Tipping in the service industry

jezebeloria · October 2008

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

I am both a waitress & a former bartender.

1. No need to tip on to-go food, although in the restaurant where I work it goes straight to the kitchen staff & I know they appreciate it.

2. If you are ordering a Budweiser, we don't expect more than a quarter from you.... :rolleyes: But to all other drinkers: at least a buck a drink!

LOL...luv the Bud comment! I have been in the restaurant industry for 23 years now... 1st 3 serving, 17 in mgmt, and the last 3 serving once again. Couldnt wait to go back to serving. I only tip 1 place on togos and that's because I know the servers answer the phone and punch in the order. Imo if they make the effort to answer the phone then they deserve a couple bucks. If the service is up to par(except my par is kinda high cause I know I am a great server!

) I tip 20% on a tab...possibly more if it is warranted. Or I am a lil tipsy!

What people don't seem to understand is that those tips pay our bills, keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. (Oh, and beer in our glasses! )

On a side note...nothing pisses me off more than people who "camp" at a table. :mad: If you intend to sit at a servers table for more than 1 turn you need to tip accordingly!!! The more tables I turn the more money I make. Please keep that in mind when all of you are dining out. Server PSA for the day.

Thank you for listening.

Terryible · October 2008

Coming from New Zealand we don't tip.
Since I have moved to the UK I tip for most things restaurants, taxis etc, but if I go to a bar for a drink I usually don’t tip, unless the services is very good, which in London is very unlikely.
When I move back home I will continue to tip

Heineken Helen · October 2008

Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:

And if someone takes this approach, they'll be remembered next time they come in and treated in the proper manner.

Isn't it your job to treat them in the proper manner ANYWAY????? Ah I love tipping threads... SUCH bullshit. FOR the record I'm a very generous tipper if the service is Average+ (even here and at home where it's NOT really done) BUT I don't want to be told i HAVE to tip if the service is rude. I don't even care about whether it's efficient or not... but I'm big on manners!

Heineken Helen · October 2008

jezebeloria wrote:

Imo if they make the effort to answer the phone then they deserve a couple bucks.

again though... isn't this simply their job? If I'm working at a call centre being paid fuck all, I don't 'deserve a couple of bucks' cos I bothered to answer the phone

Jennytree · October 2008

Jearlpam0925 wrote:

Either way - be human IN AMERICA and JUST TIP YOUR BARTENDER.

Fixed your post there.

Why doesn't your government raise the minimum wage?

Heineken Helen · October 2008

Jennytree wrote:

Fixed your post there.

Why doesn't your government raise the minimum wage?

Oooh cos then going out for a meal will have to cost $10,000 as we only know too well in Europe

Vedderlution_Baby · October 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

Isn't it your job to treat them in the proper manner ANYWAY????? Ah I love tipping threads... SUCH bullshit. FOR the record I'm a very generous tipper if the service is Average+ (even here and at home where it's NOT really done) BUT I don't want to be told i HAVE to tip if the service is rude. I don't even care about whether it's efficient or not... but I'm big on manners!

I do treat them in a proper manner then entire time they're sitting at one of my tables, up until the time they walk their asses out the door. But if they fail to leave a tip and then come back, I'm not busting my ass for them like I did the first time when I could be focusing on other tables that will tip. I'm not going to spit in their food or some shit like that, but I'm not going to go out of my way to make sure that they get A+ service.

And I think there might have been some confusion on "proper manner".

Heineken Helen · October 2008

Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:

I do treat them in a proper manner then entire time they're sitting at one of my tables, up until the time they walk their asses out the door. But if they fail to leave a tip and then come back, I'm not busting my ass for them like I did the first time when I could be focusing on other tables that will tip. I'm not going to spit in their food or some shit like that, but I'm not going to go out of my way to make sure that they get A+ service.

And I think there might have been some confusion on "proper manner".

How is that in your employers best interest though? You should be glad to have a job the way the economies are going! If you agree to accept a job, I don't think it's up to you which client's you serve quicker than others... it's a ridiculous way of doing things. And if the government had it like it is everywhere else this wouldn't even be a thread.

Jason P · October 2008

1) No tip for carry out. You are not dining or being waited on.

2) $1 tip for the bartender cracking the beer. This is good for karma and it will also ensure that you get you next beer quickly.

Solat13 · October 2008

Milestone wrote:

Do you prefer to tip every time you get a drink? Or run a tab and tip at the end? There's a big difference:

Let's say I have 6 beers at $4 each. My tab is $24.

A 15% tip is $3.60 on the total tab.

If I tip $1 each time, I've nearly doubled the bartender's total tip.

As an ex bartender, if you left me $3.60 on a $24 dollar tab, you would be one of the last people I served the next time you came in.

Vedderlution_Baby · October 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

How is that in your employers best interest though? You should be glad to have a job the way the economies are going! If you agree to accept a job, I don't think it's up to you which client's you serve quicker than others... it's a ridiculous way of doing things. And if the government had it like it is everywhere else this wouldn't even be a thread.

