Tipping...and your level of service received (girl, friend, percentage)

[easternerDC]

I usually give about $4-$5 for pizza delivery guys, and the bill is about $20-$25.

If the total bill was about $34 - I would have given him $5.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Ibginnie

I don't know where you heard this but, it's just not so! The feds do NOT track your sales. They track MINE as a restaurant owner but, that's the extent of it.



BRAVO

I am a former restaurant owner. Thankfully, I was able to pay my wait staff minimum wage or more. On the average they went home anywhere between 250 - 400a day in tips. My wait staff was not a bunch of uneducated, lazy, or teenaged people. Actually I have had many college educated people in my employ who were in between jobs in their fields or just prefered this type of work to their chosen profession. MOST are not "usually people who do not feel they can do better in career choice...so, they chose to be a waitress..."
There are many that have chosen this to be their profession and should be treated as professionals. Yes I say professionals because in MY restaurant you got the same service if you were a non-tipper as you would if you were the people that left 50%.

With that said, I have to agree that your tip depends on your service. You come to my table and have no personality, no manners, no professionalism well that translates to no tip. If you get my order wrong (and I can see that it was your fault from the ticket) because you didn't pay attention when I ordered, again no tip. If you leave my dirty plates on the table for too long or if you pour my drink into the cup or glass without removing it from the table well......you just need to get another job, because you are not interested in service. How many does that offend? I hate it when the server reaches across my food to refill my water and dribbles some on my food! I always try to hand them the glass. ohhhh and another peeve, the server taht leans on my table to write down the order! OMG I have a list a mile long of dos and don'ts. But, having been in this business AND having been highly trained as a waitress I have high expectations. If you don't want to bring professionalism to a very hard and demanding job don't work in restaurants.

When your service is bad PLEASE tell the manager. Give them the opportunity to fix the problems. Also, if your service was wonderful tell the manager. (I always write a letter too) They want to know that also! And leave a good tip!

ummmmmmm, dont know how long ago you owned your restaurant, but the owners always make sure you claim your 8%, you dont think THEY are going to pay it, do you????
Also, the kind of $$$ you speak of your servers making is VERY rare. I worked at Churchhill Downs on Millionaires Row, and pulled down that kind of money, but the folks that worked in the other restaurants and bars in the Downs didnt. That is the exception, not the norm.

[songinthewind7]

I used to do waitress work and it's one of the hardest jobs I've ever done BUT I never expected a tip just because I was a waitress. I certainly didn't ask people if they wanted change back. Now that's tacky.
I can understand someone being new and that would be obvious but the thing is to have a good attitude, that's what counts with me. If someone thinks they're doing me a favor by doing there job and bringing me a drink to the table, I don't appreciate that and I don't reward bad behavior. It's like giving your kid money when he/she misbehaves. I don't do that.
I can afford to go out and eat and it's not my problem that the wait staff don't get paid enough.
I tip well but only if they deserve it and have a good attitude.
The smarta** part of me says, tip me because you are blessed with my presence and I work soooooo hard.

[Ibginnie]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

ummmmmmm, dont know how long ago you owned your restaurant, but the owners always make sure you claim your 8%, you dont think THEY are going to pay it, do you????
Also, the kind of $$$ you speak of your servers making is VERY rare. I worked at Churchhill Downs on Millionaires Row, and pulled down that kind of money, but the folks that worked in the other restaurants and bars in the Downs didnt. That is the exception, not the norm.

Well, I sold my restaurant on Dec. 31. Your 8%? I could have cared less what they claimed. I was covered as long as I paid at least minimum wage. Maybe I missed something in the law. Please do tell. You would think that my accountant or the government would have let me know after 11 years in business.

I am 50 years old. When I was in my 20's I was bringing home no less than $200 a night in tips. I guess it depends on your level of training and where you choose to work. I know servers, in my home town of Cape May, NJ, that work the summer season and when the restaurant closes for the winter they do not have to get another job and they live very comfortably.

Good servers make a good living but, it does depend on the location and your level of expertise.

[gallowsCalibrator]

Well, when it comes to the pizza delivery.. my order comes about a buck short of $20 - so I just give him a $20 and tell him to keep the change. Mind you, I only order from Papa Johns - which is about a block away. I could literally walk there in under 5 minutes... I'm just too lazy.

When it comes to eating out, I start out each meal with 10% in mind. It can go up or down depending on the server. There have been very few occassions where I didn't leave a tip at all.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Kuharai

When it comes to eating out, I start out each meal with 10% in mind. It can go up or down depending on the server. There have been very few occassions where I didn't leave a tip at all.

why 10%?

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Ibginnie

Well, I sold my restaurant on Dec. 31. Your 8%? I could have cared less what they claimed. I was covered as long as I paid at least minimum wage. Maybe I missed something in the law. Please do tell. You would think that my accountant or the government would have let me know after 11 years in business.

I am 50 years old. When I was in my 20's I was bringing home no less than $200 a night in tips. I guess it depends on your level of training and where you choose to work. I know servers, in my home town of Cape May, NJ, that work the summer season and when the restaurant closes for the winter they do not have to get another job and they live very comfortably.

Good servers make a good living but, it does depend on the location and your level of expertise.

EXACTLY.

Hey, I carried a tray. I know what it's like to work a double shift. Yet there's this weird sense of entitlement on this issue that I don't get.

Look, if you're working your way through college and making $10 an hour at some part time job, and you get a chance to pull $150 a night CASH making tips, then why are you complaining? I waited tables for two years, and pulled in amazing amounts of money for a college kid. All you have to do is hustle and not hang out behind the restaurant and smoke.

