HERE'S A TIP! --> Stop tipping waiters and keep the money for yourself!

[b0mbrman]

If everyone stopped tipping at the same time, then this would work (almost...)

Tips are factored into employer's thoughts when offering a wage
Tips are factored into prospective employees's thoughts when offered a wage

If all tips went away, base wage would just increase.

However, tips has the added benefit of giving more money with how well you were treated...

 

[Amused]

<< Foe those who believe TIP is required/mandatory, wake up..... its a CONSPIRACY!!

Its a way for Restaurant Owner to pass some cost to you. I worked in rest before. Owner use the tip factor to lower your base salary. Tip to me is a type of bribe. If you tip really good just to get a good service, thats wrong. I expect to be treated right when I buy something etc.


Like I say, its a CONSPIRACY.... >>



Where do you receive more attentive, personal service, a restaurant, or someplace where the workers are paid hourly?

And guess where the employers would get the money to pay the wait staff more? That's right, YOU. YOU are going to pay either way. Wouldn't you rather have the POWER to hold that paycheck over the waiter's head to insure good service?

 

[db]

A billboard along the freeway: "If you can't afford to tip, please don't eat out."

The fact is, tipping is an established practice and it's not going to go away.
The people working as waiters/waitresses have their wage figured to *include* an
average tip, so if nobody tips they are making like 1/2 of minimum wage.

Let me tell you, it's not easy waiting on people. I'm not talking about normal people, but the others you
have to wait on. Complete nutcases, people who treat you like sh!it and expect you to kiss their feet--people
with severe psych problems. You have to do your job fast, accurately, and pleasantly. And take the blame even
when it's not yours.

It's not an easy job--obviously, cuz look at some of the people here--they are the customers.

(And I've never been treated worse in my life by employers than when I was in the food industry).

---> BTW, if you want to learn about that person you're on a date with, observe closely how they treat the wait person.

 

[Thegonagle]

<< "1. Even if tipping were abolished, YOU'D PAY THE SAME AMOUNT IN INCREASED COSTS FOR THE MENU ITEMS. The restaurant has to get the extra money to pay them from somewhere, and you can bet your blow up love doll they ain't gonna take it out of
their own pockets. In fact, you'll pay MORE than you do now in tips, because the restaurant has to match the taxes the employee pays."

I dissagree. How much do you honestly think an employer would pay their wait staff? I'm pretty sure it would be a lot less than what many of them are currently making. >>

How many waiters would stick around after they started making significantly less money? Say hello to McDonald's level service everywhere if that happens. I sure wouldn't stick around.

I truly beleive that the practice of tipping keeps service consistent, especially when it gets busy, because more business equals more money, so the service staff has a good, positive reason to work harder, as opposed to having a reason to quit on the spot because some dumbass manager is yelling at them to work harder/move faster for the same pay.

 

[tcsenter]

<< How about this? A tip should be placed at the beginning of the meal. Any mess-ups in service and some amount gets deducted from that. >>

haha, that might work on the teenagers who wait tables at Ponderosa, but you'd promptly be put in your place by any experienced wait person who doesn't take that kind of patronizing crap. I used to insult my customers and they didn't even know it, they thought I was just being 'playful'. Its neat being a smart ass and getting a big tip because your customers thought your were 'cool', when you actually meant all that stuff you said about them.

There is a way to do this and get away with it.

 

[Pakaderm]

What about tipping at ColdStone Creamery when they mix my ice cream? Do I need to do that? Then pretty soon I'll have to start tipping the paper boy, the guy who bags my groceries, my auto mechanic... Will we have to tip the bank teller when we deposit money there? Where does it end?

-Pak

 

[Amused]

<< What about tipping at ColdStone Creamery when they mix my ice cream? Do I need to do that? Then pretty soon I'll have to start tipping the paper boy, the guy who bags my groceries, my auto mechanic... Will we have to tip the bank teller when we deposit money there? Where does it end?

-Pak >>



It never begins. Those people do not use tips as their salary.

It never fails. In every debate, someone has to take the argument to it's illogical extreme.

Reality: US restaurants have a LONG standing custom of customer tips making up the vast majority of a waiter's income. Why? because this INSURES prompt and attentive service.

There, deal with reality.

 

[Nefrodite]

yup, if u want sh*tty service then only go to places where tips aren't allowed no incentive... no good.


no tip = "special" service next time you visit, i garrantee you that. you might be the kind of person that gets off on that though

and no, you don't have to tip if your waiter bad mouths u or does something really bad.

 

[Croton]

i have nothing to say, becuase the majority of the people here express my opinion...

but ido have to commend epsilon for putting up w/so much flaming! hahahha

 

[Nefrodite]

I guess my point is one should not use the probable receipt of tips as basis for his/her providing quality service. I don't receive tips, yet I work my arse off. Go figure....

the question is.. why didn't you switch jobs then? work at a place that does give tips? that way your hard work will be rewarded. you don't get tips at mcdonalds because you only man a cash register, your selling a product more then service.

 

[LordMaul]

A freind of mine used to work at Olive Garden...he said, that on a good night, he could make around $120 an hour in tips alone without a problem(if he got a couple big tables). In addition to 6.50 an hour or whatever the base wage was.

