants could hire MORE employees thus relieving the burden of mass unemployment. It stuck. And here we are today.
Now, 2.13 is the minimum....found in most 'chain' restaurants. But, good managers can pay their tipped employees more and should. What was mentioned about the meal cost and service cost skyrocketing is also true. You might want to be glad that you actually get an over all say in the final bill.....instead of paying a whopping $15 for a grilled cheese sandwich, because the server was paid 8 bucks and hour.

Answer 2

TIPS This is simply an anagram for the phrase" to insure proper service " and as the cost of living rose so did the % of the tip. While never being a server my self I've on the mgmt. side of the restaurant business and if the servers were paid an actual wage and not allowed tips minimum wage would not be enough. The wide range of personalities you deal with in a restaurant are infinite and it takes a rare person to meet this challenge. This person should be well compensated. The restaurant business is not unionized nor would it survive if it were. It couldn't afford it and neither could we. The restaurant world is on the verge of a great change, it already cant afford enough employees before long it will all be self serve and then maybe self cook. SO TIP A LITTLE AND PROLONG THE INEVITABLE.

Answer 3

I've worked in the restaurant business for 15 years and a significant portion of that in Asia. In the US tipping is used as a primary income for the service staff but the flip side is that its prime motivation for the service staff (T)o (I)nsure (P)rompt
(S)ervice. I think the system we have is outstanding and service staff should be rewarded when given good, great or outstanding service and the tip should likewise reflect is service is poor.

As I mentioned I'm in Asia at the moment Singapore to be exact and the system here is a straight salary. Its hard to find com-potent staff and professionals are non-existent, there is 0 motivation for the service to go above and beyond or "go the extra mile" the pay is already accounted for.

So if you never travelled outside the US and have seen the standards else were - dont take the great service we get there for granted, tip accordingly.

Answer 4

As an American I can tell you that there is something you may not understand about how we tip. If you don't feel you got good service, you don't tip! But, we also take into consideration how busy the restaurant is, and how hard the server is trying to keep us happy. So, in a nutshell, if you dine here and don't like the service, there isn't anything at all to think about...
DON'T LEAVE A TIP!

Answer 5

It is not your job to evaluate the waitresses service, however, without the waiter/waitress one would have to get their own food, get their own drinks, ect. Giving a tip is liking paying for the service of someone catering to you so you can have a comfortable relaxing meal. Tips should be standard in my opinion. If one does not like the hassle of having to worry about a tip then go to restaurants or bars where you serve yourself like a buffet.

Answer 6

What's the beef if you want to tip, tip. If you don't think the person deserves it don't, no one is holding a gun to your head. If your conscience is bothering you, maybe there's a reason. However quit making excuses for yourself. Blaming ruining your dining experience on trying to figure out simple math is a cop-out. I don't know where you are from but you have developed a very cynical attitude. Maybe you should go back to your country buy groceries and eat in we would all be better off.

Answer 7

The bottom line is that if restaurants in this country were paying that segment of the staff a reasonable wage (plus matching tax contributions don't forget) the cost of the food to the consumer would skyrocket.

Most restaurants already run a 15-25% labor cost. Food and Paper Cost of Goods is another 15-25%. Then add equipment, maintenance, insurance, rent or mortgage, ascap & bmi, if your a franchise there are special fees, plus endless licenses, permits and taxes for the city, county, state and feds, and don't forget the utility bills.

It's fine if you don't agree with the system.

But please bear in mind that most servers, skycaps, and many bartenders are paid a whopping Federal Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees of $2.13 per hour.

So if you don't want to tip, do them a favor and don't partake of their services.

(And don't forget your taxi drivers and adult entertainers, both of whom actually pay to go to work)

As to your poor service experiences, don't return to restaurants where you've had bad service... and if it's truly that bad, take the time to tell management.

Bon Apetit!

Answer 8

It is a common courtesy to tip and the decent thing to do. If you are so concerned with money perhaps you shouldn't dine out.

Cheapness is an illness. 10-15% tip is the usual. I usually go for 15% for adequate service. I have even given 20 percent for excellent service.

Pragmatically, if managers paid their staff to compensate for the tips, your meal would be much more expensive.
Ethically, you are a human being. Act like one.

Answer 9

If you feel like tipping tip, and if you don't don't. But then again if you didn't I wouldn't expect better service the next time you go to that restaurant, and if I were you I'd avoid it altogether.

Remember these people are in charge of what your about to put into your mouth, stay on thier good side.

Answer 10

the service directly reflects the amount of the tip. If i get horrible service, then the get a bad tip, but i still leave on just cause if i come back i dont want exlax or spit in my food, and for good service i give a good tip.