Tips & tipping general discussion

[addictivepersona]

What if you can tell that it was the servers fault your order turned out wrong?

Say you made an easy deletion, like no cheese on a burger that typically comes with cheese. You order the burger, she writes it all down, then you say "without cheese," and you can tell she jotted it all the way at the bottom in the corner. Lo and behold, your burger comes with cheese. And it's not a matter of preference--It's a matter of allergy. Sure, you could've ordered a burger that doesn't typically come with cheese, but you wanted the other fixin's. What then? Or, ultimately, was it your fault for saying the "no cheese" bit last?

 

[Lysis]

I know the wait staff might be having a really bad day, and since I waitressed for about a year, I know how it is. The best tippers are people who have been there.

I don't even remember the last time I left a shitty tip. I think the waiter would have to be a total douchebag, and that rarely happens, because even when you're having a bad day, you can at least keep it short.

I tip 15% if the service is bad and 20% for good and excellent help. I usually assume staff is new or having a bad day if it's something like forgetting to do something for me, so I still tip 15%. The only time I tip worse than that is if the waiter told me off or was an asshole, and I think that has happened to me like once.

 

[llama112]

I tip based on how well the service was, the food, and the cost of the food. If it's a crazy expensive meal already, I'm not going to tip 15% even if everything was good, because that could still be crazy expensive. The biggest deal is the service though. I don't want the waiter to be chatting with me/us all night, but I want her/him to be cheerful, polite, and efficient. That's pretty much it.
I'm probably one of the people servers hate, because I have tipped nothing before or 1 or 2 %, something low.
I don't feel like they should be tipped all the time. The thing is, at least where I live in Ontario, they are already getting like $8/hour (minimum wage is 10.25 an hour and server minimum wage is like 8 or 8.50 an hour). I'm already paying for a meal. I don't see why I have to tip them if they do a bad job. It just doesn't seem logical - I paid for the food and basic service already with the cost of the meal.
It only takes a server like a $2 tip to get up to "regular" minimum wage. A $2 tip is usually a "bad" tip anyway.
All in all, if they do well then yeah I will tip, but if not then they are not getting a good tip.

 

[ChickenScratch]

I find all of this tipping business fascinating.. Living in Australia we don't tip at all, unless there is truly incredible service provided.

I think I would find it off-putting knowing it was expected that I give a tip, even of the service was sub-par.

Obviously this is a fairly ingrained cultural norm in America and wouldn't easily be changed, but I can't help but think we use a more fair system. I think employees should get a fair and honest wage, and tips for good service should be gravy.

this is why we hate it when you people go out to dinner here. that's right....YOU PEOPLE.

 

[hiphophippy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qV9wVGb38

 

[hiphophippy]

I'm in the nw too, so maybe we get the snarky servers up here. But I've just had a lot of bad experiences lately, and not like my food is cold or whatever,; like, wow, this servers a dick.

I went to this cafe the other day on a lunch break from school, and ordered this 10$ burrito (!) and the cashier just gave me some snooty attitude so i didn't leave anything in the tip jar. Boring story, but I wasn't sure how big of a dick I was being.

I mean, I want to let them know that I didn't tip you because they were snooty with me, but I don't want to be a dick myself. It's like, they could have easily had 2$ for the like zero amount of effort it would have taken to be just even neutral with me.

Why the fuck would you spend $10 on a burrito? I might pay $10 for this

I don't tip at stand up factory style restaurants or food carts.

What if you can tell that it was the servers fault your order turned out wrong?

Say you made an easy deletion, like no cheese on a burger that typically comes with cheese. You order the burger, she writes it all down, then you say "without cheese," and you can tell she jotted it all the way at the bottom in the corner. Lo and behold, your burger comes with cheese. And it's not a matter of preference--It's a matter of allergy. Sure, you could've ordered a burger that doesn't typically come with cheese, but you wanted the other fixin's. What then? Or, ultimately, was it your fault for saying the "no cheese" bit last?

I dunno, if you see them write it down it's probably the cooking staff's fault, they have to work hard, fast and for long hours substitutions are a bitch. I;d say don't eat at eateries/ order things at eateries that have cheese on them normally.

Allergy's are a choice. Just choose to not be allergic.

 

[AmorRoark]

I think she meant the waitress jotted it 'all the way' to suggest she wrote, basically 'put everything on it' which would be her fault.

Regardless, people make fucking mistakes. It's a tough job, I think you know what it's like to work in a service job ap. In that scenario I would probably reflect in my tip how the waitress reacted to my concern about the order. Pretty simple.

 

[axl blaze]

I've been bartending/serving for a long time now

I could paint this thread with many many stories in my years, but I just say that in sit-down restaurants, I ALWAYS tip 20 percent

if you don't tip 20 percent, you are an asshole (some circumstances withstanding)

 

[addictivepersona]

Allergy's are a choice. Just choose to not be allergic.

I hope you're joking.

I dunno, if you see them write it down it's probably the cooking staff's fault, they have to work hard, fast and for long hours substitutions are a bitch. I;d say don't eat at eateries/ order things at eateries that have cheese on them normally.