Not too bad, IMHO, for a waiter...

 

[skylark]

Heheh.. What about night club servers and bartenders? They're the ones having the luxury of getting great tips without needing to produce *great* service. Nevermind that, the drinks themselves are inflated prices and the bartender gets a big % of the drink sales. I'm speaking from Canada, and the info I got was from a bartender years ago who's cut was like 50% of sales!! That's still excluding the whopping tips!!

As for restaurant servers, it's customary to at least tip the minimum. Of course when I'm with friends and my friends are servers, I see my friends tip 3 times more so they don't look like cheap bastards.

 

[EXman]

<< HERE'S A TIP! --> Don't be an asshole! >>

ROTFL well said

 

[shaddow]

Everyone here bashing Epsil0n for his opinion needs to learn how to read. He is just giving an alternative suggestion to the current norm of tipping. If every place ran their restaurant with a standard 7 or 8 dollars an hour, then you could not say that you would get crappy service everywhere. The places that give crappy service would cease to exist or less people would frequent those places. This would also make the restaurants get a more equal quality of service professionals in that they would all be paying the same or close to the same wages and people would not only want to work for places with the highest menu prices and volume. This will increase the menu prices but at least your service would not be determined by how much that server thinks you may tip them by your looks or whether or not you smoke or drink (smoking sections tend to tip more). I would be much happier paying more on the menu if there is a chance of going to different quality of restaurants and getting par service throughout.

 

[lamga]

I have a female friend that worked at a swank Italian restaurant. On a busy Saturday night, she could earn $200 an hour. (We used to joke with her, "with or without your clothes on?")

Now, admittedly, waitressing is some serious footwork. It really wears you down. In addition, waiting staff are not necessarily entitled to basic benefits, such as sick/vacation days, insurance, etc. If you don't show up, you don't get paid.

I guess most people here are okay with tipping if service is okay, but no one wants to feel like they are pressured to do it.

Incidentally, since the question was brought up, some countries, such as Norway (when I was there anyway), have tip already factored into the bill. In Chinatown, 10% tip is *generally* acceptable.

 

[Amused]

<< Everyone here bashing Epsil0n for his opinion needs to learn how to read. He is just giving an alternative suggestion to the current norm of tipping. If every place ran their restaurant with a standard 7 or 8 dollars an hour, then you could not say that you would get crappy service everywhere. The places that give crappy service would cease to exist or less people would frequent those places. This would also make the restaurants get a more equal quality of service professionals in that they would all be paying the same or close to the same wages and people would not only want to work for places with the highest menu prices and volume. This will increase the menu prices but at least your service would not be determined by how much that server thinks you may tip them by your looks or whether or not you smoke or drink (smoking sections tend to tip more). I would be much happier paying more on the menu if there is a chance of going to different quality of restaurants and getting par service throughout. >>



The problem is, and the source of both Epsil0n and your short-sightedness, is that tipping customs will not change by a few select assholes stiffing the wait staff.

Secondly, name ONE industry where you get "par service throughout. Please, come back to reality.

The tipping custom started a long time ago because people TRIED it the other way, and got crappy service. Ever stop to think that some things are the way they are, because they WORK that way???

 

[Eug]

<<

<< Also: My ex-GF is deathly allergic to one type of nuts. She went to this restaurant and considered ordering a dessert. She asked the waiter if there was any pine nuts used in its preparation. He said no because it wasn't listed on the menu. WTF? So she said to ask the cook. So he mumbled something and came back later with the food and said there are none of those nuts in the dessert. So she ordered it and ended up in the hospital. Asking the cook later it was clear that the waiter didn't even ask him. And to top it all off, he demanded a 15% tip at the end and felt justified because the usual policy is to include 15% on the bill for groups of 6 or more. >>



Did she tell him that she was deathly allergic to them? If so, she should have sued. It could even be considered a criminal action. >>

No, she just said she was allergic, but that should be a good enough explanation.

By the way, why are so many people saying people shouldn't have to work for their tips? It pains me to see a good polite worker make not much more than a not so good worker, simply because it's "customary" to pay all waiters 15%. Indeed, I'd rather pay that money to the dry cleaner workers who give me clean shirts and polite service (also for minimum wage) than the guy who drops my fork on the floor. By the way, in other countries if you give bad service you get FIRED. That's a pretty good reason for being polite IMHO. We shouldn't need to pay them $40 an hour to get this level of service.

 

[shaddow]

<< The tipping custom started a long time ago because people TRIED it the other way, and got crappy service. Ever stop to think that some things are the way they are, because they WORK that way??? >>



Thats the problem now is that they are not working out that way. There are slow monday nights when waiters make 4 dollars an hour and have to go home after only waiting on 5 tables all night. Giving that wage would help in that way but they would not make as much on a busy friday or saturday night. We have waiters who prefer the wage and work in the bakery at the restaurant I work in due to they never have to worry about what they are going to make that night. Now i live in a college town of 500k people and I see this system work every day, not saying it will work everywhere. For those college students who have no desire to work in the restaurant business their whole life, they can make 8 dollars and hour in that most places will not pay college students that much money with little work experience.

