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I give a minimum of 20% tip. I have given more depending on how good the wait staff was. Tipping is to ensure that the person waiting on you does a good job on handling what you purchase. Yes they will tell you if you can get this or that since some of it has been sold out.. No biggie to me.. just means I have to change my choice of what I eat. As long as the wait staff does it with grace and dignity I do not get offended.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,937,291 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesse69
I bet a waiter can serve 10 different people in 1 hour, and if each gave a 70 cent tip - that's $7, so nothing to sneeze at a measely tip. Yeah, I'll still eat out and give a 70 cent tip then tell them I can't afford more while unemployed. I'm never gonna tip 20% - I don't believe in that hokey rate. It's robbery to me! $8 meal + $2 tip? I'll give $1
Wow, I sure hope you don't frequent the same place more than once---for your sake
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,937,291 times
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From what I know, servers have the potential to make hundreds of dollars a night on certain nights, if they work certain hours. They have to compete for those times/hours. Overall, though, they're not making a whole lot of money even with 20% tip. Plus they're responsible for paying taxes on the tips.
The other thing is at a really popular place, management is going to hire a bunch of $2/hour servers to ensure customer service--or at least they should. More servers should equal better customer service. Cheap for management, but cuts into the servers' takehome tips and causes some infighting among them. But what are they gonna do? There's a million other people who will gladly take their job. Plus it's unskilled labor so you're looking at training someone for an hour or so and they'll be up and running.
I wouldn't be a server because it really is pretty cutthroat out there if you want to make money. Quite frankly, I hate eating at restaurants anyway--overpriced, the service is usually lacking, and the food just isn't all that. I'm a bit of a clean freak and much prefer to prepare my own food. Not to mention I'm a great cook. But when I do out, I always tip the customary amount. If I am so annoyed that I'm even thinking about stiffing the waitstaff, I always talk to a manager.
The problem is that some people don't get how hard serving can be if you work in a busy restaurant. You can get double, triple or even quadruple sat all in about 10 mins and it takes the right person to be able to juggle all these new tables at once. It's all about communication. You need to let your tables know whats going on so their not in the dark. Just common sense!! Plus those trays with food on them can be very, very heavy. You always want to have your section clean as that ensures your tables are open for business as well and I think it reflects on you as a server personally. Yes, sometimes I get so busy that my section is slacking but I try to keep up with it asap when I have a quick break. You also have to understand that you are constantly on your feet and are constantly moving. Your body pays for it, believe me! IF you are a good server, you will always be given the good sections ensuring your money. Yes, there is infighting but thats because the lazy/bad servers ***** about the bad sections but don't think about the big picture. You have to prove you are a team player-run others food, help clean, be a good row buddy, etc. It's all in the managers hands who gets what and those people don't understand that many many others, especially in todays world, would be wiling to take their place in a heartbeat.
I do extremely well at my job and in my first month of being a serving ever I am employee of the month!! (Yea for me!!) There is also talk of making me lead server as well. I work hard and my bosses see that. It's nice to be recognized for hard work by them and my customers and by that, my wallet sees it too!
When I was a server 2 years ago, I was paid $2.50/hr. 20% is normal for good service. I am just saying how it is. If you don't like it, order take out, cook at home, but don't punish a server because you don't have money.
Sorry, if a server expects ten dollars for delivering a few sandwiches to a table, then they have an extreme sense of entitlement. Leaving less than a $10 tip for a $50 tab is not punishment. Get a grip. My family owns three restaurants in Boston. When I was younger I worked in one of them. The staff are paid $2.50 an hour, and they are not expected to split tips with the kitchen staff. On a busy night, the really good servers can pull in over $150 in tips. If you work as a server and are hustling your butt off, and at the end of the day you find you are making minimum wage or slightly higher, then you are working in the wrong place.
FYI Asta-Not all states pay 2.50 an hour. I make 2.13 an hour. Also, most restaurants DO split tips with bussers and hosts.
And yes, I expect $10 on a $50 bill for my excellent service. Again, IF you can't afford to tip correctly for the correct service, then don't eat out period!!
I'd also like to add that if what you are saying is true about your family owning three restaurants in Boston, you should be totally ashamed of yourself. YOU, yourself, have worked in the business. You KNOW whats its like and how hard servers work to make their money. Really pathetic
Sorry, if a server expects ten dollars for delivering a few sandwiches to a table, then they have an extreme sense of entitlement. Leaving less than a $10 tip for a $50 tab is not punishment. Get a grip. My family owns three restaurants in Boston. When I was younger I worked in one of them. The staff are paid $2.50 an hour, and they are not expected to split tips with the kitchen staff. On a busy night, the really good servers can pull in over $150 in tips. If you work as a server and are hustling your butt off, and at the end of the day you find you are making minimum wage or slightly higher, then you are working in the wrong place.
Do you listen to yourself? Servers are paid so low in America because 20% tips are expected. If they were paid $8 an hour, meals would be more expensive. I find it hard to believe you know too much about restaurants given what you just wrote. Granted I am done waiting on tables, but when I did, I had to give the bartender a percentage of all of my alcohol sales, give the server assistants (bussers) at least 15% of my tips, and I usually gave them more if they did a good job, and then give another percentage to the expo. This means out of every dollar tip, I took home only 70 cents of it. I am not going to argue back and forth, I am letting you know that it is an industry standard in America to leave a 20% tip for good service. Meal prices are lower because of this, it is the way the business is structured.
Well, I guess restaurants will suffer because if you want everyone to tip 20% - no they're not gonna eat there. I don't eat Waffle House now and settle for a $3 Jack N the Box Hearty Bowl instead.
FYI Asta-Not all states pay 2.50 an hour. I make 2.13 an hour. Also, most restaurants DO split tips with bussers and hosts.
And yes, I expect $10 on a $50 bill for my excellent service. Again, IF you can't afford to tip correctly for the correct service, then don't eat out period!!
I'd also like to add that if what you are saying is true about your family owning three restaurants in Boston, you should be totally ashamed of yourself. YOU, yourself, have worked in the business. You KNOW whats its like and how hard servers work to make their money. Really pathetic
The key word is "excellent." Unfortunately, in my experience as a customer, excellence is becoming increasingly harder to come by. From what you say about yourself, you sound like an excellent server who knows your job well and works hard for your money. So why be so defensive? What's pathetic is your sarcastic response to an opinion that is different from your own.
If I was still working as a server, would I like to earn a 20% tip? HECK YES! Would I feel slighted or punished if I received 15%? No. Would I tell people not to eat out if they weren't prepared to follow MY rules and expectations regarding gratuities? No.
I find it hard to believe you know too much about restaurants given what you just wrote.
When I was in the 3rd grade my dad bought his first restaurant. I have worked at a lot of places since then doing everything from washing dishes to cooking and prep work to waiting tables to bartending. I have worked in fast food and fine establishments. I never said I knew everything about the business. My highest-paying job was as a function bartender at a country club in MA. There were many days when I was literally in pain from being on my feet for so long and from running all day. Yes, I dealt with my share of jerks. Sure there were some places where I wasn't making what I was worth, so I moved on. On the whole, however, I was well-compensated. Everywhere I went, there were always some people I worked with who made less than others. The reason for that is open to speculation.
Last edited by Asta; 10-12-2008 at 04:44 PM..
Reason: clarity
People have extremely different ideas about how to handle money. Tipping is part of the dining experience, especially if you are a regular at a specific restaurant. There are places that have excellent service that enhance the meal and are worth the money. If you tip well, the staff may remember you, you get great service. The good places are always crowded, there must be a reason.
Yogi Berra, "Nobody goes there any more, its too crowded. "
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