It's 15% for Average service; 18%+ for Excellent Service--What's So Hard About This?!

[JeffreyWilliamson]

Okay, so I'm riding out Great Depression II waiting tables for the first time in 10 or so years and have been shocked to discover that I LOVE IT! No stress, everyone I work with is a blast to be around, the company's great, and I look forward to going in to work each day. It's the complete opposite of the job I left at the beginning of the year.

Too bad I'm probably going to have to start the job hunt again since people are giving out crappy tips...

Now, I'm not not claiming that I'm some kind of waiter god, but in the past when I waited tables I always prided myself in giving the best, unobtrusive service possible, and that's a standard I have tried to bring to this job. I think my efforts have been a success. I try to read each table to determine if they are chatty, a couple out for a nice dinner together, or people who are just not in the mood to be bothered. No one ever has to deal with me checking in to see how they are every 10 seconds, but no one ever has to ask for a refill--I keep an eye on their glasses at all times and try to arrive with a new drink at exactly the moment they are ready, (some have even gone out of their way to compliment the level of service). I greet tables with young children with crackers and extra napkins, and offer to get their food out first. I make honest recommendations when asked, I'm not pushy with upselling and padding the check, and I always work with a smile on my face. Any problems are listened to with full attention, apologized for, corrected, and I make sure that the manager stops by to apologize before the meal is over as well. When I feel a table is chatty or likes more personal service, I will always try to make it to the door and hold it open for them when they leave, thanking them again.

So, it kind of sucks that they keep tipping about 8%.

Just the other day I had a table of ten including small children. I got the hostess to stop seating the rest of my station and went to work making sure the kids had what they needed, the drinks kept coming as soon as the guests were ready, recomendations and upselling were given when wanted, made sure the food hit the table right at the end of the salads and appetizer, made sure empty dishes were removed as soon as each guest was done, etc. At the end of the meal, the guests paid their $200 check, and when I greeted them at the door to say goodbye they told me point-blank that the service was excellent and that they left a tip on the table for me.

A TIP OF 5 WADDED UP ONE-DOLLAR BILLS.

It's been a month-and-a-half of this and I've got to be honest, after a while that sh#t breaks your f&*king spirit real fast.

I've always thought it was pretty common knowledge what the protocol for tipping is. I don't think I've ever talked to anyone I know that didn't get how it's supposed to work, so what gives--is it the economy? I've always found that most people even know that most waitstaff only makes $2.13 per hour. Our entire income is pretty much derived from tips, and yet here they all are, making us work our tails off, thanking us, and then leaving us scraping to pay the bills.

Maybe it's just my own experience coming from a restaurant background, but when I go out to eat, I will tip 15% for average service, 20% or more for great service, or less than 15% if the service is very poor. And if I can't afford to do that, then I don't go out to eat, (I'm looking in your direction, table of 5 high school girls on their way to the movies two Saturday nights ago, who ordered water with extra lemons and then asked what they could order that would be under $10.00 after tax).

Anyway, it's been a tough month, and today was no different. It was slow because of the Easter holiday, but even with $390 in sales I still managed to make it home with all of $27.00 in my pocket after tipping out the busboys and bartender. Don't get me wrong, I usually expect Sundays to bring in a little less than other days, (this time I'm looking at you church-goers, who finish eating and then talk "Bible" for the next hour over coffee and leave $1.29 on each of your $20.00 separate checks. And please remember next time that even though I could see those tips on the table for that last hour, I was always there with a smile and a fresh pot of coffee that I brewed myself for you so that you never ran out).

I really, really didn't want to go back to waiting tables, but with the economy the way it is, I didn't have a choice. Turns out I absolutely love this restaurant and everyone I work with. I figure I can take about another week of this before I have to go apply at Target. It really sucks to end up in a job that you really want to stay at, but know that you can't make rent if you do. What sucks even more is knowing that you are trying to work your heart out for people, but judging from their tips, they barely even noticed...

