Do you tip, when you get bad service?

[toomuchreality]

If you go out to eat and don't get horrible service, but don't get good service either, do you leave a tip? 

This morning, a neighbor and I went out to breakfast at a casual place. (similar to IHOP)
The waitress was nice, but not very good. She was too busy visiting with other customers. I'm not a 'chatter', so I didn't care that she wasn't chatting with us. But she was so distracted by the conversations she was having, that even though we asked 3 times, she still forgot to bring our to-go boxes. We finally got them from another waitress. The whole meal she seemed distracted by the personal conversations she was having with various customers. But she was pleasant.

The total bill was just over $15. How much of a tip would you have left?

[justme]

$1 if that didn't take all too long to conspire. If you were waiting a long time to figure it out I probably would have left pennies. I did that before. Granted she was worse because due to her visiting she had to make the kitchen refire our meal (we could see into the kitchen from our table and it was not busy - like 5 tables and a couple waitresses) and then came over and tried to pass it off on the kitchen being slow. Yeah, we emptied our change from our wallets and left all the pennies and nickels - oh and that was after we got several dollars in change from when she brought our change back.

[billisonboard]

$1

[toomuchreality]

That's exactly what I left $1.

It wasn't busy at all. I think she had 3 tables to wait on, including ours. There were 2 of us at our table, 2 at another, and the third may have had 3 people. Even after the other waitress brought our boxes, she just stood at the table next to ours talking. No I'm sorry, nothing. And it's not like she was busy doing side jobs.

Ugh.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Yes - $1 is usually a not-to-subtle "hint" to the person providing poor service to step up their act and that you were unsatisfied. I think it sends a bigger message than no tip at all.

I'd also let the manager know that you had to wait for your requested to-go boxes, and you had to finally get them from someone other than your designated server.

The word TIP was originated as an acronym for "To Insure Proper (or Prompt) Service"

I tip well when the staff is cordial, attentive and pays attention to keeping people at their station happy by taking orders when they're ready to be placed, serving them in a reasonable time, and returning to the table (without being intrusive) to ask if anything is needed - and then clearing table/presenting tab when you're done.

If they can't do that, they get a minimum percentage on the tab - if they're like your server and are so distracted they completely ignore you, they're going to be out of luck - even a casual place like IHOP or Perkins, Denny's, etc.

[marvholly]

No tip can be mentally accepted by a server as, oh s/he just forgot. Leaving a bit of changes (esp if it includes a BUNCH of pennies) to $1 on ANY size bill should bring home the point.

[Shooby]

I don't know. I find leaving pennies to be rude. If the service is that bad, then I probably would seek out the manager to tell them what is going on. But, sometimes I get you don't want the hassle either and it isn't the job of the customer to ensure their good business practices. For the most part, unless they were just flat out rude, I will reduce my tip even to 10%.

[achelois]

I would have left ten percent and maybe written the manager ( because she was pleasant, not rude, I probably would not have identified her by name).  

I am a letter writer for both good and bad.  I wrote to the manager of a Walmart up north because I got exceptional service from two young men in loading merchandise into my car in the middle of a winter storm. I thanked them personally, of course, but wanted the manager to know in case it would count in their favor when up for a raise or something. 

I also wrote to a manager of a local restaurant when some of the employees were sporting exceptionally long acrylic nails. They are just unhygienic in food service (as well as nursing, etc).  It apparently helped. Haven't seen it since in that restaurant. 

I think letters make more of a longterm impression. 

[zibazinski]

I made DF call because he left a small tip because of lousy service at a restaurant we frequent. I said he looked cheap not unhappy. We went back, she is gone, and our service was great.

[Cookies Galore]

I would leave a standard 20% and open my mouth and say something to the waitress or manager. Not tipping properly doesn't make a point, it makes you look cheap.

[billisonboard]

Sept 22, 2014 7:55:18 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

I would leave a standard 20% and open my mouth and say something to the waitress or manager. Not tipping properly doesn't make a point, it makes you look cheap.

