Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jul 19, 2012 18:13:30 GMT -5
Paraphrase of a Facebook status update comment: This one table totally screwed me because yeah, I might have forgotten two or three drink orders and they might have waited like an hour for their entrees and I might have fucked up their check somewhat and had to fix it and they might have been getting impatient but DAMMIT, I deserved a tip anyway - don't those cheap bastards realize I work for tips? Besides, WE WERE BUSY. $5 on a $100 check OMGWTFBBQ is wrong with this world? Do you ever not leave a tip due to poor service? Why or why not? Also, are you a cheap bastard who doesn't understand that waitstaff works for tips?
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justme
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Post by justme on Jul 19, 2012 18:19:28 GMT -5
I've never not left a tip. Mostly because my uncle (who tips fantastically well for good service) told me when I was younger that if you don't leave a tip they'll just think you're an ass and never leave a tip where as if you leave a really small tip they're more likely to get the message. Though I guess the status you posted proves that some people still don't get the message.
I have left a really small tip one time, for ridiculously bad service and it wasn't even busy.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on Jul 19, 2012 18:22:17 GMT -5
Sounds to me like the bad service got what it had earned. Although it sounds like he/she never did put two-and-two together and realize why the 'cheap bastards' might've left a small tip. Self-awareness? Big Fail!
And yes, I've left a small tip for bad service. Same reasoning as justme's uncle pointed out.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jul 19, 2012 18:28:34 GMT -5
Sounds to me like the bad service got what it had earned. Although it sounds like he/she never did put two-and-two together and realize why the 'cheap bastards' might've left a small tip. Self-awareness? Big Fail!I see waiting tables as a sales job. In sales, you are paid for performance. You don't do a good job, you don't do as well. Granted, there are places where that basically isn't true (most chain restaurants come to mind) but for the most part, if you're an excellent waiter/waitress who gives good service, you're going to make decent money. If you don't, you're... not. It's that simple.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Jul 19, 2012 18:30:15 GMT -5
I'd have to block that person. What a moron.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jul 19, 2012 18:37:50 GMT -5
Someone gently suggested in the comments that people tend to tip less if they're dissatisfied with their server and she came back with a snippy remark about how no one takes money out of YOUR paycheck if YOU have a bad day.
*facepalm*
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InsertCoolName
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Post by InsertCoolName on Jul 19, 2012 19:46:02 GMT -5
Flame suit on.
I have tipped a waitress a penny before.
Me and my 3 kids had ordered and waited 2 hours for our food. It was busy. So the first hour I kinda just let it be. Then I seen that she was on the phone. Sitting down. For an hour I watched her. After waiting 2 hours I walked up to her at the counter and handed her one penny. And told her that she better hope that she finds a stupid ass man to take care of her because she would NEVER make a living based on her skills as a waitress. And then turned to the manager who heard all of this and told her that we had been in there for over 2 hours, it had been 2 hours since this waitress had taken our order. And she has been sitting her on her ass for an hour talking on the phone. At that point said waitress hangs up the phone. I'm not sure what was going to be said by either of them because I just turned and walked out. And I haven't been to that pizza place since.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2012 20:38:41 GMT -5
I have never not tipped, I have however tipped ten percent twice, both times after speaking to the manager and not getting a resolution. One of those time the bill was $9.80 so I gave .98, it very obviously why I did so.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2012 20:41:08 GMT -5
Harmess =/= tipping thread on YM. Just sayin. I think you can always tell the people who have, at some point in their lives, worked in food service or retail. I did and I tip well. I am not wealthy, but I don't go out if I can't tip appropriately for service. If I can't, then I would eat fast food or cook myself first. My mother has never worked a menial job. Fine. Except for tipping. She thinks $5 for her $100+ tab is generous. When we have eaten at a restaurant, I offer to leave the tip or sometimes go back under the guise of potty break and leave more. It is SO embarrassing as she gets into the brand new Cadillac and drives away. I've questioned my mom and her opinion is that tips are extra and the person is employed to serve you and is paid for it... (I am in a state where servers are entitled to the same minimum wage as everyone else, but still!)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2012 20:43:24 GMT -5
