Quote :

"I waited tables going through optometry school. The bitch of it was if someone left a small tip or no tip, then you just paid to work that table. They took out a tipshare which was 3% of the bill, not the tip. So at the end of the night, I had to give 3% of the total charged at my tables for a tipshare between the hostess and backbar. So if someone doesnt tip, I just paid 3% of thier bill to wait on them. shitty. Im not sure how other resturants do it, but I always leave a good tip, unless its just terrible service, then its 10%. I think you have to work on of these jobs to appreciate tips."

my buddy waits at a jap steakhouse. he has to tip the cook 10% of the total bill regardless of the tip he gets.

6/3/2008 12:42:23 PM

haha my bad experience the other night was priceless

I had to fill my own water from my Nalgene after I gave him ample time to fix things
I watched him leaning against the register doing dick the whole time

I hope he got really angry with that penny
but it was like we were invisible the moment we favored water over $10 cocktails

6/3/2008 12:43:07 PM

foreigners are much worse than old people. most other countries, servers make minimum wage and up. they don't know about tipping.

6/3/2008 12:43:42 PM

Why does the amount of money of the ticket determine how much you tip? I drive delivery, and I only expect $1 - $3 per delivery, no matter how big the order was. Tipping should be based on the amount of time the server spent with your table, not how much your food happened to cost.

6/3/2008 12:44:00 PM

Quote :

"my buddy waits at a jap steakhouse. he has to tip the cook 10% of the total bill regardless of the tip he gets. "

servers at japanese steakhouses don't do shit. they bring out drinks once and take your order.

6/3/2008 12:44:13 PM

I tip 20% regardless.

My uncle waited tables to get through the University of Maryland and the University of Southern California Grad School. He tips between 25-75%.

6/3/2008 12:44:18 PM

because there wouldn't be incentive for nicer restaurants to provide better service, dumbass

6/3/2008 12:44:49 PM

delivery people are the ones who really deserve tips since they are using their own cars and their own gas.

6/3/2008 12:45:51 PM

20% tipper here
the rest of you can go fuck themselves talkin like you dont have to tip


Cough up a buck you cheap bastard.

6/3/2008 12:46:40 PM

Quote :

"I hope he got really angry with that penny but it was like we were invisible the moment we favored water over $10 cocktails"

He probably wasn't too angry, seeing that he only missed out on a couple bucks.

6/3/2008 12:46:50 PM

the restaurant should be paying their mileage plus some for wear on the car

if they're not doing that then the delivery driver is dumb for taking the job

^ the bill was $37 and would have been more if I felt that I had the opportunity to order more but I never saw the motherfucker again - we had to ask another waitress if we could order dessert

[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 12:48 PM. Reason : Italian douchebag]

6/3/2008 12:46:50 PM

i think they're paid mileage though. and they make a decent base pay anyway. servers are like $2.30/hr or something. so you could be there all day and have terrible tables and walk out with like $20.

6/3/2008 12:46:59 PM

Gumby's paid their drivers $4/hr fyi

6/3/2008 12:47:30 PM

Quote :

"My uncle waited tables to get through the University of Maryland and the University of Southern California Grad School. He tips between 25-75%."

that is just stupid.
but since people do things like this, servers have NO right to complain when they get stiffed. it evens out in the end.

[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 12:49 PM. Reason : ]

6/3/2008 12:48:12 PM

my car insurance company made me sign in my contract that i wouldnt drive delivery. I'm guessing that restaurants probably don't cover the cost of wear/tear on the car for delivery drivers normally then.

6/3/2008 12:48:30 PM

seriously???

6/3/2008 12:49:31 PM

Quote :

"i think they're paid mileage though. and they make a decent base pay anyway. servers are like $2.30/hr or something. so you could be there all day and have terrible tables and walk out with like $20."

Yeah, we get mileage and a flat delivery fee for each run. When I'm on the phones, I always make sure to mention the delivery charge if someone has a coupon, for example. That 11.99 comes out to 14.80 with tax and delivery charge...

6/3/2008 12:50:10 PM

well shit i didn't know that. i'm going to tip drivers less now.

6/3/2008 12:51:01 PM

I have mad respect for people that deliver on bicycles

6/3/2008 12:52:00 PM

Quote :

"seriously???"

yeah. I'd assume it has to do with most delivery places being in cities, and there are some bad sections out there, and nighttime break-ins and stuff like that are pretty common.

