Poll: Poll: Waiter's Rant-Tipping

[Maze1125]

And here's another thought, you attack me for taking my culture over to another country, rather than following "When in Rome..." but if you went over to a European country, would you tip automatically still?

 

[Nmil-ek]

I always tip 10% thats the golden rule in my family, if the service is good I may go higher plus I used to work as a delivery driver I know how shit the hours, wage can tend to be.

 

[Frankydee]

I generally tip what I can but as a rule of thumb I go with 15% or more regardless of the service. I've gotten some pretty shitty service before and still gave the waiter a decent tip.

 

[MikeOfThunder]

I swear you could count this as a form of terrorism... Lol.

If they give good service i will tip - otherwise i dont.

 

[Xyphon]

I work in Louisiana (Southern America if you don't know where that is). We only get 2.18 an hour, if by some chance we don't make at least minimum wage when tips are all accounted for the resteraunt will make up the difference. So if I work 10 hours and only make 50 dollars the resteraunt will give me an additional 20 dollars on my next check. But that is a common misconception, we DO NOT already get paid for our services (at least not enough) and we rely on our tips to make money (this is not true in some places, New York, Los Angeles, etc I believe they make minimum wage on top of their tips, but I don't know of how this is everywhere).

Ahhhhh Louisiana..... the fucking asscrack of America. I know how you feel when it comes to low pay and dumb customers in this damn state.

 

[PhiMed]

I pay the restaurant for providing a waiter service and the restaurant pays the waiter. No-one has stolen anything.

I thought we were just discussing the fact that the restaurants don't pay them. Please do try to pay attention.

And here's the interesting thing. I almost always tip. Why? Because over here waiters almost always go above and beyond their job description and so deserve a tip. Because it's not guaranteed, they feel the need to work for it.
But, in America, all I hear about is waiters spoiling people's food for not tipping, never them working hard for a tip.

The statement "they almost always go above and beyond" is an self-contradictory. Above and beyond implies going beyond expectations. If people almost always exceed your expectations, your expectations shift, and that becomes the new norm, so you're just being wherever-the-heck-you're-from-centric now.

I also don't believe that you almost always tip, but that's beside the point.

What would make you work harder, tips that make up a tiny portion of your income and are simply a bonus, or tips that comprise almost your entire income? The reason you only hear about servers messing with food here is because virtually the entire English-speaking entertainment industry is located here, and it's funny to see the little guy get back at the boorish jerk. Thus, it's the topic of comedy movies. It's not the norm, and if you're suggesting that it's an epidemic exclusive to America, I assure you it is not.

Also, you say you never got tips from people with a foreign accent, of course that had to be down to foreign stinginess, it certainly couldn't be down to you giving a lower quality service than they were used to back home. Could it?

I said nothing of the sort. I said I was generally less likely to get a good tip from people with a foreign accent. I still got decent tips from time to time. I don't attribute it to "stinginess". I attribute it to the fact that they didn't know the local custom. I'm sure a 5% tip is generous where they're from.

And as for your other post. I tip according to local custom. If it's not customary to tip, I don't unless I feel it's warranted. In Mexico they expect large tips from visiting Americans. In Jamaica they expect the same. In Italy, almost no one tips. I behave accordingly, because I try to be aware of my surroundings rather than just stumbling around behaving like a self-centered boor.

 

[khaimera]

And whereas I will always give good service to you, even if you have stiffed me 4 times, I can't speak for every waiter. Waiters tend to have long memories, especially when it comes to being stiffed. And there are more ways than messing with your food to make your dining experience a bad one. Hope you learned something from this.

As an ex-server of ten years it saddens me that you will give good service to someone who has stiffed you four times. Have some self-respect.

 

[Godavari]

Well usually I tip a minimum of 10%, 15% if it's pretty good service and 20% if it blew my mind. However horrible service doesn't deserve a tip at all in my oppinion. If you're just doing the job for the money, and not putting any effort into it, you picked the wrong damn job, buddy.

OP seems nice. I'd tip 20%. Especially if I knew he was a fellow Escapist. I love having interesting conversations with people whom I "employ" (for lack of a better term).

 

[quiet_samurai]

So minimum wage in Louisiana is only $2.18 an hour?!?!?!? Fucking hell! It's like $8.00 an hour here in WA state!

And a business cannot legally pay you less then minimum wage, that is a federal and state law. You should really look into this, I have never heard of a minimum wage that low since the 1960's. It doesn't matter your job, minimum wage is called "minimum wage" for a reason, you can't go any lower.

And I always tip, depending on the service and where I am eating/drinking wil determine the amount or percentage. I know alot of people in the service industry and how important tips are to them.

 

[Godavari]

So minimum wage in Louisiana is only $2.18 an hour?!?!?!? Fucking hell! It's like $8.00 an hour here in WA state!

