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Fayetteville - Springdale - Rogers Northwest Arkansas
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Old 09-15-2013, 06:34 AM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,333,939 times
Reputation: 29336

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If you don't mind a SW Missourian chiming in, one of the things I love about the Ozarks is the friendliness, and that includes servers. My wife and I don't eat out often - mainly breakfasts and/or lunches when running errands - but we do tip pretty well and almost never below 20%, most often above.

We're well aware of the low wages, which I find appalling, but even more than that, we consider the current economy as well as the fact that we've almost always received above average service. Besides, my wife was a server many years ago and one of my daughters is in restaurant management. They'd skin me alive if I ever stiffed any but an atrocious server and I haven't run across one in all the years we've lived here.

Being only nine miles from the MO-AR border, we eat in AR fairly often and especially in one small diner that serves awesome food at great prices. It even got me liking catfish and that was quite an accomplishment. Enjoyed it there just this past Friday. And, yes, I left our personable and attentive server more than a 20% tip!

You just can't beat service with a smile!

 
Old 09-15-2013, 09:32 AM
 
602 posts, read 1,509,986 times
Reputation: 306
I do not put much stock in this survey-reportedly a nationwide survey but only 2,300 respondents (??) AND assumably conducted by a coupon site.

FWIW, I ALWAYS tip 20%. The service would have to be horrendous for me to tip less than 20%. I understand many of the servers in F'ville are college students putting themselves through school.

To the OP, I believe there are several things at play here besides just being an Arkansan. 1. Economy-it still is not back where we in the early 2000's. I know several servers who have had to bounce around from job to job in the last several years 2. "Special Circumstances"-Downtown F'ville now has paid parking. No one can convince me that this did not affect restaurant business when it was first implemented. Hotel, motel, restaurant tax--I don't even know what the % is these days but it can add a significant amount to ones dining bill.

Bottom line for me, there are "cheap, uneducated, inconsiderate" people everywhere. My older daughter worked as a hostess in a very exclusive private club on the east coast (we're talking $200k just to join). The stories she told me about some of the club's members were appalling! Members wanting a reservation for 10-20 people in the next hour??!! Just rude!
 
Old 09-15-2013, 11:18 AM
 
Location: Table Rock Lake
971 posts, read 1,445,350 times
Reputation: 959
Default Service business

I was in the service business for over 75 years in various capacites and can't see why the food servers are the entitled ones over all the other service providers that you would not even think of tipping. Explaination please!!!
 
Old 09-15-2013, 12:22 PM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,209,149 times
Reputation: 49245
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluff_Dweller View Post
I was in the service business for over 75 years in various capacites and can't see why the food servers are the entitled ones over all the other service providers that you would not even think of tipping. Explaination please!!!
As I have said, we do tip and pretty well, but not over the top by any means. I also understand the wait staff and bar tenders depend on tips to make a living wage. That being said, overall I think tipping has gotten totally out of hand. I know this is off subject but it is something that bothers me. We will be using a van service to take us to the airport in a couple of weeks. The guy owns the business but we will still be expected to tip, It seems it is now acceptable and expected we tip delivery persons, moving people, door men and women. I figured out one time, in Vegas, which is the tipping capitol of the world, if we tipped everyone from the van driver to the bell man it would cost us about $5 to $10 a bag just to get our luggage to the room. of course, now, most of us have roller luggage and only use the bell men for one bag or so. I feel sorry for them in a way.
 
Old 09-15-2013, 03:02 PM
 
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas via ATX
1,349 posts, read 2,112,108 times
Reputation: 2232
While tipping is "voluntary", its also a part of the cost of going out for a meal.

A person or family needs to factor that into going out for dinner.

I've sat with friends who refused to tip or tipped low on good service. It makes me cringe almost as much as seeing someone litter. Its just bad form, and not how you go about being a part of the community.
 
Old 09-15-2013, 03:20 PM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,209,149 times
Reputation: 49245
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rock Climber View Post
While tipping is "voluntary", its also a part of the cost of going out for a meal.

A person or family needs to factor that into going out for dinner.

I've sat with friends who refused to tip or tipped low on good service. It makes me cringe almost as much as seeing someone litter. Its just bad form, and not how you go about being a part of the community.
No one here is arguing about whether we should or do tip, the concern is with anyone who thinks it is mandatory, it is anything but and we all have to do what we feel in right and acceptable. some people have not been raised in a tipping environment so the thought of adding 20% to the check is very hard. They have the right to make that decision. Service should never be based on what can I expect in a tip?
 
