Your tipping questions
It seems that the subject of tipping has taken over the comments section of my blog, so I figured I should address it. I’ve had a lot of people ask me about certain situations on whether or not they should leave a tip. The same couple questions keep coming up, so I figured I’d go ahead and give people a clear answer on these common inquiries.
Should I tip on to-go orders?
Yes, but not as much as you would if you were dining in. Many restaurants handle their to-go orders either through the hostess or a bartender. These employees don’t usually strictly work off of tips like waiters do, so they’re paid more hourly because the restaurant understands that the tips on to-go items aren’t generous. In fact, most people don’t leave a tip on a to-go order at all, so whether it’s the bartender or a hostess taking the order, they’re usually pretty happy even with a few dollars. To-go sales aren’t usually counted against the employee’s overall sales, especially if they are an hourly employee like a hostess. Therefore, the person who took the to-go order does not need to tip-out support staff like a regular waiter does. So, a tip of a couple dollars (depending on the size of the order, anywhere from $2-10) will suffice. Should the restaurant you order from deliver, you should tip more.
My food was only $50, but I ordered a $100 bottle of wine, bringing the bill to $150. What should I tip?
You should leave a sizable tip, but 20% is not really necessary. It really is a shame that all waiters assume that they deserve 20% on a larger bill. The waiter in the given case should realize that should you leave a tip of $20 on the $150 bill, without the bottle of wine, you might have given him a $10 tip on the previously $50 bill. Yes, your waiter has to tip-out on the $150, but it’s usually only a few dollars, maybe three or four. Waiters don’t usually see the flip side; that because you ordered the bottle of wine and tipped an extra $10, they made an extra $6 or $7. The only egregious situation is if you didn’t tip on the bottle of wine at all. Then you’d just be taking money away from your waiter.
My waiter was absolutely horrible – the worst service ever! Should I really leave a tip?!
In rare, extreme cases where it’s obvious that the waiter has a serious problem with the line of work they’re in, it’s okay to not leave a tip. Why? Because if the service was as bad as you say, your conversation with the manager should end up with that person being reprimanded or terminated. Let me repeat that middle part in case you missed it: your conversation with the manager. You should never leave a restaurant having received terrible service without speaking to the manager – as Abraham Lincoln once said, “a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gal”. If you’re nice to the manager and tell them that you are unhappy, but want to come back, you probably won’t see that waiter again.
Everyone seems to want a tip these days, not just waiters. What’s the deal?
The restaurant industry is a completely different monster than anything else and no profession can be labeled as similar to a waiter. The waiter is the only job in this country that a company can legally pay someone less than the state-set minimum wage. It’s the only job that the government expects that a professional is going to receive enough generosity from the American people to make at least minimum wage. Can you think of another profession that relies on generosity like that? I call it “generosity”, although it has become a custom in our country to tip at least 15%, but I’m not going to delve into that subject right now.
Every other profession, the employee makes at least minimum wage, so it’s your own perogative if you should tip them or not. You don’t have to, but if that person provides you with a service that you feel they should make more than what they get paid, then it’s okay to slip them a couple dollars. For example, a bellhop in a hotel might only make $8, but he carries your luggage up and down the hotel for you. I would probably give the guy a $5 bill to thank him for saving me the trouble.
Don’t bother with those little tip jars you see everywhere (newsstands, chinese take-outs, gas stations). It seems like everyone is trying to jump on the “tip bandwagon”. Just don’t forget who you really should be tipping.
I hope that helps answer a few questions. If you have any more, feel free to comment or email me at Servernotslave@gmail.com
I agree with all of the above. There have been a few opportunities where I’ve either not given tips or given very low ones. I’ve worked in a restaurant since I was 16, so I truly give people the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes it’s like damn! I’m trying to throw you a bone but I guess not.
Also feel like as a college student dining out, older servers assume that I won’t tip because I’m young which isn’t the case.
haha I love it, you nailed it as usual!!!
