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Tips & tipping general discussion

I've worked in restaurants and retail but never a job where I relied wholly on tips (even pizza delivery has a better per hour than serving), but in the kitchen you often do even worse than servers. I still feel like I'm reasonably empathetic to the situation though.

I generally have 2 settings for tipping, either 18-25%, for a good job, with the difference between good and above and beyond in some way (I notice my water always being full, extra helpful/funny, etc). Then, very rarely, but only if deserving, I leave no tip. If a server is an asshole or goes above and beyond to make me feel like my table not important, I return the favor.
 
Having worked in the service industry (bartending and bouncing in my case), like many people, I appreciate tipping and go out of my way to do it. Never less than 20% except in case of truly atrocious service that is the fault of the server, i.e. shorting the tip because of an error upon the part of the chef is an unacceptable form of collateral damage. 25%+ for really exceptional service. For delivery 15-20%. At bars, no less than $1 for each drink, sometimes more for drinks requiring special effort (i.e. much of what goes in stemware, involves shaking several ingredients and particularly the use of a blender, or anything is complex and has ingredients that aren't liquor or on the soda gun...especially when the bar is busy because the bartender is taking extra time and thus missing out on other tips) which includes buy backs (this is important, they may even warrant a larger tip), and if the service is good, a more substantial tip at the end of the night (how much will vary greatly, $5-10-20 all the way up $100 or I guess maybe even more depending on the setting I guess)

By no means do all bartenders or servers expect this particular schedule but I'd consider it good form and TBH really a minimum. If you can't afford to tip in this way, you really should be eating and drinking at home. If you can afford to tip this way, and don't, you are officially cheap in my book. Although of course practices will vary from place to place. I refer here to NYC.
 
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At least 20% since I believe that people in the tipping category actually pay taxes on 20% of their sales (government actually taxes them, assuming that they will get a min. 20% tip on each bill; therefore, they pay taxes on the assumed "tip").

IDK that's what I heard.
 
In most mom and pop places you only have to claim your credit card tips because those have a trail to them...most don't claim their paper tips, but the custom of tipping your kitchen staff on a busy night that they did extra work to keep you out of the weeds is customary.

I have worked both sides of the line and I always tip out the dishwashers as well as the bussers. It is an underappreciated job and they get shit on by a lot of the staff. When I work as a chef, a beer during close goes a long way for your kitchen staff.

I do believe if you have the money, as well as know the system in the states and choose not to tip you are a special kind of bastard and should just be stuck forever eating at buffets and fast food joints. If you go to a bar your order should always be last no matter the order it comes in.
 
alasdairm said:
related reading: Your philosophy on tipping? vs. let me get my change purse sonny...
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thanks.


i tip 15-20%. i thought this was generous, anything above 15% being gravy. but the questions on okcupid.com are teaching me a lot about life, and it seems 20% is becoming the new minimum. so i lean more toward 20% these days. doesn't seem like it should be going up -- is the base pay getting worse? probably -- but i'll pay whatever is expected. great service might mean i round up, but i see tipping more as a set cost and not an opportunity to evaluate service. if i'm eating a cost effective meal at a very affordable diner, i'll often end up tipping over 20% because a cheap menu shouldn't create shitty jobs.

i tip in cash, even if i pay the bill with a card.
 
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Okay my goal for the restaurant I open.

1 First off I will only hire employees with experience in every position in a restaurant (Ie...myself)
2 Everyone alternates working every position (cuts down on the front of the house v back of the house bullshit)
3 All tips are pooled at the end of night and we divvy them up at the end of the week (the house also takes a share{this will be explained later})
4 Everyone makes 10 an hour no matter what position you are working that night.
5 The money that the house takes in tips goes into a fund that will allow people to take paid days off, vacations, or doctors appointments. Everyone knowing and being proficient at every position will also help with days off...as there is always someone that knows your job.
6 If everyone has a vested interest in the tips they will all work harder to help eachother to offer good service.
7 You can be fired very easily here for not being good at what you do (everyone relies on everyone else so a weak link just won't work)
8 The customer benefits because everyone knows the regulars, and everyone is willing to go above and beyond for everyone else.
8 Everyone does everything for closing. Once you clean your station you help clean the kitchen. The same goes if you are working in the kitchen and you are finished closing you help the floor get the restaurant tidy and restocked.

This would be an ideal system. I will eventually open this restaurant. The pricing scheme will be moderately priced and the menu will change seasonally with four specials every night. I have met a lot of people like myself that were born into the restaurant business that understand the ins and outs of every position. There just is not a place that rewards people for their knowledge so far...maybe this would make a model for restaurants everywhere.
 
