Why would I( or anyone) use it that way?, that is just bad character to do that , I'm ok , and a reasonable fella too so yeah..
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Thoughts on Tipping
- Thread starter stevento
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Some states are beginning to change this slowly, but the restaurant industry is fairly entrenched. Their margins are generally thin here (except for mega chains) and higher labor costs would force them to raise prices considerably.
If it's the only job they could get to make ends meet, you're going to fault them for taking it? That's not fair.
Remember that most waiters and waitresses are students or recent grads who need some cushion because their lives are in a state of flux. Don't hold it against them if the restaurant industry is the one that has more flexible hours and is easier to break into.
"Concern" isn't really the right word. Just be considerate and put yourself in their shoes, like you would for anyone else.
Yeah, that's tacky, but the waiter didn't do it. Don't take your anger out on him. If he was a good server, then tip according to that.
Work for 6 months as a waiter, and you'll never tip poorly again.
You know what I've noticed? The people who are perpetually disappointed by the service they receive are also the ones who tip the worst. Coincidence?
yet i had the best service in hotels in italy with no constant tipping the service personal for every plate, drink at the cafe, etc.
on the other side: anybody ever meet a friendly taxi driver ? i sure didn't
and yes i happened to work at 5€ jobs with no tips while friends worked as waiters earning 8-10€ euro per hour + tax free tips on top of that
edit: oh and there are countries with no minimum wage
You have to consider that this arrangement evolved over time. Originally there was no minimum wage, or income tax, and people perhaps tipped because of good service.
Eventually a tip became expected so when minimum wage laws were introduced the restaurant lobby got an exemption, which makes sense give how the system in the US works. The tax man also expects that you are getting tips in that industry so tips really are formalised income.
Its stupid to many but that's the way it is in the US. Sometimes you have a service charge on the bill, then no need to tip, unless the service/food was good.
If the meals don't arrive at the same time (within a few minutes) or the food is defective, the US tip mechanism gives you the power to deny income to those responsible. This is the only positive I can think of.
okay..my 2 cents
If you get rid of tipping and pay minimum wage you will most likely see a hike in food cost on the menu and a lot crappier service as the motivation to hustle will be gone.
Also adults in the tipping industry will move on to different jobs other than minimum wage crap and having to deal with whiny customers . Yes, those servers will be replaced by lazy teenagers/youngsters who don't care how fast you get food or how good your service is, they get paid the same either way.
tl;dr abandon tipping system= higher prices, worse service
If you get rid of tipping and pay minimum wage you will most likely see a hike in food cost on the menu and a lot crappier service as the motivation to hustle will be gone.
Also adults in the tipping industry will move on to different jobs other than minimum wage crap and having to deal with whiny customers . Yes, those servers will be replaced by lazy teenagers/youngsters who don't care how fast you get food or how good your service is, they get paid the same either way.
tl;dr abandon tipping system= higher prices, worse service
Yes- so please respect the customs of foreign countries you visit.
The employers will merely fire the employees and find new ones. It's pretty easy to do these days.
I'm sure that I don't have to point out to you some customs and indeed laws of various countries are offensive to all sentient human beings. The problem with the second part of your post is the way it's presented as if the employer is doing people a favour by offering jobs instead of the worker is providing profit for the employer by working for them. All it takes is enough workers to say f off and wages will go up over night. This story from Greece illustrates my point (note the disgusting violence the employers stooped to):
http://www.libcom.org/news/victory-cleaners-union-greece-during-new-isap-occupation-25022009
I'm going to be staying in eating toast when [if] I go to the states, it'll be easier.
A lot of others will feel this too, so that will have the inevitable knock effect of lower that it could be takings,.....something should be done but what ..?I have no idea.
I'm only glad I'm not in the restaurant business in the US.
A lot of others will feel this too, so that will have the inevitable knock effect of lower that it could be takings,.....something should be done but what ..?I have no idea.
I'm only glad I'm not in the restaurant business in the US.
It's a cultural difference, nothing more. In your country the tip is included in the menu prices, here it is not. There's no reason to believe that one system is better than another.
Well it is a worse system when people are suffering because the Government doesn't see them as equals to other workers...
screw tipping. why advertise a certain price but expect more
if it werent for my being aware of how others (my friends) perceive me, i wouldnt tip at all
i work hard for my money and never get tips. why should i throw my money away to waiters (people i dont know) when i could rather give it to my family
people who go into those buisnesses have no right to complain about bad tips as they went into that job knowing full well tips arent mandatory. if they dont like the pay, get another job like the rest of us. pretty simple solution
add to the fact that all my friends who waited in the past always bragged about how much they made doesnt give me much sympathy for them struggling financially
if it werent for my being aware of how others (my friends) perceive me, i wouldnt tip at all
i work hard for my money and never get tips. why should i throw my money away to waiters (people i dont know) when i could rather give it to my family
people who go into those buisnesses have no right to complain about bad tips as they went into that job knowing full well tips arent mandatory. if they dont like the pay, get another job like the rest of us. pretty simple solution
add to the fact that all my friends who waited in the past always bragged about how much they made doesnt give me much sympathy for them struggling financially
Agree, but man you have to[hopes you] see how it isn't the waiter/waitresses fault > I don't agree with it at all, so I wouldn't go out in the US to a place I wasn't 100% certain the service was superb.
