Thank You for the (lack of) Tip

[Never]

I make "artisan" pizzas, sandwiches, and juices. My customers largely consist of people who drive Priuses and Volkswagens, and who want their food to be vegan, organic, gluten free, and/or free ranged.

Yes, we sell kombucha. No, you can't get the cultures to make your own here, but I can give you the phone number of a store where you can get them because I've been asked enough times that I figured I'd just find a nearby place to send customers to.

And I get tips.

Because when you make someone a $5 cup of juice, they feel the urge to give you a $2 tip. Even though that's a 40% tip, which you would not pay anywhere else for anything. I would never tip someone for a $5 cup of juice, especially when I can get a gallon of juice for less than $5.

But I get tips, and this is becoming an issue. Because...

1) My manager does not like that I'm getting tips. No one is paid minimum wage where I work, therefor the customers should not feel obliged to tip.

2) The rest of the people who don't prepare food aren't getting any tips, even though they have the same wage. They've noticed food preparers are getting tips and this apparently is causing a bit of resentment.

3) No one else who does the pizzas, sandwiches, or juices is getting tips the way I am. This is causing annoyance, and people are now talking about splitting the tips among everyone who works the same shift... but we're not supposed to be getting tips at all, so this is upsetting the manager.

I constantly tell people, "No, you don't need to give me a tip." "I am not supposed to be taking tips." They'll just leave the cash on the counter then.

 

[snugglestruggle]

Give the money to charity, that way anyone who complains looks like an ass.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

Give the money to charity, that way anyone who complains looks like an ass.

Second this idea.

If the frequent tipping by customers who are too ingrained to the culture of tipping is inevitable, just have everyone come to a consensus on being impartial with the money, put every night's proceeds in a big charity jar and donate it to a favorite or local charity at the end of every month when it collectively sizes up.

 

[Riles]

I got tipped in retail quite a bit, so to avoid an HR issue I would let the money accumulate and use it for a staff treat at the end of each month. The other girls caught on and did the same without any negative undercurrents that I was aware of.

 

[Que]

When I head to the big city I usually carry $2 bills. I buy them by the strap. I have a tradition of giving one to the first panhandler I see, and I like to give one to the first person that serves me, even in a non-tipping job. Non-tipping job people often cannot accept them. I put it in the penny bin and tell them to give it to the next person that looks like they need some luck.

It's funny about twos. Some people consider them luck, on rare occasions I hear that people consider them bad omens. Even weirder are people that tear a corner off them to "restore" the luck.

 

[tedsbeds]

"Tipping" is not a city in China. Tipping is "To Insure Promptness." It is common practice in restaurants for servers to share tips with the back staff. Here in NE we have a lot of Dunkin Donuts coffee shops who don't allow tipping and pay their staff a decent wage. I was taught to always refuse the tip at first, but never a second time. In these hard times, can you afford to give up free money? Enjoy and share!

 

[Magicscreen2]

People want to give you money.

I'm not sure what the problem is here?

 

[smoothg103rd]

People want to give you money.

I'm not sure what the problem is here?

Me either.

 

[Never]

If only I'd put a three part list in my original post that explained how my manager and co-workers were annoyed, resentful, and upset, so people could understand what the problem was.

Oh well, maybe I'll add those details in next time.

 

[Riles]

Some of us could follow it to that natural conclusion. We also gave you proven resolutions.

Hey stranger, it's been a long while since I saw that name. Welcome back.

 

[Never]

The charity idea appeals to me. I will float it at the next team huddle.

I suspect that some of my co-workers will dislike the idea, however.

 

[Magicscreen2]

Maybe your coworkers are resentful because customers like you best? Pity.

Maybe your manager is threatening to fire you because customers are so happy with your service/visage that they are throwing additional money at you? I doubt it.

Agree that you are all going to put any unsolicited money in a big box and split it up at the end of the day.

This is a good problem to have. Don't make it something else.

 

[smoothg103rd]

I wouldn't give the money to charity. And I also wouldn't care if others are upset. And I'll tell the Manger if he has a problem tell the people to stop tipping me, because when I tell them they don't listen. And I will tell the others if they want to split the tips then split my duty. I don't care if you made the food, the person tipped me because I served the food. If you got a problem change your job title.

 

[parodyluvr75]

A fair way would be to put all the tips together and split them equally between the servers and prep. Then no one on staff would complain.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

A fair way would be to put all the tips together and split them equally between the servers and prep. Then no one on staff would complain.

That's how it's done in bars and the split is higher for the bartenders, etc.