Well, from personal experience, good tippers usually spend more. They usually consume more drinks and order appetizers more often than someone who tips very poorly or not at all. I'm not scanning my tables, deciding who looks like they're going to stiff me, and deciding that I'm not doing shit for them. Some servers do that, running off stereotypes and racial prejudice (which in turn, actually does lead to them getting shitty tips by that particular table, but that's because that's what they expected and brought it upon themselves. But that could be a whole different thread.) So when people first walk in, they're all equal. If they don't tip or leave some ridiculous, they are not equal when they come back. And the not only do the managers of the restaurant know about this, but they support us.

Jearlpam0925 · October 2008

Solat13 wrote:

As an ex bartender, if you left me $3.60 on a $24 dollar tab, you would be one of the last people I served the next time you came in.

Yep....If anyone ever left me change, they go in the mental notebook....If my tab was $24 then I'm probably just leaving $30.

Heineken Helen · October 2008

Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:

Well, from personal experience, good tippers usually spend more. They usually consume more drinks and order appetizers more often than someone who tips very poorly or not at all. I'm not scanning my tables, deciding who looks like they're going to stiff me, and deciding that I'm not doing shit for them. Some servers do that, running off stereotypes and racial prejudice (which in turn, actually does lead to them getting shitty tips by that particular table, but that's because that's what they expected and brought it upon themselves. But that could be a whole different thread.) So when people first walk in, they're all equal. If they don't tip or leave some ridiculous, they are not equal when they come back. And the not only do the managers of the restaurant know about this, but they support us.

oh wow, it used to be the other way around when I was working in a restaurant... the big spenders would tip fuck all... and it used to be the people who ordered the cheapest things that would leave a decent tip. Again, I do tip and I tip very well... in a pub in chicago though I HAD been tipping a dollar a beer at a bar... but one of the times I forgot (cos it's not in our mindset... certainly not at a bar) and I had to get someone to order for me the next time cos I was left standing there... that's just pig ignorant of them if you ask me.

Jearlpam0925 · October 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

oh wow, it used to be the other way around when I was working in a restaurant... the big spenders would tip fuck all... and it used to be the people who ordered the cheapest things that would leave a decent tip. Again, I do tip and I tip very well... in a pub in chicago though I HAD been tipping a dollar a beer at a bar... but one of the times I forgot (cos it's not in our mindset... certainly not at a bar) and I had to get someone to order for me the next time cos I was left standing there... that's just pig ignorant of them if you ask me.

Then again, some people are douche bags.... The only place left in the states that I know of where non high rollers tip the most is at the poker tables.

xscorcho · October 2008

i tip but i dont think you HAVE to..... if it was mandatory, theyd just include it on the bill (like they do some places)....

as for the people in the industry... it is a choice to do that work knowing that you may not get tipped therefore not making min. wage.

Heineken Helen · October 2008

Jearlpam0925 wrote:

Then again, some people are douche bags.... The only place left in the states that I know of where non high rollers tip the most is at the poker tables.

Yip, I'd had a few at that stage so it's not like they didn't know if I'm EVER gonna tip. I was pretty fucking annoyed! And I'd never go back there for that reason.

Solat13 · October 2008

xscorcho wrote:

as for the people in the industry... it is a choice to do that work knowing that you may not get tipped therefore not making min. wage.

True, and it's also the server's choice to not serve you on a busy night forcing you to go to another place. I had no moral qualms at all about taking care of my good customers over people who didn't tip.

Vedderlution_Baby · October 2008

Heineken Helen wrote:

oh wow, it used to be the other way around when I was working in a restaurant... the big spenders would tip fuck all... and it used to be the people who ordered the cheapest things that would leave a decent tip. Again, I do tip and I tip very well... in a pub in chicago though I HAD been tipping a dollar a beer at a bar... but one of the times I forgot (cos it's not in our mindset... certainly not at a bar) and I had to get someone to order for me the next time cos I was left standing there... that's just pig ignorant of them if you ask me.

Well, you can never be sure who's going to fuck you and who's going to treat you, so that's why I treat everyone the same. That bartender sounds like a total asshole, by the way. Some people are absolutely unforgiving with it. As for myself, I realize that different countries mean different cultures so I always let the foreigners off easy. Some people are too ignorant to know otherwise though.

xscorcho · October 2008

Solat13 wrote:

True, and it's also the server's choice to not serve you on a busy night forcing you to go to another place. I had no moral qualms at all about taking care of my good customers over people who didn't tip.

and i think that is okay too

Heineken Helen · October 2008

Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:

Well, you can never be sure who's going to fuck you and who's going to treat you, so that's why I treat everyone the same. That bartender sounds like a total asshole, by the way. Some people are absolutely unforgiving with it. As for myself, I realize that different countries mean different cultures so I always let the foreigners off easy. Some people are too ignorant to know otherwise though.

Fair enough

but if this is how you work, I'm not sure you should let foreigners away with it. I'm pretty sure most people know about the tipping culture in the States. Sure there's the odd time where you're going to forget, but all in all we know.

I'm not blaming YOU or waiters or bar staff... but I think it's ridiculous that this exists. The minimum wage should be enough to live on, like it is here and at home. You should not have to depend on customers to LITERALLY pay your wages :eek: . And whether here or in the states, if a server is rude to me... they'll be LUCKY that I don't tip and simply walk out

ignorance is not something I find acceptable.

Tipping in the service industry

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