What would you do if... the waitress at a bar said you did something wrong because you tipped too little?

[Spoooon]

I was at the bar tonight with some friends. Our service was completely crappy, so we tipped accordingly. She came back and said: "I think you did something wrong. I know I was a little slow tonight, but you only tipped 3 dollars on an 80 dollar tab." A friend of mind said to run it again and he would take care of it. He tipped her the same as before and we took off.

Now, the service really was atrocious. It took forever to get our drinks, our pints would not really be pints because of what was spilled out when she would try to bring us our drinks, she couldn't remember what we ordered, etc. So, she didn't really deserve a tip.

Now, if she came back to you and complained, what would you do?

 

[AreaCode707]

Calmly explain why she earned the tip she did, detailing the things she did wrong.

 

[GoodToGo]

I would have left her a 50 cents tip but thats just me

 

[Snuffaluffaguss]

I wouldn't tip less than 10%. There are alot of factors that can get messed up and its not all her fault. She gets paid with tips only and if you can afford to go out drinking to the tune of 80 bucks, you can at least throw down another 8. If its really truelly bad, don't get mad at the wait person, get the manager because they can do something about your problem and hopefully fix it for next time as well. The wait person is just going to get pissed because they don't have the cash to make rent this month.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: HotChic
Calmly explain why she earned the tip she did, detailing the things she did wrong.

I agree.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: Snuffaluffaguss
I wouldn't tip less than 10%. There are alot of factors that can get messed up and its not all her fault. She gets paid with tips only and if you can afford to go out drinking to the tune of 80 bucks, you can at least throw down another 8. If its really truelly bad, don't get mad at the wait person, get the manager because they can do something about your problem and hopefully fix it for next time as well. The wait person is just going to get pissed because they don't have the cash to make rent this month.

True. But then, what is a tip? Is it payment for services rendered? Or is it a reward for service above and beyond? Service that goes beyond just her doing her job?

edit: On another note, I'm starting to feel seriously nauseous. Blech, damn birthdays. You know you shouldn't drink so much, but then all your friends are there cheering you on.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

My friends and I bought $40 worth of food and left a total of $0.43 and a stick of gum. My steak was given to someone else, and I got one like 20 minutes later, and they didn't give my friend rolls for a while.

 

[dolph]

not another tips thread...
waiters and waitressess make a substantial part of their living on tips, but it's completely discretionary. otherwise, it wouldn't be an option and it would be included in the price of what you ordered. crappy service = crappy tip, good service = good tip.

 

[Snuffaluffaguss]

yeah, this point can be argued forever but here are my last two cents. I think you should tip something (10%) as long as you go out to eat, and if its good service 15% and great service 20%. Most people's thoughts and opinions about tipping will change very quickly once you work in the food industry and try waiting tables themselves. Its not as easy as it looks, and its a hard job to do well. So I leave this thread with great words of wisdom, If you can't afford to tip your waiter don't go out to eat, Would you want your job to not pay for the time when you are at work and not running at a full 100%?

 

[amnesiac]

Do you understand that stiffing your servers will do nothing but decrease the overall quality of your experience?
Anytime you have a problem with service at a restaurant, you must speak to a manager, otherwise no one will know something's wrong. They'll just think you're a jackass.

If you speak to a supervisor, 9 times out of 10 they will do whatever it takes to make you happy and make you come back, whether it be buying you a round, comping your tab, or taking special care of you next time you come in.

 

[pulse8]

Is it payment for services rendered? Or is it a reward for service above and beyond?

I think it's a little of both. I feel that a tip is a payment for services rendered, but the amount is based on the level of that service.

 

[Jugernot]

I would have left her a penny!

I only tip people who do a good job, otherwise they get paid by the bar.... it's their choice to work as a waitress.

 

[Ender]

A Tip is not something mandatory, but what you feel is a compensation equivalent to your experience with that particular waiter. It has become tradition to leave a tip, no matter what. If you do not leave a good enough tip, you are shunned and perhaps called a cheapskate. This is stupid, methinks. I don't really care if waiters make a substantial amount of their sallary off tips. If they are not competent enough to earn an appropriate tip, they should perhaps find another career or somehow improve on their skills.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: amnesiac 2.0
Do you understand that stiffing your servers will do nothing but decrease the overall quality of your experience?
Anytime you have a problem with service at a restaurant, you must speak to a manager, otherwise no one will know something's wrong. They'll just think you're a jackass.

Yup!

 

[kt]

Originally posted by: Snuffaluffaguss
yeah, this point can be argued forever but here are my last two cents. I think you should tip something (10%) as long as you go out to eat, and if its good service 15% and great service 20%. Most people's thoughts and opinions about tipping will change very quickly once you work in the food industry and try waiting tables themselves. Its not as easy as it looks, and its a hard job to do well. So I leave this thread with great words of wisdom, If you can't afford to tip your waiter don't go out to eat, Would you want your job to not pay for the time when you are at work and not running at a full 100%?

