Yesterday at lunch we had terrible service. Empty drinks for most of the meal. He didn't bring more chips and salsa when we asked for them before the meal had come out. He got the bill wrong. Seriously, anything that could go wrong did go wrong. It was entirely the waiter's fault.

In my party of 6, there were 3 people that opted not to tip the waiter. I was shocked, and kind of embarrassed. If the service is bad, he gets 10%. If the service is average, 15-20% (depending on the cost of the meal). I've given as much as 30-35% for outstanding service. Then again, I used to be a waitress.

Is it acceptable not to tip?

8/4/2009 9:51:36 AM

oh fuck.

2351345 pages.

8/4/2009 9:52:15 AM

old

8/4/2009 9:53:15 AM

TIPPING THREAD
BAD DRIVER THREAD
ATRIUM ON FIRE THREAD
TIPPING THREAD
BAD DRIVER THREAD
ATRIUM ON FIRE THREAD

8/4/2009 9:53:18 AM

well if the service is that bad, then yes, don't tip.

8/4/2009 9:53:47 AM

many restaurants put mandatory gratuities on parties of maybe 6 or more

the main reason is because of people like your cheap ass friends

8/4/2009 9:54:33 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=569104

Frosh did it first

8/4/2009 9:54:42 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=570585

recently

8/4/2009 9:54:53 AM

It begins....yet again.

Anyway, yes it's acceptable not to tip.

IOP1

8/4/2009 9:55:18 AM

do you have any idea how many threads there are with the word TIP in the title?

i searched, i swear. lock it up if you want.

we had separate bills, so i guess that's why there wasn't an automatic gratuity added in.

8/4/2009 9:55:37 AM

Quote :

"do you have any idea how many threads there are with the word TIP in the title?"

That's the point

8/4/2009 9:55:59 AM

why should i give a tip if you are making my experience very negative? I understand that sometimes all of the bad things that can happen to you as a waiter can all happen at one table and normally you are a good waiter. but you will make up that tip elsewhere i'm sure.

8/4/2009 9:55:59 AM

I don't see why it matters, it's a distinct question. I love how people get all bent out of shape because there's more than one thread on any subject.

What? Are we paying by the laser now?

8/4/2009 9:57:19 AM

cheapskates exposed ITT

8/4/2009 9:57:40 AM

If it was that bad I'd just give them the $1 fuck you tip or throw some change on there.

8/4/2009 9:58:12 AM

8/4/2009 9:58:13 AM

when my service is truly horrible, i leave a dime and a penny in obvious view right by themselves on the table. it shows them that i'm not just someone who doesn't tip, but still gets the point across that the service was terrible.

i believe this is a fairly common practice.

8/4/2009 9:58:23 AM

Just the tip

Pay the rest of the bill and you're fine

8/4/2009 9:59:02 AM

I ballpark all my tips, never really differentiating between bad, average, and good service

8/4/2009 9:59:03 AM

it is acceptable not to tip.

if its a mistake or two, i still tip about 20% (my normal) because i figure, everyone makes mistakes, and/or the kitchen staff may be at fault so i won't rush to blame the waiter/waitress.

but your situation sounds a little more serious.

[Edited on August 4, 2009 at 10:00 AM. Reason : .]

8/4/2009 9:59:05 AM

I think leaving $0 is a lot less douchey than leaving a fucking penny.

They get the point, you didn't like the service. No need to rub it in.

8/4/2009 9:59:48 AM

There's a girl that we usually end up with when we go to trivia who always adds 20% gratuity when we have 8 people or more. Which is fine, I know plenty of places do that.

Except she sucks as a waitress and if not for that she'd definitely be getting less than 20%. That and the other waitresses didn't do that shit. Its almost like she adds it because she knows she sucks and we don't tip her well because of it.

I definitely don't add any more to the 20%.

8/4/2009 10:00:54 AM

i dont think i have ever stiffed a wait person

if i did it would only be after knowing for damn sure i was NEVER gonna eat at that restaurant again

8/4/2009 10:01:16 AM

I always tip because thats what these people do for a living

I let them know if I'm dissatisfied with their service by literally telling them what they did a shitty job of doing

8/4/2009 10:01:17 AM

only if you were served western style BBQ

8/4/2009 10:01:48 AM

Quote :

"I think leaving $0 is a lot less douchey than leaving a fucking penny. They get the point, you didn't like the service. No need to rub it in."

if i leave $0, maybe they think i'm just someone who doesn't tip at all.

leaving $.11 is constructive criticism

8/4/2009 10:01:52 AM

Quote :

"I always tip because thats what these people do for a living I let them know if I'm dissatisfied with their service by literally telling them what they did a shitty job of doing"

Dude, you're on ThePassiveAggresiveWeb.com

That shit isn't gonna fly here

8/4/2009 10:02:05 AM

yo son yeah I didn't appreciate you putting mushrooms on my sandwich dog when I specifically asked for no mushrooms son, word is bond

8/4/2009 10:02:35 AM

Quote :

"sandwich dog"

8/4/2009 10:04:50 AM

I said a banana nutrament!

