Should we tip because of the service or the amount of the bill?

Question

Example:
We ate at IHOP one day and the service was actually fast.....food was okay.....glass was always full or half full........and the cost was $29.00......I admit we tipped her $5.00
Okay next eat out night we ate at OLIVE GARDEN.....waitresses english was questionable......the steaks were still bloody inside (medium rare).......ordered well done........my food was okay........she didn't bring condiments requested till third time asked......drinks were empty for a long time........lets put it this way the service wasn't good.......the food was alright........we tipped her $10.00 but I feel tips really should be because of the service......after all isn't that what we tip for? Any good advice?

Answer 1

The quality of the service.

Answer 2

Both. You should tip no less than 15%, especially if the service is excellent or, at the very least, acceptable.

Tips stands for: To Insure Prompt Service. Your server cannot help the quality of the food but should cheerfully return it to the kitchen to be recooked when told about something being wrong, as in the case of your underdone steaks.

For me to not leave a tip at all, the service has to have been poor and the server's attitude questionable!

I have little aluminum coins which say " You get what you give" and there is a zero with a cent sign beside it. I've given out maybe 10 of these in 15 years or so. I don't know what I'm going to do when they're all gone. I found them in a junk store and there was 100 in the pack at that time. I refuse to leave a penny--just in case the server thinks I "accidently" left it.

Answer 3

The tip is payment for the service, not the food or anything else. That is what the bill is for. If the service was good, as you stated in your trip to ihop, then you left a good tip ( about 17%). If your service at Olive garden was bad (which from what you said, it's sounds bad) Then of course you should not have left a good tip. (you never said what the bill was there but I'm sure it was much more the ihop). Waitress and waiters need to know their job. They need to know that if they give good service they will get a good tip. Even though this doesn't always happen. I think the wage for servers now is 2.16 an hour. That is based on them recieving tips. So they should know that for them to recieve their full paycheck(including tips) they should do their job and do it right. My advice would be to tip as you think you should. But do take note on things like if the resturant is really busy, or Sometimes they also might be shorthanded, which is no fault of the server, in that case of course you want to leave a good tip, even though the service might not have been as good as it could have been, if you see your server staying busy with alot of customers then you know. But if you see that the resturant isn't that busy and you see your server lounging around, horseplaying or talking with other employees and not busy then maybe if you leave a very small tip she or he will think about that when the next customer sits at their table.

Answer 4

OK, here goes...
I'm a waitress. I like to think I'm a pretty good one but I've had my bad days too. I like it best when people tip on a combination of the total bill, and the service. I almost always make between 15-20% or more because I try really hard. Some of the other servers don't, and tipping poorly doesn't inspire them to do better. This type of server is a perpetual victim-nothing is their fault, etc etc. They only resent poor tips and don't learn anything. Trust me, I get to hear about it! I've had $15 bills and gotten tipped more than the bill itself, I've had $300 bills and given excellent service only to be tipped less than 10%. : ( That really sucks. I've had people rave about my service and repeatedly request me, but still only tip 15%.
I start at 20% when I'm out to eat. If everything goes smoothly, it stays-if everything goes exceptionally well, they get a few more bucks. (One time I gave a server $50 extra because she went out of her way while they were slammed to get my daughter a side of ice cream that wasn't even on the menu. Plus she was really good anyways!) The only time I'll lower my tip is repeatedly having to ask for something, or, even worse, a bad attitude. If the server is inattentive but I can see she's really busy, I cut her some slack, especially if she's friendly about it. If I happen to sit with my friend for a long time and the place is fairly full, I tip more, because that is taking up a table and therefore another potential tip. I also tip a bit more if I had the server repeatedly running to get things for me, like refills, extra sides, etc. A few snags in the service I'm willing to overlook because I know how physically demanding and stressful the job can be. I will admit I've really screwed up some times, but because of being so friendly and apologetic my customers were gracious. If you experience a bad server, let their manager know right then, or call the next day. Also please keep in mind, that if you don't like the food, a good server will try to offer you another choice or maybe even get a manager to discount your bill, but the servers don't cook the food or taste test it before giving it to you (thank god!) so please don't punish a good server if you weren't thrilled with the food. Again, let a manager know-this is usually the only way things get corrected. And last but not least, if you had great service and great food, PLEASE tell the manager!

