what do you tip?

Question

ive seen that this question has been asked before but id love to get more peoples opinions on the topic, i am a server at an italian casual dining restaurant and am absolutely shocked at how little people tip, do people know that 20% is what we are expected to earn, i am just shocked when people tell me i was great and gave excellent service and then leave a $5 tip on a $50 dollar check, what is wrong with people? i understand not tipping well if you have poor service but if the service is good, how much do you tip? any other servers out there with the same problems? it just seems like people are getting cheaper and cheaper, i mean if you can not afford to leave the correct amount for a tip then go to mcdonalds, sorry if i seem angry its just been a terrible week and bc i can not chase my guests out the door and ask them why they left such a crappy tip i figured i would see if i could get any ideas on here of why people tip the way they do, thanks!

Answer 1

I don't blame you for being angry. I have a son who is saving money for college and waits tables after school. Too many people think that the 20% tip is the value of service. They don't realize that servers are only paid half of minimum wage because the employers expect them to be tipped the remainder which will account for the balance. No matter what the server will be taxed accordingly so if the person doesn't tip at all then the server is in effect paying to serve the table.

The 20 % covers the act of bringing the food and refills to the table. If the server does more and is especially accomodating then that is when the tip for service kicks in.

Many restaurants automatically factor in the 20 percent when writing up the ticket. Bringing the food to the table is part of the meal. Yet people who are cheap and can't really afford to dine out look for excuses not to even do the bare minimum.

Some of these people are providing for families and when they get stiffed on the minimum tip then it is like someone has just stolen from them because they will have to compensate for the lack.

If the service is so disgraceful then the customer should take it up with the owner or manager but usually they don't because they are just looking for an excuse not to fulfill the obligation.

I have told my son to serve everyone with a smile and dignity. That not all customers will be satisfied and often they will be unreasonably demanding.
I also told him to remember their faces and if they tip poorly when they receive good service then the next time they come in...Fate has a funny way of giving him opportunity...

Answer 2

I agree that waiters and waitresses should be tipped. However, the amount of gratuity depends on how well the waiter or waitress performs their duties. Personally, I always leave a tip, my mother was a waitress while I was growing up and I know how well paid waiters and waitresses are (not).

If the server is attentive but not overbearing, they get tipped very well. If I have to ask for something after the server passes by a couple of times without asking if I need anything, they get the minimum. I have been blessed by many very good servers. The balance of attentiveness without being over attentive is a very fine line, but since my mother was a waitress for so long I also understand that I am not the only customer and not everything is under the control or the responsibility of the server. There are some people out there that feel it is the servers job to be nice and they don't deserve to be tipped for just doing their job. It is those people that have never served someone else and don't know what it takes to try to please others that are too selfish to leave a decent tip. I've seen people with plenty of money not leave a tip because their food was not cooked properly... that is not the server's fault, it is the cook's fault... Not leaving a tip is truly bad etiquette and I for one never leave without leaving at least 20%. It should be figured into the budget before even leaving the house! I have tipped as much as the amount of the bill before as well. The server was very good, attentive, prompt, and polite.

Answer 3

Sorry to hear about your situation. I've never been part of a waitstaff anywhere but I do feel for the ones that do a really good job, only to get left with a crappy tip.

I've been on the other end plenty of times though. I recently found out that "tip" actually means "to insure promptness", which I found interesting. I personally tip based on the service the waiter/waitress gives. The food could be crappy and the place could be annoying but if the waiter/waitress gives excellent service, I'll leave them a 25% - 30% tip because I feel they deserve it. On the other hand, if the food and atmosphere are excellent but I get horrible service, I leave no tip. And if the service is not bad but not great, I'll leave 10%-15%.

If you look at it through the customer's eyes, the service we get from the waiter/waitress can either make or break the whole experience at that particular restaurant. So that's why I tip the way I do.

But it's too bad there are people out there that don't even appreciate good service and tip accordingly. Those kinds of people must not have a conscience. But I truly believe people like that are going to get a good kick in the butt by karma one day!

