Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I generally leave at least 25% and up to 40% and even 50% if service is outstanding.
I will tell you why, nobody works harder for the money they receive than a waitress. In my opinion they should be earning $15 to $20/hour and the only way they can do that is through tips. Try buying a sandwich lunch for $8 and leave a $5 tip. The smile on the waitress is worth every cent and when you show up the next day she will remember you. You will get excellent service.
whoah, for 50% the waitress is going to have to take her top off.
I tip 20% no matter what unless the service is absolutely horrible and by that I mean the waiter/waitress's attitude not the food. I don't expect a lot- just my drink refilled when it's empty and someone who isn't mad at the world because they are at work. If the service is horrible I leave 10% and speak with the manager. These people get paid less than minimum wage and I get that.
most people who are servers never get anything "wrong" when it comes to this laundry list.. though sometimes things are beyond our control.
But ... It is the server's responsibility to make any mistakes or problems right if they can be made right. If s/he cannot nor will not, s/he does not deserve a 15 percent tip.
For instance ... Recently a meal I'd ordered at a local restaurant came to the table cold. When the server checked on us several moments later, I asked to have the dish heated. When the server came back, the dish was still cold. I sent it back again. The server returned for the third time, and the dish was lukewarm (progress! ), but the server never returned until my dining partner was finished.
Because the server never returned to make sure the meal was served hot, he did not get a tip. It was not the server's fault that the kitchen help cannot tell warm from cold; however, it was the server's fault that I was not satisfied with my meal.
But ... It is the server's responsibility to make any mistakes or problems right if they can be made right. If s/he cannot nor will not, s/he does not deserve a 15 percent tip.
For instance ... Recently a meal I'd ordered at a local restaurant came to the table cold. When the server checked on us several moments later, I asked to have the dish heated. When the server came back, the dish was still cold. I sent it back again. The server returned for the third time, and the dish was lukewarm (progress! ), but the server never returned until my dining partner was finished.
Because the server never returned to make sure the meal was served hot, he did not get a tip. It was not the server's fault that the kitchen help cannot tell warm from cold; however, it was the server's fault that I was not satisfied with my meal.
You're scenario warrants the server not receiving a tip or receiving a low one. The OP does not state how the server handled the subpar quality of food, so it's hard to make any assessment based on that. We cannot expect the server to do anything if we do not communicate our concern to them. Personally, I don't expect the server to know if the food is good or bad unless I tell them.
Neither have I, but I think if you leave an insultingly small tip, the server is likely to be so clueless that they're going to think you are a cheapskate rather than learn something from it.
I think the best thing to do is to speak directly to the server and politely explain why the tip is so small. ("I would have left you more, but you didn't check on our table or refill our water.")
You know what? I can handle this. People get busy, half the staff could have called in, etc. If somebody is obviously TRYING to do their job well, but is shorthanded, etc., I'm not going to hold that against a server.
I don't hold very much against a server but attitude.
I don't tolerate somebody being snotty, bitchy, or snippy with me, though. It boggles the mind that somebody could think, as waitstaff, that this is ever permissible. And better believe I mention it.
But that's not supposed to be true (according to labor laws, atleast).
I suppose we have enough votes to conclude that most people will tip 15-20% in a situation with just "ok" service.
I'm probably the exception then. My tips are purely subjective and not based on percentages. For ok service, I may give the waiter $2, for good service or if I see she/he was shorthanded but tried their best: $5. If I get excellent service, they are getting $10 from me, and I rarely give that out.
For bad service, I just don't tip. While it's true the waiter may take it the other way, rather or not they learn it from it isn't my problem. I'm just not lining the pockets for someone who gives me bad service.
I have been in the position of working low-wage jobs, and I chose not to serve tables, as I didn't want to deal with the problems that come with the job, such as tips, hours, etc. For some people, they make great money waiting tables. Others, not so much.
Some of the servers, or previous servers posting, seem to think they are entitled to more than minimum wage. Many people do hard labor for minimum wage, as well as many other jobs, and have no opportunity for tips.
Customers don't owe servers anything. Servers are more than welcome to find other employment.
I've done harder jobs for not much more money.
Many people have been brainwashed into just throwing money away for poor service, or any store with a tip jar. I saw a tip jar at Subway, and asked the lady making my sandwich why she thought she needed a tip for doing her job. She came up with the brilliant argument of comparing making a sandwich to tipping a pizza delivery person. I told her I may give her a tip if she brings the sandwich to my house.
No matter how good the food is, it's the service that determines how much I leave. I won't leave more than 10% for poor or mediocre service. No reason to reward someone who doesn't return to the table to check up on you, or who takes for-friggin-ever to return your change. However, there were times when I left decent tips although the food was disappointing because the waiter or waitress still stepped up to the plate (pun intended) in service.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
), but the server never returned until my dining partner was finished.
