Tipping...and I'm not talking about the cow kind

[lavender]

 

[Weevil]

If the service is good I'll typically tip rounding up so I don't have to leave any change. Always over 20%.

Bad service? Not a friggin' thing. You don't get it just for showing up.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

I hate the compulsury tipping system

I give rewards for good service... not for shitty service

 

[Stonedagger]

hey the better the service....

the better the tip - i almost always tip 15% unless service really sucks - but bettter service means up to 30% - and if let's say she(always a she) drops under the table and does a little after dinner entertainment well - the going price for that is??? PC?? let us know - I NEVER pay for mine!!! LOL!!



(evil grin) i couldn;t resist!!!

 

[SunnyGirl]

I'm overly generous. But most former servers are.

I'm a bartender, so I am overly generous when it comes to leaving a tip, regardless of the sort of service I got. I know I shouldn't reward bad service, but I also know what it's like to work for minimum wage and having to live off of your tips. So, leaving a huge tip wins out every time.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

i tip based on service... better the service, better the tip... and if they do a really bad job... i normally leave a handful of change in a glass of water.

 

[Weevil]

I'm a bartender, so I am overly generous when it comes to leaving a tip, regardless of the sort of service I got. I know I shouldn't reward bad service, but I also know what it's like to work for minimum wage and having to live off of your tips. So, leaving a huge tip wins out every time.

I, like Mr. Pink, know what it's like to live off minimum wage with NO tips. Cry me a river.

 

[SunnyGirl]

I, like Mr. Pink, know what it's like to live off minimum wage with NO tips. Cry me a river.

Been there, done that, so much nicer to have that little bit of extra money though....need a tissue?

 

[Weevil]

I'm just saying. I even understand poor service if they're really busy. I'm talking about lazy service. Forgetting things, getting things wrong.

 

[SunnyGirl]

*slapping forehead*

I forgot the little smiley face after the end of my post. Didn't mean to make it look like I was jumping all over you or anything.

 

[Problem Child]

Tipping why I eat out only at fast food joints, preferably drive through.

And please don't put the fries in the bag upside down.

Thank you.

 

[Never]

Okay, this has bothered me for awhile.

I went to a bar and asked for water, I got one bottle for four bucks, and a nasty look. Am I really supposed to tip a man for opening up a fridge and handing me a bottle of water?

 

[lavender]

 

[Weevil]

EBW

Waitresses minimum wage is different from yours. For example in the US at one time regular minimum wage was $5.35 but a waitress's minimum wage was 2.13 an hour. So if you don't tip them, they are getting taxed as if you did and making 2 bucks an hour.

Therefore, I always leave a tip. ALWAYS! Unless, they are rude as hell.

Lav I know you think most of my opinions are formed based on my ignorance of the situationp) but it's not a big difference up here (About 75 cents an hour) and with ANY kind of tipping they would have made much more than I did.

 

[lavender]

 

[Weevil]

Ebes-

Bite my ass. I ask you ever so kindly!

All these people asking me to play with their ass. Where will I find the time?

 

[Ksss]

Here in NY State, the wage for a waitress is $3.30/hr. We must claim a minimum of 8% of our gross sales, whether we receive that or not. Our paycheck is then taxed on the amount of hrs worked times the rate ($3.30/hr) and then add in the gross of sales/week.

Hence, a 40 hr week may produce a paycheck of $30.00. If we don't receive tips (and as a waitress who depends on these tips for a living) we are still taxed on this amount.

I agree, shitty service does not require the leaving of a tip, but keep in mind these factors too:
How busy is the restaurant?
Is this a person who is just beginning in the trade and still learning?
Have you treated the server as if he/she is a person and not a "slave"?
Are you a constant complainer to a place you frequent regularly?

I have worked in the restaurant business for over 20 years. I have witnessed the most politest diner to the most rudest diner. I have been made to run my ass off for the most petty customer who thinks they are the cream of the crop, only to be left a $2.00 tip for a $30.00 check. I am talking the regular customer who frequents the place several times a week. It doesn't matter what type of service they receive, this is their tipping amount.