By the same token, as the boss how would you feel if all your employees are doing a half-assed job?

 

[melly]

i'd blast her; remind her that tipping is optional if you feel the service was good. you have no need to justify a tip; she'd be lucky to get anything at all. what an ingrate!

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: caramel
i'd blast her; remind her that tipping is optional if you feel the service was good. you have no need to justify a tip; she'd be lucky to get anything at all. what an ingrate!

Agreed 100%.

A certain quote from Resevoir Dogs comes to mind.....

 

[melly]

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: caramel
i'd blast her; remind her that tipping is optional if you feel the service was good. you have no need to justify a tip; she'd be lucky to get anything at all. what an ingrate!

Agreed 100%.

A certain quote from Resevoir Dogs comes to mind.....

never saw that movie --great soundtrack though.

 

[Hammer]

those 3 little words (ever see tomcats? )


edit: kidding

 

[melly]

never saw tomcats! :0

 

[Raincity]

By the same token, as the boss how would you feel if all your employees are doing a half-assed job?

Slow service is not always the fault of the server. Food service also feels the effect of corporate America reducing staff size to get the work of three employess out of the price of one.

Rain

 

[Bosec]

Ok after reading some of this post I feel the need to post.

Isnt it your job to do quality service so you should be paid by the employer not the customer.
A tip is a reward for excelent service, not expected.

I have a fience that was a waitress and made $3.45 and had to rely on tips to make a living had had a huge problem with this because she work at a semi night club during the day so there wasnt much business during the day. I always wondered why the customers have to compensate the wages for the waiter/waitress. When you have a cable person come over and hook up the cable do you tip him when he is done with his job? Does he expect a tip? Would he not get a tip if he left a hole in the wall? You pay for your meal when you do that do you expect it to be cooked and brought out to you? I know I do, I think that is part of the experience of dining out. Do the waitress/waiter split the tip with the people who were involved with the dinning experiece, the cooks, busers, dishwashers, etc? If your plate was clean and didnt have any spots do you go back and tip the dishwasher? I dont know of any other jobs that a tip is required, I know of a few you could do for a good job but not required. Some resturants are adding the tip into the price no matter what the service is like so in essence we are helping the resturant pay for the wages not only by paying for the meal but almost the entire wage of the waiter/waitress itself. Maybe some of you can enlighten me on why this is. I am not complaining at all I tip very (normally around 30%) well because I know how hard it is on waiters/waitresses to live on mostly tips alone I am aiming this towards the restraunts who try to save money on cutting the wages to almost nothing. A bunch of my friend had a discussion on this one night couple weeks ago and we came to a stand still so lets see what we can stir up here.

 

[Lucky]

giving a tip to the tune of 10% assumes the service was at the very least adequate. If it was not, dont leave that much of a tip. Consequently, dont be a dick and stiff them when there is good service.

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: guapo337

Originally posted by: caramel
i'd blast her; remind her that tipping is optional if you feel the service was good. you have no need to justify a tip; she'd be lucky to get anything at all. what an ingrate!

seriously..

how come tipping has turned into such a necessity in this day and age? a tip is for service done well. not for services done poorly. it is a reward. no one is guaranteed a reward.

Its a necessity since the servers are getting paid $2.xx hour, with the expectation that they will be tipped so as to make up for the low wages

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Spoooon
I was at the bar tonight with some friends. Our service was completely crappy, so we tipped accordingly. She came back and said: "I think you did something wrong. I know I was a little slow tonight, but you only tipped 3 dollars on an 80 dollar tab." A friend of mind said to run it again and he would take care of it. He tipped her the same as before and we took off.

Now, the service really was atrocious. It took forever to get our drinks, our pints would not really be pints because of what was spilled out when she would try to bring us our drinks, she couldn't remember what we ordered, etc. So, she didn't really deserve a tip.

Now, if she came back to you and complained, what would you do?

IF the service was VERY bad, this is how it would have went:

When she came back rudely complaining about the tip (waiters are NEVER to confront the customer), I would have replied: "Tips are dependant on the level of service I receive. The level of service I received tonight was just awful. I tipped the three dollars because we DID get our drinks, even if it took you all day to get them here. However, now that you're being so damn rude by complaining about the low tip you EARNED, I want my change back."

Let me make it clear that I always tip 20% for good, fast service. 30+% for great, memorable service. But I will not hesitate to tip poorly if my drink EVER goes dry, or my order takes forever and the wiatress never comes back to tell me why, or the waiter is inattentive.