Waitress busting her butt, great service, yet NO TIP??!!?

Question

I've been waitressing for many years, since high school and currently college. I know what makes customers happy, welcome&returning. Given good/excellent full service, it is COURTEOUS to tip your waitress. I'm not saying give me handouts; there are hard-workers busting in other professions. We all start somewhere. Don't say "ur not giving good service like u think" b/c I have many customers requesting that I specifically wait on them (we do not have our own tables btw). Not only on this basis, I do take a step back and make sure everyone is happy & things in order.
I "remember" this certain lady dines in every other week & every time, never leaves a tip. Yesterday, she comes again & I add in a 15% service charge to her bill *authorized by manager too. She works for Coca Cola, I'm sure their employees make descent income. I explain nicely, calmly why I did so. She refused to pay b/c its not require by law (yeah, I know). Do u think its ok to charge tip on a repeated cheap-hole?

I hate wasting brain space on cheapholes like these, but they really do stick out when u see em. She acts all nice & everything...what a faker. I explained to her that a restaurant is food/service industry. And when good service has been rendered, it is courteous to leave a gratuity for ur waitress. She rebutes "not required by law". I explained that this is how we servers make our living. I notice we provide u with good service but u never tip. And b/c u never tip, if u come next time, u can go back there & get ur own food. Don't be expecting us to wait on u for nothing. I mean, I have performed my part; yet she fails to display her good deed.
Makes me wonder this scenario:
If she goes to Waffle House & an old "grandma" (on welfare or some gov.progm) is her waitress. Grandma strives to bring her food (not to the point where she shakes), but u know wut I mean. Would she even tip this old lady? Nah, dun think so..she's a heartless, selfish, ignorant, no-class mofo.

I believe I just said, "my service truly is great/good". Don't know why some ppl still insist that I didn't give good service. Listen. And some of u say "oh, get a diff.job/move up..bla bla". Well, obviously restaurant industry is one of the top business in consumer market & u will need chefs, waitress for that. My manager asks me to stay w/ them b/c they "like my work". In cases like these, I do & have to think the better tips will even out the bad ones.
And I have politely mentioned to another non-tipper to order to-go if she does not want to pay for dine-in service. Of course, she jump down my throat. I've given chances. But no win win. And I have spoken w/ mananger that we should post disclaimer on menu. I know I shouldn't charge her cuz tipping is her discretion + not require. But at least she won't take up space in my restaurant anymore. I know, I know..these things happen, some will be ignorant tippers the rest of their lives, heard all funky excuses not to pay.

Answer 1

While a tip is customary, it is not required unless there is a posted policy. The lady is not required to give you a thing. Tips are nice, but if when you try to shake down or shame a customer into giving you money, you are not much better than a common thief!

To be clear, I am a good tipper, usually in the 20-30% range. I have been to restaurants where the policy is to add 15% "gratuity" to bills. In such cases I do not leave one red cent extra. I figure if they want to decide how much they are worth, then that is all that they will get.

In cases of good service, I make it a point to tell the server that they would have most likely gotten a tip that was much larger, but seeing as they had decided that 15% was what they deserved, that was what they get!

Do your job well and understand that you will sometimes not get a gift or tip from a customer. You also will sometimes get more than the 15%. If you do a consistently good job, you should do well on average!

Answer 2

Like everyone said before it was wrong for you to add gratuity on to anyone's bill even with your manager's authorization. You could try to be this lady's friend. Ask her questions about her life and stuff she likes. I can only think of two things that could happen. One she leaves you something not nothing or two she stops coming in or avoids you as her waitress. The way I work is I expect no tip from anyone. Just help the customer the best you can treat them with respect and have a positive attitude. It is a tip almost every single time. I got tips on the pay window at Wendy's but it didn't happen everyday. I remember reading about how ugly people get less tips. I think it is more attitude.

Answer 3

Having waited tables for even a short time myself, I understand your point of view on this and other customers.

