Tipping & waiters

But a good waiter does have some level of influence on these things. He communicates with the cook for any special requests, or is known for "taking care" of his bartenders at the end of the night with tips for them. Smart hostesses know which members of the wait staff are best for certain types of guests. There exists relationships between the different groups, that are built up over time. A a good waiter does what he can to ensure that the support staff does all they can to take care of him, so he can take care of you.

Usually a bad waiter=bad food/slow drinks/etc. A waiter busting his butt to take care of you may have difficulty from time to time, but rarely is it every day.

 

Another thing to remember if anyone is thinking of going into this line of work. People that have waited tables are probably more sympathetic to you than any other guests you may have. OTOH, they are also the absolute worst guests to have if you are an apathetic sloth.

 

YOU....are like NICE GUY SUPERMAN!

 

Well said

 

where do you live that they don't ask you to tip

 

When I was living in the Washington DC area. It was a few isolated case that I thought was worth mentioning. Granted I'm sure there are not many places that do this.



Antony

 

i think tipping well - even when the service isn't so stellar sometimes - is a good thing with a place you regularly frequent... It usually secures a good table, good, fast service, etc....

 

In Europe tips are already in the bill so you don't have to tip like the way we do here

 

i usually tip the standard 15-20%, more if it's been earned, but i have no problem leaving little to no tip, especially if the waiter has given me poor service. you also have to take into account that sometimes the service is not the direct fault of the waiter.

 

Don't US restaurants have a "service charge" printed out on the bill ? Here in Singapore, it's a standard 10 % clearly printed out on the bill. There's no need to tip unless the service has been superlative.

 

Nope.

Though a few print up a 'suggested' tip, or like one local restaurant that prints up pre-calculated tips of 15%, 20% and 25%. But its not part of the bill.

 

Remember, sometimes bad service is not the result of an error by the waitstaff.

If the chef blows it in the kitchen, and has to re-do your meal, it's probably because he f'ed up, not because the waiter told him the wrong thing.

On the other hand, if your glass remains empty, or your food arrives cold (assuming it's not a chicken sandwich) that is the waiter's fault. If the food is late or slow, but hot, then the chef most likely caused the problem.

Bad service should not be confused with bad food. They are not one in the same.

In Pennsylvania, servers make $2.35 and hour, plus tips. If they don't make it to minimum wage, the restaurant is supposed to make up the difference in their paycheck. How many do you think do that?

I used to own a tavern. We actually did what the law required, and then some. Servers covering slow shifts made $8-10 an hour, busy shifts made minimum wage. It cut down on the stealing a bit, and improved the overall service, without running costs up very much.

And yes, if you were a regular and tipped well, it inured to your long term benefit. We allowed a certain amount of free alcohol to flow to good regular customers, and the best tippers were often the most frequent fliers.

DM

 

Sometimes US restaurants will include a tip on the check if you have a party of 6 or more.

 

Thats not always the case. Some places may include a tip, but it is not the rule.

 

....and when they do include that tip....they never tell ya AND they always present the bill with the tip section blank..luring you to tip even more!

 

Imagine that...those greedy fux!

 

Hey guys,

When I was in college, I worked at a seafood place (about $21 a person on average) and we had to pay "tipshare" which was 5% of your sales. I recall one table of 7 people that gave me a $4 tip on a $115 check and thanked me for the excellent job I did. For those of you that are mathematically challenged .05x115=$5.75 I'm paying out in tipshare. So after an hour and a half of running my ass off taking care of these people, I wind up with less than zero. Restaurants will never pay their waiters full wages, the restaurant lobby is just too powerful. I agree that it would be a more logical system for restaurants to pay their people adequate wages, but just remember that when you try to buck the system, you are kicking the little guy in the teeth. All that said, I don't feel that you should have to tip a thin dime for piss poor, apathetic service. It really pisses me off when a waiter doesn't even try. I don't imagine that many people in this audience skimp on tips when they are at a restaurant, but not everyone realizes that waiters make essentially nothing if they don't make tips. My grandparents are a case in point. They talk about how they waited tables for 25 cents an hour and no tips back in the day. However, they seem to lack a grasp of the concept of inflation. ie 25cents in 1945= I don't know $9 today.

 

The thing that annoys me is when people I know that are waiters whine about tips. They say that they need X-amount of dollars a month to pay their bills and they rely on tips to meet that. I tell them to get a job where they are paid a set amount each week. You can't budget around an always changing number.

I tip very well. Usually 25-30% if I they were very attentive. I have one place I go where the same waiter has been taking care of me for over two years. He doesn't charge me for drinks or dessert so I always add more money to my tip for those things.

When I get bad service I'll leave some coins on the table. I've only had bad service in places like Denny's or IHOP and usually late at night. They usually have this attitude that I must give them 20% just because they are there and not because they want to work for it.

 

Tip em all and let God sort them out.

 

But, he is stealing from the house when he does that. I know when I waited tables over a decade ago, we were given some freedom to give out certain desserts to keep guests happy (long wait for food, or some other screw up out of the waiters control). Alcohol was never ever given out for free.

Drinks and desserts are where the house makes their money. They may only make $2 on an entree, but they will make on a $3 on a single mixed drink.

 

This is at a high end hotel. I think they are allowed to do stuff like that. I have been given a lot of things for free there. Usually by managers though. I used to go there very often and was given free bottles of Champagne, free dinners, free cigars. The waiter has only given me drinks and desserts. But the drinks are usually $15-$20 each. They still make money off of me so I don't feel too bad.

 

In New Zealand the wait staff get paid above minimum wage so tipping isn't expected. Of course now that we're getting more Americans coming over, some of the tourist spots like Auckland and Mt Maunganui have restaurants where you can add tips to the bill.

 

I'm taking my friend to dinner soon as a Christmas gift. He does my business web page. We are going to a top shelf place:

Carnevor - 724 N. Milwaukee Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

So we will splurge and our bill will likely be well over $200 or even close to $300. On the other hand we could be economical and get out of there for under say $100 or so. The waiter/waitress does the same amount of work if we get lower cost dishes or if we both get the Kobe steak.

So what does one tip if we get all of the highest cost dishes etc? I generally always tip around 20% but in this case I hate the thought of a $50-$60 tip. I believe fair is fair and $50-$60 seems unfair to me. Will the waiter/waitress think less of me if I leave say $25? $30?

Thanks
Rodney
1990 348TS

 

I don't see why the percentage should change when you go to a more expensive place. I can't afford to go out a lot, so I don't. When I do go out, I prepare to leave a very nice tip if the service is great, but if it is mediocre or bad, I tip accordingly.

 

Rodney...IMO the tip should be a given percentage, regardless of the size of the bill, whatever % you are comfortable with & which reflects the quality of the service you received. At a higher end restaurant the wait staff may see fewer customers per night &/or share tips with a larger cohort of coworkers than at a middle of the road joint. Again, just my opinion...T