im not the one with a problem leaving a tip... i wont tip 20% on crappy service or 15%, but unless the person was the most ridiculous waiter in the world, which i haven't had yet.. i wont tip under 10% ... like other people said, there are some people, aka college students or high school students, that dont necessarily have much opportunity to have a great job. They make 2-3$ per hour bc they are expected to recieve tips.

 

They make $2-3 because they don't want to work retail and can make more money than retail of tips.

 

I tip based on service, with 15% being the worst. I give 20% as the high. Since I"m not good with math, it's either 15% or 20%...

 

So you reward bad service?

I wish I were rich enough to be able to just give away money.

 

If someone down right is rude or does a really really bad job, 10%. Another easy calculation that a math delinquent person can do in her head. I'd like to think that the person is not a hired mistake but that maybe he/she is having a bad day. It happens. Long long LONG ago I used to wait tables before starting university. I can say there were days where nothing was going right for me no matter what. Folks gave me a break, so why not do so now. I'm not rich, but it's not like I spend a ton on such things to which I'd go broke with adding some tip money.

 

Those who have never worked in the service industry will never understand how much people depend on tips. Before you go and bash me for saying that i should get an education and not be a waiter, i have never waited a table, but i have friends who have. Not everyone can afford college, and need to work, not everyone is cut out to graduate from college and work at wall st. If you say grow up and get a better job, well, maybe those people enjoy interacting with customers, serving people... more power to them.

That being said.. I either tip over 20% if i don't have any negative feelings toward the wait staff. 15% if i think they did their job, and ZERO% if they sucked. But... i don't just stiff them. I will either write them a note, or better yet, speak to the manager. Tipping someone less than 15%, and they will think you are just cheap, and it isn't going to change their attitude. Not tipping them, and letting them know why you are doing ends up serving them better.

I also do not hold it against the waiter if the food comes out bad, or i see that they are trying to get to everyone, but the hostess just double booked them or something. If the waiter can't control the situation, i can't blame them.

I do have to agree, if you can't afford to tip someone, you shouldn't eat.. but it is more how you educate society. I remember once i went to a restaurant, and a table of 10 kids, mostly 16-17.. since they could drive i suppose and they were there before we arrived, and left a few minutes before i did. They all paid in cash, and the total amount left for the waiter.... $5 bucks. i saw that he did a great job too... so when it was my turn to leave, i dropped a $10 for him...

TIP people... show some class... don't be cheap... if you don't tip, just go eat at mcdonalds or something.

 

Also, to the people who said "get an education"....

Some of the waiters that worked for my restaurants made about $3500 a week in cash...thats about $5000 a week if it were on the books money. Any of you (who said they need a better education) make that NOW in your adult life? Didnt think so. Not every week did they pull money like that, but the definetely pulled 6 figures a year in CASH. And dont get me started on my friends (usually very good looking girls) that ripped down $900 a night bartending. On top of that, professional waiters (those in very high end establishments...usually they are 40+ year old males) make well over $150K. Again, any of you guys make that?

 

I think this thread's main point is:

"Waiters should not expect to be tipped"

You can see it in different types and classes of restaurants. Let's compare Cheesecake factory and Ihop. Let's say both checks were $100. Say both waiters screwed up the order. From my experiences, Cheesecake factory waiters sincerely apologized and either got me a free drink or free apetizer, or the order that was messed up was free. Now I know he probably had to pay for that dish, so I give him some extra tip since he did a swell job in making my experience as pleasant as possible. Now if any of us had ever seen the movie "Waiting..." this would not be the case. In the end, they both expect the same amount for tip. Hmmm...

About this money losing value thing. That's only seeing it from the food service industry's side of the fence. Food prices go up, so if 15% of a $12 steak was $1.80 10 years ago, wouldn't the same steak, now $20, receive a tip of $3? So it goes back to the waiters being greedy again. They don't see that much of a profit from raising the food price, even though they get more tip than years before, so they want to jack up tip too. If food prices stayed the same with $5 steak like in the 1920s, then I'd say a larger tip is probably likely. So where's the justification of raising food price & tip? The service hasn't exactly been upgraded.

By the way, I'm a bio major, so I never had to pleasure of learning how you're able to justify mandatory tip from econ 101.

 

Tipping is socially mandatory. I have proven this dozens of times. You will NOT be shot or imprisoned if you do not tip. However, every single person in this thread...when they leave their house to go out for dinner, to have a drink at the bar,etc etc...expects to leave a tip that night. Sure circumstances might arise that no tip will be given, but you EXPECT it. When you are walking down the stairs out of the restaurant, to retrieve your car from the valet, you pull out a buck or two for a tip. When you order Domino's, they tell you the total, and youll have on hand the total plus two dollars extra for the delivery boy. It is a society standard. Are you part of the society? Of course.

Want a good analogy? You are a bio major correct?

People wash their hands after they pee right? If I just told you I took a leak and didnt wash my hand would you shake it? Not in a million years.

However, washing hands is simply a society standard. Your pee is sterile, and your dingaling has 1/10th the bacteria your hands have at any given point. Ideally, you should wash your hands BEFORE you pee.

So, you see my point. It is a society standard. If it wasnt, why is their minimum wage 2-3 an hour? People who dont think tipping is expected are just plain and simply.....CHEAP. (expected and EARNED are two different things)

 

Let solve this problem or minimum wage and make it the same for everyone, then I guess, we wouldn't have to tip? Ha, you wouldn't change your opinion then.

I very rarely meet a waiter that deserves the 20% on a $100+ dinner for two that I just left them.

It's expected not earned.

The whole thing is assine! Pay the wait staff a commision on the food, get rid of tipping all together. Then only te good ones would keep the job because the expectation would then be on the custumer to get great service from the waiter.