 

[Noor]

I make "artisan" pizzas, sandwiches, and juices. My customers largely consist of people who drive Priuses and Volkswagens, and who want their food to be vegan, organic, gluten free, and/or free ranged.

Yes, we sell kombucha. No, you can't get the cultures to make your own here, but I can give you the phone number of a store where you can get them because I've been asked enough times that I figured I'd just find a nearby place to send customers to.

And I get tips.

Because when you make someone a $5 cup of juice, they feel the urge to give you a $2 tip. Even though that's a 40% tip, which you would not pay anywhere else for anything. I would never tip someone for a $5 cup of juice, especially when I can get a gallon of juice for less than $5.

But I get tips, and this is becoming an issue. Because...

1) My manager does not like that I'm getting tips. No one is paid minimum wage where I work, therefor the customers should not feel obliged to tip.

2) The rest of the people who don't prepare food aren't getting any tips, even though they have the same wage. They've noticed food preparers are getting tips and this apparently is causing a bit of resentment.

3) No one else who does the pizzas, sandwiches, or juices is getting tips the way I am. This is causing annoyance, and people are now talking about splitting the tips among everyone who works the same shift... but we're not supposed to be getting tips at all, so this is upsetting the manager.

I constantly tell people, "No, you don't need to give me a tip." "I am not supposed to be taking tips." They'll just leave the cash on the counter then.

Pool the tips or put up a sign that says that is "against the company policy to accept tips"

 

[Noor]

Where I worked we had a dog coin bank on the counter and any money in their was collected by the rescue that provided the dog bank.

 

[JeanLaFlu]

If I were the manager, in the next team meeting I would ask you to share with everyone what you're doing obviously right that makes so many customers want to tip you. I would then exalt everyone else to start doing the same: go above and beyond and see if customers don't begin tipping everybody for their work.

If the company/manager are so dead-set against customer tipping, it's up to them to make that clear to customers. Otherwise, you should simply just keep doing the great job you're doing. If you want to share your tips with your co-workers, that's definitely your prerogative. But it should in no way be expected that you should share if you don't choose to.

The point is to get the team to rise to your performance level, not to bring you back down to theirs.

 

[parodyluvr75]

That's how it's done in bars and the split is higher for the bartenders, etc.

That's a pretty fair way of doing it. Everybody gets something.

 

[smoothg103rd]

If I give you something because I like the way you served me, is it fair for you to share it with the others who didn't serve me?

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

If I give you something because I like the way you served me, is it fair for you to share it with the others who didn't serve me?

It's like tipping the sandwich maker at Jimmy Johns. Some people are just idiots,

 

[oggbashan]

If I give you something because I like the way you served me, is it fair for you to share it with the others who didn't serve me?

But if you just serve it, and someone else prepares it, then it would be fair to share.

One low price restaurant chain I am sometimes dragged into because the grandchildren like the food has a 10% gratuity as standard on your bill. You can refuse it, or increase it. If you pay by card, there is a Yes/No option on the 10% before you authorise payment.

The 10% is split weekly between all staff except management. It is calculated according to the number of hours worked by each staff member during that week.

A few weeks ago I was in another 'family-friendly' = cheap restaurant. We were a group of nine including three children. Near us was another group of eight, all adults. Some of the other group were real assholes, several times demanding replacement food because it wasn't cooked as specified. As far as we could see it was exactly what they had ordered. When that group left, the table and the area around it was messier than ours, and we had a 'nearly' three and a four year old.

Of course they refused to tip, claiming that their service had been bad. Their waitress had kept calm and had remained polite and efficient despite their rudeness. When they left, she was nearly in tears until one of the women on our table started to help her tidy up the area. That shocked her. Customers shouldn't clear tables. She objected - politely, but accepted a hug and a 'thank you'.

When we left, perfectly satisfied with our food and the service, of course we left a tip. We wanted to leave a tip as well for the waitress who had served the group of assholes near us, but our waitress explained that all waitresses on duty that evening would get a share of all tips given that session.

Although the tips were shared equally, with a proportion to the chefs, the management noticed who received the most tips. That information helped with their staff assessment. But the management also noticed 'awkward' customers and discounted lack of tips from them. Some, including the group who had been near us, were repeat offenders who might be banned except that they spent a significant amount on food and drink EVERY week.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

There's an upscale Hooters?

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

Are you reporting tips to the IRS?

That's the only thing that matters.

 

[rosco rathbone]

You guys sell kombucha? If I remember the maunderings of my vegan ex correctly, that's major bad mojo--you're supposed to give it, and the culture, away, or disturbances in the Tao result. You might want to bring it up with the manager, and avoid some kind of hippie hex falling upon your establishment.