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Wow - I don't know if this thread is for real, or if as some here have mentioned, it was posted to stir up trouble. But it seems after reading all this that there are really some people out there who think it is OK to not leave a tip, and I am appalled! First of all, I absolutely despise people who are "cheap", which is different from frugal. This says a lot about a person.
But more importantly, my dad was a career server at a big, nice restaurant for many years, and he had horror stories to tell. It was a difficult and demanding job for which he got almost nothing from the restaurant and had to rely on tips. I myself tried a stint at serving and lasted 3 weeks - what an eye opener - it was such hard work, and I didn't realize how many really cheap, selfish people there are out there. You people who think it's ok not to tip should be ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!!! If you can't afford to tip you can't afford to go out, unless it's through a drive-thru. We tip well even at a buffet, and to the pizza delivery guy!
I hope reading this thread gives some of you pause to think.
My husband and I are very funny about tipping. The tip starts at 20% for us. It rarely, rarely stays there.
My husband is a bartender, so he has two rules for good service: keep the drinks refilled, and don't only talk to him because you assume he's paying the bill.
Generally it goes up, not down. And heck, we've had one server at a stuffy fine dining restaurant drop my meal on the table right in front of me (slippery new triangular plates), and I cracked up laughing. He handled that incident so well that he actually got $10 added to his tip.
But for servers who act rude or entitled, and don't do their job, we have stiffed them. Both of us having worked restaurant, it's easy to know if someone is just a bad server, or really doesn't care. Bad servers still get 20%, apathetic, entitled ones rarely get anything more than a buck or two.
If we're strapped on cash, we go somewhere we know the service is going to be awful and have a laugh about it (IHOP generally, in our area). But if we get pleasantly surprised, we break a $20, leave a great tip, and grumble about the good service. It's only fair.
You people who think it's ok not to tip should be ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!!!
Sadly, I don't think they are capable of that emotion. Not only do they not tip, but they are more than willing to tell everyone, and they seem perversely proud of themselves.
I think it was a book by Anthony Bourdain,Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly that describes some disgusting kitchen shenanigans and how they take care of bad customers. Maybe they need to read that book for some reality checks and valuable life lessons. I think they will treat servers with a tad more respect after a little education. After all, respect is not a one way street.
Last edited by baseballgal; 05-20-2009 at 05:05 PM..
I have been in tipping threads in the "Great Debates" forum.
I wrote how much tipping annoys me, the fourth or fifth time in the same week. Because I lunch outside, every single day, trying to sneak into a restaurant between my tight schedules. I can never be the depressed eating-at-cubicle-desk bloke
So, by Friday, if one accumulates my tips, it's a whole new meal, say 10 to 15$
But I've never walked out without leaving the tip, though I certainly feel the grudge on Friday
But I do understand that a waiter/waitress finding the absence of the tip after I'm gone would probably get more frustrated than I get. They work hard, so they deserve it.
I once left a 10$ tip on a 15$ meal. The waitress clearly looked like a young kid on her first day's job. She was over-polite and over-conscious on whether she was doing it right, and it made me really uncomfortable she had to go through it.
I mostly tip between 25 and 40%
On the other hand, Mr.Bolo can't be criticized. He has the right to spend his own money. We all know tipping isn't mandatory.
However, if one customer does not tip, another leaves a generous tip. But this is the truth - not many tip a lot. And the economy has severely dented tipping tendencies.
I bet Mr B has been served some "special" sauce numerous times
I bet he never goes back to the same restaurant.
If it's LA or NYC, this strategy can clearly work. It's like hit and run. There are plenty of places and a whole list of Mr.B's young victims, lol.
This is why in an advanced age, all diners can have a bar code, which the waiters/waitresses can scan and sauce accordingly
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Maybe they need to read that book for some reality checks and valuable life lessons. I think they will treat servers with a tad more respect after a little education. After all, respect is not a one way street.