6/3/2008 12:52:28 PM

haha the bicyclists only deliver in a 1-2 mile radius.

6/3/2008 12:53:01 PM

just the other day a delivery driver in NYC fought off armed assailants that mugged him for $180

6/3/2008 12:53:20 PM

Imagine if you actually had to drive your car to the person's table, and they still stiffed you. Yes, this is the reality of being a delivery driver.

6/3/2008 12:56:44 PM

oh and FYI those of you who order stuff "to-go" at restaurants like Applebees/Tripps/etc:

that carside person is only working for $5 an hour. Yep, the managers think they're supposed to get tipped, too. NEVER happens.

6/3/2008 12:57:59 PM

yeah but then you could run the people over on their way out

6/3/2008 12:58:14 PM

what should they be tipped for?

6/3/2008 12:58:34 PM

^^^^delivery drivers also make minimum wage (6.15) plus delivery fee, and get tipped most of the time. I usually make $12-20/hr, plus my check, for driving to somebody's house, dropping something off and never seeing them again

[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 12:58 PM. Reason : 3]

6/3/2008 12:58:41 PM

if i get a curbside takeout order from outback i leave a tip

6/3/2008 12:59:12 PM

^^^ promptness

[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 12:59 PM. Reason : -]

6/3/2008 12:59:29 PM

(I'm talking about the to go people at restaurants)
wouldn't it be the kitchen who is prompt?

6/3/2008 1:00:32 PM

not really. the cooks just make the food, the carside person packages it all with the proper sides and condiments. also, if its a dessert or a salad or something like that, they just go ahead and make it themselves.

besides, you're getting food at the same price as someone who walked into the restaurant and has a waiter that they're gonna have to tip. A lot of people view To-Go customers as cheap-os because they think they can get nice food without tipping.

[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 1:04 PM. Reason : da]

6/3/2008 1:03:24 PM

yeah the kitchen is definitely a function of this equation

but sometimes drivers get lost or try to do too many deliveries in one run
this is something you shouldn't tip them for

6/3/2008 1:03:52 PM

Quote :

"that is just stupid. and since people do things like this, servers have NO right to complain when they get stiffed. it evens out in the end."

I'll agree with the right to servers having no right to complain...but that's only if they work in places where it evens out (usually nicer places where people tip really big). But when some servers are slaving away in places where they majority of the time they get less than 20%...then I think they can complain.

And it really isn't stupid. I tip big for two reasons:

1) I've served and I've bartended. I know how it feels to get a good tip. It's uplifting...it can make your day. I like to make people feel good. Just for example: I was at a bar I frequent on a slow night with some of my friends...rang up something like a $90 tab getting everyone's drinks. Tipped somewhere between $40 and $45 bucks. The next night when I was working, the bartender who was serving me (who I know casually) came up to the bar and gave me the biggest hug and said, "Thank you so much for last night. You have no idea the financial troubles I'm going through, and you really helped me out last night." Made me feel awesome. I don't always tip that big, but sometimes I do, and its for reasons like that.

2) You will reap the benefits. I go out to eat and drink pretty frequently where I live (Charleston). And I always tip pretty well and then get to know the servers and bartenders. There isn't a bar that I go to that I don't get served ahead of five people in front of me, get free drinks, get free shots, and ultimately just get treated well. It probably doesn't work out well monetarily (my big tips aren't directly correlated to free drinks...although sometimes it does), but it definitely pays off not having to wait for drinks on busy nights and being able to take care of friends coming into town or dates that you take out. And there isn't a restaurant that I go to that I don't get a complimentary glass of champagne, free desert, or maybe an appetizer taken care of (to go along with getting the best table in the house and usually the best server). This sometimes comes from the manager on duty or just the server buying me a desert because he/she knows I'm going to take care of them when the bill comes. Again, this doesn't usually equal out monetarily, but is sure as hell impresses dates and probably the best is when I can get my sister and mom taken care of when they come into town.

It really all comes down to priorities. I like the perks that come with tipping well and being taken care of servers. I'm also about to start a profession where its important that clients be taken care of, and I'll get premium service wherever I take clients out in my town. If all you care is to go out and have someone else cook for you and serve you food...then keep tipping shitty and keep getting shitty service. And sometimes you say, "Well the server didn't know what I was going to tip before he/she gave me bad service." That's actually wrong a lot of times. If you've worked in the industry long enough, you can usually tell. One telling sign...not ordering cocktails at dinner. 95% of the time the tip is going to be less than 15%. And the check isn't going to be big anyways, so that also lessens the incentive.

