The next time you're out eating at a resturant, look at your server. Do you think they are really happy to be doing that job? The answer is no, they are not, but its what we do, and we do it for the money so please help them out. Its a tougher job than you think and you should pay them accordingly!
There are SO many people out there flooding the restaurants w/o any knowledge of how to tip. Here is a short guide for the general public to follow. Feel free to print out and store in your wallet and/or purse.
1. CHILDREN "THE LITTLE DEVILS":
If you have children, DO NOT let them, open and dump anything on the table (ie; salt, sugar, etc). IF YOU DO, you must leave an extra $5 for the server to clean up YOUR CHILD'S mess & to restock the now unusable wasted items. Don't get mad if you ask for crackers and your server tells you they're out when you just saw another table eating crackers with their soup -- can you blame them for not wanting to clean up the mess afterward? We are neither their babysitter nor their parent. The least you can do is pay us for the extra work. Also make sure you control your kids and don't let them scream or run around the restraunt. It's very distracting not to mention dangerous if they get ran over by a server with hot food in their hands. Just because you're out for dinner doesn't give you an excuse to let your kids mess around on their own free will like wild monkeys!
2. "THE CAMPERS":
If you feel the necessity to stay for longer than 15 minutes after you pay, its an extra $3 every 30 minutes. We make our money from the tables. If you are in one and we can't seat it, we don't make money.
3. COMPLIMENTS (VERBAL TIPS):
Telling a server they are the best server they've ever had is not a tip. If we are good, let us know by leaving us more money. We cant pay our bills on compliments. Its not that we don't appreciate the praise, its just that if you tell us how great we were and then leave 10% it's an insult.
4. THE SALVATION PAMPHLETS:
Prayer cards or any other religious pamphlet is NOT a tip. It is insulting that you assume we are w/o religion and must save us. Again, like #3, we cant pay bills w/ prayer cards. We'd go to church on Sundays if it wasn't mandatory to work on Sundays because EVERYONE who goes to church follows it by eating out. Also don't try to preach to us while we are working. We don't go to your work and put you down so don't do it to us.....plus, we don't have time to listen to you babble.
5. TIPPING:
It is not 1960. Cost of living has gone up dramatically since then. 18% is the MINIMUM amount of what you should be tipping your servers. Remember, that steak is $12.99 not $22.99 because restaurants aren't required to pay minimum wage in most states! Here in AZ we get paid whooping $2.13 an hr meaning all of our money is made in tips. If you were not properly paid in your profession, you would be pretty pissed too! We are taxed on 10 percent of your meal automatically, not to mention we have to tip out a percentage of our sales - your bill - to the hosts, bartenders, and bussers. So if you dont leave a tip, WE END UP PAYING FOR YOUR MEAL!! So move that decimal one spot left and multiply by 2 and your server will never be disappointed. ($25 = $2.50 x 2 = $5)
6. THE COMPLAINERS:
If you get a discount because of your food was prepared wrong or something, do not take it out of our tip. We didn't cook it. The cooks get paid hourly regardless if the food sucks. However, we only make what you give us. And don't ever leave a percentage on the total after the discount or comp -- always tip on what the total would have been.
7. THE LATE ONES:
If you come into the restaurant 10 mins before closing or any time near closing hurry up and order your food and get out. Closed means closed, not social hour. It is so rude to sit there and take your sweet *** time. We can't leave until you leave because we have to do sidework and clean the table you are sitting at. We don't want to stand there waiting for you for an extra hour just because you don't want to go home. We recommend 24 hour establishments such as Dennys or Steak n Shake if you wish to sit into the wee hours of the night.
8. THE TABLE HOGGERS:
If you only come in for coffee or a dessert, to do paper work, or to have a meeting, don't sit there taking up our booths for hours. We are not Starbucks or a hotel restaurant. If you want to sit for hours, go there or else you better leave a good tip for us and camping fee included.
9. THE GREET:
When we come up to the table to greet you and we ask how you are doing please let us know. We honestly want to know how you are doing. If you are in a bad mood we want to know that from the beginning. A confused stare or complete silence does not suffice as a reply to "How are you doing?". Also don't interrupt our greeting and say "I want coffee", "can we get some bread, or "what are the soups?".......thats just rude! Do you enjoy it when people blatently interupt what you are saying? Didn't think so.
***In addition, if your server stops by the table and says they will be right with you, they are not lying, so sit and be patient and wait for them to come back to properly greet you. Sometimes we can get a liitle busy so we don't give a **** how you feel about it....you will just have to wait a minute! So there's not much point in throwing requests in our faces, you'll have to wait for us either way. SO BE NICE!
10. THOSE DAMN CELL PHONES:
Don't ever talk on your cell phone in a restraunt. This is probably the rudest thing to do. If you must be on your cell, at least keep your voice down in respect for other customers. If you are on your cell phone when we walk up to greet your table we will walk away until you get off your phone. Not to be rude, but simply because we don't want to deal with you trying to manage 2 conversations. Just show some respect and give us your attention for a couple of minutes.