Nice post. As a server, I have to comment on the point about the expensive wine – while I agree that you certainly don’t have to tip 20% on a bottle of wine that is marked up possibly 200% or more by the restaurant and initially only took your server 2 minutes to open & pour, there are other factors that should be considered before you fill out the tip line, such as the cost of the food you’ve ordered (did you buy a couple $7 appetizers, or have an actual meal?), how long you end up nursing said bottle of wine, and even whether your server was attentive in topping up your glass. If the food you’ve ordered is a small sum on your bill compared to the cost of the bottle of wine, please don’t just tip 20% on the food – we still need to cover our tip pool. Even if we haven’t spent much time at your table, you are still occupying a spot in our section where other, hungrier customers could have sat. This is also the reasoning that when you take 2 hours to drink the wine without ordering anything else, we expect to be compensated fairly for the lack of tables that would have been turned, had you not been camping out. Wine service at my restaurant also requires us to top up your glass on a regular basis, so if we have waited around for a couple extra hours after we’ve been cut just to top you up, or have been frantically running around during a rush but have still been mindful of your glass, we are also deserving of a bit more generous tip. Common sense is so appreciated, folks!
Good points. I know i’m spoiled but I expect to be tipped on wine service. But, then again there’s different styles of wine service. In my restaurant at least depending on the wine I’ll decant it for you and keep your glasses full at all times. I also portion your wine out through out your meal over and over again. I’m not just opening pouring the initial glass and then ignoring it the rest of the night. As for my personal taste when it comes to tipping. I’m superstitious it takes a lot for me to leave less than 20% and I mean you have drop something on me, or swear at me to get me to feel okay about not leaving a good tip.
Did something happen on Saturday? Has it been a full moon? Because I have never seen worse tips than I have these last few days! The weirdest/worst of all happened today. A group of four comes in, a middle-aged woman and three teens/young adults. Three order sodas/tea, they have an appetizer, each has an entree, and then the lady and her daughter split a cobb salad. All sorts of special requests (several different dressings along with lemons for the salad, multiple substitutions, etc.). Before I can even get to the POS and back she is waving me down again for some question or another… I visited her table at least twice if not three times as often as I would normally, and it is a good thing she was my first and only table for about 20 minutes. She seriously flagged me down almost every time I came within sight, even if I had just stopped to refill a drink, bring the appetizer, etc. She then orders a margarita on the rocks, she says she wants the best we have and to make it with Patron. Well, even on our best Patron is an upcharge so I charged her for the basic and subbed the Patron to make it less expensive, and I told her so. I was constantly bringing them extra of this or that. One of the highest maintenance tables I have ever encountered. I am super upbeat and genuinely friendly throughout the whole thing. Then near the end, she says her daughter’s half of the cobb salad tastes funny (even though she has the other half of the exact same batch and ate the whole thing and thought it was fine). The daughter says the lettuce tastes “dead”. I’m thinking she is just full after her queso and enormous burger and drink. I tell her I will send the manager right over. He is annoyed; he just checked the lettuce before the shift started. He takes off her half of the salad. I go to deliver the corrected check and the lady has “spilled” her $7 Patron margarita. She says she had only had a sip, I offer her another; she says she just wants it taken off the bill. When I come back to clean up she says it’s really “too bad, it smelled like there was a lot of good liquor in there.” “Yes, there was- he filled the glass halfway with Patron before adding the rest.” So the manager angrily takes that off the bill, too. I’m thinking she ordered rocks so the alcohol would separate and she could drink it off the bottom and then “spill” the sweet and sour mix and get it comped… Anyway, as I set the new bill down she asks for a soda to go. I tell her I’ll have to charge her for it since she didn’t have one with her meal, would she still like one? Oh yes! Of course, honey. Extra ice! So I get that and her exact change. The bill was around $85 before the comps, and now it is around $73. She leaves me two dollars and 6 pennies. What a psycho!
