waaaaaiiiit a minute. No one said anything about this raising tip to 20% instead of 15%. I can't see a big argument to the point I made, since food price has already been inflated. That then means that tip has increased as well since 15% of a $12 steak was 10 years ago was $1.80, but not 15% of a $20 steak is $3. Both the same steak and you get more tip to go along with the loss of power in money.

 

eh as long as I actually get something I am happy. but really now an extra buck everynow and then wont kill you, and it might make the difference between someone having a shitty day and a nice one.


for example, i waited on a couple when it was a busy saturday night. Their bill was 17.89. the gave me a dollar. I was bustin my ass and all I got was a dollar. I had to tip out around 40 cents, so that means I made 60 cents total from waiting on them. Would an extra dollar have hurt that much?

eh it does no good to bitch about tipping, because people who have never waited tables wouldn't understand.

 

$17.89???

what could you possibly have to bust your ass for, for $17.89???

unless they had 10 rounds of water....



i know it's the internet and all, but you can't just make shit up....

 

Easy. They shared an appetizer and a salad. Asked for extra sauces on everything, drank their tea like theyd been hiking through the mojave, used up all the sugar on the table needed more, ate all the crackers on the table needed more. That would be at least 6 trips to the kitchen and back, then easily 5+ trips with a tea pitcher. Then after they left the server had to refill the ketchup, hotsauce, salt, pepper, sugar, and cracker containers.

Would you do this for 60 cents? Would you do it for 2 dollars? 10 dollars? What would you expect to be tipped if you performed said services?

Sure they deserve to ask for all those things and deserve to get them promptly. If those demands are satisfied the server deserves to make more than the 1-2 cents a minute he got.


In regards to the "tax-free money" debate. Where the hell are people getting this information? The majority of customers in my restaurant pay with credit/debit cards. To get that money I have to report it to the restaurant so they will give me the cash. How is this tax-free?

I think to calculate a tip one should simply think, "What would I expect to earn for doing what the server just did for me?"

 

Spoken from an unbaised lady!!

I am a woman....hear my S roar!

 

An unbiased PERSON!

 

I'm sure your paid social security taxes on it too. I'm sure your employer paid all the great extras every other business has to pay on the dollar as well.

 

I tip the skaters who do the tricks

 

I did a little historical research on the whole waiter/tip thing but first an interesting aside, I had a waiter today WHO GOT IT.

I was at, of all places, a Pizza buffet. He got a big tip.

I got my own food but without asking he watched my drink and kept me in soda.

He was entertaining and pleasant.

He asked several times if there was any special pizza he could make. There wasn't one but he still tried.

The dessert pizza was gone when I got up there so he went back and made sure one got out quickly and then brought me several pieces.

He was "value added" to my dining experience because he made the lunch pleasurable.

When I got up to the register the manager was there so I told him that he ought to be sure to keep Scott, the waiter's name and he said he got more compliments on him than any other he'd ever had.

Scott was older, definitely not a HS or college student. Maybe he thought of it as more of a real job rather than just something he had to do to make enough $$$ to make the car payment.

OK, now back to the research on the Waiter & tipping set up. I was trying to figure out how it all came about because it didn't really make a lot of sense.

It seems it apparently began in jolly old England during the dark ages. The street people took it upon themselves to perform services for passerbys in the hopes of making money.

Kinda like the guys who wash your windshields at intersections.

Some took over street corners and swept them clear of horse manure and helped little old ladies across the street. Others held horses, watched carriages, etc. many were tour guides for those not familiar with the cities (taxicab drivers?). Others ran to street vendors or pubs for food. There were actual guilds that controlled certain areas and "professions".

These waiters would recommend the best foods and took the order. Then they made sure the food was exactly what the people wanted, it was fixed just right and delivered it in a timely fashion. They got a commission from the stores and a tip from the customers.

One thing led to another and they ended up volunteering their services to a particular bar, pub and eating places to help serve the food for tips mostly as a way to get in out of the weather and as a way to have a steadier income.

The best servers got the best tips. This meant that many were entertainers as well. Juggling was a common trick of the servers. Hopefully they didn't juggle the food.

Remember the lusty bar maids in the books and old movies? Yup, that's how they got tips and customers for the back room for their "side" business.

In any case they were definitely value added to the transaction. They never expected a tip, but instead worked for it.