Answer 5

I have worked in food service, because of this I try to always tip well; like you did at IHOP. As a food service worker I understand how hard and demanding serving people is. Servers usually don't make as much as other employees; they really depend on the tips. I have had experiences like yours at Olive Garden and even though I tipped the 15%, I would not give any extra.I don't feel you would have been wrong to have tipped less. Like you said, if the service is horrible then why tip so well?
Just keep in mind that in most restaurants the server is the lowest paid. The company does not have to pay them minimum wage because they receive tips. Also in a lot of restaurants, they also tally the servers sales and the server has to pay income tax on the tips they are supposed to have received. I had a friend who worked at IHOP and she wasn't receiving tips, (honestly she wasn't a very good server) but she ended up quitting because she was paying more than she was getting; if that makes sense. Also keep in mind that when your food takes longer to get to you or is incorrectly prepared, a lot of times that is the kitchens fault. Now the drinks and condiments is on the server. If I were in your shoes I probably would not have tipped her very well and may have even complained to the manager.

Answer 6

Every full service restaurant I go to, the server starts with a 20% tip. I then deduct a percentage based on violations. The % depends on the type of violation, duration of the violation, and violation resolution. I do not deduct % for any potential external problems, i.e. a slow kitchen or food preperation. I expect the server to handle prompt taking of the order, managing the order (like making sure courses arrive at the appropriate times), accuracy of the order, adequate follow-up on drinks, condiments, etc., and finally accurate AND timely delivery of the bill. For exceptional service the 20% can go up. It is hard to define that so it is something you do when you actually experience it. As for minimum gratuity, if you charge that you get that and not a dime more. I hate minimum gratuity because I always get the worst service as servers are trying to impress those that have the discretion to base on service quality.

Answer 7

I take price as well as service into consideration. If I went to Olive Garden and spent $30+ and the service was poor, they would get a poor tip. If service was good, I can see tipping $10+. I think that a $5 tip at iHOP is not that bad. I've worked as a server, and I know what it's like when I get a good tip. Makes you feel really good, like you helped their dining experience be that much nicer.

Answer 8

Ask the waiter or waitress what they make for a salary and how the tips are distributed after the meal.
Tipping 20$ for someone who doesn't have a college degree and is doing a low skill job is ridiculous.
My rule of thumb is to tip enough so that they make something like 10$ - 13$ an hour, regardless of their service they should always be friendly and prompt. If they aren't, then talk to the manager and get them fired.

Answer 9

Here's my guide to restaurant gratuities.

Unacceptable service = talk to manager
Poor to average = 10% to 15%
Solidly average = 15%
Above average = at least 15% or more, depending on how deep your pockets go

If the service is so bad I consider not leaving at least a 10% gratuity, I'll ask to speak to the manager.

Sometimes the manager can smooth things over for you.

If the manager is problematic as well, leave with no tip left and find another restaurant to visit.

I have had managers give me gift certificates or a free meal before. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't go out looking for free stuff, but when I'm not taken care of properly, I do approach the management.

Answer 10

i always base the tip on the service quality. but i use the 20% of the bill as a starting point it goes up for good service or persaonality it goes down for bad service or no personality.

The server has a big effect on how the food tatses if it is cold that is usually the servers fault

I'd avoid the olive garden surely there are local italian restaurants owned by athentic italians the food there will be many times better than a olive garden or carrabbas national chain ever will be

Answer 11

I pay for the service that is received. I start at 20% and if service sucks I go down from there. I've left pennies before if I've had terrible service. Because if you tip 20% for bad service the next person is going to get the same crap. But if you tip a dollar on terrible service, that person might see that "hey I work for tips, I better do a good job if I want to get paid.