Waiters: How much do you tip out?

chinobaeza · November 2007

I always leave tip....I preffer to tip rather than no tip and increase the waiter salary, tips don't pay taxes

(at least here).
Leaving 30-40% seems ridiculous to me...I leave between 10-15%

Pegasus · November 2007

Songburst wrote:

I thought that there were places in Europe where the staff worked solely on tips.

no chance! we have something called minimum wage you know...

in the US, what gets me even more than restaurant tipping (it's done in Europe..but it's optional, you're not FORCED into it), it's bar tipping!
it's not like bar staff are serving you at a table like in France or Italy (btw, it's only parisians who are snotty like that), you have to go get your drink yourself, all they do is open a bottle and pour it into a glass ffs!! (with me they don't even have to pour I'd rather drink from the bottle)
it'd be like me expecting a tip every time i answer the phone! ridiculous.

rhinomagic · November 2007

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

I tip out 30%, the last place I worked was 40%. I'm curious what other waitpersons tip out elsewhere. Thanks

Forgive me if I missed the original point, but it seems to me that you're asking the people who actually serve tables how much we tip-out to bartenders, bussers, or any of our other co-workers for their services throughout the shift.

Is that correct?

If so, I don't understand the 30-40% guideline. Unless you're working at some place where you walk with $500.00 each night, why are you giving away one-third of your take? Our restaurant has a tip-share program where each server gives 3% of his/her sales to the house. That 3% is re-distributed to bartenders (who make their own tips from bar customers), bussers, and hosts (who each earn a higher wage per hour than servers/bartenders).

Given my situation, 30% of the night's sales sounds like highway robbery. If it's 30% of the night's earnings, it still sounds a little steep. Help me understand.

.

evenkat · November 2007

Pegasus wrote:

no chance! we have something called minimum wage you know...

in the US, what gets me even more than restaurant tipping (it's done in Europe..but it's optional, you're not FORCED into it), it's bar tipping!
it's not like bar staff are serving you at a table like in France or Italy (btw, it's only parisians who are snotty like that), you have to go get your drink yourself, all they do is open a bottle and pour it into a glass ffs!! (with me they don't even have to pour I'd rather drink from the bottle)
it'd be like me expecting a tip every time i answer the phone! ridiculous.

Tipping is optional here but it is expected.

Oh the reason to tip bartenders is so that they bring you your drinks much faster

otherwise you could wait a long time in between drinks. I usually tip them big the first time and then a little bit after each drink.

Hmm nothing wrong with getting a tip after each phone call

dunkman · November 2007

evenkat wrote:

Oh the reason to tip bartenders is so that they bring you your drinks much faster otherwise you could wait a long time in between drinks. I usually tip them big the first time and then a little bit after each drink.

how about the bartend just does his fucking job regardless of what american is waving the largest bunch of cash in his face.

if someone got served before me in an US bar simply because they'd tipped the guy $10 on his first round then i'd punch all the staff in the kidneys and glue their children to a whale...

its a fucked up system and no amount of defending it will ever convince us otherwise.

redrock · November 2007

Songburst wrote:

I thought that there were places in Europe where the staff worked solely on tips.

Where did you get such an idea? (or are you jesting?). That would be completely illegal.

mookie9999 · November 2007

rhinomagic wrote:

Forgive me if I missed the original point, but it seems to me that you're asking the people who actually serve tables how much we tip-out to bartenders, bussers, or any of our other co-workers for their services throughout the shift.

Is that correct?

If so, I don't understand the 30-40% guideline. Unless you're working at some place where you walk with $500.00 each night, why are you giving away one-third of your take? Our restaurant has a tip-share program where each server gives 3% of his/her sales to the house. That 3% is re-distributed to bartenders (who make their own tips from bar customers), bussers, and hosts (who each earn a higher wage per hour than servers/bartenders).