Anyway, that's a little rant for all of you. Happy Easter!

[Arctic Dave]

1. I tip a straight 20%. If the service was crappy, 0.

[salin]

25. straight tip of 20% great service 25%

poor service miniscule tip (always give something).

That summer gig I did many years ago still leaves me to err on the generous.

[patrice]

33. That's what I do. It's easier to figure. And what goes around comes around.

And, yes, I waited table quite a bit when I was younger.

If I was in a good place, I enjoyed it, like being a hostess at a party.

[Arctic Dave]

57. If I don't give give a tip, there is a reason.

And the person doesn't have to guess why.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

61. And they'll know it when that happens...

Whenever I've underperformed, and the tip reflected it, I took it as a message to get myself into gear. Most servers understand when they are not giving good service, because the tip will send a clear message.

That being said, this is something different. It seems that regardless of what I do, at the end of the shift, all of my tips come out to be about 8 - 10% of my sales. It's really striking that people are complimenting me on the service level, and then still tipping horribly.

And it's not just me either. The other servers in the restaurant have noticed it as well, and they say it wasn't always like this. I'm not sure if it's the economy or what, but back in the 90's I usually left after a double-shift on a Saturday night with $120.00 or more in my pocket. I worked a double last Saturday and walked out with $65.00. A trip to the grocery store and a few gallons of gas and I had $45.00 to put in the bank on Monday.

Running the numbers, that's just not going to come anywhere near cutting it at the first of the month.

[pnwmom]

59. You should tip at least 8% no matter how bad because the IRS will tax as if

the waiter received 8% at least.

Besides, it's not always the waiters fault if the food is late, etc.

[Arctic Dave]

62. If i don't tip it is because I never finish the meal.

This has only happened a few times, and it was the wait person who pissed me off.

[Auggie]

2. Tips should be added to the check as they are in Europe

[ret5hd]

7. Mr. Pink, is that you?

[Auggie]

49. I believe in tipping and usually leave at least 20%

[CreekDog]

74. if people will not tip adequately and the wages for servers are set in anticipation of tips, yes

it should be the law.

lots of jobs pay minimum wage even with employees who underperform. why should a job pay less than minimum wage with employees who overperform --now that is grossly unfair.

if people are going to be cheapskates --Galveston, I'm looking in your direction, then screw them.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

81. "Galveston, I'm looking in your direction"...

That's the alternate title for this thread, since that's what I'm doing at this point.

I know, hurricane, economic collapse, etc. But if you are one of the few people that actually have two quarters to rub together, much less $200.00 to go take the fam to eat out, shouldn't you have enough to leave a decent tip?

I actually had that conversation with my Fundamentalist Mother (TM) earlier this evening. She said, "Well don't you think that they might be having a hard time getting by with things the way that they are, much less leaving a tip when they go out to eat?". To which I responded, "When was the last time you had enough money lying around that you could throw out $200.00 at some restaurant at random, but not come up with enough money to tip?".

After a brief silence, her response was, "Okay...well...I guess...you have a point...there...".

To which I casually replied, "So you're looking forward to your gay son and his partner and their two LARGE dogs moving in with you at the first of the month? We get our own private room to share together, right?".

Okay, my last response to her was embelleshed somewhat...

[paulsby]

3. on water and refills

one pet peeve of mine is that whole refilling the water glass thang.

i routinely drink 4-8 glasses of water with a large meal.

on several occasions, i have just asked the waiter if they can bring a frigging pitcher. some actually get offended, etc.

while i appreciate personal service, i appreciate hydration MORE.

iow, no waiter should get offended when i ask for a pitcher so i can fill my glass AS NEEDED.

it saves them time, to help other customers, and keeps me happy.

because invariably, if i don't get a pitcher, i am going to have to wait for water.

but some act like this is some sort of sacrilege, that a customer's water MUST BE POURED BY THE WAITER.

just a rant.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

11. They get offended by that?

They shouldn't. It's all about the read. I had a table of 8 baseball players come in a few weeks ago after practice and they all ordered the same soda. You better believe pitchers went out to that table with the drinks.