And I show my manager the tip and his response is “well, you knew that was coming- go prebuss that table.” Hmm, I already did prebuss- all that’s left is glasses. Do you mean you want me to finish bussing since the guys I’m tipping out haven’t bussed any of my tables all day? When I was a manager I was never such an unsympathetic jerk and I didn’t order people around while I sat on my butt, fooling around on the internet. I worked with them. After they tell us to do something additional (as they do nothing) when we are up to our eyes in sidework, sections, and silver they like to condescendingly tell you it is all part of being a team player. I guess managers don’t lead by example and aren’t part of the team? And they wonder why about 6 people have put in their notice this last week alone. Sorry for the rant, series of crappy shifts :/
Here here. If I was reading this after my shift, I would lift my martini to you. (Mmmmmm sounds delicious)
I came from an EXTRA EXTRA EXTRAORDINARY management staff in my hometown to another store in the same chain with the most pass the buck, $&%^&^(&$%#*%(%&&%, management staff I’ve ever seen. I despise my new store.
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ve worked in restaurants, but we didn’t do to go orders, so I never know how to handle them. I appreciate the thoughtful response.
I agree with your advice on tipping for to-go orders. At my restaurant, we actually have a person who takes care of the to-go orders (they also have a ton of other things to do around the restaurant though). They make a pretty good wage, but if you leave just a few dollars, they will be more than happy. For anyone that thinks they don’t deserve a dollar or two, keep in mind that the person prepares you order-which means running around a very crowded kitchen along with all the servers to get all your food boxed up nicely and in a timely matter. Trust me, it’s more work than you think.
Also, I agree that not everyone deserves a tip and that most of those tip jars should be ignored. However, I used to work at a coffee shop and if you’re getting a several very complicated and time-consuming drinks, it’s nice to just throw in an extra dollar…or even the remaining change from you total!
Good post.
I liked the information regarding take-out orders. Since the person who handles these orders don’t strictly work off of tips, are paid more hourly, does not have to-go orders counted against them, and doesn’t have to pay out to other people, I’ll continue to not tip them. I always thought it was ridiculous, anyway. I always tip when food is delivered, though.
I agree that it’s nice for the hostess to get a dollar or two for putting all of my food in the bag, etc. but by that logic why wouldn’t I tip the person at the Chinese takeout counter as well? She makes sure there is a piece of cardboard in the bottom of the bag to make it more sturdy, and fills the bag with soy sauce, duck sauce, tea bags, wet naps and fortune cookies. For that matter, the person at a fast food restaurant puts all of my items in a bag and gets me sauce if I request it, etc. I know that’s a bit of a stretch, but I think you get my point. It’s not that I would never tip a hostess on a to go order, but it’s definitely more of an exception than a rule for me.
I don’t know about some of the places ya’ll work at, but where I serve we automatically have 3% of our tips taken out for tipshare to be distributed to bar, hostess, busser and silverware roller. What does this mean for us when we get stiffed? That’s right, we actually PAID for those cheap diners to sit at our table. So, when your thinking about not tipping for your dinner, consider how bad the service really was. Was it bad enough for that server to have to come out of pocket b/c you had an empty drink for more than 30 seconds? Probably not. I know I’m a great server/bartender and when I get stiffed, its b/c I’m waiting on jerks, bottom line. And there’s plenty of them to go around in this town.
And as far as To Go is concerned, they make as much as we do per hour and rely on tips just the same. They are specifically hired to take your order, box and bag it and walk it out to your car….they deserve to be compensated accordingly.
I know I sound a little bitter. Don’t get me wrong, I love my jobs (I have 3), but I just can’t get over the fact that people will find any and every reason to not pay us for the service we provide. And if they can’t find a reason, do you think that stops them? NO IT DOESN’T. How do they sleep at night?
Where i used to work we tiped out on our total sales, if someone sat down and only ordered a $100 bottle of wine and no food we would still have to tip out the same amount that we would if they ordered $100 worth of food. I do agree about the whole “tip jar” situation, at most of these places where you find tip jars the employees are actually getting a sallary they also do not have to tip out on a percentage of their sales and if no one leaves them a tip in the jar they do not have to pay out of there own pocket to tip out other employees.
i’ve worked at 3 restaurants in my 5 years of serving. all of these places had a designated ToGo person with shifts similar to servers in that there was an opener and closer during busy lunch/dinner hours. late afternoon/nite was taken care of by bartenders, but they make a higher wage than servers + tips.