Just a little play with this:

I would not leave a "standard" tip for non-standard service. To tip "properly", I wish to be served properly. I agree that the server may well see you as the "problem" since she obviously already saw you as someone interfering with her conversation.

I work to observe the manager also in situations like this one. If she\he seems to be involved\caring about customer service, I will say something along the lines of "Our server seems distracted today". I have gotten some great responses from simply "Thank you" with a look that says "I have had enough complaints now and she is outta here" to "Thanks for saying something. She is new and I am working with her on that" to "I am sorry about that. She is normally great. I will talk to her". If the manager is just as non-attentive, I don't bother to say anything and just don't go back.

[Lizard Queen]

I tend to tip the same regardless, but I shouldn't.  If everyone really paid according to the service they received, everyone would get better service on average.  A lot of wait-staff get an entitlement attitude in regards to tips, and a lot actually make a pretty decent living.  (ie., I was making $35k/year or so (office/accounting job w/ lots of experience), while my husband's friend's dumb-as-rocks wife was pulling $45k/year as a waitress at Applebee's.  Same LCOLA. My niece bartends at a different Applebees because she makes more than she would using her Assoc. Degree (I think it had something to do with paramedics).

[billisonboard]

Sept 22, 2014 9:17:20 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

I tend to tip the same regardless, but I shouldn't.  If everyone really paid according to the service they received, everyone would get better service on average. ...

 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Sept 22, 2014 9:17:20 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

I tend to tip the same regardless, but I shouldn't.  If everyone really paid according to the service they received, everyone would get better service on average.  A lot of wait-staff get an entitlement attitude in regards to tips, and a lot actually make a pretty decent living.  (ie., I was making $35k/year or so (office/accounting job w/ lots of experience), while my husband's friend's dumb-as-rocks wife was pulling $45k/year as a waitress at Applebee's.  Same LCOLA. My niece bartends at a different Applebees because she makes more than she would using her Assoc. Degree (I think it had something to do with paramedics).

My brother does the same.  He's a bartender at a chain restaurant in a small town in the midwest that is a step up from Applebee's.  He also pulls in anywhere from $60-70K/year and does have healthcare benefits too.

I've watched him at work (I slipped in to surprise him at the end of his shift) one day and he hustles like you wouldn't believe.  He doesn't use his BS.

He did get a job offer to go to corporate in the chain and while the starting salary would have been less than what he currently makes, it would have given him way more opportunity for advancement.  Unfortunately, he didn't see it that way and I have to wonder if he just likes the interactions that he has with customers and really didn't want to wind up in the corporate mold.

[Cookies Galore]

Sept 21, 2014 23:59:00 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

Yes - $1 is usually a not-to-subtle "hint" to the person providing poor service to step up their act and that you were unsatisfied. I think it sends a bigger message than no tip at all.

I'd also let the manager know that you had to wait for your requested to-go boxes, and you had to finally get them from someone other than your designated server.

The word TIP was originated as an acronym for "To Insure Proper (or Prompt) Service"

I tip well when the staff is cordial, attentive and pays attention to keeping people at their station happy by taking orders when they're ready to be placed, serving them in a reasonable time, and returning to the table (without being intrusive) to ask if anything is needed - and then clearing table/presenting tab when you're done.

If they can't do that, they get a minimum percentage on the tab - if they're like your server and are so distracted they completely ignore you, they're going to be out of luck - even a casual place like IHOP or Perkins, Denny's, etc.

Tip is not an acronym. The word everyone means when they quote this false meaning is "ensure," not "insure."

[TheHaitian]

$1 seemed appropriate

[toomuchreality]

When I was paying, the hostess asked how everything was. I told her although the waitress was nice, the service was not as good as it normally is. I also advised her that is why I only left $1 for the tip. I didn't want them to think I was just cheap. She was very apologetic.

I didn't feel the service was poor enough to warrant speaking with the manager, but did think it was important for them to know which waitress was responsible. There was no reason for all of the waiters/waitresses to be involved.

I tried to be factual, not dramatic.



Thanks for all the feedback!