I generally tip. Personally i think leaving a penny is a rude gesture. If service is that bad, then i will ask to speak to the manager and express my concerns about their service. I do give a better tip for better service.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jul 19, 2012 20:59:54 GMT -5
I don't leave crappy tips (or no tips) - for the same reason Shooby mentioned. If it's THAT bad, I say something to the manager. I try to tip at least 20%. I tend to come back to a lot of the same places and the last thing I want is for them to roll their eyes and say "you take her" when I walk in, like we did to the cheap tippers I waitressed for probably 18 months total. There were plenty of times I screwed up and deserved a bad tip, but got a good one, and plenty of times I did everything right and got $0.48 in loose change. Tipping doesn't correlate with the level of service provided as much as you'd think. But bitching about a bad tip when you know you messed up is pretty dumb. Bitch about the church group who comes in 20 minutes before close and makes a huge mess and leaves you a pile of Chick booklets in lieu of tip instead.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jul 19, 2012 21:06:45 GMT -5
And if I felt I should tip <10% I'd talk to the manager instead. I'm not sure how it works at other places, but we had to declare 10% of our total sales in tips each night, so technically tipping less than 10% WAS taking money from us. We made about $2/hr, so half the time the taxes ate up all but a couple of dollars of the check.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2012 22:02:36 GMT -5
And if I felt I should tip <10% I'd talk to the manager instead. I'm not sure how it works at other places, but we had to declare 10% of our total sales in tips each night, so technically tipping less than 10% WAS taking money from us. We made about $2/hr, so half the time the taxes ate up all but a couple of dollars of the check. My rule is anything under 15% I speak to a manager. Most times I end up spending less money because things get comped.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jul 19, 2012 22:50:38 GMT -5
I frequent the same restaurant. Not an expensive place and I do know the managers. Twice this summer I have gone in around 4 PM when I'm guessing the manager was doing the bank deposit or something because they weren't there.
Twice this summer, the mostly high school kids spent most of the time talking and not doing their job.
Twice this summer, I left the same server 10% as a tip because I could not get her attention without getting up and going over and interrupting her. I shouldn't have to do that.
I did work as a waitress and so did my mother. This server/waitress was not doing her job--twice.
She is the only server at the restaurant I have ever gotten bad service from and I've never tipped like that at any other time.
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lurkyloo
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Post by lurkyloo on Jul 19, 2012 23:33:13 GMT -5
How about a happy tipping story?
We went out with friends last month and had the usual argument over who got the check. I won the tug of war but offered to let them leave the tip since they seemed mildly unhappy about it. They asked the total ($83) and left a $40 tip.
(The wife works as a bartender. I'm really glad I let them leave the tip, and I'm sure the waitress was too!)
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Jul 19, 2012 23:51:41 GMT -5
And if I felt I should tip <10% I'd talk to the manager instead. I'm not sure how it works at other places, but we had to declare 10% of our total sales in tips each night, so technically tipping less than 10% WAS taking money from us. We made about $2/hr, so half the time the taxes ate up all but a couple of dollars of the check. Where in the world did you work? I waitressed for several years (HS/college) at different levels of places. I always got minimum wage (which is now $8+ an hour). With tips (even after tipping out hostess/busser/bartender/etc I still never made less than $15/hr - and this was 15-20 years ago. Seriously, you take a place like Olive Garden where the average tab is say $30 (so tip is $3-6) and multiply that by 4-5 tables at a time ($12-30), getting new tables every 60-90 minutes. Waiters are NOT low-income. Heck, I know a server who makes 100K/yr with benefits (high end but still). And yes you have to claim a percent of sales to the IRS. That's because so many people in the industry committed tax fraud and lied about their tips. Just another example of a few bad apples ruining it for the rest of us. I always made more than I claimed. As to the OP's question, I'm sure I've left bad tips (don't remember specifically). If the service is poor but I can see my server is working their tail off (ie it was a management issue not the server's) I'd tip extra. But if the place is slow and I see the server chatting it up while my food gets cold in the kitchen, absolutely I leave a "bad" tip.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 0:23:00 GMT -5
I tip on service. I don't have to pay the server's paycheck. That is their employer's responsibility. If they only pay their employees $2 an hour, then they must think their servers are the best.