Old 09-16-2013, 02:12 PM
 
13 posts, read 19,393 times
Reputation: 29
Okay, let's say it's a Saturday home game here in Fayetteville. The game is over about 7 and fans start rolling out to get a good bite in droves over the next 30minutes to an hour. An otherwise slow night suddenly has a waiting list twenty names deep.

You go from having three tables in the last 4 hours to having a total of 20 people in your section. It happens that quick. You're running around, getting drinks and refills and shuffling out extra bread or chips or peanuts like your life depends on it. Your coworkers are all doing the same; you know you're on your own when it gets this crazy.

But, it's okay. Most of the people in your section are being really understanding and super nice. You're busy, but everything is going well. Then you get a table that finishes their drinks while you're taking their order and they start shaking their glass at you mid-order. Their kids are screaming and throwing various items at each other, at you, and at other guests. They call you over, while you're with another table, twice to clean up the mess their children made. They need refills again, too. Oh, and now they want to order an appetizer.

It's still okay, you remind yourself. You're good at your job. Look at how happy everyone around you is -- AND you managed to fill the ice bin and make more tea -- you rock. You got this.

Their bill is approaching that dreaded $100 mark and you're both hopeful and nervous. Time comes to pay and they're upset because they don't feel like they should have to pay for their appetizer because it came out so close to when their meal did. Their steak was overcooked, too, but they never mentioned that when you checked on them, so they don't want to pay for that, either. It's not their servers fault, however, they remind your manager, they were doing their best!

That $100 tab is suddenly $75, you get the good 'ole fashioned verbal tip ("you were GREAT! We know it wasn't YOUR fault!") and a hefty $5 tip.

Meanwhile you've been forced to leave your other tables waiting just that much longer for their refills, just that much longer for their check. Just that much attention was taken away from them that their personalized, friendly service turned into a mad rush to flip as many tables as they can.

Now, can anyone tell me ONE good reason that any server should have to make that choice? If you're a bad tipper, just tell us upfront. We'll still refill your drinks and plaster a fake smile on our snarky asses, but we'll do our job. We just won't take the time to try and befriend you. We won't personalize your experience. We'll take your order and deliver your food. We'll refill your drinks and bring you desert and, by golly, if it's your birthday we'll still be obligated to embarrass everyone with a ridiculous announcement and song.

We'd just like to devote what little extra time we have to providing that service that just goes a little further to the guests who are going to appreciate it the most.

Any time there is a discussion regarding tips, someone just has to be the first to shout out their opinion: I tip when I get good service!

Well, DUH. We know that, trust us. We know it better than you. Just remember that for every bad server, there are a half dozen bad tables. If you're having a bad time in a restaurant, don't automatically blame your server. There is a team of about 25 running this show and you'd be surprised by how many of them can and do affect the service every guest receives. Ask to speak to a manager - that's why they're here. Chances are they'll bend over backwards to do anything and everything they can to fix whatever issue you might be having.
 
Old 09-16-2013, 02:24 PM
 
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas
389 posts, read 1,215,170 times
Reputation: 460
Wow! This is obviously a very touchy subject. But let me chime in.

We eat out about every day and I especially like buffets because I can get two meals for the price of one. We have found it is actually cheaper to eat out than to buy the food in the grocery store. Having said that we almost always tip 20% or more. Sometimes we tip up to 30%. Since we don't eat in very expensive restaurants the tip isn't really that great and the waitstaff are hardly getting rich. I wouldn't want to do it for a living myself.

Will give an example. We stopped at a nearby Cracker Barrel to grab a quick bite. This is a tip for those who didn't know this. If you order from the "Kid's Menu" you get a smaller meal but you also get the drink and refills with it for like $4.59. So the two of us ate for a little over $10 with tax and tipped $3. And the waiter was kind enough to refill our drinks twice while eating and give us a "to go" drink as well. He spent as much time with us as he would have with someone who orders from the full menu where the drinks are extra.

BTW, "kids of all ages" can order from the "kid's Menu."

Even at the buffets we usually tip about $3 or so. Sometimes $4. We don't have to but we don't mind especially since we are getting about $30 worth of food for $15 or $16 plus tax.

I can't speak for other residents of Arkansas but we don't mind.

But having said all this, I do believe that tipping is getting a little out of hand. Sometimes I don't know when to tip. This may help.

Howmuchtotip.org - Knowing how much to tip in different situations

P.S. One place I draw the line is tipping for a hand towel in a hotel setting. I think that is absurd. What's next? Tipping the person who checks you in upon arrival. I always carry my own bags.
 