And a business cannot legally pay you less then minimum wage, that is a federal and state law. You should really look into this, I have never heard of a minimum wage that low since the 1960's. It doesn't matter your job, minimum wage is called "minimum wage" for a reason, you can't go any lower.

And I always tip, depending on the service and where I am eating/drinking wil determine the amount or percentage. I know alot of people in the service industry and how important tips are to them.

As was said, minimum wage doesn't apply to jobs that make a majority of their money from tips. Strippers were a non-foodservice example.

 

[Uncompetative]

Note: Poll is for a waiter who provided good service (was polite/helpful, got you your food on time, kept your drinks filled, etc.)

Now for the rant: I am a waiter at a family steakhouse, so everything that follows is from the source.
Tips have been abysmal recently. It may be the economy, though where I live the economy really isn't that bad. Here is the breakdown: In many places across the country waiters are only paid a very small amount hourly (as low as 2.15 an hour in some places, 2.18 where I live). Because of this we waiters make most of our money off of our tips. Therefore when a customer stiffs us or gives us a very small tip, it's basically a big F*** YOU, especially after if we have done a good job. Not only this but in many places we waiters have to relegate some of our tips to hostesses, bussers, bartenders, etc. At my resteraunt this is 3% of our total sales. So if I get stiffed on a hundred dollar ticket I'm in the red for $3. This really adds up after a while.

I do not know if this is because people are uneducated, I have had customers ask me how much we get paid hourly and I have told them truthfully, though we can't say anything about our pay or tips unless we are asked. Now don't get me wrong, I have some customers who go beyond what is considered average in a tip. But it's severely outweighed by the bad tips on any given night. I guess it's not surprising that serving is listed as the number one job that is not considered satisfying work.

Now I will also state this: We as waiters control your food. I will always give good service no matter what, whether I believe you will tip me or not (especially since I like to be rightfully angry when I get stiffed, and I can't do that if I gave poor service). If you have seen the movie Waiting you have seen what some waiters do to unruly/rude customers. I will never do that, nor will anyone I know of who I work with (the resteraunt would frown upon someone spitting in a customers food, etc.) But whereas my resteraunt doesn't do that, I can't speak for every resteraunt. And whereas I will always give good service to you, even if you have stiffed me 4 times, I can't speak for every waiter. Waiters tend to have long memories, especially when it comes to being stiffed. And there are more ways than messing with your food to make your dining experience a bad one. Hope you learned something from this.

Here's the thing...

I don't get paid a bonus for my work. So, I resent having to tip in Restaurants, although I do as it is part of our freaky culture.

When I have a choice I eat in a Pub. This is much better as you pay upfront for your food (no running out on the bill) and service is included. Everyone that works in the Pub is friendly and will actually refuse tips. There are no prissy tablecloths, no hovering waiters coming back to ask you if you need anything, or reaching across the table from your blindside when you think they have finally left you in peace to refill your drink as if they hope you to get drunk and making you fall silent in your private conversation yet again. I would be prepared to go to the kitchen to get my own food, but OH NO we must invent a whole category of employment to stop diners milling around like they are in the January Sales. I kind of understand the logistics of waiters/waitresses and why we have them, but do we need them?

I think I'll make my own dinner at home, thank you very much. No tension, invasion of privacy, or guilt of having an unequal social relationship with a de facto servant. Ick. The food I cook myself, for myself and bring to my table, myself tastes a whole lot better anyway.

Just putting the other perspective

 

[Maze1125]

I pay the restaurant for providing a waiter service and the restaurant pays the waiter. No-one has stolen anything.

I thought we were just discussing the fact that the restaurants don't pay them. Please do try to pay attention.

I'm not paying attention?
You're the one who seems to have completely forgotten how we agreed earlier that if someone takes a low paying job hoping for tips, that's their choice. The restaurant pays what was agreed on. No stealing involved.

But, hey, let's assume the restaurant doesn't pay their waiters which they interviewed and hired, surely it's then the restaurant that's stealing? Not the customer who pays exactly what it says on the bill.

And here's the interesting thing. I almost always tip. Why? Because over here waiters almost always go above and beyond their job description and so deserve a tip. Because it's not guaranteed, they feel the need to work for it.
But, in America, all I hear about is waiters spoiling people's food for not tipping, never them working hard for a tip.

The statement "they almost always go above and beyond" is an self-contradictory. Above and beyond implies going beyond expectations.

Yes, that would be the case if I had simply said "above and beyond" without qualification. But I didn't, I said "waiters almost always go above and beyond their job description" thereby clarifying the meaning and eliminating any implication that was talking about above and beyond expectations.

At least, that is, to people who can manage to read to the end of a sentence.