My philosophy on this is to only ever use places that are well known for excellent service and I give a tip to show that appreciation( we only get what we pay for, right?) and that will transpire if more than just me is doing it because then all the empty places will realize that it's good service that can make or break your establishment. If the good service drops a bit my tip does , once more no tip & no more custom from me.The likely hood that if the service is poor quality the food will 9 times out of 10 be poor quality too.
The only time they suffer is when people don't tip. Hint, hint.
that's BS. the basic point that the system is broken is correct.
there is no reason anyone should make more than minimum wage.
the idea that you have to tip because otherwise the waiters/cooks might retaliate on your food is disgusting in more ways than one.
besides, the excuses for the necessity of tipping only apply to low to average level establishments.
staff at medium/high end restaurants make way more than minimum wage and they make a killing with the tips. i think that is the absurdity of tipping based on % of the bill. Is the service/effort at a uppity restaurant so much better than that at a local joint? To the point where the customary tip would be 10$ in one place and 50$ in another?
The higher prices in good restaurant already factor in better food, ambiance and service, so why should the staff (already on better wages) be rewarded disproportionately more that that at the pizzeria down the road?
personally I am a decent tipper at lower-end places (>20-25%) but not so good at the high end ones (10-15%), as i think it becomes paramount to extortion there.
i do go higher or lower (including, rarely, zero tip) depending on circumstances.
a fixed-tip scale would be a lot more fair.
And in the current climate (never been so easy to get a table in NYC), restaurateurs should be glad they are getting any business at all, so they should throw top service at you in any case, regardless of tips.
It is very true indeed, my friend works at a restaurant, she gets paid 3 dollars and hour and makes about 20 dollars a day, and they cut her time so she makes only $40 a week. Pretty bad for her.
Excuse me- I've worked in mid/high level establishments and you're full of it. Your base pay is still the same low rate and in some places, the owners will even skim the employees tips! Some pretty famous high end places here have bad reps for doing just that. Also, if you think all that money goes to the servers in those places, you're wrong again. The busboys get a cut, and so do the bartenders.
Again- servers get taxed on the amount of their sales, not how much they actually make. And what you get paid as a flat rate doesn't even cover your taxes and your paycheck is always zero. It's especially riskier in the higher-end places, where one bad table can wipe out your whole night.
Unless the service is horrible, I tip well, in the 15-20% range, typically closer to 20%. I see nothing wrong with it. Provide me good service, and you'll be rewarded. Screw up and you won't be. Simple as that.
Just out of curiosity, is there a difference (like when waiters receive the tips or how much tax is taken out) when you put the tip on a credit card as opposed to cash? I rarely have cash on me and am always putting the tip on my card, and just wonder if that makes a difference for the server, do they still get their tip in cash at the end of the shift before they go home?
Just out of curiosity, is there a difference (like when waiters receive the tips or how much tax is taken out) when you put the tip on a credit card as opposed to cash? I rarely have cash on me and am always putting the tip on my card, and just wonder if that makes a difference for the server, do they still get their tip in cash at the end of the shift before they go home?
While I agree with the sentiment, the underlying problem is that there's not much reward in providing better service. Let's be honest - how many people
here who have worked in the food service or the like will reflect on a bad tip and ask themselves if they could have done a better job? The majority opinion here seems to chalk up low tips to customers being cheapskates and not much else. Conversely, someone used to receiving average and above tips becomes conditioned to expect them, with adverse results when expectations are not met.
That being said, when the missus and I are out and we get either better or worse than usual service, I make a point to note that on the ticket.
I've seen a waiter cash out his plastic-paid tips at Pizza Hut at the end of his shift. The manager just pulled up his tickets on the computer and gave him the cash out of the register. Unfortunately, that only proves that that one particular Pizza Hut does it, but it might be safe to assume that the practice is more widespread that that.yg17 said:
One bad tip won't make a waiter think anything than a cheap customer, but if I'm a waiter and consistently get bad tips, I might begin to think it's me. Likewise, if I consistently get good tips, I might begin to think I'm doing something right.
I always knew when I hadn't done the best I could. I never expected anything by way of great tips in those cases. However, that's not usually the case. Usually it's just cheap people.
I general tip 15% for ok service. Impress me and it goes up to 20%. Piss me off it goes down.
It is not like I am hard to keep happy. It check on me once and a while. Refill my drink when it gets low. Oh and do not make me wait for ever after I am ready to order. How hard is that list to do.
One waiter really pissed me off. Took a while to take my order. Hell let my appetizer sit ready to be delivered for quite some time. Never refilled our drinks. It to me flagging down the hoist for it to happen. It was the worse service I have ever had.
40 dollar ticket. My tip was $0.01. I put it on there to show that I though about it and was not being cheap. The service was worth that much to me. I figured that would piss off the waiter more than me just drawing a line threw it and leaving no tip. Could a waiter confirm this was the right action to take. I was not in the mood to go to the manger I just wanted to leave. It was awful service.
It is not like I am hard to keep happy. It check on me once and a while. Refill my drink when it gets low. Oh and do not make me wait for ever after I am ready to order. How hard is that list to do.
One waiter really pissed me off. Took a while to take my order. Hell let my appetizer sit ready to be delivered for quite some time. Never refilled our drinks. It to me flagging down the hoist for it to happen. It was the worse service I have ever had.
40 dollar ticket. My tip was $0.01. I put it on there to show that I though about it and was not being cheap. The service was worth that much to me. I figured that would piss off the waiter more than me just drawing a line threw it and leaving no tip. Could a waiter confirm this was the right action to take. I was not in the mood to go to the manger I just wanted to leave. It was awful service.