it’s very rude when people don’t tip on their ToGo meals. considering that i took your order over the phone in a timely manner, didn’t screw up on it, and ran it out to your car (sometimes in -30 degree weather. i live in North Dakota and it gets cold!!). the least you could do is leave $3-$5 depending on the size of the order. a lot of casual dining establishments require their ToGo people to tip out the bartender if a drink is ordered. i have to tip out that bartender on the “free” chocolate milk that came with your child’s order. it might not seem like much to you, but considering i might only make $10 in tips that nite, i’d rather not have to make even less because you don’t realize that i’m working hard to get you dinner.
the other thing about ToGo is that people think they can call in, place a huge order for “party platters” and have it ready in 20 minutes. come on people. THINK!! the restaurant is not going to have 50 chicken wings just hanging out waiting to be ordered for your football game. if you’re ordering more than 5 meals, please please PLEASE call ahead. it’s not that the restaurant can’t make up your huge order, it’s that none of those items are kept stocked on a day-to-day basis.
I also disagree a little with your recommendations about wine tipping.
In a restaurant that offers $100 bottles, you shouldn’t just be tipping 10% on those bottles. If you are tipping 20% on food, 15% would be OK. I’m willing to cut a little bit of a break, but by using your logic, one should tip a less percentage on lobster than they do on a hamburger. Why should wine be any different? There’s actually more “work” involved in the service of wine than there is in the delivery of a plate of food, so it’s really not the “work” issue that some make it out to be.
For those who wait in restaurants that consider $60 their “expensive” wine and who sell most $30 bottles, this might not seem to be an issue, but for people like me, who have a much greater proportion of sales through wine because we sell quite a few $100 – $400 (and higher) bottles and whose average bottle sale is probably more like $50 – $75, your advice really hurts. For us, we have glass polishing to do, decanters to keep clean, handwashing of delicate crystal glasses in some such restaurants, decanting of wine and lots of our spare time studying wine so that we can advise the guest and be knowlegeable with out 200 bottle wine lists. This is all worth more than 10%, wouldn’t you say? After all, it’s the guest’s choice to spend significant money on wine. Even on my list, they can choose a perfectly servicable $30 – $40 bottle instead of the $300 Sassacaia. People who order a $100 should be able to afford the service that goes along with it, even if the service is “behind the scenes”.
I think the “mistake” you made was quantifying a certain price without considering the context. If I eat dinner at P.F. Chang’s and have a $35 check for me and my guest, the most expensive bottle I could even choose would be around $60, and they probably only have a couple of bottles at that price (most bottles are going to be around $30 – $40). If I eat dinner at my restaurant, our check for food is going to be more like $130 – $150 just for food for two. But I can easily choose from around 20 bottles at over $250. Does this mean that I should only tip 10% for that $60 at P. F. Chang’s but tip 15 – 20% for the $30 bottle simply because it’s not double the price of the food? It’s not a “hundred dollar bottle” after all. And the $100 bottle is still less than I’m paying for the food at my restaurant.
It’s all about the context. Our restaurant has two bottles over $600 (one is just short of a grand). Am I supposed to be happy then I have a table that spends $1400 on a meal and then I get $100 because “I don’t have to tip very much on expensive bottles”? Fortunately, I tip out on tips, not sales so it doesn’t hurt me on tipout, but I still had to open and serve a $1000 bottle of wine, just as I had to bring out their lobster. there’s just a certain common sense that goes along with this. I have to use common sense to realize that the guest will probably not tip 20% on the wine, BUT the guest has to use common sense to realize that they have bought into an experience that requires a certain amount of financial responsibility. They chose to dine in a restaurant that offers a first-growth French Bordeaux and they chose that very Bordeaux. They should accept the cost of that product and that includes the service.
