Are you tracked in a database if you are a bad tipper?

Question

People have said that if you tip bad you go into the businesses database so drivers will know if you're a bad tipper. I've thought about this and don't want anyone to do anything bad to my food. Not that I'm a bad tipper. I tip at least 20% for dinners and 15% for lunch.

Answer 1

I worked for a pizza chain (won't say which) for about a year during college. As soon as you order, whether its pick-up or delivery, they get your phone number and last name. Anytime you order after that they have your entire order history in front of them, plus detailed directions to your front door if you placed delivery orders. There was a line for notes for each customer. Trust me, if someone ordered a delivery each week and did not tip the driver, everyone knew it as soon as their phone number was punched in thanks to that note line.

Answer 2

I don't believe there is a national database or anything that tracks bad tippers. However, I do believe a limited amount of this tracking does take place.
For example, did you ever called a pizza place that you have used before, and they know who you are from your phone number, and even have your credit card number on file? It is quite common.
The way it works is they have an internal database that keeps track of their customer info. When you place your first order with them, your info is entered into their computer and added to the database. This database almost certainly contains a field named "notes" or "comments" or something similar. When you don't leave a tip, the server could add an entry on your record in the database that states that you do not tip. The next time you call, they look up your record in the database and in the comments section they will see the comment that you did not leave a tip. Very simple.
The short answer to your question is yes, this practice does occur under limited circumstances.

Answer 3

I know of pizza delivery joint where the drivers fight over the good tippers. They look for the address on the side of the box. Those known as great tippers usually get their pizza faster for this reason. As far as a physical database of poor tippers, highly doubt it. What purpose would that serve? Anyone working with a real database knows that it is time consuming to create. Sounds like someone has a guilty conscience, maybe you should tip better and be polite. Then you would not have to worry about it!

Answer 4

I manage a restaurant.. There's no bad tipper database. Although when you place a delivery or togo order at a restaurant they do put you in their own database and there is typically a place for comments that you will never see on your recipt. So technically, they can write anything about you here. We usually use that area to write down peoples credits or special instructions. Occasionaly I've seen it used to other purposes because the person taking the order can type there "this guy is a jerk on the phone" or "bad tipper" even though it shouldn't be. If you're polite to the people who are serving and you tip accordingly it really shouldn't be a problem.

Answer 5

I've found some bad tipper databases on the web but never heard of a company doing it themselves...
Furthermore, I have worked in food service for a number of years at all different types of places and have never seen anyone 'do something' to some ones food no matter how abusive they may have been ( and it happens, you wouldn't believe how some people act when they are out to eat)
Personally, I feel that if you are a bad tipper for any reason other than bad service, then you are stealing from the server and are, consequently, a thief, and so SHOULD be held up to public ridicule.

Answer 6

No. I worked as a server for a number of years and...

1. NEVER "expected" a tip. If I did well, I'd get one hopefully, and if I was sloppy or mediocre that day, I'd get less of one. I was ALWAYS grateful no matter how much the amount (more grateful as the tip went up of course).

2. I HAVE watched servers "do something" to the food of rude customers, NEVER to non-tippers.

3. No database. When would they have time to look it up? And if they treated a client bad, they'd lose out on the potential for a tip, plus get bad reviews to their boss.

4. Anyone who says that tips are "required" is an idiot. They are EXTRA. I hate feeling obligated to tip. I do it always, but 15-20% is average, a bit more if the service was AMAZING, and a LOT LESS if it was dismal. I NEVER stiff (give zero), because I want the server to know that I didn't forget, I just was unhappy with the service.

5. If you receive VERY BAD service, then let the server know why you're leaving a smaller tip and that if you return (which is unlikely), you'd definitely like to try again with them. Do this politely and you'll probably improve the service and stand the chance of having better service the next time. Do this rudely and you'll get spit in your food the next time???

Answer 7

For one thing, not many places involve the tipping of both a driver AND a food server. But if someone is worried that there may be a universal system that's monitoring their tipping habits, then I would literally be more concerned about the mental health of said individual.

Hypothetically if this existed, then its purpose would be to increase profits by showing which customers should be payed more attention to and which ones should be served last, knowing in advance that they'll receive less for their time spent. It wouldn't be used so that workers know which food to spit on.

However, no one in the food service industry has neither the time, nor incentive to make any kind of formal system such as that, understanding that any profits gained from this would surely be outweighed by the amount of effort required to make it work.

The only reason you would really have to worry is if you are both a bad tipper/unkind person AND a repeat customer. And that's only because your waiter will remember the face of people they resent.

If you're looking at a way to ensure your food will never be molested from your favorite restaurant, just be sure to smile and give a heart-felt thanks to both your waiter and your chef. They really are under-appreciated. And of course.... Tip.

Answer 8

As a delivery driver, I know that there aren't physical databases, but there are mental ones

You would be surprised how long a mental image of a ticket (ticket with customer's information, Address, Order etc) or a location will linger in someone's mind after a stiff (0 tip)

Rude customers that don't tip = pretty much a permanent mental image of that customer, we recognize repeat non-tippers quickly despite a non-existent tangible bad tipper database

Answer 9

As Someone who has worked in both sit down restaurants and as a delivery driver before, I can assure you that there is no such thing as a bad tipper database. I have had times where I delivered to someone a fair distance from the restaurant I worked at and got tipped a nickel, and that was just cause they were too lazy to stand there and wait for the change. I grumbled about them on the way back to my car but I got over it and went on with my day. Why should I have wasted more time on them than I already had?

Answer 10

The concept of a "bad tipper" database is silly and practically impossible to do. If a restaurant tampers with someone's food because they are a bad tipper, they are pretty much asking for no business. Don't worry about it.

Answer 11

Be reassured there is absolutely no database for bad tipper. No one would have time to enter your name , adress, phone number, social security ect are you aware that most likely several people have the same name as you? it would be funny if all the people named "Thomson" will be in the bad tipper database because one Thomson did not tip accordingly? LOL