Had a family of 4 come in and ordered similar sodas, I would have waited until asked, so as not to seem as though I was going to abandon them to refill their own drinks. However, if they would have asked I would have had a pitcher out to them as well. The whole point is to make the guests happy in order to prompt a decent tip--if they ask for a pitcher of water on the table then they're damn well going to get it if I'm the waiter.

One thing I would do though is refill their glasses of water for them if they were getting low and I was there, whether they had their own pitcher or not. It's my job to ensure that the guest doesn't have to ask for anything, or need to work their own table for refills if they don't have to.

[paulsby]

29. yes, i have had SOME get offended

i (kind of) understand why, but it's not a criticism of their water filling ability.

it's simply that i want A LOT OF WATER and i want it now, and that's the way to get it.

[taterguy]

20. It depends on where you're eating

At some place it's against the restaurant "policy" to leave a pitcher on the table, depending on the whims of management.

[JVS]

32. Stupid fucking policies. I was at the bar and ordered a pitcher and they gave it to me, but they...

did point out that their usual policy is not to sell pitchers to individual customers.

[CreekDog]

75. welcome back

and Happy Easter. :hi:

[JVS]

83. Thanks, and same to you.

[paulsby]

36. maybe so

that's a profoundly stupid policy and certainly goes against the underlying goal of waitstaff and the restaurant in general.

i don't want to get smushed into a round hole if im a square peg.

i drink metric assloads of water (especially post workout), and it simply makes sense.

it's win/win.

i'm a happier customer, and they don't spend inordinate amounts of time checking and refilling my glass.

[Riley18]

4. We tip 20% - it's easy to figure out and seems fair. We don't go out to eat as

often as we did, but I can't see changing the tip percentage. I bet the people who are tipping 8% are the same ones who blame the "economy" when they screw their employees over. They are probably the rich who are taking advantage of this economy in every way they possibly can.

[msongs]

5. nothing like gratitude is there? nt

[Believing Is Art]

6. I'm broke and I tip 20%

If it's really bad, they get the symbolic 2 cents, but I've only done that twice.

I've heard that the following groups tip poorly:
1. The well off, and
2. People who order drinks with umbrellas in them.

I assume the first group is because they are out-of-touch scrooges. I really don't know why the second group would tip poorly, but it's been a trivia question on a local radio station a few times.

[NeedleCast]

15. Worst Tippers are church people and foreigners

With some foreigners, it can be excused because they aren't aware of the American tipping system.

I'll probably get wailed on for this, but teachers are also notoriously bad.

[Believing Is Art]

18. Didn't know about church-goers.

Not that I'm doubting you, just wondering if that's from observation or if you have a link.

[NeedleCast]

26. Observation and fivish years waiting tables/managing

It's a broad brush, and I try to avoid that, but in general, Sunday lunch shifts tended to have the most people in fancy clothes tipping the least.

[enigmatic]

31. I've been in the business 30 years

That poster is right. I've seen a tables of churchgoers give religious tracts instead of tips more times that I can count, sadly.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

42. Ah, the famed tract tip...

Funny story, back in 1996 one Sunday evening I had a table of 6 come in to a restaurant I worked at. While refilling drinks while they did their after meal, table occupying Bible discussion, I noticed a couple of ten dollar bills stuck under the edges of two plates. It was a good tip considering their check total, so you better believe they had everything they needed the whole time.

After they left I went over and while clearing up noticed that those tens looked kind of funny--like the ink color was a little off. Sure enough, I turned one over and it was a tract.

It was made to look like a ten on one side and was a tract on the other...

[enigmatic]

53. No freakin' way

I would have strangled them, and I'm pretty much a pacifist..

[JeffreyWilliamson]

Yup, and now that I think about it...