I had both great and lousy service at a restaurant I went to today. It took them about 35-45 minutes to bring us our meal. Boo. We were making jokes about whether they had to catch the catfish or pluck the chicken. I personally thought they had to grow the potato.
However, when I got the bill, the waitress apologized for the bad service and said she hadn't charged us for drinks (sodas) to make up for what she knew was a really long rate. So she got $5 for a $25 meal. I appreciated her acknowledging the really awful service. Like I said, we were reduced to jokes as to why it took so long.
If a waitress had totally ignored how long it took, I would have simply paid the bill. No service = no tip. Ok, maybe 10% because that is what I pay for pick-up. I am not tipping for the server to greet me.
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moxie
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Post by moxie on Jul 20, 2012 6:33:44 GMT -5
I leave 20%+ for really good, friendly service, 15% for average service and less for just mediocre service. I rarely go under 10-12% unless the waitstaff is rude or absolutely lousy. I sometimes have to decide if I think it was the waitstaff or the kitchen who was at fault. If the kitchen is slow, then I expect that at least the waiter will let me know that and do everything they can to at least make me happy while I am waiting for my meal...ie. refill drinks, apologize for the kitchen, offer to send a manager over, etc. While I don't usually leave without tipping, I WILL ask to speak to a manager about a reasonable discount on my bill if service was absolutely lousy. That said, if I have excellent service, I won't hesitate to give the name of my waiter to the manager and commend them for their efforts.
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on Jul 20, 2012 8:53:54 GMT -5
I've left no tip only twice, and walked out of both places before the meal was over. Both restaurant experiences were horrific, from start to finish, and both places are out of business.
Other than that, I am very generous, in the 15-20% percent range. I write about food as a part-time job, so I understand how tough it is. I also worked in food service during and right after college.
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on Jul 20, 2012 9:44:02 GMT -5
20% is standard for me and sometimes 15% if the service is lacking a bit. I have only left no tip twice in my life and each of those times the meal ended up being free because the service was so terrible I had to complain to the manager. Both of those times not only was service terrible but the wait staff was extremely rude.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 9:46:46 GMT -5
And, some service issues are simply beyond the control of the wait staff. It isn't their fault if the food is bad or other issues. If they are reasonably attentive, i see no reason why i wouldn't tip them.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Jul 20, 2012 9:51:50 GMT -5
I have worked for tips, so I'm a pretty good tipper for good service. But I will leave you a tiny tip if you paid no attention to me, and will probably complain to your manager too. If the reason you didn't pay as much attention to me is because you got triple sat at 7:00 on a Saturday night and are running you azz off and still not able to keep up, I will complain to you manager that maybe they should be helping out the wait staff who are working for $2/hour when they are obviously not.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jul 20, 2012 9:53:34 GMT -5
Harmess =/= tipping thread on YM. Just sayin. That was a joke, dear I know there's no such thing as a harmless tipping thread. Bitch about the church group who comes in 20 minutes before close and makes a huge mess and leaves you a pile of Chick booklets in lieu of tip instead. No kidding. I'm pretty sure Jesus would have left a tip. I've been a server too, but I will occasionally leave less than 20% for bad service. It's got to be pretty bad, though. Incompetence alone usually doesn't cut it. Incompetence + rudeness will probably result in a smaller tip. And the only thing you need to watch out for is making sure your bad experience at a restaurant *really is* the server's fault. If your meal is slow to come out, or your food sucks, or your drinks aren't right, it's possible that the kitchen staff is in error rather than the server (especially for the second one) and the server shouldn't bear the brunt of your frustration. You can usually tell if it's a server issue or not by how communicative they are about the problem. If they avoid you or won't meet your eye, they most likely screwed up a bunch of times and are afraid of your wrath.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jul 20, 2012 9:54:57 GMT -5
Or they pay that because that is the minimum they are legally required to pay and they are more worried about the bottom line than retaining decent servers. Denny's
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jul 20, 2012 10:10:42 GMT -5
With tips I usually keep it simple. I usually take 10% of the bill around up to the nearest dollar. so if my meal falls within the $20-$30 range my tip is three dollars, unless it's unusually close to $30 (like over $28) then I just make it $4. It's not quite the industry standard %15, but I do it 'cause it's easy to figure out.
And to be fair I always go out to eat alone, so it's not like I'm a particularly difficult or time consuming customer.