11. TAKE-AWAY OR TO-GOS:
Always remember to tip the take-out order servers! They work just as hard as a server, and hardly ever get tips for it! THEY DESERVE TO BE TIPPED TOO!
12. FOREIGNERS:
Welcome to America! Here, we tip our servers appropriately, not this 10% Bullshit! All of the above apply!
13. THE CARDINAL RULE:
Don't **** with people who handle your food! Be nice to us....our job is a lot harder than it looks!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SERVERS READING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please repost this so the word can get out, since so many people are uneducated about tips and our lives depend on this - at least for now......
SIGNED, YOUR FELLOW RESTAURANT WORKER
2007-12-07 14:27:19 · 7 answers · asked by kaiors23 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
to the first person who commented, of course you can repost it!!! do it, get the word out! and thanks yer cute.......and to the second one who posted, be careful becuase with that attitude I may have spit in your food. Watch the movie waiting or just dont go out to eat were there is a server becuase we deserve to be tipped well, not your stupid lil pennies!!!!!!!!
2007-12-07 14:58:02 · update #1
and to the third , dude i love being a waiter, I am not bitter man, I just want people to know in a stern way. We are always polite in trying to get accross to people who dont know server ettiquette, so I felt this should be bold. I make great money as a server, more than 40 percent of my sales, but that is because of the people who know are respect the code! I dont hold a chip about anyone, this is just for the peeps who do these things to maybe think about the server for a change....
2007-12-07 15:01:03 · update #2
YOU are the best man. Ive been a server for a long time now and I have to say thats about every single thing is on the list. And for you ppl who say he has a bad attitude! well i tell you what, you try doing this job and bustin your butt all day for ppl who are ungrateful. Don't get me wrong there are good ppl out there but a lot of them are extremely rude. You wouldn't believe some of the things Ive seen. And you could go out to your tables and give it everything you've got and be as nice as possible and still get 5 dollars on a 100dollar order. It doesn't matter if you've been a good waiter anymore ppl just dont care. Anyone who thinks I have a bad attitude is wrong also I am always a good worker when it comes to my customer but i tell you what I'm so tired of being shafted by ppl who dont give a damn. Ty for this post my friend and i -plan on putting it everywhere i can.
2007-12-09 19:46:24 · answer #1 · answered by Silent Bob 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't have an answer to your question, but rather a few comments. First of all, not everyone doing your job is unhappy. My husband for instance loves to wait tables and is rewarded by it. It is rare that he averages less than 22% tips at the end of the night. This being said, he is very good at what he does and most of all really enjoys what he does. Change your attitude and I'm sure you will do better. With that being said, I do agree with many of your points. I have been in the restaurant business for 19 years. I started as a server and worked my way up to a mananger of a corporate casual dining restaurant. Some people do need an education in restaurant ettiquett that is for sure!
2016-05-22 02:35:39 · answer #2 · answered by raguel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree 100%-and always tip 20% unless the service truly sucked.
I will comment though-people who do these things almost always know it's not cool, they just don't care. I don't think anything will change that, too bad.
2007-12-07 15:34:52 · answer #3 · answered by barbara 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you know it maybe hard as you say but its your job and what you get paid for..as customers we deserve good treatment as well as our food hot when it gets to us,the way we ask for it,and we are human too not dogs we should be treated right,talked to right,I tip the way I get treated and thats not saying much either because thats how I get treated and I deserve the same treatment if I tip or not and the price of the tip too...if you dont like what you do or the way you get treated then quit and do something else...
2007-12-07 15:02:02 · answer #4 · answered by hotmommadru 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
u know i didnt read it all but your 100% right, and it goes like this for you, u sound like u hate being a waitress and thats ok but dont be my waitress, u sound like u got a big chip on your solider, and thats ok but dont be my waitress, dont work at some **** *** resturant work at one where people have money and know how to tip and where waiters know how to treat customers, sound like your working at red lobster i alway tip 20% unless i have someone like you as a waiter, but oh those ****** kids i want to reach over and strangle those parants good luck u cant teach the public manners!
2007-12-07 14:57:36 · answer #5 · answered by BEE-ATCH 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I LOVE This.. I 'm posting it on myspace with your approval... I just started serving again to go back to school.. and I have to say Your FANTASTIC!
You hit it on the head, especially with the food not being right.. we didn't make it did we? We just did our job and SERVED it...
Love you! Your my number one hero!
2007-12-07 14:44:37 · answer #6 · answered by Can't stand this 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You know what? You're the kind of server I would NOT tip.
2007-12-07 14:46:27 · answer #7 · answered by Heidi 7 · 2⤊ 4⤋