What do you do when a waitress is really bad? To tip or not to tip.?

Question

One time, high school - 33 years ago, we gave a tip all in pennies and put it in the water glasses and turned the glasses over - was that awful for really bad service?

The thing with the pennies wasn't my idea (but I went along) and they weren't busy. The waitress probably saw us as a bunch of cheap teenagers and din't pay attention to us.

I've been a waitress and know it's hard work. However a tip is a gift (gratuity) and I don't feel like I have to give one.

For those that say "talk to the manager" about poor service - we have never seen that that helps. They always stick up for their lousy employee and look at us like we are complaining creeps. All we want is our order taken and our food served in a timely manner.

BTW, we are always nice to the waitress/waiter. We NEVER give them reason to ignore us.

Answer 1

I think it would depend on the circumstance surronding why the service was bad. One time our waiter was busy trying to accomdate two large parties at the same time and thus my party was put on the back burner, I still tipped him because he acknowledged and apologized for his service. Another time our waitress passed our table several times and was gabbing with the other servers and was visible upset when we asked for refills. No tip for that person.

Answer 2

I would consider a lot of things when tipping a waitress.

I like to keep an open mind.

Look around, does she have (what looks to be) MORE tables than would usually be assigned to her? Is HER help lacking (busboys, runners, waterboys, kitchen-help,). Or, are the cooks making errors and/or being slow.

I think nearly all watiresses work their butts off. Their pay is minimal - they rely on those tips.

I would consider leaving (either) little or 'no' tip only if things were extreemly bad:

items spilled on you/the table
she had a 'i dont care attitude'
she NEVER came by to say 'how is everything'
lack of smile, rudeness, bad language
forgot a LOT of things

I can be pretty forgiving to a point. I think we all should be.

Leaving a big or small tip ... it really doesnt always send a 'message'. You may have a waitress that is trying her very hardest - working her poor little heart out & still has errors. But, at least there's an effort. If you were the type of person who ALWAYS LEAVES 25% (no matter what)... that doesnt 'send a message'. Or, if you leave a penny.

All this talk about 'sending a message' is goofy. I say:

1) speak up - tell her
2) talk to the manager (nicely) - dont do something to get the girl fired
3) leave a note

Yes, #3 is my favourite of all things. Leaving a note. You cant believe how HAPPY it makes a waitress if you write 2 little sentences like

"thx for your hard work"
"you really took care of us, nice job"
"thx for keepin the sodas filled"
or WHATEVER!!!!!

A note can be used for bad service also... its non-confrontational & it let's her know where she might need improvement.

Bottomline:

YES, poor service deserves a lower tip.
YES, good service deserves the higher tip.

Just be nice about it.

matthew

Answer 3

Did you provoke the waitress to give you really bad service or was it at a rush hour and she was extremely busy I do not believe it was the worst thing you could have done the worst would have been to pay the bill all in pennies and then just leave a penny for the waitress what was the point you were trying to make sometimes it is not the waitress that has to clean the table but the busboy so he is the one that had to clean up the mess not the waitress and he was probably really mad at the situation of the money in the upside down glass

Answer 4

I've been a waitress for many years and as long as the food is prepared correctly, I usually wait to be presented with the check and then I or someone at the table explains to the server that the food was fine, but due to the persons poor serving skills they will not be receiving a tip. We also tell them that we would be glad to explain in detail our exact reasons to their manager.

Answer 5

Remember that servers have to "tip out" at the end of the shift, usually 2-4% of their sales goes to the bartenders/host or hostess. So by not leaving a tip (or pennies), that server has actually paid to wait on you! If the service is bad I tip 15% (mainly because I was in the business), but anyone who tips less should speak to the manager (or the server if you are comfortable doing that). Otherwise, they will think you are just plain cheap and will continue to provide poor service since no one will speak up.

Answer 6

i'm agnostic and whilst i'm going out with somebody else and we cut up the invoice, we often go away $3 or $4. After working in a eating place that has waitresses, i will see how no longer common the pastime relatively is and how lots they have self belief in counsel for a residing. edit: I forgot that our invoice is often around $20.

Answer 7

As a former server, I generally tip 20% +/- for exceptional service; 15% +/- for ok service; and anything below that depending how bad. How low? = How bad? While servers rely entirely on tips for their living...if they do not provide adequate service, they are not entitled to making a living by giving service. If you tip low and they ask why...please be prepared to offer a reasonable and polite explanation of where they fell short.

Answer 8

I never tip for bad service. But if the food is bad it's not the waitresses fault. so if the service is good I tip at least 20 percent. 25 if she cute.

Answer 9

I just would not have given her a tip at all... the bus boy probably had to clean up the mess and she still got her tip in pennies.

Answer 10

Okay, you were in HS at the time and that explains why you find it funny (it was). Personally, I think that you should always tip. In your case I would have left a tip of about 10% and then notify the restaurant manager of the service you received.