The tract basically started with "Here's a tip for you, through the love of Jesus Christ you can have eternal life!"

Kind of like they were throwing it in my face that they hadn't tipped. It really, really sucked...

[customerserviceguy]

66. If they ever came back

you could give them five loaves and a couple of fishes, and tell them that their savior can figure out something to do with it...

[CreekDog]

77. I would point out to them that they are making Jesus look bad

:eyes:

It's like my Sunday School teacher who didn't dare put a fish magnet on his trunk. he said he was such a bad driver, he didn't deserve to display it.

[Believing Is Art]

45. Jesus F-ing Christ!

Tracts instead of tips? That's despicable!

[salin]

28. educator here - whose tip always start at a base of 20%

worst tip I ever got - was a fairly large family - no money tip but a bible tract.

[NeedleCast]

35. Yeah, the churchers love to save my soul, hate to tip

The worst part was if you didn't work at a spot that included gratuity on large table (I did, luckily). Nothing like getting a 10-top of churchies in you section, watching them put together a 250 dollar tab and tipping you a tract.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

30. It's the church goers that seem to do it as a rule...

And that's not just this restaurant, it's been at any I've ever worked at. I've never really understood that, actually.

They will also routinely stay at the table afterwards talking for a long time. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, and I'll be there to make sure they have drinks or anything needed the entire time, but they don't seem to realize that we all have set stations. If a table is occupied for a long time, it means that a server's potential income is slashed.

[NeedleCast]

38. Not a lot of people understand how the industry works

You catch a 10 or 12 top of church peeps who stiff you and you basically spent your whole shift working for 2.13/hour.

[CreekDog]

78. In defense of my after church lunch outings, we've typically left well over 20%

to my pleasant surprise, when the check goes around we've been over, sometimes over 20%, sometimes by more than 20 bucks and frequently nobody would take change back so the server got a better tip.

unlike in college when we'd go out to eat and we would try to get people to tip properly but they wouldn't and i covered many times (i wasn't rich) so sometimes the only tip left on the table was what i forked out. :banghead:

[JeffreyWilliamson]

82. Your church group is welcome at my restaurant anytime...

And just so I'm not guilty of painting church folk with too broad a brush, I did have one family today, obviously in after Easter services, and with two small children, that genuinely enjoyed and appreciated the crackers, extra napkins, and personalized service. In fact, they left me $8.00, my biggest single tip of the day.

The mom personally came up to me and thanked me on the way out. The dad was very nice as well, and the kids were fantastic! I always get a kick out of it when their parents let them pick their own meals from the kids' menu. I lean over the table when they make their selections and respond with, "Yes sir!", or "Absolutely ma'am", and tell them that they've made an excellent choice.

The parents always love it and the kids feel like they're royalty!

[Godhumor]

73. When I lived in Hawai'i the Japanese Tour Books explained tipping

In Japan there is no tipping at all, even for excellent service--not hotels, not restaurants, not cabs, not anything.

Hawai'i servers are in America and tips are part of their compensation, so all the Japanese tour books explained how to tip, restaurants have signs in Japanese explaining tipping, and there are some places that put signs on the exit asking if you remembered to tip (in Japanese, of course).

There were also various eateries that added the tip to the bill for Japanese tourists as a "courtesy" and explained it to them.

Always fun watching the ways culture can clash (Took me awhile to get used to the idea of not tipping when I lived in Japan. It was strange having barkeepers keep handing me back money I would leave on the counter.).

[CreekDog]

79. Yeah, my friend got that "courtesy" here in SF one night

except that we are both American citizens, but he was a knucklehead and gave $2 for our group's bill. :eyes: we fixed that, but the server did explain that "tipping is customary in the United States... :rofl: :hide:

[distantearlywarning]

85. When I went to France

Tipping is not customary there. I learned about it before I went, and didn't make the mistake of tipping servers, but it still felt so weird, like I was ripping someone off. I felt guilty the whole time I was there.