I could go on...but I feel like I'm ranting.

6/3/2008 1:04:08 PM

i have a complex about tipping, mostly because i'm jewish and you can tell i am by looking at me. i don't want to not tip and then something thinking negatively about me because "i looked like i was jewish anyways." its sort of horrible. i don't mind tipping well under normal circumstances but when it comes down to me receiving really horrible service that complex kicks in and they still get about 20%.

What did happen to the 10% rule, anyways? Even if cost of living rose, which it did, then the cost of food rose too and if meal price rose at the same rate of cost of living the 10% would be proportionately the same.

6/3/2008 1:04:43 PM

one dilemma is if your order gets all fucked up, rather by the kitchen or a server typo...if the kitchen fucks up and the server does everything they can to fix things, you cant blame the server, but are you supposed to tip the full amount if the kitchen fucks up and takes forever?

6/3/2008 1:05:20 PM

sunday crowds were always hard to read. it's either they come out of church with two views:

1) being enlightened and jolly and therefore generous and willing to tip well

or

2) as a server, you missed that party's generosity when the offering pan was passed around in church.

6/3/2008 1:06:49 PM

the not ordering cocktails thing is a red herring
what if I'm a recovering alcoholic? how about that?

6/3/2008 1:07:05 PM

^order a coke or something that costs more than $0.00

6/3/2008 1:07:36 PM

Quote :

"are you supposed to tip the full amount if the kitchen fucks up and takes forever?"

you could always complain to the manager about that one. sometimes they'll give you free meal cards, etc.

6/3/2008 1:07:39 PM

Quote :

"the not ordering cocktails thing is a red herring what if I'm a recovering alcoholic? how about that?"

Did I say 100%?? Alright then.

6/3/2008 1:07:53 PM

you could order a lemonade

6/3/2008 1:08:09 PM

Quote :

"not really. the cooks just make the food, the carside person packages it all with the proper sides and condiments. also, if its a dessert or a salad or something like that, they just go ahead and make it themselves. besides, you're getting food at the same price as someone who walked into the restaurant and has a waiter that they're gonna have to tip. A lot of people view To-Go customers as cheap-os because they think they can get nice food without tipping."

the person at the taco bell drive through packages food and hands it to me too, so why don't we tip them?
Oh, it's because other than handing us the food we paid for, they don't include any other services.
Well the same is true for to go orders at restaurants. If I take food to go, i'm not in the need of further services such as drinks, refills, ranch runs, more napkins because i spilled my drink, more refills, etc.
Those things I pay for with my tip. (unless I don't get those things, in which case I won't pay for them.)

6/3/2008 1:09:12 PM

look I like water
and it was fucking hot out

and they didn't have mineral water on the menu

6/3/2008 1:09:17 PM

Every time these threads happen Smath makes it a point to show what a jew he is.

6/3/2008 1:09:53 PM

order a coke or iced tea AND a water

if you order a mineral water, they'll probably tip you with a big flaming rainbow bumper sticker

6/3/2008 1:09:54 PM

why should I buy something that makes me less healthy?

I didn't WANT a coke or an iced tea

I wanted water and decent service

6/3/2008 1:10:34 PM

no, i point out how entitled to tips you young servers feel.

6/3/2008 1:11:15 PM

I still wait tables every now and then, you can't judge people when you walk up to the table. I had a table of 8 older British ladies, that ended up tipping me 40% on the bill. (bill = $180 dollar bucks)

You get what you give, same goes for customers. I've keep meeting people that always have horrible service when they go out. Most of those people suck

6/3/2008 1:11:40 PM

Snewf, IF YOU CAN'T ORDER A SOFT DRINK YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS GOING OUT TO EAT IN THE FIRST PLACE YOU JEW!

6/3/2008 1:11:58 PM

im just telling you how it is, not how it should or shouldnt be

for example, if you go into a restaurant that provides chips before your meal, and you just drink water and eat chips for 2 hours and im a waiter, i'm not going to give a fuck about you because you'd be a shitty customer

again you ordered food so im taking it to the extreme, but thats the principle

6/3/2008 1:12:30 PM