Given my situation, 30% of the night's sales sounds like highway robbery. If it's 30% of the night's earnings, it still sounds a little steep. Help me understand.

.

Three pages in and somebody finally reads the op's thread properly (that is after me

To the non-tippers out there because you don't favor the American way, you are paying for it in the cost of the food where you live. One person on here said meals are basically the same price in Scotland as in the states. How do you figure? Throughout America, depending on where you live, meals range dramatically in price. Not to mention no one has mentioned the overhead to lease/own the space where your restaurant is located. I know what some people pay in NYC to rent their restaurant,and I assure you, you wouldn't want to see what the prices on the menu would be if the owners paid a better wage. What are the costs in other countries to run a restaurant?

Pegasus · November 2007

evenkat wrote:

Tipping is optional here but it is expected.

Oh the reason to tip bartenders is so that they bring you your drinks much faster otherwise you could wait a long time in between drinks. I usually tip them big the first time and then a little bit after each drink.

Hmm nothing wrong with getting a tip after each phone call

it's not optional if you get bad or no service unless you do it!
that sounds like a form of blackmail to me.. just do your fucking job!

mookie9999 · November 2007

Oh, and to those in other countries that have posted on here what their waiters make, and yet they still tip, why?? Shouldn't you be tipping the dentist as well then?

redrock · November 2007

mookie9999 wrote:

What are the costs in other countries to run a restaurant?

Same principle as in the US... some areas are cheaper than others. Same goes with wages, house prices, etc. Central London would be a lot more expensive than Greater London, which in turn is a lot more expensive than Chipping Norton.
All is relative.

We all understand that waiters, and most other jobs associated with a restaurant pay little money, but I work at a large bakers and when I see the wages of the factory/production people, it is worse than a waiter's basic pay. They work really hard and non stop but these guys don't get tips, do they? Whether you tip or not is your decision, but I argue if we tip certain professions (waiting staff, hairdressers, cab drivers) who earn a steady wage (albeit low), why do we stop there? If it is a service industry 'thing', should we tip the sales people or cashiers in shops? Should we tip the McDonald's worker who serves you?

evenkat · November 2007

dunkman wrote:

how about the bartend just does his fucking job regardless of what american is waving the largest bunch of cash in his face.

if someone got served before me in an US bar simply because they'd tipped the guy $10 on his first round then i'd punch all the staff in the kidneys and glue their children to a whale...

its a fucked up system and no amount of defending it will ever convince us otherwise.

Oh I'm not defending it all. Of course I would rather not have to tip at all but I also want my drinks as fast as possible and I know other people are tipping the bartender so I do the same. I've no patience lol. I don't want to go to jail so punching them in the kidney and gluing their children to a whale doesn't work for me lol.

I think overall drinks are cheap here and adding in the tips just equals it out anyway. How much do you pay for a beer in Scotland? What kind do you drink?

evenkat · November 2007

Pegasus wrote:

it's not optional if you get bad or no service unless you do it!
that sounds like a form of blackmail to me.. just do your fucking job!

You don't tip a waitress or waiter until you're done and it's based on the service so it is optional. You can leave without tipping. Some people do it all the time.

As for the bartender they will wait on you because it's a business to make money or they will be fired. However if the place is really crowded they will remember you if you tipped them well and may choose to wait on you before others.

mookie9999 · November 2007

redrock wrote:

Same principle as in the US... some areas are cheaper than others. Same goes with wages, house prices, etc. Central London would be a lot more expensive than Greater London, which in turn is a lot more expensive than Chipping Norton.
All is relative.

We all understand that waiters, and most other jobs associated with a restaurant pay little money, but I work at a large bakers and when I see the wages of the factory/production people, it is worse than a waiter's basic pay. They work really hard and non stop but these guys don't get tips, do they? Whether you tip or not is your decision, but I argue if we tip certain professions (waiting staff, hairdressers, cab drivers) who earn a steady wage (albeit low), why do we stop there? If it is a service industry 'thing', should we tip the sales people or cashiers in shops? Should we tip the McDonald's worker who serves you?