[CreekDog]

76. i think the word "foreigners" is where you dug the hole and got right inside

because almost nobody ever says something nice when using the term "foreigners" it's loaded.

if you mean "tourists" that might make your point and not get you wailed-on. :think:

[bluestateguy]

8. That's pretty much how I do it

Abominable service: 0% (I have only done this twice in 10 years)
Poor service: 10%
Average: 15%
Excellent: 20%
Excellent AND the waitress is easy on the eyes: 25%

[taterguy]

12. If you're ogling the waitress you should tip at least 35%

[liberalmuse]

9. I thought the base tip was 20%?

I leave that if the service is okay to poor, but usually end up leaving much more because I've worked in service. It's hard! If I go out with my coworkers for lunch (there's usually about 15 of us), I leave a big tip because it's usually all separate checks. My daughter is waiting tables right now and I'd like to think she's being well-tipped, especially on those rough days when she's waiting on 5-10 tables at a time. She works her butt off and even bakes some of their vegan pastries at the cafe she works at. It's simple. Those times I don't have enough money to leave a decent tip, I stay home. I just wonder why the restaurants can't pay a decent wage, though. My daughter actually gets over $8 an hour base pay (in Seattle), which is unusual.

[pnwmom]

60. Not in most of the U.S. , where it's 15%.

[On the Road]

10. Well, Part of the Issue is This:

"Just the other day I had a table of ten..."

and another part:

"including small children..."

That is why tips are often added to the check for large parties. It's just statistics and experience.

The only thing you could really do is try to find a more upscale place. It may not be perfect, but it's better than busting your ass for 50 cents a customer ($5 for ten people). Galveston is mostly middle-class beach traffic, but there must be exceptions. Houston has a lot of nice places.

I waited on tables a long time ago, and I had the same reaction you do. If you have the energy, it's a great job. But there is certainly a downside.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

17. The restaurant won't add a gratuity as a matter of policy...

I've worked at restaurants before that would add it. I've always found it to be a little hit or miss. Sometimes a table that has been gratted will only tip the grat amount, even if they would have tipped more because of excellent service. Other times a table will become offended that they have been gratted, and refuse a tip at all.

I worked in a restaurant back in the nineties that allowed the servers to grat if they chose. Most of us never did it because of the risks.

[On the Road]

64. Hmmm...

It is true that if 18% is imposed, that's all I'll tip even if it would have been 20 otherwise. But I never had the experience of customers refusing.

It's a matter of getting the right crowd who knows how to tip.

[Skittles]

13. I tip 20%; more for my regulars

I guess I've been lucky - I've never really had crappy service - maybe less than stellar but it seemed to be usually because the poor guy/gal was very busy. I don't eat out as much in this economy but I always try to treat the waitstaff well.

[Gormy Cuss]

14. There's no excuse for leaving five bucks for "excellent service" on a $200 tab

The high school girls have an excuse for being stupid about it but your other anecdotes? Those people should get some tip etiquette training pronto.

I've said this on other tipping threads here recently and I'll say it again: all wait staff should receive at least the standard Federal minimum wage and tipping should be truly an option to reward good service rather than a way to make the customer decide how much to pay the staff as a basic wage.

[Lisa0825]

16. If I can't afford to tip 20%, I figure I can't afford to go out.

Seriously. I budget for it, and if I can't afford the total with tip, well I'll just have to wait until next payday to go out. I have always had that mindset, ever since I started paying my own way.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

21. I do the same. For me it stems from having been a waiter.

I know how it feels to go out of your way to make it a perfect meal for others and then get shafted. If I can't afford to give a proper tip for outstanding service, then I'll stay at home.

[Uzybone]

19. I go at least 20% for good and 25% for great

I have not yet had a situation where a tip wasn't warranted, if the service was that bad best believe I'm talking to the manager.

I know several people who have waited tables personally so I know how much the tip counts. Fuck cheap tippers.

[Bill McBlueState]

22. clearly everyone has his own opinion about this

Is it really worth talking about it so much?

