Banned for Bad Tipping

[rh71]

If you don't want to pay for service then stick to places that don't serve you, pretty simple concept.

It's not a simple concept because the concept of paying for regular service is wrong. I give a service too... actually I am damn good at my job... I get "thank yous", not rewards. Don't even mention my bonus... I'm surprised if I get one any given year.

Why aren't owners paying their salaries again? Why are we paying extra for food and then, extra for food?

 

[SP33Demon]

So do you guys tip on tax? I've heard different things on this.

 

[JD50]

It's not a simple concept because the concept of paying for regular service is wrong. I give a service too... actually I am damn good at my job... I get "thank yous", not rewards. Don't even mention my bonus... I'm surprised if I get one any given year.

Why aren't owners paying their salaries again? Why are we paying extra for food and then, extra for food?

You work in the food service industry? You're a waiter? Because that's what we're talking about here.

You're not paying extra for food and then, extra for food. You're paying extra for someone to make food for you, then you're paying extra for someone to bring you that food, bring your drinks, clear your table, and anything else that you might need.

 

[torpid]

It's not a simple concept because the concept of paying for regular service is wrong. I give a service too... actually I am damn good at my job... I get "thank yous", not rewards. Don't even mention my bonus... I'm surprised if I get one any given year.

Your employer-paid wages are not structured with the assumption that you will get tips. How many times do we have to mention that this is the case for wait staff in most states before it gets through?

There is no detriment to you as a customer aside from having to do some basic math. If the tip system were not in place you would be paying roughly the same overall price, and it would no longer be optional. If service sucked you would have no recourse except to not come back or complain.

Why are these two concepts so hard to grasp?

 

[JD50]

Your employer-paid wages are not structured with the assumption that you will get tips. How many times do we have to mention that this is the case for wait staff in most states before it gets through?

There is no detriment to you as a customer aside from having to do some basic math. If the tip system were not in place you would be paying roughly the same overall price, and it would no longer be optional. If service sucked you would have no recourse except to not come back or complain.

Why are these two concepts so hard to grasp?

I'm pretty sure they get the concept, they're just playing dumb so they can justify being cheap and not feel bad about it.

 

[Adrenaline]

So do you guys tip on tax? I've heard different things on this.

I always have but then something happened last year that made me think about it (I still tip on the tax though, it usually is not much):

I had a surprise party for my wife's 30th birthday at Colton's steakhouse with 30+ people there and had the total tip put on my bill. The manager came to give me the receipt and the tip was figured on food and drink only, no taxes. I still added more but the manager told me that was how he did it.

 

[SP33Demon]

I always have but then something happened last year that made me think about it (I still tip on the tax though, it usually is not much):

I had a surprise party for my wife's 30th birthday at Colton's steakhouse with 30+ people there and had the total tip put on my bill. The manager came to give me the receipt and the tip was figured on food and drink only, no taxes. I still added more but the manager told me that was how he did it.

Yeah, a couple of people who worked in the food industry told me that it's ok to NOT tip on tax. I usually do, but had never heard of this. Any waiters/food industry peeps want to chime in?

 

[Adrenaline]

Yeah, a couple of people who worked in the food industry told me that it's ok to NOT tip on tax. I usually do, but had never heard of this. Any waiters/food industry peeps want to chime in?

I looked this up.

Tipping is customary in restaurants offering traditional table service. While the amount of a tip is ultimately at the discretion of the patron, the customary tip until the 1980s was from 10 to 15 percent of the total bill before tax, for good to excellent service, and since then has risen to 15 to 20 percent before tax.

 

[SearchMaster]

On a $100 tab, 15% of 7% (rough average of sales tax) is going to be $1 difference, so whether or not you tip on pre-tax or post-tax amount is pretty negligible in most cases.

 

[nick1985]

It's not a simple concept because the concept of paying for regular service is wrong. I give a service too... actually I am damn good at my job... I get "thank yous", not rewards. Don't even mention my bonus... I'm surprised if I get one any given year.

Why aren't owners paying their salaries again? Why are we paying extra for food and then, extra for food?

Do you tip at sit-down resturants?

 

[sourceninja]

That's bullshit. The notion that tips are mandatory is an entirely new thing. It's the server's attempt to turn a gamble into a certainty. Nowadays everyone thinks that simply because they need something, someone somewhere should be guaranteeing it for them. The notion that they are out there on their own to sink or swim, eat or starve based on how well they can procure a living for themselves doesn't sit well with them. They think their need equals the obligation of someone else to provide. That this attitude is so widespread that it permeates our society on every level does not save it from the despicable, whining acceptance of ineptitude that is at its root.