Danny Meyer Is Eliminating All Tipping at His Restaurants

Big news out of Manhattan: Dining out is about to get turned on its head. Union Square Hospitality Group, the force behind some of New York’s most important restaurants, will announce today that starting in November, it will roll out an across-the-board elimination of tips at every one of its thirteen full-service venues, hand in hand with an across-the-board increase in prices. It’s a radical move — while many individual high-end restaurants have eliminated tipping, this is surely the first time zero-gratuity will be the universal policy for a major American restaurant group — casual restaurants included. Never before have so many diners been faced with such a sea change in how they pay for a full-service meal, and what they are expected to understand a fair price (and a fair wage) to be.
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I just remembered this. I dunno what I think about it but it was an interesting read.
 
Being that I was a pizza driver for about a year, and I would never do any favors for people who would buy 50 bucks in food and stiff me (I'd even bring them their pizzas cold if I knew they were that kinda customer, because I've had poor ass ghetto motherfuckers tip me over 5 bucks), I tip as fat as I can, especially for drivers because they take the risk of driving to you and putting wear and tear on their car. I never feel obligated to tip well at say, olive garden though, because I see how much people tip there... they don't need ten bucks from me, an olive garden waiter is making bank without my help. So maybe I'm a little biased, I dunno. I always tip well at diners too because they have shit hours and serve drunk people so often.

So really, I tip well when I perceive the server to be working a shitty job, and I tip low when I perceive the server to be making twice what I am at my job for an equal to lesser amount of effort. People stiff pizza guys when they're literally the ones in the food industry who do the most work and expenditure for their customers. Fuck, I've stolen ranch cups and given them to people because I know they don't wana pay a buck for an extra ranch.

In the end, I never stiff anyone though. Three bucks is the least I'd leave... and three bucks is a lot of money to me...
 
240sxLover said:
Being that I was a pizza driver for about a year, and I would never do any favors for people who would buy 50 bucks in food and stiff me (I'd even bring them their pizzas cold if I knew they were that kinda customer, because I've had poor ass ghetto motherfuckers tip me over 5 bucks), I tip as fat as I can, especially for drivers because they take the risk of driving to you and putting wear and tear on their car.
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Agree, a lot of people will stiff delivery drivers because they figure that they make at least minimum wage unlike servers but a lot of people don't realize they're using their own cars, etc. and in the city riding bikes through the elements and all that stuff is pretty rough. I tip them a % of the order not just a dollar amount though.
I never feel obligated to tip well at say, olive garden though, because I see how much people tip there... they don't need ten bucks from me, an olive garden waiter is making bank without my help.
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Very much disagree, this is a case of "Kitty Genovese Syndrome" (woman gets stabbed, is screaming, everyone thinks everyone else is calling the police, police don't get called)
 
If you just do your job as a waiter, you will get 20% from me. Outstanding service and I give more, maybe 25 to 30%. It is rare that I have felt the service or restaurant on whole was so poor I gave less but the few times it has happened I still give something. I will go down to 15% in these cases but once gave 10% (actually think is was like 8% but it was a really bad dining experience).

For bartenders I tend to overtip.In a crowded bar, I usually give 5-7 bucks on the first few drinks as bartenders tend to serve quicker, so it is a selfish reason but still give 2-3 bucks for each subsequent drink. In less crowded bars I tend to give less, maybe a buck or two per purchase.

I never stiff delivery men, thats crazy in my book. They bring you food or whatever to your door, how could you not be grateful? 5 bucks is normal for me, sometimes 10.

Recently, I have even started tipping when I pick up food. Not everywhere but places I really like or visit frequently, I will throw a couple of bucks at them.

Perhaps because I too serve the public is why I tip well. Ive never worked as a waiter or bartender but understand how shitty people can be even if you are not at fault and how being on your feet all day takes a lot out of you.
 
Yeah a big tip on the first few drinks at a bar is a good thing especially in a busy one. Tips should also vary according to the setting and the drinks in question ...

I only drink in dives though so that should be taken into account in my above post as referencing tipping in bars :)
 
Yeah a big tip on the first few drinks at a bar is a good thing especially in a busy one. Tips should also vary according to the setting and the drinks in question ...

I only drink in dives though so that should be taken into account in my above post as referencing tipping in bars :)
 
My bf ordered a pizza and tipped $10 on his CC. The driver called him and asked him to come down to get his pizza. -___- We live on the 2nd floor, like seriously, one flight of stairs. $10! Lameeee.
 
manboychef said:
Okay my goal for the restaurant I open.