What would make you work harder, tips that make up a tiny portion of your income and are simply a bonus, or tips that comprise almost your entire income?

That depends on how the tips are likely to be handed out. If I know that most people have a specific percentage that they tip at, I would care less about working hard and more about subtlety encouraging them to buy the more expensive things on the menu.

The reason you only hear about servers messing with food here is because virtually the entire English-speaking entertainment industry is located here, and it's funny to see the little guy get back at the boorish jerk. Thus, it's the topic of comedy movies. It's not the norm, and if you're suggesting that it's an epidemic exclusive to America, I assure you it is not.

Yeah, it's nice to have the assurances of someone who doesn't even believe you when you talk about things that happen in your own life...

Come to think of it, how do we know you were ever a waiter? How do we know you're not just some 13 year old blathering on about something he knows nothing about and lying to make yourself sound more knowledgeable?

Yeah, it's fun when people don't trust each other...

Also, you say you never got tips from people with a foreign accent, of course that had to be down to foreign stinginess, it certainly couldn't be down to you giving a lower quality service than they were used to back home. Could it?

I said nothing of the sort. I said I was generally less likely to get a good tip from people with a foreign accent. I still got decent tips from time to time. I don't attribute it to "stinginess". I attribute it to the fact that they didn't know the local custom. I'm sure a 5% tip is generous where they're from.

Didn't really address the point there did we?
If foreigners tended not to tip, it was likely because they came from countries where tipping was based on quality, not presumption, which in turn suggests the quality of your service was not so good.

And as for your other post. I tip according to local custom. If it's not customary to tip, I don't unless I feel it's warranted. In Mexico they expect large tips from visiting Americans. In Jamaica they expect the same. In Italy, almost no one tips. I behave accordingly, because I try to be aware of my surroundings rather than just stumbling around behaving like a self-centered boor.

So you don't tip based on their culture, and you don't tip based on your own culture, you tip based upon what people expect of you? Rather patronising isn't it? Acting as though people can't cope with other people acting outside of their expectations? You must be a lovely person to know...

 

[Daniel Cygnus]

All you have to do to get a 20% tip from me is not be a dick. That's all I'm asking for.

 

[Arsen]

I skipped over every post so pardon me if this has already been stated:

I believe restaurants shouldn't do that thing where they pay you under minimum wage because they think you'll make it up in tips. That is dishonest and it should be nontaxable money based on individual's ability to please the customer with hospitality, service, and courtesy.

And it shouldn't go into a damn commie welfare bucket at the end of the night. If you don't have a good personality it's your loss.

 

[brutus3933]

I was taught to tip 5% for crappy service, 10 for decent, and up to 25 or more for great.

 

[Berethond]

15-25%, I know how much it sucks being a waiter. They deserve it for putting up with people all day.

 

[Maze1125]

I skipped over every post so pardon me if this has already been stated:

I believe restaurants shouldn't do that thing where they pay you under minimum wage because they think you'll make it up in tips. That is dishonest and it should be nontaxable money based on individual's ability to please the customer with hospitality, service, and courtesy.

And it shouldn't go into a damn commie welfare bucket at the end of the night. If you don't have a good personality it's your loss.

Which is exactly my point.
America has this absurd culture where waiters get annoyed with customers when it's the restaurant that employs them that's actually ripping them off.

 

[thiosk]

snips

Waiters don't need money, they just eat restraunt food...
for free!




just kidding. 18-20%, always.


I have a question though. What about those grey area restraunts bridging the gap between fast food and real restraunts-- think steak and shake. We have a place called Damon and Pythias here-- you order at the front, theres a tip jar, and you sit down and eat.

But its really good food. No one is servicing your drinks, but its brought out to you.

What do you do there? You have no idea how stressful tipping can be to the non-service members of society.

 

[Wolvaroo]

I tip normally, but I never get tips myself. Being a cook sucks even more when the tips arent split between you and the wait-staff. I do most of the work and get nothing, and the waitresses get basically the same wage.

And all we do is hear about Wait staff complaining about how much they hate all thier tables!
I work in Canada and at my old pub (very small pub only open evenings, but fairly busy) one of the waitresses Bought a Condo. They make less than minimum wage, but only by a dollar or two.

Kitchen staff gets paid minimum and maybe a buck more unless you're very high-end. And In my opinion Cooking and maintaining a kitchen is FAR greater work than carrying plates back and forth and pouring water. I absolutely HATE the tipping system but I grudgingly leave a loonie or toonie or round up to the nearest bill I have. Percentage tipping is exponentialy absurd for reasons that should be obvious.

...Don't get me started on auto-grat!

let's not also forget that those tips are supposed to be claimed and taxed, but I've met only one server who claimed all thier tips.