QFT

I tipped the ATT guy because he went out of his way to run new cable instead of using existing, but crappy cable, and wired more rooms then I had requested when I placed the order for free. I also gave him a beer.

I don't tip the lady who is too busy talking to her friends in the back that I have to eat half my meal without a drink or brings me cold food. If she can't handle it, then too bad, get a different job where your pay is not based on the perceived quality of your work.

And it is perceived quality. How good a service was performed is entirely in the eyes of who you are serving. If you are ugly and do a great job, you could be perceived as horrible by your customers. Likewise if you are a hot blond showing a lot of skin you can expect higher tips even if you suck at your job. Again, tipping is just like sales. The more you can get a customer to like you, the more money you are going to make.

Me, I'm simple. I want the right order the first time, and I want my drink full the entire meal. It's not rocket science..

 

[SP33Demon]

QFT

I tipped the ATT guy because he went out of his way to run new cable instead of using existing, but crappy cable, and wired more rooms then I had requested when I placed the order for free. I also gave him a beer.

I don't tip the lady who is too busy talking to her friends in the back that I have to eat half my meal without a drink or brings me cold food. If she can't handle it, then too bad, get a different job where your pay is not based on the perceived quality of your work.

And it is perceived quality. How good a service was performed is entirely in the eyes of who you are serving. If you are ugly and do a great job, you could be perceived as horrible by your customers. Likewise if you are a hot blond showing a lot of skin you can expect higher tips even if you suck at your job. Again, tipping is just like sales. The more you can get a customer to like you, the more money you are going to make.

Me, I'm simple. I want the right order the first time, and I want my drink full the entire meal. It's not rocket science..

Cold food may not be the fault of the waitress, why not just tell them on the spot or call in a complaint after you leave? Unless you mean it was as a result of her talking to coworkers, then I can understand. If the service was normal except for cold food and you didn't tip, that'd be kinda shtty.

Either way, if you see a dumb bitch talking to coworkers in the back you should call in a complaint regardless.

 

[rh71]

Do you tip at sit-down resturants?

I've already said yes. It's not wanting to be cheap or not wanting to pay when they expect it... it's that this is BS that we have to and not the owners. The fundamental point is... the overall cost for us does NOT have to be the same whether we're tipping or whether we're paying more for food since the owner has to pay his employees a full wage. The owner has a margin and if he had to pay employees like a regular business, then he'd have to figure that into his costs. Why is it our problem? Businesses survive based on profit - if they are failing, they cut costs where they have to. Why does a sit-down restaurant have to be different?

Are places overseas where they don't tip charging more for their sit-down food?

On the subject of having recourse if we get bad service - that's just an excuse. If people do their damned job instead of doing it based on a fluctuating merit every day (sounds very high-schoolish doesn't it?) then none of this would be a problem. Again, not a problem elsewhere... look at the people laughing at us.

IF and only if we see a waiter busting their ass and going out of their way should we feel compelled (and willing) to give them something and then it wouldn't even be anybody's damn business that we did. They get a regular wage and could earn tips, same as anyone in service.

 

[torpid]

The fundamental point is... the overall cost for us does NOT have to be the same whether we're tipping or whether we're paying more for food since the owner has to pay his employees a full wage.

Owners currently don't have to do this. You are suggesting that the food prices would not more or less be equal if we outlawed the tipping system? Could you provide us some evidence to this that would override the common sense economics that would argue otherwise?

The owner has a margin and if he had to pay employees like a regular business, then he'd have to figure that into his costs. Why is it our problem? Businesses survive based on profit - if they are failing, they cut costs where they have to. Why does a sit-down restaurant have to be different?

It's not your problem. It's to your benefit. Do you have problem multiplying by 0.15 or something?

Are places overseas where they don't tip charging more for their sit-down food?

Yes

 

[rh71]

Owners currently don't have to do this.

I know, they do it because they can get away with it. The profit varies and with any business they cut into their profits to make things such as salaries work. Here, instead of doing that, the customer gets to pay them both.

Instead of paying a server handling 4 tables an additional $8/hr more (I'm a giver), you're saying the owner is saving us at all 4 tables the pain of paying ~$8 more, in total. So about each of the 16 people are paying $0.50 more for their meal to make up for that waiter's full salary. Epic.

But no... the owner would rather us tip them, each table about $9 ($60 meal * .15) in extra costs. Owner wins, waiter wins, customer loses. "Thanks, come again!"

It's not your problem. It's to your benefit. Do you have problem multiplying by 0.15 or something?