1 First off I will only hire employees with experience in every position in a restaurant (Ie...myself)
2 Everyone alternates working every position (cuts down on the front of the house v back of the house bullshit)
3 All tips are pooled at the end of night and we divvy them up at the end of the week (the house also takes a share{this will be explained later})
4 Everyone makes 10 an hour no matter what position you are working that night.
5 The money that the house takes in tips goes into a fund that will allow people to take paid days off, vacations, or doctors appointments. Everyone knowing and being proficient at every position will also help with days off...as there is always someone that knows your job.
6 If everyone has a vested interest in the tips they will all work harder to help eachother to offer good service.
7 You can be fired very easily here for not being good at what you do (everyone relies on everyone else so a weak link just won't work)
8 The customer benefits because everyone knows the regulars, and everyone is willing to go above and beyond for everyone else.
8 Everyone does everything for closing. Once you clean your station you help clean the kitchen. The same goes if you are working in the kitchen and you are finished closing you help the floor get the restaurant tidy and restocked.

This would be an ideal system. I will eventually open this restaurant. The pricing scheme will be moderately priced and the menu will change seasonally with four specials every night. I have met a lot of people like myself that were born into the restaurant business that understand the ins and outs of every position. There just is not a place that rewards people for their knowledge so far...maybe this would make a model for restaurants everywhere.
Click to expand...
I don't know about this plan. I mean, busers work harder than hostesses (more manual labor), and servers work harder than busers (have to "sell" and interact with customers). So to "pool" tips, wouldn't that be unfair to those who are working "harder"?

Also, the "house" taking a cut is kind of ridiculous, especially to pay for PTO. I mean, PTO is pretty standard and every company should offer that without basically having the workers PAY for their own PTO.

In regards to everyone cleaning the kitchen afterwards really doesn't make sense since if the kitchen staff is slacking and not cleaning up while working (which they really don't need to do since it's not like customers can see the kitchen), why should the servers suffer on account of the cooks being lazy?

& everyone alternating? People are usually good at only a few things.. there's a reason why some people prefer to work front vs back of the house. You know what you're good at and you stick to it. I mean, you can open it up so people can switch positions if they wanted to but to force people... don't think you'll get good results.
 
that is why I am looking for people like myself. I can do anything in a restaurant and I am extremely proficient at every position. The goal is to make a more cohesive team. I know many people like myself from the business that do everything. I know the plan has faults...but in the long run will be lucrative for all.

One thing that rarely happens in the restaurant business is payed sick days, or payed vacations. Having a pool to rely on will stop people from having to work while they are sick.

What I strive for is an elite team of professionals. I was raised in the business and there are many like me that wish to achieve balance. The cook not keeping his station clean won't last long. The server not keeping their station clean will thus not make it either. There are certain tenets of the kitchen...clean as you go! This is to counteract the ills of the restaurant business. I would look at every person that worked for me as a part owner of the restaurant with just an equal share that I am taking.I will work alongside my team growing them as I grow myself. I have worked in many restaurants and the pay scales are one of the biggest problems. The profession is extremely mercenary and restaurant employees tend to go where the money is.

It is all about finding the right team that are willing to work hard at every position to ensure that the guest receives excellent treatment. I want only the best, and they need to be willing to share the workload and the compensation. If the restaurant is to do well everyone must know the ins and outs of the restaurant business. There are places for career servers, cooks, and dishwashers...this place will not be that way. The goal is for everyone to help each other to ensure unity and effectiveness.

I admit this is not perfect but it is a step towards a little bit better treatment in US restaurants. This place would be slightly upscale, but not to upscale as to exclude the general public.
 
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I like that idea manboychef but have zero experience in the restaurant business and have no idea if it is economically or even practically feasible. I will defer to you and others.

But the ideas of shared work, decent pay + tips, expectation of results etc. seems fantastic for the customer. The food is obviously the star at any restaurant but a well oiled machine with workers who actually give a shit is a huge plus to me.

Manboychef, there is a restaurant near me where the chefs/cooks actually serve the food. It is a bit of a trend from what I understand, extending the farm to table model to the actual table, if you will. You think this is a good concept? It wasnt open yet when I found out about it, so not sure exactly how service works.
 
Eventually I will put it into effect. Originally I just wanted to open a string of combination strip club/laundromats...but I came up with that restaurant concept with a friend of mine that worked with me at a hotel restaurant called Redfield's. It just seemed like a much better idea. Unfortunately, I got hooked on drugs and am just now coming back to my sanity. It is my goal though and I am of the mindset that if you can dream it you can do it.

@kittycat: It seems like it could work. It would have to be a small restaurant that people are not pissed off at waiting for their food. Are there servers taking the orders? Or is it set menu. It could work if it was set menu with like three seatings a night. That way each course could be finished by the person working the each side of the window (expediter/head chef), while the other chefs served the food.
If it was ticket based system with a menu I could see a lot of problems there...mostly with people having to leave their stations in order to deliver food. It is easy to get into the weeds on a busy night...add that to having to leave your station and you have a recipe for disaster...personally...I'm a wizard in a blizzard of tickets.
 
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Im not 100% sure. They have a companion restaurant downstairs which is traditional. I know it is smaller but not sure how it functions. Whenever I get around to trying it out I will let you know.
 
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