I think she meant the waitress jotted it 'all the way' to suggest she wrote, basically 'put everything on it' which would be her fault.

Nope, I meant that I could tell by the way she wrote it, that she wrote it all the way at the bottom of the ticket, and it wasallcrunchedinthecornrnproblylokedkndlkths. Know what I mean? And yeah, I probably shouldn't order stuff that has cheese on it without the cheese, but that's a pretty simple thing to request--It's not like I was asking them to replace it with something else--Was just asking for something to not be added. But meh, I tend to avoid those situations nowadays. It gets much too complicated and I worry about someone spitting in my food. 8)

Regardless, people make fucking mistakes. It's a tough job, I think you know what it's like to work in a service job ap. In that scenario I would probably reflect in my tip how the waitress reacted to my concern about the order. Pretty simple.

It is a tough job, and people do make mistakes. Working with the public is a bitch sometimes. I'm so glad I'm out of the service sector with the public.

 

[AmorRoark]

What? You mean she put the 'no cheese' at the corner of the ticket where nobody could logically read it? That's lame.

I'm the most plain person in the world so I use to ask for "no _____ and no _____" but I realized I'm often more unhappy when they don't fulfill that than just getting it and scraping it off for my husband to eat as a salad of sorts. I realize if you're a vegetarian or allergic to something this is a bigger deal but seriously, order a vegetarian item or solicit your business to somewhere that respects your dietary restrictions. Really not trying to diss on you ap, just feeling your pain.

 

[muvolution]

Hey axl, can I ask you about my tipping practices since you are a bartender? Usually if I am at a bar I know and like, when I order my first drink, I will tip $10 or $20, depending on the bar and if I am with anyone. I feel like one big tip says that you will be coming up to get more drinks, and that you are more likely to stick in the barkeep's mind, even if it works out to the same tip per drink. What do you think?

If they come through for me and give me excellent service even when the bar is packed, I usually leave another $5 when I leave. Is this presumptuos or smart, or both?



For others who work in service, how do you feel about tips of drugs? I always enjoyed them since it saves money and time, but why might you not want a drug tip?

 

[addictivepersona]

What? You mean she put the 'no cheese' at the corner of the ticket where nobody could logically read it? That's lame.

I'm the most plain person in the world so I use to ask for "no _____ and no _____" but I realized I'm often more unhappy when they don't fulfill that than just getting it and scraping it off for my husband to eat as a salad of sorts. I realize if you're a vegetarian or allergic to something this is a bigger deal but seriously, order a vegetarian item or solicit your business to somewhere that respects your dietary restrictions. Really not trying to diss on you ap, just feeling your pain.

I didn't see the paper she wrote on, but from the way she was writing, that is how it appeared.

And yeah, I would just take the cheese off, but I am allergic and gooey melted cheese gets stuck places and could not adequately be removed. I currently just go other places, or don't eat outside my house.

 

[Gnarles Bronson]

if you don't tip 20 percent, you are an asshole (some circumstances withstanding)

I might be an asshole but I still don't feel like tipping assholes.

I remember going to a coffee shop a while back. There was this dude, dressed in black behind the counter, a big scowel on his face. "What can I get you?" coffee, i said. "Here you go."

That guy gets a tip.

No bullshit, no fake tgif smiley bullshit, no snarky entitled condescension. Just real, sincere, honest--all i ask.

 

[jazz hands]

if you don't tip 20 percent, you are an asshole (some circumstances withstanding)

That's pretty extreme. I've worked at a few restaurants that capture tip percentages from credit cards and average them out, and a 20% average is high. Good servers usually have around a 20% average, and that is including the tips that are well over 20%.

Also, like muvolution said, the ticket total really does matter. 20% on a $25 tab is only $5, but on a $150 tab it is $30. I feel that tipping less than $5 on the $25 tab is in poor taste, but tipping $23 instead of $30 on the $150 tab is understandable.

 

[kaywholed]

i tip on 3 criteria:

A) how much money I make? If I had a good day, I tip well.
B) how much the cost is vs currency units. ie I try to round up to the neared bill. 6 dollar slice of pizza gets round up to 10, and the server gets 4$.
C) quality of service. nice bloke gets a nice tip, nice girl with tits gets a great one.

 

[Pander Bear]

e. I've worked at a few restaurants that capture tip percentages from credit cards and average them out, and a 20% average is high. Good servers usually have around a 20% average, and that is including the tips that are well over 20%.

ya, but most people are assholes. QED

 

[hiphophippy]

I hope you're joking.

 

[Lysis]

this is why we hate it when you people go out to dinner here. that's right....YOU PEOPLE.

The canadians tip horribly too, but my friend who came down to hang out tipped REALLY well. She said it was just quebec.

 

[ChickenScratch]

if i get good service, i tip a few bucks more than 20%.

if i get decent service, i ususally do the same.

i rarely tip under 20%.

 

[Pander Bear]

Chicken is one of those rare situations where someone can be a colossal festering prolapsed asshole, and still be a good tipper.