8/4/2009 10:05:13 AM

Quote :

"There's a girl that we usually end up with when we go to trivia who always adds 20% gratuity when we have 8 people or more. Which is fine, I know plenty of places do that. Except she sucks as a waitress and if not for that she'd definitely be getting less than 20%. That and the other waitresses didn't do that shit. Its almost like she adds it because she knows she sucks and we don't tip her well because of it. I definitely don't add any more to the 20%."

Why not talk to the manager? Why tuck your tail and run? Seems like a waste of time if it's somewhere you frequent. You are reinforcing that behavior.

Quote :

"I let them know if I'm dissatisfied with their service by literally telling them what they did a shitty job of doing"

I would do that, but I wouldn't wait until the end of the meal. Then it's too late to do something about it.

8/4/2009 10:07:36 AM

Tipping is never required.

Get this through your thick skulls.

Tips are conditional, not mandatory.

When gratuity is included in the bill, it is no longer a "tip" anymore.

[Edited on August 4, 2009 at 10:08 AM. Reason : =]

8/4/2009 10:07:49 AM

Quote :

" If the service is bad, he gets 10%. If the service is average, 15-20%"

if the service is awful, they dont get shit

15% is standard, i hate how these places give you the bill with 15%, 25%, and 35% already calucalted on the receipt

do they really think someone is stupid enough to give them 35%?

8/4/2009 10:07:54 AM

If its awful, they get nothing or a dollar.

On that one, I would probably do a dollar.

8/4/2009 10:13:56 AM

Quote :

"we had separate bills, so i guess that's why there wasn't an automatic gratuity added in."

shouldnt matter they do it by party wether it is one big check or not. like at kabuki its 8 or more seperate bills or not

8/4/2009 10:19:55 AM

no its not acceptable to tip.

8/4/2009 10:21:08 AM

^^Its usually 8 or more...this was only 6 people at a mexican restaurant.

8/4/2009 10:22:42 AM

Oh so now I'm a bad guy for giving the waitress at the strip club $7 for a $5.50 Goose and Grapefruit

8/4/2009 10:24:28 AM

Quote :

"if i leave $0, maybe they think i'm just someone who doesn't tip at all. leaving $.11 is constructive criticism"

This guy.

This guy!

I like his style. I just have yet to encounter shitty service as bad as the OP describes.

8/4/2009 10:35:19 AM

5% or less or not, it's situational.

Quote :

"many restaurants put mandatory gratuities on parties of maybe 6 or more the main reason is because of people like your cheap ass friends"

yeah i don't think i've ever left nothing but i have left whatever change i had in my pocket or just rounded the total bill up to the next dollar as tip

[Edited on August 4, 2009 at 10:37 AM. Reason : s]

8/4/2009 10:36:46 AM

Quote :

"^^Its usually 8 or more...this was only 6 people at a mexican restaurant."

thats what i said someone else said 6 or more

8/4/2009 10:39:36 AM

its not like theres some industry standard for how many people the restaurant chooses to set as their limit before they impose an automatic gratuity

8/4/2009 10:40:20 AM

^^^^i've only had to do it a time or two. i'm generally a pretty generous dude and i appreciate a work ethic, so if it's average service i'll figure 15% and round up to the next whole dollar. if they were above average i'll go up to 20 or sometimes even 25%. if they sucked i'll do 10%. if it was absolutely terrible, like straight up rude, i'll leave $.11.

[Edited on August 4, 2009 at 10:41 AM. Reason : sdf]

8/4/2009 10:40:52 AM

Quote :

"this was only 6 people at a mexican restaurant."

"mexican restaurant" sounds like one of those rinky dink El Rodeo type places. we didn't go to that type of place.

this was Abuelo's, which is a lot nicer than those shitty every-other-corner mexican joints.

i'm in Indianapolis, btw.

8/4/2009 10:48:44 AM

the name of the place makes it sound shittier than the places around here

8/4/2009 10:51:34 AM

everything on the menu was like $10+

i was actually kinda shocked

http://www.abuelos.com/

8/4/2009 10:52:50 AM

always a sign of a nice restaurant

8/4/2009 10:53:26 AM

oh and if you ever go...Fajita Salad with shrimp is muy bueno.

8/4/2009 10:54:44 AM

the only times I have not tipped I also spoke to the manager, so it should be pretty clear why I did not tip.

I think not tipping without saying anything is pretty douchey/ passive aggressive

8/4/2009 11:03:34 AM

if you've got a few friends with you and you're having a conversation when you are leaving, then it's entirely possible to forget to tip. so essentially, leaving no tip and not talking to a manager of some kind before you leave is pointless, because chances are they won't realize the reasoning behind you not leaving a tip. they'll assume you're forgetful and/or a douchebag and move on about their day. however if you talk to the manager citing specific areas of concern, the manager can relay the issues and thus help the waiter correct his/her shortcomings.

8/4/2009 11:05:39 AM