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Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,700 posts, read 41,718,665 times
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In the past few months I have left a .17 tip for a 10.00 meal and a .01 tip for an 11.00 meal to let them know the low quality of service I felt I got.
I, too, eat out a lot living in a compact neighborhood filled with restaurants and bars. I rarely experience terrible service, but I do get poor or inattentive service sometimes and tip accordingly: half or less of what I would normally tip which is usually about 20%. I am a repeat customer and gaining a reputation as a good tipper pays off.
It is important to discern whether your bad experience stems from the service or the kitchen. An attentive server will keep you updated on your order if the kitchen is in the weeds.
I see this situation a little differently than you do ... I'm not going to "send a message" .... I am going to tip fairly for the services I received, no more and no less.
My point is, if you get bad service (a) talk to the manager, and (b) don't leave a tip.
Tips for me , are based on the service you get.
With me you start at Zero and you earn your tip as we go.
If I catch you picking your nose(as we have) (waiter or waitress) we will leave, without paying for anything.
Go ahead make a seen and stop us, a good manager will probably fire you. So thanks for the free drinks, I think.
I do not leave tips for waitresses that give horrible service, and if they give bad/unattentive service I will leave a very small tip. That being said, for good service I tip well above average, usually 40-50%
If the service is poor; I make sure the manager knows, before I leave, that there is an issue with the server or the service.
Leaving small tips or no tips just implies you're cheap and they don't always associate it with bad service, unless it's being addressed by management. Or, you tell them yourself why you aren't tipping them.
... Remember, servers only make about $ 2.50 or so an hour, so if you believe they provided you with good and efficent service, take care of them accordingly-----and if they dont care at all about their service also let them know by the size of your tip.
Servers make no less than minimum wage per hour at the end of their shift.
While their employers may pay them minimal amounts per hour, if that number ($2.50 or whatever it is by state) plus the tips they earn do not add up to minimum wage (the state minimum can be equal or higher than federal minimum wage - I think California is going up to over $10/hr this year) the employer is legally required to make up the difference to them.
While their employers may pay them minimal amounts per hour, if that number ($2.50 or whatever it is by state) plus the tips they earn do not add up to minimum wage (the state minimum can be equal or higher than federal minimum wage - I think California is going up to over $10/hr this year) the employer is legally required to make up the difference to them.
Which is why I think it's best to simply speak to the manager rather than "send a message" to the waiter (who I think probably gets the "message" of no tip). The manager is going to be very interested in the wait person's poor performance since he's going to have to pay for it (rather than the customer).
the employer is legally required to make up the difference to them.
Doesn't mean that they do, there is a lot of winking going on and a lot of servers won't report it for fear of losing their job.
My son is working part time as a server and he's been told to report that his tips come to what they are supposed to come to, if they are over or under he doesn't report it. The managers figure either he'll make extra money and stay or he'll lose money and quit, so it works itself out in their eyes.
You are in a delicate position because you frequent that place often. i would have probably left a tip but a low tip and then requested a different waiter or waitress next time.
If you frequent a place and you had great service from a particular server, make certain to get their name and request them. In addition, let your server know they provided great service and ask if you can request them in the future.
If you want to correct a server's poor conduct, inform ownership (not management) and if they are a national chain, e-mail corporate and provide the name of the server. With regard to chains, always go through corporate and never the local manager. Go online to the "contact us" tab and let them know in a polite manner: "My family and I frequent your restaurant regularly and we love the excellent service we typically get. We should let you know that we received poor service from ' ' and this is not typical of your restaurant. I feel this should be brought to your attention"
Quote:
Originally Posted by CHTransplant
Which is why I think it's best to simply speak to the manager rather than "send a message" to the waiter (who I think probably gets the "message" of no tip). The manager is going to be very interested in the wait person's poor performance since he's going to have to pay for it (rather than the customer).
The manager often protects or covers up their employee's behavior. In a restaurant, the waitstaff and manager are close and are often friends and work together. They manager usually treats the waitstaff like his flock and will seek to protect them. The manager will tell you what you want to hear and then do nothing. I've spoken to managers in the past about this and that's what happens most of the time. Instead, you should try to contact the owner as the owner does have a vested interest if one of their employees is providing poor service. And if the place is a chain, contact the corporate office. The corporate office will then contact the manager of the restaurant holding the manager accountable which is what you want. If it's a local restaurant, send a sealed letter to the owner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim in FL
Leaving small tips or no tips just implies you're cheap and they don't always associate it with bad service, unless it's being addressed by management. Or, you tell them yourself why you aren't tipping them.
It depends on the tip. Leaving a 10% tip suggests you are cheap. Leaving a nickel suggests you were upset and are retaliating. Unless the server is a complete idiot, I think he or she is smart to enough to figure out the customer wasn't happy with them.
Last edited by azriverfan.; 01-31-2012 at 12:32 AM..
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