What is the big deal about tipping? If you cannot afford to leave at least 15 - 20% go to Mcdonalds instead..

Question

Im not saying dont leave less if you got bad service.. just saying if u know you are not going to tip that much before you even walk in the door just dont walk in the door. If you think it is the owners job then tell the owner that... dont take it out on the servers by not leaving a tip if they gave good service.. its not their fault either that the owner does not pay more than the 2.33 an hour

It is not the servers fault that they only get paid about 2.33 - 3.00 an hour either... if they give you should leave at least 15% tip... if you think that customers are not resposible for paying for a servers wages take that up with the managers or owners of the restraunt but do not make the servers pay for what the owners wont change just because you disagree with it... that is just how restraunts currently work... I agree that if you want to save up for one special night in a restraunt that is fine but save for the tip too... you are talking about how you have to save extra hard for your money but then you are taking away from some one elses money by not adequatly tipping them for good service.. if the service is bad then by all means tip less.. but if it is good you should make sure before you even leave your house that you will be able to leave at least 15% (Servers cannot help it that the restraunts wont pay more per hour and that America is expected to tip)

I guess this will always be a hot button issue.. but I dont really know why it is... Proper tipping is 15 - 20% whether you like it or not so if your server does a good job please tip her/him properly

Answer 1

I agree. I totally understand if I don't receive a tip b/c I mess up. But, I really hate it when everything goes well and someone leave me 2 dollars on a $30 check. What's worse is when they tell you everything was great; food and service and yet they leave less then 15%.

I agree that if you don't plan on tipping at least 15% or can't afford to do so, then don't come into the restaurant. I'm not a money hungry, tip hungry server; however, I'm not working for free either. If you can't afford to tip, don't sit at my table, you are basically wasting my time, b/c someone else that would have tipped me, could have sat there.

This comment has nothing to do with service. I am talking about the times when everything is fine, yet people do not tip properly. For those not in the food industry, this does happen quite often. Not everyone tips, and it is not a matter of service.

Answer 2

I believe that you should tip in accordance with the service you recieved. If you get horrible service, then why should you be obligated to pay extra for it? If you recieve great service, then compensate your server accordingly. It isn't a question of being able to afford the tip, it's a question of the server deserving the tip.

A tip (also known as a gratuity) is an amount of payment to certain service sector workers which is in addition to the advertised bill or fee. These payments and their size are a matter of social custom.

There are no universal rules or obligations concerning whether to tip (tip is both a noun and a verb), whom to tip or how much. Tipping varies from culture to culture and by service industry. In some situations tipping can be considered rude or demeaning. In other situations it can be considered very stingy not to give a tip. Giving a very small tip can be considered worse than giving nothing, and can be used as a deliberate snub.

Some establishments forbid their employees to accept tips. Others pool tips and divide them to include employees who lack customer contact. In some jurisdictions, tipped workers qualify for a lower statutory minimum wage from the employer, who must make up any deficiency in tips. For example, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires employers of restaurants to ensure that the total tip income reported to them during any pay period is at least 8% of their total receipts for that period. If the reported total is less than 8%, employers must allocate the difference between the actual tip income reported and 8% of gross receipts. [1]

Answer 3

The problem is, so many in the food service business (and I've been there myself) have come to see tips as an expected part of the dining experience. They've come to feel that everybody who eats should tip, and can afford to. If not, they belong in a fast-food dump or the soup kitchen lines. Sure, waiters and waitresses are vastly underpaid. But is that the customer's fault?

They don't really give a damn that there's some people who make much less than them, have been saving and counting their pennies for that one evening at a decent restaurant, and now, on their anniversary, can finally eat out somewhere other than Mickey D's, and suddenly they are made to feel like thieves because they tipped less than the expected 15-20% of the tab. Never mind that all they have left is their bus fare home. You've ruined their evening and their self-esteem with your berating them over not being big tippers. Never mind how much you've made in tips tonight from other diners. This particular couple didn't give you what you think you should have gotten out of them, and they should have taken their sentimental dinner at Taco Bell. -What's wrong with this picture?

Tipping has always been voluntary, by tradition. Some places now "require" tipping. They call it a gratuity, of course. But if it's "required," it's extortion of the customers! Tips are great when the customers can afford it. But it's rude and wrong to tell people that if they can't afford the kind of tip you'd like to get, to go somewhere else. That's not good business practice at all. Far better to pleasantly encourage tips.

Answer 4

I agree with you 100%. There are many waiters and waitresses out there that work darn hard for their tips, and they deserve every penny that is coming to them. Unless the service at a particular restaurant is pure crap, which does occur sometimes, I feel that people should leave at the very least a 15-20% tip. It's the proper thing to do.

Answer 5

Tips are optional not mandatory. I have seen very few servers that I would tip that much to. The server doesn't determine the tip the patron does. Tips are subjective...each person has their own opinion of what good serve is. Just because you think you gave good service doesn't mean the person on the receiving end thought so.

Answer 6

Here in Belgium it's included in the asking price.
It looks that your working in a restaurant, of course you come up for the tips, but it's always the customer who makes the decision to pay the tip or not.
I would say if you get just over 2 $ an hour why you accept that job then?