I hope the tipping will get better for you soon! ;-)

Answer 4

0 to 30% depending on the service...If I don't have to ask for refills and my food comes out in a timely manner and the server checks on me more than once after receiving my meal they automatically get 15% if they were friendly and made my dining experience enjoyable 20 to 30% ....If i get cold food and attitude, I have to beg for drinks and wait forever for my check I will tip nothing...I waited tables I know whats what...Your performing a service and you must perform that service to the absolute best of your ability, if you cant fake happy and kiss butt then you shouldn't be serving, remember you're not only a waiter/waitress, you're an actor too.. And honestly you can do everything right and still get a crappy tip, but the people who left it may think its a good tip...and you cant please every one all the time so when you do get a bad tip, you need to be happy that you got anything at all because if you don't think positive it will alter your mood weather you notice or not...Guaranteed the people you're serving will...

Answer 5

Spoken like a true panhandler. Believe it or not we were not put on this earth to fund your apartment or next Saturday night drunk.

I'm actually surprised you say 20% is standard. If I were in your shoes I'd say 50% is standard, or 150%. The higher you go, the more you make - you should shoot for the moon.

Here's a little reality. YOU don't get to tell people how much they should tip you. WE tell you how much we're going to tip. For good service you get 15%. For adequate service you get 10%. And if you cause me ANY displeasure during my meal you get zero. Got it? Remember, I'm out for a pleasurable experience. My main motivation is not to give you a great tip. Only for the most exceptional service should you expect 20%.

In other words, lower your expectations to reality and you won't get so disappointed. Or get an education and get a better job. Or do nothing and continue to be amazed that people don't bend over backwards to give you cash.

Answer 6

I always tip 20% if as long as the service is good. If the service is really bad, I tip around 15, but never less. People that tip less than 15% are just plain cheap, and usually, they will find an excuse at every restaurant to not tip.

I understand your pain, I waited tables for many years when I was going to school, and had many different types of bad tippers. Of course the best way to remind the bad tipper of their bad behavior, if it comes to it, is that they were taking up your table space, where decent tipping patrons could have sat. Also, remind them that you don't get paid minimum wage, and that if everyone tipped on their scale, you wouldn't even make that minimum wage in an evening. If you keep having problems at your restaurant, I would suggest to the manager that you be allowed to add the traditional 18% gratuity on top of checks of 6 persons or more. That way, at least when you're doing lots of work for lots of people you won't get a $5.00 tip.

Answer 7

The "rule" is 15%, 20% for really good service. In some areas it is actually only 10%. Food service is hard work with low pay, so I figure one should always tip as much as they can afford if the service was good. However, tips are rarely mandatory, and as a server, I wouldn't "expect" anything.

Answer 8

I used to be a server about 10+ years ago. When we go out we tip about 15% on average more/less depending on the service. If you don't make much in tips - go to a better resaraunt. My best waitressing job was at a hotel in the lounge - I was 18. It was a union job $7.50/hr, 8hr shifts, and about $150 in tips a day. It also included free meals at the staff buffet, free night at the hotel on a double shift, and a really ugly uniform. Of course that was 17years ago! Find a better place to work where you are more appreciated.

Answer 9

I tip %20 for good service. I've been a waitress, I know how it is. I think that people who have not worked in restaurants don't realize that waitresses can be legally paid a lower than minimum wage. Which, I have to say, I think is a problem with our country. I am going out with twenty other women on Sunday and I intend to remind everyone to tip the waitress generously - I hate it when there's a large party and everyone leaves a quarter.

Answer 10

I tip 20% if everything was on point, and the tips goes down as the service goes down. I have left nothing when I was treated poorly or suffered from several offenses during the meal.

I'm sorry you have had a bad week. I understand, having worked as a waitress in the past. Unfortunately, the tip is also based on things out of your control: preparation of the food, condition of the establishment, staffing, management, etc. This is why I ultimately got out of the business.

Better luck next week!