We went out with friends yesterday afternoon. It was after lunch but well before supper (about 3:00 pm) so the restaurant wasn't busy at all.

We had 21 people in a group, spread out over four tables, and they only assigned one waiter to us. Considering the group (only eight adults, the rest young children), he did a fantastic job AND he split up the bills for us. He was smart, though. He asked if we wanted separate bills, then just wrote our orders down in the correct groups. I don't see why servers think it is so hard to do - just ask up front and set up the bills accordingly...

Anyways, he got a 25% tip from me just for being smart, keeping on top of things (hard to keep 21 drinks topped up!), and not getting frustrated or short.

I typically tip 15-25% regardless of whether the service is good or bad AS LONG AS I DON'T FEEL THE SERVER IS JUST BEING LAZY. If the server is just not doing their job, I don't tip beyond 10% (and I hate doing even that). If they're doing their best but they're obviously tired (usually near the end of their shift), I tip them high just to give them a bright spot in their day. I just can't stand lazy servers that expect tips. Heck, if they're friendly, I'll tip them well - just put some sort of effort into it is all I ask!

I've never been mean to a server or tried to embarrass them. Why would you want to do that? If I ever had a serious problem, I'd just talk to the manager.

 

ahh, good ol' raj...

olive garden...meh. it's ok food, but nothing to write home about. they certainly charge enough that the service should be good. you want to see really good customer service, check out your local chick-fil-a. those folks want your business!

 

That's why I don't tip lousy service and if it's bad enough I'll talk with the management if it's bad enough. Not tipping while effective sucks for the bussers/host who do most of the work anyway. I've on a few occasions made a point of tipping the bus boy while leaving no tip.

The only time I've ever really felt bad about my tipping conduct is when I took the wrong receipt (merchant copy with tip) so they just ran it for the bill. Fortunately its a small place with only 2 or 3 waiters that I go to fairly frequently so I knew who I'd stiffed and just double tipped him the next time I went. It all depends... I've tipped high for what I'd call normally poor service at grossly understaffed restaurants. I don't see why I should stiff someone who is busting their ass because of something outside their control.

The leaving comments is a good idea as it gives the server/management feed back on what they are doing right/wrong rather than just a nebulous tip. Some people always tip well and some always tip poorly so a lousy tip could just be a cheapskate.

 

"My pleasure" Kind of creeps me out.

 

that's a good idea; I don't do that, but I may start. That way they know they sucked and you weren't just being a cheap ass. I'm pretty traditional with my tips; 20%+ is for awesomeness, 15% is for decent, and 10% or less for teh suck.

I can't remember the last time I tipped less than 15% though. And for the former-server who says they'd rather be treated like crap instead of no tip... wtf, if they want a tip, they'll work for it. They SERVE, that's their job. If they suck, they get paid less. It doesn't give you licence to be an ass of a customer, though.

 

If the service sucked I don't give any tip at all. I think service shouldn't suck considering these people are working for the restaurant and they know that if they do a great job, they will be rewarded right.

I hate when waiters and waitresses are garbage. It makes me NOT want to return to that particular restaurant

 

Olive Garden is scary.

There's never an excuse for abuse or for being low-class. Both usually do more to highlight personal issues / shortcomings than making a effective statement... unless you're going to PIIHB.

 

No, but you don't have to eat at The Corporate Trough Of Doom (Italian-flavored) either.

Either you're telling me (us?) that you can't find a ma-n-pa Italian place to save your life in your neck of the woods in Michigan OR that you can't follow a decent sauce recipe and whip up a spaghetti dinner for ??? people.