Answer 7

That is where you and most people are wrong. Tip is an acronym for to insure proper service. If you feel the service did not warrant a 15-20% bonus then that is up to you. It may seem crappy to some people in the food service business, but without it there would be no checks and balances. therefore service would not be regulated and probably would suck.

Answer 8

Interesting fact that people who have never worked in a restaruant DO NOT understand or conviniently pretend to not understand is this:

To make minimum wage, a server HAS to pull around a %15 percent tip. They are automatically taxed as if they made that 8% on every table whether its on record as a credit card receipt or not. When you leave a 15% tip - especially when you had good service, that server is making minimum wage or less.

Minimum wage is PROVEN across the nation to NOT be enough to live on (rent, food, electricity, transportation, communication, heat - the bare minimums).

Personally, I leave tips in cash because at least there is no record. Also, my absolute minimum tip is 20% - no matter how bad the service is.... If I don't like it, I just don't go back.

Here's a 5 minute slice of a typical Friday night for a server: I remember actually watching this one night out with my sister and brother in law. All three of us have worked in in restaurants so we have keen eyes for this.

Food delivered, "can we have some fresh ground black pepper?" - no please. Pepper is served and immediately, "oh, I forgot, some parmesian cheese - fresh ground if you have it." Server comes back after probably being lambasted by the chef for bugging him - chefs can be very pretentious, "this cheese was ground from the wedge before we opened, the chef luckly had a bit left over from the specials." - parm shaker right in front of them, but server went the extra mile with a smile. No thank you either. "wait a second.... what was that odd drink you wanted honey?" (another table) "miss! were waiting!" "don't worry about them - if you expect a great tip you'll wait for the drink order." "miss! we are in a hurry - we just sat down and the play we are attending is starting in 45 minutes!" "I'm happy to take your order and will be there as soon as I can" "honey? what was the name of that drink? "oh wait - gentleman puts hand on servers waist - "you have to hear this story of the last time we were in Bahama - its a hoot!"

And on and on and on and on and on. When they leave, I notice her looking at the bill and the tip they left, it must have been absolute **** (meaning 5% to 10% which some people still consider to be generous) She knew she was going to get a bad one and there was nothing she could do, but even prepared, she looked down with such hopelessness it was insane. "Miss - it seems you delivered the wrong salad - I ordered a Ceaser." says table three (out of a constantly rotating 6 or 7 in her section). "I'm terribly sorry - let me fix it for you right away" husband points out "actually honey, you did order the Caprize salad " "Did I Dear? Oh well, we can save a few bucks right on the tip now."

And on and on and on and on literally non stop with that level of stress from powerlessness and having to keep a smiling face for about 5 hours - that's a slice of a typical evening shift for a server. Oh yeah, this is not even considered being "in the weeds" or "swamped".

This doesn't take into account kitchen screw ups that are paid for by the server as a bad tip even though it was not in their control. Medium steak when it should have been rare and that kind of thing.

I'm sure some restaurants are better than other this way, but then again, all it takes is one table like that to ruin the tips of all the other tables that are pissed off because of it but say "yes - everything is great- good job and thank you." then proceed to leave a **** tip.

And people wonder why turnaround for restaurant people is one of the highest out of all occupations.

All that for a 15% tip. Whats the total ammount per hour made at the end of a 35-40 hour work week? Minimum wage INCLUDING TIPS. Oh yeah - done homework yet? This is a college student working to cover living expenses - that's WHY she has a **** job - its the best option for making some money and finding time to attend class. She does this so once she graduates she doesn't have to. Finding another job isn't that simple - she doesn't HAVE the skills and education to get a better job yet. She is in the same boat as those that have saved up for their anniversary night out, and she is working hard to make a better life for herself - that theory that a crap tip is ok because you can't afford it, just doesn't wash with me - she wasn't born with a silver spoon either. In fact, one of her other tables is probably some of her classmates that WERE born with silver spoons.

At least tuition is paid for, but that's a typical day, for a server and its why she got 30% from our table on a large bill with lots of drinks without us having been a hassle. We knew it wasn't her fault and wanted to help her make it up. Despite all that she smiled the whole time, went out of her way and went the extra mile.

What made it exceptional was the groap - that's why I remembered this night. Bridal showers and Bachelorette parties have gotten me groaped like that too and I remember how she must have felt - no, I don't appreciate being groaped by a strange women just because I'm a guy - its just as offensive and insulting, but I've been forced to choose between holding my smile and guaranteeing a **** tip - customer is always right remember and so the customer, in effect, can throw civility out the window just because they are the customer... at least you will let them if you know what's good for you and say thank you for the experience to boot.

Sure, she makes bigger tips on slower nights, but there are less tables on those nights. The nights the server really earns it are more like this. And yet people think 15% is generous.

Answer 9

Exactly. I useally tip on how well I know the server and how often I visit that place. If I like a bartender Ill tip more like $5 dollars or more, per drink If i dont know him he gets two. I dont useally like the ones I dont know, and I hate it when they act too prissy to serve me, those gets zero always and I remember who they are and wont return to them.

Answer 10

it's all about the quality of service. if waiter/waitress want people to give them more tip, they should provide better service. it's not the customers matter, they already have the base salary, it's up to them whether to provide good service to earn the tip.