Are you prepared to pay higher amounts for food to balance out for not tipping? I'm not sure about other cities/states/countries, but seeing how the majority of restaurant owners in NYC are greedy, cokehead thieves, if they were required to pay a decent wage to their employees, I guarantee you would feel it a lot more in your wallet than a 20% tip.

redrock · November 2007

mookie9999 wrote:

Are you prepared to pay higher amounts for food .

I'm prepared to pay (and do pay!) what I consider a fair amount for the quality of the food, the surroundings and the service that I can expect. This fair amount could be £10 or £100 depending on the 'dining out' experience I'm looking for and getting. I would much rather see waiting staff get a fair basic pay and not have to rely on tips to make ends meet. Now I know that people who do get tips like that too because it could be 'tax free' if you were inclined to so such things (I was a waitress at one time), but having a decent basic salary is much better in the long run (pensions, etc.). But all in all, one must remember that those kind of jobs are minimum wage ones and you go into them knowing that (busser, dishwasher, etc. included).

niner · November 2007

Legally owners do not have to pay minimum wage to wait staff because its known that they make tips and are suppose to declare tips on their taxes, which does not happen. Because its mostly cash they can declare smaller amounts.

I think a per-person tip should be started. Instead of the amount of the check. Whether I order a porterhouse or a small dinner salad if i get the same service the tip would be the same. I don't agree with the amount being based on the total of the check. Plenty of assholes work in upscale restaurant that are making a lot of tip money that don't deserve it, but the elderly woman behind the counter in a small town makes a lot less and probably works harder.

mookie9999 · November 2007

redrock wrote:

but having a decent basic salary is much better in the long run (pensions, etc.). But all in all, one must remember that those kind of jobs are minimum wage ones and you go into them knowing that (busser, dishwasher, etc. included).

Here is the states, pensions are all but a thing of the past (to jobs that ever even had them, waiter/waitress was not one). Beyond that, virtually no restaurant employees have any benefits (health insurance,life insurance, retirement,etc.). So, yes, many are inclined to pocket some of the cash without paying taxes, but beyond that there is no benefit. At the end of the day, it's a shit job. One of which I'm glad to longer be part of. However, I will always tip, regardless of service, and will tip very well when the service is great. But, that's just me. To each their own.

redrock · November 2007

mookie9999 wrote:

However, I will always tip, regardless of service, and will tip very well when the service is great. But, that's just me. To each their own.

I don't tip regardless of service. If I get shit service, I don't tip. I also hate the 'optional service charge' that is put on your bill. I always cross that one out - more often than not, it stays with the employer and not the staff. I would much rather the money go straight to the waiting staff via a tip. Another one is to add another 'optional service charge' if you have a 'larger' party (which could be four or more).

_Crazy_Mary_ · November 2007

dunkman wrote:

and whoever paid out $64 on tips is either a show-off with their money or has the brain of a slightly retarted spider.

You misunderstood. I had to tip out to the rest of the restaurant staff 30%. That added up to $64 that night. It's not me showing off...

redrock · November 2007

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

You misunderstood. I had to tip out to the rest of the restaurant staff 30%. That added up to $64 that night. It's not me showing off...

If that's 30%, you made over $210 in tips for one evening..... that is more than some of the factory workers earn in two days (gross pay).

_Crazy_Mary_ · November 2007

redrock wrote:

If that's 30%, you made over $210 in tips for one evening..... that is more than some of the factory workers earn in two days (gross pay).

I actually tipped $74, my mistake. I had $244 before tipping out. It was a good night, not every night is like that.

Rhinomagic, you are correct. My question was to other waiters asking how much they tip the rest of the restaurant staff. I tip 30% of my take, which is more than 3% of the sales (usually).

Waiters: How much do you tip out?

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