Leave a tip or stay home!

[Twistedcowboy]

I always tip 20%. But every Friday (actually Saturday morning around 2am) I stop at a Denny's on my run (truck driver) and I tip $6 for a bill of $10-$15. I'm not bragging. I actually look at it as paying it forward. My wife is a chauffeur and rarely gets tipped by the millionaires and occasional billionaires she drives around. Its nice when they do tip her.

 

[Jay]

There are several places, nice ones around this area that have no tipping signs posted. They never have "help wanted" signs posted, and the service is always excellent. The vast majority of the time, those places are where we eat out. If you're my server elsewhere, attentiveness will garner a good tip. If I have to flag you down every time I/we need something, your tip will reflect that. Once inside an establishment, a sign, or menu insert, indicating a cover charge, or "included gratuity" will be cause for me to go elsewhere.

It's my money, I earned my money daily over 47.5 years. I need no assistance deciding when/how to spend any of it. But thanks anyway.

 

[JohnD13]

At one time in my life, I spent a couple years installing retaurant kitchens, I saw first hard how hard waitstaff works. I always leave them a good tip, even if I'm just having a coffeee.

 

[RustyNut]

After having 2 daughters that worked as servers my wife always over tips. Both daughters have to;d her not to but she still does.

 

[Oldgrunt]

My wife and I have found that living alone now, it is much cheaper for us to eat out than prepare food at home. We have made friends with the waitresses at each place we generally go to and always leave them a tip, not on the table, but to them personally. Knowing that we always tip, they always give us good service and sometimes, stop and chat. Friendly experience and we know they need the tip.

 

[Riverkilt]

Always tip 20% too...the math is easier that way and I'm welcome back. Remember food service folks paying their rent with $1 bills from tips. There's a restaruant here in town where the owner kept ALL the tips for years. So screw him, I didn't tip. Now I hear he only keeps 50% and gives 25% to the server and 25% to the cook. Makes it tough knowing I'm tipping him too - but don't wanna screw the other two, so now tip. I've also watched someone in a party be the last person to leave and steal the tips others left.

 

[apvbguy]

I know that I am going to be attacked unmercifully for posting this but enough is enough! I know I might appear to sound harsh but being told that I MUST tip 20% by restaurant workers is like caged mice demanding more cheese.

when did 20% become the norm?

15%-18% is what the norm should be for adequate service with a bit more given for exceptional service.

BTW the service staff's financial issues are not a reason to over tip.

If they aren't making the money that they need to exist maybe they need to tale steps to find employment that will offer higher wages.

 

[apvbguy]

I always tip 20%. But every Friday (actually Saturday morning around 2am) I stop at a Denny's on my run (truck driver) and I tip $6 for a bill of $10-$15. I'm not bragging. I actually look at it as paying it forward. My wife is a chauffeur and rarely gets tipped by the millionaires and occasional billionaires she drives around. Its nice when they do tip her.

1. $6 on a $10 is 60%, the waitstaff must do high fives when they see you pulling in, is ATM stamped on your forehead?

2. your wife gets paid to drive those high net worth people from point A to point B, how much of a tip does she expect for doing her job?
when they give her a few bucks they are being nice, if they don't, get over it! where would your wife be if those big bad rich guys decided to do their own driving? answer: out of work. so stop complaining and be happy that there are people wealthy enough to be able to hire a car and driver!

 

[tricolordad]

I know that I am going to be attacked unmercifully for posting this but enough is enough! I know I might appear to sound harsh but being told that I MUST tip 20% by restaurant workers is like caged mice demanding more cheese.

when did 20% become the norm?

15%-18% is what the norm should be for adequate service with a bit more given for exceptional service.

BTW the service staff's financial issues are not a reason to over tip.

If they aren't making the money that they need to exist maybe they need to tale steps to find employment that will offer higher wages.

Maybe you should take a second look at the economy. There is no other employment.

 

[tricolordad]

If you're my server elsewhere, attentiveness will garner a good tip. If I have to flag you down every time I/we need something, your tip will reflect that. Once inside an establishment, a sign, or menu insert, indicating a cover charge, or "included gratuity" will be cause for me to go elsewhere.

It's my money, I earned my money daily over 47.5 years. I need no assistance deciding when/how to spend any of it. But thanks anyway.

I suggest you not frequent those places where employees make $3 an hour. That's not the juices sizzling on top of the steak, it's spit, snot or worse. I've done it to repeat offenders.

You eat at a full service restaurant, and don't tip, that's what you're getting. Bon appetit!

 

[tricolordad]

1. $6 on a $10 is 60%, the waitstaff must do high fives when they see you pulling in, is ATM stamped on your forehead?

2. your wife gets paid to drive those high net worth people from point A to point B, how much of a tip does she expect for doing her job?
when they give her a few bucks they are being nice, if they don't, get over it! where would your wife be if those big bad rich guys decided to do their own driving? answer: out of work. so stop complaining and be happy that there are people wealthy enough to be able to hire a car and driver!

You expressed your disdain for us "low class" citizens in your last post, don't be a punk and keep repeating yourself. And remember, you eat what you tip! :alcoholic:

 

[tricolordad]

I've also watched someone in a party be the last person to leave and steal the tips others left.

Seen that only twice. I never let that slide. It's usually the one who ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. Next time you see it, say something! Once that tip gets put on the table, it stays.

 

[Jay]

I suggest you not frequent those places where employees make $3 an hour. That's not the juices sizzling on top of the steak, it's spit, snot or worse. I've done it to repeat offenders.

You eat at a full service restaurant, and don't tip, that's what you're getting. Bon appetit!

I've done it to repeat offenders.

Obviously, you're quite proud of your actions... I hope you don't carry a firearm.... speaks to character, huh?