[JeffreyWilliamson]

24. Huh? n/t

[patrice]

51. Restaurant culture: Ever been in the same or similar work?

How many young people do you know, personally?

[WeDidIt]

23. Aboslute CRAPPIEST service, I tip 15%

I usually leave 20%.

Excellent service rates 25%.

I calculate on the total, not the cover. So I tip on the tax.

[JVS]

27. No automatic gratuity for a table of 10 kids?

[JeffreyWilliamson]

34. They weren't all kids, six were adults...

But this restaurant has a policy against automatic gratuities.

[JVS]

41. You have to tell your boss about that table and that the policy sucks

[givemebackmycountry]

37. If I was seated at that table of ten and you did everything you say you did, and you got tipped...

FIVE DOLLARS?

I would say that you would be completely in the right to follow us into the parking lot and beat us with a tire iron.
Excluding the children.
Except the ones that threw shit on the floor and were an all around pain in the ass.
THEY are future poor tippers.
Let's nip these bastards in the bud.

Great service = At the very least a good tip.
More often than not, a really nice tip if we share a laugh or two.
At LEAST 20%.

This is why I have only had a handful of bad dining experiences in 30 years.
If I have a good meal, and a good time, we are COOL.
You'll remember me too.
And that's a good thing when it comes to dining out.
When I visit a place for the first time, I think of it as a investment opportunity.
I have restaurants in a lot of states that I remember fondly.
If I am in that city, I am coming back.

It's a beautiful thing.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

46. This type of thing is what causes a lot of frustration...

I would never go out and actually follow a customer to complain, in fact quite the opposite. Even if I see the bad tip and continue rendering after meal service I'll do it with a smile and do it the right way.

It's a really crappy feeling having to keep doing that knowing full well that you've been shafted. I wonder sometimes what's going through those guests minds, knowing how much they've left and still happily talking away with one another, having a great time, enjoying their constantly filled drinks being brought to them by their smiling server.

[The Straight Story]

39. I tip better than that at McDonald's drive-thru

:)

[NashVegas]

40. Wow. So Sorry You Get Shafted Like That

You sound like a really good waiter, too.

[sandnsea]

43. My daughter just complained of this

She is piecing together jobs until she can get one full-time. She is waiting tables at a very nice Italian restaurant on week-ends. FRIENDS of hers came in last night, spent $100+, and left her a $10 tip. She was not happy. I leave 15% here, because they make minimum wage which is around $8.00 an hour. When there are many courses though, which this restaurant has, I would leave $20. I don't know what gets into people.

[madrchsod]

44. my wife gave a tip back to a customer

they left a really bad tip for really great service so....she went out to the parking lot a gave their tip back....she told them that it was obvious that they needed the money more than she did...

she`s made a lot of money on tips and some nights it was`t worth showing up. that`s why she gave up and became a bartender.

[NeedleCast]

50. Someone Watched "Waiting" this weekend...

[Oregone]

47. Doesn't this subsidize and encourage cheap labor employers?

[JVS]

48. That's why I leave Communist tracts behind that talk about what it means to need the tip.

I tuck the money in the last few pages, so if they read it they get a little something for their trouble.

[marmar]

52. 20 percent is easier for me to calculate.....I don't do math.

n/t

[JeffreyWilliamson]

56. No kidding, 20% is incredibly easy to calculate...

Take the check total before taxes, move the decimal point to get 10%, and then double it.

But it's like people will run up an $80.00 check total, notice a five in their wallet, and just plunk that down and consider it a job well done. What really kills me is the odd number tip amounts, like $8.00 on a $95.00 check. You know, like they honestly put some thought into it but still failed on an epic scale.

[Warren DeMontague]

54. I've always done approx. 20%, unless extreme bad or good service comes into play. nt

[patrice]

55. Maybe church people tip worse because they tend to operate on Magical Thinking.

If you're a good person "God" will take care of you, so you don't need my money.