 

[mithrandir2001]

<< Heheh.. What about night club servers and bartenders? They're the ones having the luxury of getting great tips without needing to produce *great* service. Nevermind that, the drinks themselves are inflated prices and the bartender gets a big % of the drink sales. I'm speaking from Canada, and the info I got was from a bartender years ago who's cut was like 50% of sales!! That's still excluding the whopping tips!! >>


Like I said before, I don't understand why people expect you to tip the bartender so much (on a percentage basis). Alcohol is marked up incredibly high (that $4.00 draft of Sam Adams may only cost the bar 40-50 cents) so the money has to be going somewhere and I'm sure the bartender is getting more than the $2.50/hr base that wait-staff earn. When I go back to my alma mater and go back to the old college bars, I'll often see the SAME bartenders that were there years ago. That just tells me the money has to be decent.

And pouring beer in a plastic cup isn't exactly very skilled labor...and that's what most college bartenders do.

 

[BooneRebel]

<< What about tipping at ColdStone Creamery when they mix my ice cream? Do I need to do that? Then pretty soon I'll have to start tipping the paper boy, the guy who bags my groceries, my auto mechanic... Will we have to tip the bank teller when we deposit money there? Where does it end?

-Pak >>



If it's a restaraunt where I'm served at a table then I'll tip. Standing in line for ice cream is a little different, don't you think?

But as far as tipping the rest, I say go for it. You'd be surprised how people will go out of their way to make you happy if you try to make them happy. I don't think I've ever tipped a mechanic, but if I had one that I went to on a regular basis then I'd probably consider it. I tip the paper boy at Christmas and I'll leave a six-pack (in ice) on the garbage can on pickup day every once in a while, especially if it's a hot day. So when I've got too much garbage they pick it up anyway without dinging me for it. And my paper will always be on the porch even though my neighbor has to get his out of the yard each morning. When I need a haircut the stylist will always get me in, even if I just walk-in and they have a lobby full of people, or if it's 10 minutes to closing. I don't abuse it, but it's nice to know that she'll get me in if I need it.

People respond well to being treated kindly.

 

[Jeshurun]

I figure if you don't want to tip, cook for yourself. If you're too lazy to cook for yourself, or can't cook, then go to a restaurant and pay somebody else to do it. Consider your tip a lazy tax for not being willing to get off your butt. If you don't want to pay a tip, go to McDonald's or some other fast food joint where it's not expected. I make it a point to tip well- there have been times when I've gone out with a friend for dessert or to get a soda, and tipped more than the bill. Why? I realize just how crappy it is to work such a horribly, mind numbingly bad job.

I work as a pizza delivery guy and let me tell you, it's the 90% of the customers like you that make the job just not worth having... I make like $.10 above minimum wage to drive around all night to people's houses (some of them live literally 2 minutes WALKING distance from the parlor) and give them food... Then, if I'm lucky- and they're not pricks like you- I get a dollar or two. My absolute favorite day working this job has to be when I worked Christmas Eve- delivered an $80 order and got a NEGATIVE tip... That's right, they handed me a check, shoved me out the door and by the time I got a chance to look at it, noticed they'd left off the $.80 or whatever the change was on the bill.

 

[PlatinumGold]

The original Poster here reminds me of James Dean.

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE.

 

[Amused]

<<

<< The tipping custom started a long time ago because people TRIED it the other way, and got crappy service. Ever stop to think that some things are the way they are, because they WORK that way??? >>



Thats the problem now is that they are not working out that way. There are slow monday nights when waiters make 4 dollars an hour and have to go home after only waiting on 5 tables all night. Giving that wage would help in that way but they would not make as much on a busy friday or saturday night. We have waiters who prefer the wage and work in the bakery at the restaurant I work in due to they never have to worry about what they are going to make that night. Now i live in a college town of 500k people and I see this system work every day, not saying it will work everywhere. For those college students who have no desire to work in the restaurant business their whole life, they can make 8 dollars and hour in that most places will not pay college students that much money with little work experience. >>



They'll make less. Good wait staff make far more than an average of $8 an hour. You just have to budget your money so the slow periods are covered by the money you made when business was good.

 

I tip no matter what essentially.

How much of a tip depends on the service they give me.

Period.

 

[beer]

<< A freind of mine used to work at Olive Garden...he said, that on a good night, he could make around $120 an hour in tips alone without a problem(if he got a couple big tables). In addition to 6.50 an hour or whatever the base wage was.

Not too bad, IMHO, for a waiter... >>



Base is $2.13/hr and that goes to all taxes. If a waiter works in a halfway decent restaurant, that covers taxes on their sales only.

Finally, $120 an HOUR? Not likely. Maybe $120 a NIGHT. Olive Garden waiters work 4-5 tables last time I checked; unless each table plans on tipping $40 (of which $10 will be tipped out) and nets the waiter $30 - and each table leaves after no more than an hour (rare as well) - he's bullshitting you. That would mean he has $200 table after $200 table; my $200+ tables are a rarity and usually consist of six or more people and even then if they are ordering veal, wine, appetizers, and not pasta and iced tea.