Actually I just double the 8.75% tax. But anyway, did you just say my benefit? We're talking about business owners right?

Yes

Examples?

 

[torpid]

I know, they do it because they can get away with it. The profit varies and with any business they cut into their profits to make things such as salaries work. Here, instead of doing that, the customer gets to pay them both.

Instead of paying a server handling 4 tables an additional $5/hr more, you're saying the owner is saving us at all 4 tables the pain of paying $5 more, in total. So about each of the 16 people are paying $0.31 more for their meal to make up for that waiter's full salary. Epic.

But no... the owner would rather us tip them, each table about $9 ($60 meal * .15) in extra costs. Owner wins, waiter wins, customer loses. "Thanks, come again!"

How does the customer lose? Because they have to do simple math? Suppose you pay $20 for a meal and $3 for a tip. Now imagine there's some alternate universe where no one has this tipping system. How much do you think you are paying for your identical meal with identical service from the same person making the same take-home pay? I can assure you it won't be $20.

Examples?

Any place where they have wait staff and they pay them.

 

[KeithTalent]

Lol tipping threads on ATOT.

KT

 

[mugs]

Examples?

I gave an example earlier in this thread - Italy. I visited Italy in 1995, but I'm guessing things haven't changed there other than the currency.

Restaurants there charge you more if you eat there. I went to a restaurant in Florence that was pretty much empty. I ordered a pizza (8000 lira) and a Coke (4000 lira) to go. I'm not sure the "to go" part crossed the language barrier; the person behind the counter urged me to sit down, so I sat while I waited. She charged me an extra 8000 lira because I sat down - I didn't even eat there! I paid ~$13 for that meal instead of ~$8. I was in high school, so I was kind of annoyed. I was more annoyed that there was no sauce on the pizza. That was the result of another issue with the language barrier - she asked if I wanted any toppings and I said no, just cheese. I couldn't blame her for not speaking English.

 

[AlgaeEater]

Lol tipping threads on ATOT.

KT

A lot of people on Anandtech eat out and were once / still are waiters and waitresses!

I think it's quite simple. Both groups need money for that sweet new computer build they were planning in General Hardware, and the only way for them to save up enough pennies is to screw each other over.

"Why should I tip? I gotta save $$$ for that new video card anyway..."

"I can't believe this guy didn't tip me... I need $$$ for that new video card..."

It all makes sense man, it all makes sense.

 

[glutenberg]

I made more than minimum wage when I was 15 working at McDonalds. A server deserves more than a cashier at McDonalds. Right or wrong, the societal norm is tipping 15% for average service. If you (not you specifically) don't agree with that then stick to places that don't serve you.

If that's the issue, then there's either a problem with minimum wage or there's a problem with the restaurant industry itself. If the restaurant isn't paying more than minimum wages to the restaurant servers, then that's an issue of the industry being either overly competitive or the industry being inelastic. Whatever the case, there's no reason to pretend like it's the consumer's duty to boost their wages. Tips were designed as an incentive system and not a welfare system.

 

[zerocool84]

If that's the issue, then there's either a problem with minimum wage or there's a problem with the restaurant industry itself. If the restaurant isn't paying more than minimum wages to the restaurant servers, then that's an issue of the industry being either overly competitive or the industry being inelastic. Whatever the case, there's no reason to pretend like it's the consumer's duty to boost their wages. Tips were designed as an incentive system and not a welfare system.

Exactly and people here seem to forget that. They tip just cus there people make less then minimum wage when we all know they don't. They have to earn their tips. I don't know why this is such a hard concept to understand.

 

[torpid]

Exactly and people here seem to forget that. They tip just cus there people make less then minimum wage when we all know they don't. They have to earn their tips. I don't know why this is such a hard concept to understand.

I tip because I know that if people didn't tip, then servers would make less, which in turn would mean that the quality of servers would be lower because only people willing to make that much less would be willing to be servers at the same restaurant. I don't know why this is such a hard concept to understand.

 

[zerocool84]

I tip because I know that if people didn't tip, then servers would make less, which in turn would mean that the quality of servers would be lower because only people willing to make that much less would be willing to be servers at the same restaurant. I don't know why this is such a hard concept to understand.

Make like $10/hr??? God forbid that.

 

[torpid]

Make like $10/hr??? God forbid that.

Apparently you didn't comprehend my point.

 

[zerocool84]

Apparently you didn't comprehend my point.

No I did and that's sad that you feel like you have to tip to get basic service. I'll stick to tipping when I get service that deserves a tip. Me personally I wouldn't patron a place that I had to tip to get basic service.