[SammyWinstonJack]

58. I always leave 20% on the total bill, ALWAYS! I figure ANYONE can have a bad day, so I don't fault

the waiter if the service was bad. Plus I have been on that side of the table and I know about working hard and receiving a crummy tip.

[Believing Is Art]

65. Every now and then it gets worse then a bad day

Went out with some friends once. The server spilled soup on me and ice cream on a couple other people. He then literally pointed and laughed. We had to track down another server to get napkins. He didn't replace the orders he spilled and didn't adjust the bill. We spoke to the manager afterward and he didn't seem to be there anytime we went after that.

[hay rick]

63. My tip scale

10% for bad service- in lieu of an insult
15% mediocre service
20% average-good service
25+% great service

Just my habit, formed many years ago when I lived with a girl who waited tables. I view the tip as part of the cost of the meal. If I can't afford the tip, I'm not eating out.

When my parents were alive, we'd go out for a meal and they believed a 10% tip was generous. If they were doing the tipping I'd augment it on the sly. If I was paying, I'd make sure they weren't aware of the amount.

[customerserviceguy]

67. Same here

and I never blame the waitstaff for lousy food, in those cases, I blame myself for making the lousy choice of a restaurant. Now if service is rude, well that's something the server has control over.

I used to wash dishes in a Sambo's chain restaurant many years ago, the waitresses would tell me that the families with young children were the most work (especially the clean up, as we didn't have busboys - as they were called in those days) and tipped the least. Their favorite customer? A guy who was trying to impress a woman on an early-stage date, even though he took her to Sambo's.

[pnwmom]

72. My husband and I do that, too, when my MIL insists on paying for the tip.

One of us sneaks backs and puts more money on the table.

[ejpoeta]

68. i try to make sure i leave a good tip. especially if my kids are being ... well, themselves.

we had a great waitress a couple of times ago, who was awesome with the kids. gave her a really good tip. i don't usually eat out, but the past couple of weeks have been an exception. we have a friend who works in the restaurant industry, and thanks to him we have given a lot more thought to servers. though, if they are truly atrocious servers.... they probably won't get that great of a tip from me.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

69. Ha ha ha!

I just did a search on tipping threads and realized that this has been hashed out A LOT over the last week or so. And I missed all of it because I was too busy busting my ass for next to nothing!

:rofl:

Oh wait.

:(

[BlueJazz]

70. I usually tip 20-30 percent or I don't go out. I DO tip at least One Dollar even for a cup of Coffee

People who leave shitty Tips are Shitty People.

[Mr. Hyde]

71. Your waiting tables in the wrong restaurant.

If you want to catch big easy fish, fish in a stocked pond.

[earth mom]

80. I can't remember the last time I left less than 30-35% for a tip.

I waited tables for over 10 years from the late 70s through the 80s in coffee shops, pizza places (the worst) seafood houses and hotels. Back then, at the busiest place I worked at, waiters would sell at least 1000K on weekend nights and holidays (including easter) and take home around $110-125 after everyone else got tipped out. I always thought I could go back to waiting if I ever needed to. But I'm in my late 40s and there is no way I could afford to now-not with those kind of tips! :wow:

[distantearlywarning]

84. I'm sorry. People are shitheads.

When hubby and I go out to eat, we typically leave more than 20% on the table. If the service was especially good, we've been known to leave 50% or more. On the rare occasions when service was bad, we still give at least 10%. We also always tip delivery drivers a minimum of 15%. We go out to eat in large groups frequently, and we don't stiff on large bills either.

Sorry that you don't get this treatment from all your customers. :-(

[stlsaxman]

86. Last Friday having breakfast at the Courtesy Diner, I overheard the server say to the grill cook...

"I need to make $50 bucks..." the diner was pretty empty at that time so i didn't know if they were busy earlier but later when i got the check for $10.23 i gave her 15 bucks and bid her good morning.

Hope she was able to pay her bills.