Personally I'm kind of against the whole idea of tipping. I'd rather pay more for the food, have restaraunts pay standard wages, and not worry about tipping.
"Tipping as a percentage of the bill is beyond stupid to me. If I go to eat at a steakhouse alone and spend $50 on dinner for myself you deserve less tip than if I go out with my wife and nephews at a chain, spend $50 for all of us but you had to serve 5 people including 3 little kids."
That's how I feel too. I eat out alone but I almost always order among the more expensive items on the menu. I feel it's kind of stupid to have to pay more tip because I ordered something expensive. The server has to work the same if I order the $5 burger or the $30 steak if it's just me. If we do have to do tipping it should be based on workload of the server & how good the service is, and the size of your party.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Jul 20, 2012 10:11:03 GMT -5
I always tip fairly. I take minimum wage and divide it by the number of tables the server is working at the same time as me. Then I pay that. But I'm generous, i round up, so if minimum wage is $7.25, I round up to $8, and then if they're serving 3 other tables I divide $8 by 4 (total tables) and leave them $2.
Tipping as a percentage of the bill is beyond stupid to me. If I go to eat at a steakhouse alone and spend $50 on dinner for myself you deserve less tip than if I go out with my wife and nephews at a chain, spend $50 for all of us but you had to serve 5 people including 3 little kids.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2012 10:17:38 GMT -5
"I tip on service. I don't have to pay the server's paycheck. That is their employer's responsibility. If they only pay their employees $2 an hour, then they must think their servers are the best."
I agree with this. Having said that, unless the server was really bad, then I usually leave 20% or close to it. So for me to leave a very small tip, you would really have to mess up the service. If the server acts like he/she doesn't have to do anything and still expect a tip, then guess what a tip is not required unlike the meal check and they will not get it from me. I have tipped $2 on $90+ check before because of this. She was not happy and even had the guts to call me out on it saying minimum is 15%. If the minimum was really 15% then it would be added to the check now, wouldn't it?
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jul 20, 2012 10:19:39 GMT -5
Personally I'm kind of against the whole idea of tipping. I'd rather pay more for the food, have restaraunts pay standard wages, and not worry about tipping. The problem with this is your service will start to suffer. Good servers stay in the restaurant business because they make really good money. If everyone is paid the same whether they do a good job or not (and rest assured, that amount will be less than the good servers make now - restaurants will pay the least they can get away with so they don't have to raise food prices more than necessary), the good servers will find something else to do. You'll be left with the crappy ones, and paying more for the privilege of being served by them. Tipping as a percentage of the bill is beyond stupid to me. If I go to eat at a steakhouse alone and spend $50 on dinner for myself you deserve less tip than if I go out with my wife and nephews at a chain, spend $50 for all of us but you had to serve 5 people including 3 little kids. How would you rather tip? If tipping starts amounting to "how hard are you making the server's job," hardly anyone will ever bring kids to restaurants. Which I realize would be a win in most people's books
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jul 20, 2012 10:23:07 GMT -5
If the server acts like he/she doesn't have to do anything and still expect a tip, then guess what a tip is not required unlike the meal check and they will not get it from me. I have tipped $2 on $90+ check before because of this. She was not happy and even had the guts to call me out on it saying minimum is 15%. If the minimum was really 15% then it would be added to the check now, wouldn't it?
Oh yeah, I forgot my other pet peeve which has been known to cause me not to leave a tip. I can't stand it when waitstaff ask me how much change I want. Just bring me the !@#$ change and I will decide how much of it I want to keep.
Once I gave a waiter a C-note for a $40 dinner and he asked how much change I wanted. Big mistake. I stared at him for a few seconds and then said, "All of it." No tip for him.
It's kind of like how standard party etiquette says you don't mention gifts on a party invite. If you're a server, you don't mention the tip. Period. Otherwise you sound entitled and rude.
bunnysmom, I wonder if she called you out because she sensed you were European. It was still rude, but that might have been why she brought it up. Some Europeans don't realize that it's customary to tip here. Very common stereotype among servers.
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Colleenz
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Post by Colleenz on Jul 20, 2012 10:25:11 GMT -5
Totally OT, but what is up with Firebird and Darks siggys?
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