Maybe you should take a second look at the economy. There is no other employment.

Wrong. I live about 8 miles away from a little city of 40,000 people. The want ads in the local paper list over 100 jobs available... not fast food jobs either... those same jobs have been listed for several weeks. Don't cry about the economy. If someone wants to work, they can find a job. Perhaps not at $25/hour, but gainful employment. The entitlements have precluded most incentive to look for work.

 

[nogods]

I always tip.

But economically, the tip system we operate on is nothing more than the owner of the food service establishment hiding the price of its product. by underpaying its employees, and then relying on customers to make up the difference, the owner is simply understating the cost of its product and passing the burden of that price ad on to either the consumer who does tip, or the employee who doesn't get a tip.

We should outlaw the system. if tips were outlawed, then employers would have to pay market rate for employees and charge appropriately for their product.

 

[apvbguy]

Maybe you should take a second look at the economy. There is no other employment.

oh my the old economy stinks dodge, if some gets trained with the skills that the marketplace wants anyone can have a great paying job and career. some great opportunities exist for skilled auto and motor cycle mechanics, HVAC people, any skilled building maintenance trade, for the blue color types and for the white color guys, accountants never lack for work and the right IT and computer techs can find jobs easily. The economy stinks, it always does for those who never acquired marketable skills.

 

[apvbguy]

You expressed your disdain for us "low class" citizens in your last post, don't be a punk and keep repeating yourself. And remember, you eat what you tip! :alcoholic:

sir it appears to me that you are the one who obviously has issues, nowhere in any of my posts will you find me calling anyone low class.
however in this case your remarks cast you as someone with low intelligence and comments reflect a very low end and unprofessional attitude. how long have you been waiting tables?

 

[The_Outlaw]

I'm not a very demanding customer...
All That I ask for is some; friendly service, a re-fill on our beverages and the check delivered on time.
If the server can manage those simple tasks, then I will always tip at least 15%-20%.
I have even tipped as much as 50% on a few occasions.

However, if the server has a bad attitude, never offers a re-fill, never checks on us to see if we need anything, etc...
Then I will probably not tip the server very well at all.
Case in point,
At one of our favorite local eatery's (just a couple of weeks ago) my family and I had the bad luck of having a waiter with a pretty lousy attitude and terrible service. He never smiled, he never offered us a re-fill, he never checked on any of our needs, and he never brought us the check. I literally had to ask two other wait staff for the aforementioned requests.

When we finally recieved our bill, I simply wrote on the back of the bill ;
"If you want better tips, give your customers better service."
I then placed one thin dime on top of the bill and we left.

We will not be going back to that place for a few months at least...Hopefully he'll be gone by then.

 

[tricolordad]

I always tip.

But economically, the tip system we operate on is nothing more than the owner of the food service establishment hiding the price of its product. by underpaying its employees, and then relying on customers to make up the difference, the owner is simply understating the cost of its product and passing the burden of that price ad on to either the consumer who does tip, or the employee who doesn't get a tip.

We should outlaw the system. if tips were outlawed, then employers would have to pay market rate for employees and charge appropriately for their product.

Wow, for once you didn't speak out your rear.

 

[tricolordad]

sir it appears to me that you are the one who obviously has issues, nowhere in any of my posts will you find me calling anyone low class.
however in this case your remarks cast you as someone with low intelligence and comments reflect a very low end and unprofessional attitude. how long have you been waiting tables?

I waited tables for 6 months. My rate of pay was $3.35. With a bi-montly pay period, I rarely made enough to pay for the gas that it took to get me to work. When I got to the point of considering taking out a payday loan just to make ends meet, I decided it was best to quit but luckily, I was "downsized" due to a "corporate restructuring agreement." I make more in unemployment which I damn well earned. All in all, I spent $540 of my own money to go to that job.

I smiled, I complimented, I made crabby babies laugh, which is tough for a 6 foot 3 male with a scarred face and permanent limp to do. I brought refills when the cups were at 1/3. Any request was usually satisfied, unless they were trying to pull one over on me. Most of my tips were less than $2, and I served the big parties because I am a big man and big men are expected to do more work for the same or less pay. Some days, I worked 10 hours and made nothing in tips. Your cheapness is a prime example of why the food may have contained a little bit of evil.

This is the way the world works, especially when you undertip your server. Don't like it? Keep your cheap a$s at home.

 

[tricolordad]

Obviously, you're quite proud of your actions... I hope you don't carry a firearm.... speaks to character, huh?



Wrong. I live about 8 miles away from a little city of 40,000 people. The want ads in the local paper list over 100 jobs available... not fast food jobs either... those same jobs have been listed for several weeks. Don't cry about the economy. If someone wants to work, they can find a job. Perhaps not at $25/hour, but gainful employment. The entitlements have precluded most incentive to look for work.

Speaks to your character to complain about negative reaction to your underpaying for FULL SERVICE. You talk like you're part of the entitlement class. Are you?
FYI, I want to work. I spend at least 2 hours a day just searching online and I hit the library daily to check the ads in the paper. And yes, I found a job. A volunteer position. Doesn't pay at all. Costs me to do it actually. Costs me to not have any gaps in my work history in a time period when absolutely nobody is hiring, and my application is just one of tens of thousands for the one position that does open. If you think there are paid jobs out there just for the taking, you're on another planet. And not all of us can afford to go back to school for a few years. Last time I did that, it cost me $22,000 and by the time I finished, that market had tanked. Some of us don't have the money to play another hand, we have to play the hand we're dealt. Just to live life, we had to go all in. It's good that you have those options though. With your uppity attitude, I doubt you'd have the drive to succeed were you in my shoes.