15% is a small amount for what service you provide and it sounds like you provide it....however, you are in the service industry. And as such, you should stop and think, it isn't "legal" to single out an individual (no matter how rude), to place a required tip on their check. This I checked with my lawyers. I remember on Sundays, the people would come in from church and almost 95% of them wouldn't leave but a dollar or two if that, and I wished we would have had a mandatory tip at least for that one day, but c'est la vie.
The point is, that there have been and are always going to be "cheap-holes" as you put it, and that is a fact of life.
You shouldn't take things like that personal, (which you should know being in the industry for several years - hats off to you for that.)
Unless a person waits tables, he/she will never know the hell you go through in a shift. I do feel your pain. But you cannot make others be as empathetic to your plight.
My advice...let it go and continue to give the great service you are known for, you are bigger than that.
Good luck and thank you for your service.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

I managed restaurants for years, and one of the reasons I got out is because I could no longer stand the sense of entitlement that the restaurant patrons had. I would watch my servers do everything but handstands for these slobs, and get nothing. "You are paid to do a job" was a common excuse that people would give.

Many people don't realize that servers are taxed on their tips, whether they are tipped or not. So, if one or two cheapskates stiff them, every server hopes for another table that "makes up" for the missing money.

My personal pet peeve is the "guest" that withholds a tip for something well beyond the servers control, food not to their specifications, wait too long, another guest disturbed their experience (if the server attempted to fix the situation).

TIPS is an acronym "To Insure Prompt Service". My advice, do only the absolute minimum for the habitual non-tipper from Coca Cola. Do the best job you can for all your guests, assuming that they will reward your attempts, and try not to let it get to you.

Answer 5

Is it possible this woman is from another country where they do not tip? You never know what to expect..and really maybe if you just ask her for a tip in a kind way you will get one.

Otherwise, I suggest you just keep providing the excellent service that you normally do and you will get rewarded generously for being in service if you are just greatful for what you are already receiving in tips. I truly believe that hard work does pay off eventually. Just keep up your spirits..we all run in to buttheads sometimes, and try not to take it personally. I know..sounds easy yet sometimes it's very hard to do.

Answer 6

i think if someone is american and understands tipping, then they should tip, but as an australian who recently visited the states for the first time, tipping was something i was not used to, we dont tip here in australia (but our prices are more expensive, and the waitresses earn more, a minimum of $15 (us) an hour) and im sure this is the case in other countries too, so some of the customers you get that dont tip may be foreigners (and you cant always tell by accent, while i was in the states, people thought i was from boston...go figure) i think if you add the tip and she pays, youre lucky, but if she says no, you just have to put up with...its worth a try though :D

Answer 7

You can't arbitrarily charge a tip unless there is some disclosed policy telling the customers they should expect this. Sounds like you got the OK but maybe as a service to all this customer's future waitresses you should make sure that the customer gets very bad service and then learns why.

Answer 8

I have some of those "pleasant" ones myself. At least you can go to your manager or say something to these people yourself. Where I work, I would get fired for stating my case like you said you did. I would remind these people that you are required to declare tips and (if in CA.) you don't plan on PAYING to serve them anymore. I treat people accordingly... If you aren't a person who tips appropriately for the amount of the bill and the service is good, you WILL be put at the bottom of my list, and I'll get to you when I have finished making sure that my TIPPING customers are taken care of first. They are the ones that are making it possible for me to eat and pay my rent. The others can learn how to cook or get it to go, and not waste my time.

Answer 9

The coca cola lady is just cheap period.You have to just treat her like you would any other..good service and a smile and go on to the next person..ask your boss for a raise when she comes in..tell him you cant get this customer to pay your wages..so he needs to.ha ha good luck with that one.The two should get together.

Answer 10

I don't think you had the right to just add a tip on to her bill. If she doesn't want to leave a tip, she doesn't have to. It's the polite thing to do, but maybe she just can't afford to. She comes in every other week, right? Maybe she does make good money, but she also may have a bunch of kids, a sick husband or some other reason she can't afford to leave a tip.