Old 09-16-2013, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
13,563 posts, read 10,282,398 times
Reputation: 8247
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita View Post
No one here is arguing about whether we should or do tip, the concern is with anyone who thinks it is mandatory, it is anything but and we all have to do what we feel in right and acceptable. some people have not been raised in a tipping environment so the thought of adding 20% to the check is very hard. They have the right to make that decision. Service should never be based on what can I expect in a tip?
I hear you, and I wish it was that simple. Unfortunately the social and business norms have made the expectation of gratuities all but mandatory, and sadly, the restaurant industry has just about codified it by paying servers often extremely low base wages under minimum wage and expecting that to be a significant part of their incomes. The IRS has also gotten into this with provisions for reporting and withholding tip income.

As far as the appropriate amount, I get into arguments all the time with my spouse about this. She tends criticize me for tipping too much (for any level of service), while I point out how hard the servers work for their income and that they will often have to share it with the other kitchen staff.
 
Old 09-16-2013, 02:39 PM
 
42,732 posts, read 29,741,271 times
Reputation: 14345
Quote:
Originally Posted by strangecasualty View Post
Not to be rude, but I want to address something: you had the audacity to show up and announce that "these studies" (I don't know if you mean all surveys, or just the ones conducted by that particular website) are phony, and that it's an exaggeration to say that people in Razorback shirts have shown up and left 5% tips.

Based on that alone, I don't really care to have a long, drawn out conversation with you. You don't know anything about me, and you certainly don't know every single individual in the state who wears Razorbacks merchandise. So, I don't even know where you're coming from, but it's obviously not a very nice place.

I didn't say, or otherwise insinuate, that EVERYONE IN ARKANSAS is a bad tipper. That's ridiculous. There are plenty of individuals who do tip 20%, but at the end of the night, there are enough people who tip 5-10% that, at the end of the night, myself and the majority of my coworkers average 10-15%. To me, that confirms what the article said: Not that EVERYONE in Arkansas is a bad tipper, but that on average, people tip 10% in this state.

Also, the article is about the entire state. It's not regional, so I don't see how it can be phony because it's not regional when it never claimed to be in the first place. I mean, seriously. It's like you didn't even read the article.

I have worked in the restaurant industry in three states, including Georgia, and so far this is the worst when it comes to tips. I'm not pointing it out to insult anyone in particular, and I really don't see why anyone who does tip 18-20% would take such personal offense to it. I would think that people who know how to tip appropriately would take issue with the 5-10% tippers who create the situation, and not an article that draws attention to it. But to each their own.

As to the argument that tipping is totally voluntary: It's mandatory. This is America. We have laws in place that allow businesses to pay employees below minimum wage, on the assumption that customers will make up the difference by tipping. If you don't like it, move. Or start voting to change things. Or only visit restaurants that pay their staff the full minimum wage, and not $2/hour.

You know what happens at restaurants where customers don't tip appropriately? The restaurant is obligated, by state law, to pay the difference -- a friend of mine works in a low volume restaurant, where the tips frequently don't add up to minimum wage over the summer. This past summer, the owners had to compensate so much out of their own pockets that, in addition to canceling their vacation plans, they had to raise menu prices. And now you, the 18-20% tippers, are paying for your cheap neighbors who, like you, feel that tipping is a kind, voluntary gesture and not the social contract that it is.

But you go ahead and presume that every anecdotal story is an exaggeration, and studies are all a conspiracy to make you look bad. Sure. Keep living in la-la-land, where only the elderly and broke college students are bad tippers -- because that isn't reality. Not in Arkansas, and not in any other state. There are plenty of middle aged individuals who choose to tip poorly -- maybe they aren't educated, maybe they don't know any better, maybe they're just cheap . . . regardless of the reason, they exist.

And something tells me that you already know that, and that you really don't need someone to tell you.
10-15% of what? The total bill, with taxes? Or the bill before taxes? Because that makes a substantial difference. I'm not going to base a tip on taxes. I tip on the total BEFORE taxes, and I tip 15% for decent service, 20% for good service. If I haven't received good service, sometimes I won't tip at all. Because I don't care how hard your day was, or that you have a baby sick at home, or that your boyfriend may be cheating on you. Your job is to get my order correct, to deliver it to my table promptly, to make sure I have condiments and silverware and whatever else is necessary for me to enjoy my meal. And those aren't difficult things to do. Recently, I sat down in a restaurant, and I ordered a salad as my entree, and I wanted a cup of soup for the appetizer. The restaurant was running a special on a specialty drink, so I ordered one of those. The soup never came. The salad was not the salad I had requested. It wasn't delivered with a dressing (I had requested dressing on the side), the waitress said she'd get that right out to me. She didn't. She never brought the drink I'd ordered. She never checked that everything was okay. I was billed for all these things. I crossed out the things I didn't receive, told the manager, had a corrected bill brought to me. And I didn't leave a tip. That's not being cheap. That's a reasonable response to poor service.
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