Anybody who halfway tries can make respectable money off the 15% tip. And that's basically if you give mediocre service. Do better jobs, and you get more money. It's a meritocracy if ever I've seen one, delivering immediate rewards for a job well done. And I worked 4-5 nights a week, and NEVER was stiffed on a tip. Let me repeat that. I was NEVER stiffed on a tip.

Instead, I worked alongside dozens of servers, and I found that there was a direct correlation between how often a server was stiffed and how lazy or inattentive that server was. The very ones who bitched about tips the most were the ones who were always disappearing behind the kitchen to smoke or gossip. Yet at the end of the night, they never could see the link between their crappy attitude and what they made.

And then there's this pious "I worked as a waitress so I try to pay them 30, 40, 50% whenever I go into the restaurant, even if they spilled scalding coffee in my lap" nonsense. Or the "waiters only get $2 an hour from the restaurant. I pay them because the restaurants are exploiting them" baloney. A restaurant isn't a Viking longship (Although I worked at one that felt that way). You are not chained to the oars. You work there voluntarily under the conditions that were specified. If you don't like the hours, the wages, and the working conditions, then the 7/11 always needs counter help.

You don't give a 20% tip because they breathe. You give a 20-25% tip because they contribute to your dining experience. They know the menu inside and out. They make suggestions. They go back to the kitchen and hurry up your order because you're trying to make a concert. They appear at your table after the food has been delivered to ensure your satisfaction. They fill the water glasses, and they arrive with the check when you are finishing your meal (probably where most waiters drop the ball, by the way). I did those things and was rewarded accordingly.

And Gretchen, I have to tell you, I really don't care how you do things in Germany. It is really presumptive for you to make judgments on how Americans voluntarily choose to work and do business over here. For the vast majority of people who wait tables, it pays quite well and there's nothing exploitive about it. Instead, it's a system where people who are hardworking and conscientious can make a good deal of money in a short period of time.

[Ibginnie]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

EXACTLY.

Hey, I carried a tray. I know what it's like to work a double shift. Yet there's this weird sense of entitlement on this issue that I don't get.

Look, if you're working your way through college and making $10 an hour at some part time job, and you get a chance to pull $150 a night CASH making tips, then why are you complaining? I waited tables for two years, and pulled in amazing amounts of money for a college kid. All you have to do is hustle and not hang out behind the restaurant and smoke.

Anybody who halfway tries can make respectable money off the 15% tip. And that's basically if you give mediocre service. Do better jobs, and you get more money. It's a meritocracy if ever I've seen one, delivering immediate rewards for a job well done. And I worked 4-5 nights a week, and NEVER was stiffed on a tip. Let me repeat that. I was NEVER stiffed on a tip.

Instead, I worked alongside dozens of servers, and I found that there was a direct correlation between how often a server was stiffed and how lazy or inattentive that server was. The very ones who bitched about tips the most were the ones who were always disappearing behind the kitchen to smoke or gossip. Yet at the end of the night, they never could see the link between their crappy attitude and what they made.

And then there's this pious "I worked as a waitress so I try to pay them 30, 40, 50% whenever I go into the restaurant, even if they spilled scalding coffee in my lap" nonsense. Or the "waiters only get $2 an hour from the restaurant. I pay them because the restaurants are exploiting them" baloney. A restaurant isn't a Viking longship (Although I worked at one that felt that way). You are not chained to the oars. You work there voluntarily under the conditions that were specified. If you don't like the hours, the wages, and the working conditions, then the 7/11 always needs counter help.

You don't give a 20% tip because they breathe. You give a 20-25% tip because they contribute to your dining experience. They know the menu inside and out. They make suggestions. They go back to the kitchen and hurry up your order because you're trying to make a concert. They appear at your table after the food has been delivered to ensure your satisfaction. They fill the water glasses, and they arrive with the check when you are finishing your meal (probably where most waiters drop the ball, by the way).

Kuharai, 10% is my starting point too! It can go up if the service is good. More often these days it's less. Owners are not doing a good job of training their wait staff.
We have a favorite café that we go to for lunch. The food is always great. The service is most often very good. There is one waitress that leaves much to be desired. she gets the 10% or less. She had the audacity to ask us why our, "tips suck!" I told her it was because her service did the same. I also told her to watch one specific waitress and learn. Then I let her know that that other waitress gets no less than $10 on a $20 tab.

[kshe95girl]

[quote=cpg35223;31650

And Gretchen, I have to tell you, I really don't care how you do things in Germany. It is really presumptive for you to make judgments on how Americans voluntarily choose to work and do business over here. For the vast majority of people who wait tables, it pays quite well and there's nothing exploitive about it. Instead, it's a system where people who are hardworking and conscientious can make a good deal of money in a short period of time.[/quote]


I thought for a moment you were directing the last part of your diatribe at me, and I was going WTF??????(Gretchen is my given name) Then I remembered the post that woman made......I do believe in Germany the gratuity is included. Glad you called her out, I felt the same way when i read her post!

[b75]

For normal to good service I tip 20% as the standard. You have to be pretty bad for me to tip less then that. If the service is exceptional I tip more. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out. Keep in mind that it is legally expected that a waitress will make a certain amount in tips. If you don't tip him/her well enough it could wind up that they actually paid to wait on you. When I waited tables it was a physically and mentally exhausting job. People could be nice & civil but you also got folks in that seemed to get their jollies off of being rude to the girl that was waiting on them (some sort of ego trip I think). And then after they were done generally they tipped awful too.