I’d like to know what others, especially servers think about this situation: This weekend my wife, 2-year-old daughter and I went to dinner at a local brewpub chain. I asked the server for a package of crackers for my daughter to snack on while we were waiting for the food and she said no problem and brought a package of oyster crackers out with the drinks. Our server did an excellent job, food and drinks were great, etc. The check comes and there was a line that said crackers $0.25. Financially I could care less about a quarter, but this ticked me off for two reasons. First, management should be able to work items like this into their food prices so that they don’t have to charge for them separately. Second, I think the server should have told us she had to charge for them before bringing them out. My wife apparently agreed because she left a 10% tip (don’t worry, I put a few extra dollars on the table before leaving). I called the phone number on our receipt on the way home and complained to the manager (and complimented the server), but I guarantee they’re not going to change this.
That’s rather upsetting that your wife would leave a 10% tip just because of a $0.25 set of crackers. That’s just ridiculous. That’s not your waiter’s decision to charge for crackers and you’re spending $30+ on a meal, are you really going to get upset over a quarter? It’s a QUARTER. Don’t you think that knowing your child is happy eating something so she doesn’t get restless is worth A QUARTER?? Maybe if it were a $3.00 set of crackers, then I’d be upset she didn’t say anything.
You also need to realize that often enough people bring children in and let them only eat those crackers because they are cheap bastards. I’m not saying you are Ben, but management needs to pay for those boxes of crackers somehow. If it were a corporate restaurant, those managers have to nit-pick on EVERYTHING to try to keep their overhead costs low so it looks better for their regional directors. A box of crackers might cost the restaurant $80 and they might go through a box of them in two days.
No offense, but I guarantee you that the manager you spoke with was laughing his head off that you’d complain about a $0.25 set of crackers as soon as he hung up the phone.
I honestly thought you were kiddin’ with us when I read this. Twenty-five cents? Really? I don’t see how that could tick anyone off. I wouldn’t think twice if a restuarant charged me 25 cents for a toothpick. Not worth a second thought, much less a phone call and a complaint to the manager.
If we were havin’ this conversation face-to-face I’d hand you a quarter for no reason at all, just to prove a point.
Again, I could’ve cared less if it were a quarter or ten dollars, I was annoyed by the fact that she didn’t tell us we would be charged for it. I figured it was common courtesy. The way management pays for those crackers is to bump up the price of soups, salads or anything else typically served with crackers by $0.25. It’s like airfare. If someone buys a discount flight for $100 but then has to pay $25 to check a bag, they’ll be upset. But if you charge them $125 for the ticket and check their bag for free, they’ll be happy (and more likely to be a repeat customer).
If I ask for an extra plate should I get charged for the cost of washing it? What should the charge be for extra napkins? Salt? Pepper? I realize this may be taking it a bit far, but all of those things are worked into menu prices. If I drink 5 glasses of iced tea and dump 6 packets of sugar into each one I’m not charged for sugar. I just think a package of crackers should fall into the category of discretionary items you shouldn’t directly charge for, no matter how small the charge.
Unfortunately, I think my wife (as much as I love her) will always be a crappy tipper. She gets it from her mother. Rest assured that I will do everything in my power to break the cycle with my daughter. My standard tip is 20%, going up to 25% for great service and occasionally down to 15% for really bad service. I think 15% is her standard and obviously adjusts down from there. If you noticed, I didn’t let the cracker thing impact her tip and noted that her service was great (and let the manager know it too). Love your blog, keep it coming!
OK, I know people will disagree with me, but I agree with Ben. I work at a chain eatery and tell my customers EVERYTHNG that will be even the slightest upcharge on their bill. It’s not that I’m an anal-retentive server. My reasoning… to quote Office Space, “I just don’t want the hassle.” I’m sure Ben didn’t care that it was a quarter charge. If I were him, faced with keeping a happy child versus a squirmming, screaming child, I would pay anything. But I wouldn’t have gone as far as call a manager. As I have done in the past, I would have just said something in an off-handed, cutsy way to get my point across to the server.
