Should I always tip a waiter / waitress even if they were rude? My husband (former waiter) says you must!?

Answer 1

No way.

A tip must be earned.

I don't care how little they make an hour. I'm not responsible for them or the decisions they made in life that led them to work for a low wage.

With that being said, I do leave very good tips when they are deserved. And I'm not one of those pain in the a$$ customers either. All I ask is that they be timely, and make a decent effort.

Answer 2

OK I will be honest.The waiter's livelihood is dependent on their tips. The IRS expect waiters to be tipped and, therefore, accommodates the minimum wage for waiters accordingly. The minimum wage for waiters varies from state to state but the federal minimum is $2.13. Also, the IRS double checks the tips reported on a waiter's taxes against the sales made at the restaurant to insure that the correct amount of tips is being reported. If you do not give the waiter a proper tip, the waiter may end up paying for it at the end of the year.

Never, under any circumstances should you NOT leave a tip. The tip is payment to the waiter/ waitress for services rendered. And since you can't return a service, you can not simply NOT pay. But if you feel that your service was not up to par, you can leave a lower tip.

15% is the standard tip for standard service, so you should tip that most of the time.
If you get very good service, tip 20%,
and if you receive substandard service, tip 10%.

I personally go by this
5% says you were terrible;
10% says that was just ok;
15% says, good job, thank you;
20%+ says you are the best, I wish every server was like you!



I am really shocked at the rudeness of some people who do not leave a tip! I left a tip when I waited an hour 1/2 for the food, never got a refill and waited TWO HOURS for the bill. It was 5% which basically means they made NO profit. I also wrote on a napkin WHY i did not pay and talked to the manager...the resteraunt wasn't even busy...ech. ]

Now, some patrons may say that they do not care what the waiter thinks about the tip being left, but know this: Waiters have memories, too. If you plan to frequent their establishment, leaving a bad tip is a sure way to get bad service at your next visit. Even if you're given a different waiter, the first waiter you had may let the next know of the last tip left.

Answer 3

When I was a waiter in a high scale restaurant a few years ago I only got $2 an hour. I was never scheduled for more than 5 hours a night. Tips were all I had to live on. I also worked other jobs to help make ends meet (which they never really did) I never got benefits as a waiter. When it was slow I went home with little or nothing. Some nights were better than others, but it was a crap shoot. I don't understand why people have a problem with tipping. If I did a bad job at someone's table I wouldn't expect a tip and, in fact, there have been a couple of times that I gave my tip back because the food wasn't very good, not because of my service. I was always a pretty good waiter and I took pride in it. I feel sorry for anyone who has to wait on you. If your husband is a surgeon then you're probably not hurting for money. It has been my experience that people with the most money are the ones who piss and moan about having to part with it. Waiters and waitresses usually aren't rich but like other non-rich people they are more likely to be generous with their money than say a surgeon's wife.

Answer 4

It depends on you.

Consider though, in some states waiters do not earn minimum wage. They depend on tips as income. Those tips also get split with the busboys and the kitchen staff. And they also depend on that for income. Too often it makes the difference between being able to buy groceries and afford bus fare for the month, or living off the restaurants free crackers and water for a month.

Also, they're human. Maybe your waiter has a sick wife and he was preoccupied about her condition. Or maybe rent is due, and he's got to either pay rent or the electric bill. Maybe he found out the owner of the place is thinking about selling or closing and he might lose his job. We all have bad days at work. and the customer service industry is difficult.

If there was a serious transgression of manners on behalf of your waiter, then speak with the manager. I've done this before, but only when the waiter made inappropriate comments, and once when a waiter actually grabbed my *** as I sat down.

My personal theory is to always tip the minimum, even if service wasn't great. If service was great and I really liked the waiter (or thought my waitress was cute) I'll tip extra.

Answer 5

No.......or just give a small tip. I dislike rude or incompetent waiters/waitresses that get undeserving tips. I pay better tips for good service...as it should be. I guess your husnband says this because he's a former waiter. Monenatary value goes along with good service!

Answer 6

Yes, always leave a tip. They will get the hint when only left a small amount believe me. They expect 15% and anything less is noticed. Most waiters/waitress' make way below minimum wage and even leaving them a small tip is still way below minimum wage. Always leave a tip!

Answer 7

My boyfriend says the same thing and he was a busboy and a waiter too. I think tipping starts when you walk in- and if they're rude or not i say leave a dollar for thier time, but if they're BAD then leave the change in your pocket and your point will be clear;)P
and the good ones I leave a 5 or depending on how many people with me.

Answer 8

To Insure Proper Service, tips were given at the beginning of your dinning experience, not at the end of it, and descretly, so as not to embarass anyone who could not afford to do the same during the depression. If you run a tab, try tipping first, and your wait staff will remember you always, and treat you like royalty. If your wait staff is having a bad day, someone that tips like a high roller (just by tipping first) just might put the smile back on their face, even if it's just a $5.

Answer 9

No tips are for a job well done. If they were rude or ignored you the whole time you shouldn't leave a tip. You should also speak to the manager because if they were bad with you they've been bad with other people as well. And dining out should be a pleasant experience not a hassle.

Answer 10

I am a hairstylist so I understand the importance of a tip, but when you are at a job that deals with the public you must have good customer service skills. When you sit down at the table you become there boss and I don't know about you but I don't pay people that don't work. They need to leave there attitudes at the door.