The math says $2.00 tip on a $30.00 check, means I'm in the hole 40 cents. I have friends who have to actually pay in money to receive their paychecks. By this I mean,
If the gross amount of sales exceeds a certain tax bracket, we have a paycheck with a negative balance, which is deducted from the next weeks paycheck.

Sorry, getting off my soapbox now.

 

[Closet Desire]

I always...

...tip cuz it's a hell of a job and I know the IRS assumes service gets tipped (pretty predatory if you ask me). Usually tip 15-25% or more if it's really good. If the server is crap I don't refuse to leave a tip (why miss all the fun?), I ask for the manager. No sense paying to have a bad time, either tip or food.

Now, it's interesting here in the UK because tipping seldom happens. Hell, we tip everyone including the take-away-shop that delivers k-babs, pizzas, burgers, and chicken. We also tip the taxi service that we use loyally. Maids and bellhops in hotels. Hairdressers, barbers, you name it we tip them.

The payoff in this small town outside of London? The best seats in the restaurant. The first ones on the delivery route for take-away. A taxi right away even when they're booked solid. A decent haircut from a barber who doesn't think he/she is doing you a favour. Extra coffee and cookies at the Doubletree. Luggage out the door and into my car first at the hotel. And, best of all, when we arrived at Gatwick all jet-lagged and worn out, the boss of the taxi company was there in a pristine Mercedes E300 to take us home (a two hour trip to the opposite side of London).

My rule of thumb? 20% in the long run is excellent value. I appreciate the people who have to tolerate rude customers and run around looking after me.

 

[SirGalahad67]

So I think I was inspired by Buscemi's little monologue in Reservoir Dogs.

But what do you lit members think about tipping? What is your tipping philosophy?

I've been a waitress and a bartender so this topic is near and dear to my heart.

But it's always interesting to hear different perspectives.

I'm overly generous. But most former servers are.

Well, I married my former waitress/bartender so I tend to be overly generous too. Usually 20 % or slightly better, unless they're just terrible, and even then I don't think I've ever left nothing at all. You'd about have to be an ax murderer for me to leave nothing at all......

 

[teresafannin]

I was a single mom waitressing years ago, so I tend to be a good tipper. One thing I always remember is that if the food is prepared wrong, don't take it out on the waiter. Complain to the cook, but it isn't the waiter's fault. I always cultivated a good relationship with the cooks & my customer's food was always prepared right. I also used to tip the bus staff so that my tables were always cleaned promptly. I loved working in the restaurant business, but with a small child, the long nights were too expensive because of baby sitting costs.

 

[Cheyenne]

i tip based on service... better the service, better the tip... and if they do a really bad job... i normally leave a handful of change in a glass of water.

Sorry, but a handful of change in a glass of water is insulting. I would never do that to anyone, no matter how bad the service was. Stop to see the manager on the way out if the service was that bad.

I can't remember the last time I didn't leave at least a 15% tip, even if service sucked. I usually give more. Same as the rest of you, it is because I understand the person serving me is earning peanuts. Tips are important to them. Also, I know I could never be a waitress/bartender/etc. I've done it only for charity events, and know that it is hard work. My feet were killing me!

 

[fyriepyre]

always

i always leave a tip, regardless of service. I have never worked in the industry but i dated a girl for two years that did and when she got screwed over at work i had to pay for it at home...

tip your servers, think of the colateral damage you are doing

usually i think of it like this:

bad/neglectful service - 10-15%
good service 15-20%
alright service from a hottie with a smile and an "i'm new at this" 30%

 

[Samuari]

My tipps start at 15% and range upward from there, I have left as much as 50% for very good service when the watress was very busy but never ran out of smiles and allways got everything right. I made a point of stopping and tell the mgr what a jewel he had as well. Normally 20% rounding up to the nearest dollor, is my tip. For bad service 15% and a visit with mgmt.

 

[april-wine]

i have been a waitress, know the drill......but under no circumstances does a server get a tip if the service is bad.......guess what they know the drill too and poor service means poor tip........but when the service is great i tip very well....