And good for you Ben for trying to break the cycle of bad tipping in your family. I honestly think that it should be a requirement before a child graduates from high school that they learn proper etiquette in a resturant. LOL
I notice more and more places, especially corporate ones, charging for little things like crackers, extra lemons, etc. Many places adhere to the old “plate charge” when a diner sits with a group but doesn’t eat, but that usually is printed on the menu or posted somewhere. I’ve seen menus with all those extra charges printed on them, but they tend to be Diners, with every extra charge printed at the bottom of the menu (cheese, .75, tomatoes, 1.00, extra mushrooms, 1.50, etc.). Even though it was only .25, I agree it should be at least printed somewhere that a charge will be incurred, but as a server, I would feel somewhat sheepish to have to say to a customer, “Crackers are .25 extra”. It honestly sounds like I’m assuming you are a cheapskate and won’t pay the extra.
servernotslave – I forgot to answer one of your questions. YES, knowing my child is happy eating something, not getting restless is ABSOLUTELY worth a quarter, even more. By the way, here’s how to avoid making customers unhappy in this situation:
Customer: Could I please have a package of crackers for my daughter?
Server: Absolutely, but I have to charge a quarter for them, did you still want them?
99% of Customers, including me: Yes, please.
I would understand if it were a couple dollars extra for a charge, but not a quarter. I’m sure the server wouldn’t have even charged you for it had they not been following protocol. For your wife to tip your server 10% because of a quarter extra charge on your check is absolutely ridiculous.
Sorry, but 99% of customers, including myself would look at the “$0.25 – Crackers” charge, laugh at it because of it’s absurdity and pay the bill with no complaint. That manager that you decided to complain to probably laughed when you left, told the hostess (made her laugh, too) and then forgot about you completely, continuing to charge an extra quarter for crackers that most of America wouldn’t have an issue with.
I disagree that 99% of customers would say “yes, please.”. I think half of the customers would make some smarmy remark and maybe 5% would make a big enough stink to call management. I personally agree that charging for crackers is b.s. I do know that those oyster crackers cost more than saltines, but that cost should be factored in to the cost of the soup. That 25 cent charge is the restaurant’s policy. I don’t think that your server should be penalized by a crappy tip for something that is out of her control. She was just doing her job. I would be embarrassed to tell customers about a quarter charge for crackers. There seems to be a “trend” where parents think that their little darlings are entitled to extras, all for the sake of keeping junior quiet. If you NEED “shut up” food, bring your own. And please clean it up off of the floor when you are done.
(Whew! That felt good!)
I agree that Ben should have been told about the .25 charge. I work at a popular chain restaurant and I find there’s a lot less hassle if customers know exactly what they are getting charged for. If a customer finds an unexpected charge, most of the time there’s a complaint and a manager gets involved. 99.9% of the time the manager will reverse the charge to keep the guest happy making your check total lower and you look like the bad guy.
However I applaud the restaurant for charging for the item. Too often it seems like people want to scam as much free food from restaurants as possible. At my restaurant you get a soup or a salad with your meal, not both. At least once a day I hear “You bring the salad out anyway right?”. If you eat both soup and salad with your meal or split a meal you have to pay for the extra item. You wouldn’t go to the grocery store, eat a bag of chips while you’re shopping then not pay for them because they were a snack to tide you over until you got your real groceries right? Of course not because that’s stealing. It’s the same thing in a restaurant. You have to pay for what you eat.
I have question about places like Mongolian BBQ. What do you tip there? It always looked to me that the server was a glorified busser. I’m getting up and getting my own food. Are they doing other duties that I don’t see? I feel like a goober asking this. I never really thought about it until one of my friends asked me about it. Are they tipping out the cooks or anyone else?
Yes, tips there are usually shared amongst the bussers and cooks.
@ Ben:
I understand your point, but sometimes you just have to “let things go”. Sure, it might not have been “right” to charge you for the crackers, and you may have been justified in calling about it. But my point is, was it really worth the hassle? When it comes down to it, it’s a lot of talking (and now typing) over twenty-five cents. When was the last time you stopped to pick up a quarter?
@ Ben:
I agree that you should have been told about the upcharge, but depending on how busy the place was [or just how busy the server was] it’s possible the server just didn’t think of it in the moment. It’s also possible the server fully intended to have the manager void off the crackers after charging for them and following through slipped the mind. This is one of my own tricks when I think charging for something is cheesy but I can’t it any other way … ring it up, get it, void it off. I don’t need to waste valuable brain cells on petty clashes with corporate drones over whether nickels and dimes and dumb rules are more important than common decency and good service.
If you thought your service was otherwise excellent, it’s most likely the server had your best interests at heart, was personally invested in seeing you have a good time — because she liked you, not just as an employee going through the motions — and probably felt as though you had totally rejected all her efforts over a 25 bag of crackers. You are right to point out that some things [like salt and pepper] should be “discretionary” and “worked into” the price, but what about your discretion? Is it really appropriate to a damn a server all to hell and declare jihad on a 25 cent bag of crackers? Or could you have “worked” one of your free grains of salt into it?
I think there comes a point where we all have to stop expecting the world to be perfect just for us all the time or elseand learn to take the good with the bad. Being a server is an immersion course in this idea. Knowing that not everything will be just like heaven, is it possible to take conscious control of the line between shrugging something off and being the thing that gets shrugged off? What would you rather be?
yeah, ignoring tip jars, great way to ensure wonderful service. NEWSFLASH — when there is a tip jar at a small cafe, coffee shop, ice cream store, whatever — it’s because our job is EVERYTHING — not just running some plates out. we get to deal with bitchy orderers, know-it-all customers who think they know everything about your job/store//product, running food, bussing tables, MAKING THE FOOD, washing the dishes, running the register, and opening/closing.
maybe youre making 3 bucks an hour, but 7 or 8 an hour isnt much more when you consider the fact that the staff at THOSE tip-jarred stores does EVERYTHING.
i’m really sick of servers thinking their job is oh so much harder and therefore they deserve money more than other food service workers.
Yes, but then again, you don’t have co-workers taking a chunk of those wages with tip-outs.
When you are working at a coffee shop, making $8 an hour with three other co-workers, the $7 or $8 you split between the four of you that’s in those tip jars is hardly worth throwing a fit and making a comparison to servers. There’s quite a bit difference between a server’s job and a barista. Don’t blur that line just because they might both be considered “food service”. That’s like saying the guy behind the counter at the local grocery store that cuts the deli meat deserves to be tipped, too.
@ Jena- your job is everything and ours is “just running some plates out” ?
We also deal with “bitchy orderers” and “know-it-all customers” (no- my other waiter had the kitchen prepare this special extra item for me with no charge last time i was here! i don’t understand why you can’t just give it to me!).
We also run the food and even though my restaurant has bussers, we always prebuss and about 1/4 the time end up bussing it entirely ourselves. We don’t make the food, but we do prepare some like the soups, grits, and do finishing work on all the food. We don’t wash the dishes but we do usually end up washing the silverware.
Register? Wouldn’t that be nice- we have to carry around enough change in the right incriments ourselves and if we don’t have the right change, just round up in favor of the customer out of our own pockets. We also do most of the opening and closing work, at least on the front side. So it sounds like we are doing just about everything you are doing. The couple of things we aren’t doing entirely by ourselves, we are tipping out to the bussers to do (anywhere from $5-15 for the bussers per server). We make $2.13 to do just about everything yall are doing for $8/hr, so yes it is more important to tip someone at a table-service restaurant rather than a place where you order at the counter.
Hmm, I’ve been tipping around 18%. Is that sufficient, or should it be 20% or more? I know that my family used to do around 15%, but I’ve read on this blog that this percentage should be higher these days…..I’d have to go look for the post.
The one time I can remember, that I’m betting my family tipped badly on, is that we went to a Claim Jumper restaurant years ago, and it took about 1.5 hours to get my brother’s hamburger out. I’m not sure whose fault that would be: the waiter (for not really checking in with the cook?) the cook, or someone else?
I think we got the whole meal comped, and my brother eventually got his burger, long after everyone else had finished eating. That’s the most notable bad time I’ve had in a restaurant. In hindsight, we should have tipped something because the meal was comped, but no one knew about the running of restaurants. Besides, I think it’s justifiable to be ticked when it takes over an hour to get a hamburger out.
I’m just as greedy as the next guy and love getting as much money as possible in tips. That being said, if you consistently tip 18% and are mindful about it (meaning: you are gracious to the people who serve you), then, personally I think that’s fine. If everyone was a mindful consumer and tipped 18% consistently, I would be in heaven. Those who go on to 20 or more percent hold a special place in my heart (and wallet), and unfortunately, have to make up for the 10% tips and stiffs.
Maybe you should have tipped the server on that 1-1/2 hour burger, but if it was actually the server’s fault, maybe not.
One thing I know after 30 years serving: I was a terrible waiter when I started out, but what made me a good waiter wasn’t really the people I worked WITH, but the people I worked FOR, ie., the customer. I learned good waitering from the customers who treated me well, financially and otherwise, regardless of the service I gave. It made me want to do better. The customers who treated me badly made want to give it up. Positive reinforcement won out and I improved when I was treated like I mattered.
This past Valentine’s Day was the worst for tipping that I’ve seen! If you can’t/won’t tip, don’t come out! My servers all worked 10+ hour shifts, many without a break, forsaking their own significant others to be there to provide you with an amazing Valentine’s Day experience and MAKE MONEY!
Yeah, V-Day is one of the worst for tips. And you work your ass off! It’s a lose/lose situation for the server/bartender.
I noticed a distinction on another website that I never thought about. Should you tip on the total before or after taxes are added? I always tip on food+tax total because it’s just easier to find on the receipt. Should I be?
ok. If you order your to go food from the server who you dined with, this food is commonly included in their sales at the end of the night. this means that they must tip out the busser, bartender, etc. so please leave at least a couple dollars to cover the tip out. we do not expect 20% for to go food, but it shouldn’t cost us money to get your food to go for you.
In the case of not tipping because of bad service who do you talk if the manager in charge of the wait staff is not available at the time of your visit. One evening after closing down a local club a large group of us decided to go to a late dinner/early breakfast. Several of us arrived early and notified the waitress in advance how many of us there would be. The place was pretty empty except for a few police officers on their meal break. 15 minutes later the rest of our party arrived but we still had to wait and additional 15 minutes before being seated. then our waitress took our drink orders and disappeared for a half hour. Finally she returned with our drink orders but had screwed up half of them. Then she took our meal orders and disappeared for another half hour before returning with the correct drink orders. Roughly half of us immediately asked for a to go box and if the rest of us hadn’t been so hungry and already digging in we all probably would have wanted to leave being so disgusted with the lackluster quality of service. When paying my part of the bill I asked to speak to the manager and was told he was not in at the time. I didn’t leave a tip. Having worked in food service I felt slightly guilty but I realized that if I had ever given someone service like I was that night I wouldn’t have deserved a tip. A few weeks later we returned to the restaurant and was able to speak with the manager and due to numerous complaints about service that particular waitress had been dismissed. Do you think I handled the situation appropriately?
if the server was bad enough to have been fired, then yes, you weren’t the only one who’s complained.
also if your server-sense was tingling and you felt bad about not leaving a tip, but justified in doing so, you’re still better than people who have no idea that we LIVE off our tips, but choose to tip badly or not at all for great service
Quick Question.
Why should the customer pay twice for the same product.
90% the tips do not get passed out to the rest of the staff as they should be. A lot of hands go into the tip Jar – execpt the kitchen where pay rates are not much greater than the front based on the skill set & demand’s.
Yes I understand that servers live from there tips the problem is if I order a $200 bottle of wine, I am expected to give $40 to some one for opening the bottle and pouring 6 glasses of wine same for food I order a I ordered a $45 entree which then turns into really $56.25.
Which cost me $11.25 for some one to bring me my food.
What is true service? Is it really provided as most servers do it as a fill in job and really do not understand what service is but expect the tip as par for the course.
The system needs to be change with standards & trainning for the service industry.
The customer pays twice, the restaurant owners double dips based on the system where he does not have to pay for staff. They cut staff and the customer is still expected to pay the full tip with so so service. We are made to feel sorry for the server due to them getting minium wage based on the current system.