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

[SuperSix]

Originally posted by: 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.

Exactly. This and HotChic's advice are words to live by..

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Spoooon

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

if i was feeling nice, i would just leave

if i was feeling onery, i would get the manager and go off on how bad the service was and ask that she be repremanded for asking for a bigger tip when her service sucked monkey balls

 

[olouie]

explain to her what tipping really is

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: DaveSohmer

"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.

So her entering argument was that you were screwed up. That's terrific. I would have called for the manager, took the tip back from her in front of him and then told them both why.

yeah. i would have asked for a manager and then asked why the waitress is saying I did something wrong on my tip. then i would take back the $3 and explain why she just blew her tip and why it was $3 to begine with.

a tip is based on service it is NOT required.

though i do tend to tip high aroun dhere. But i have no problem leaving a crap&y tip. That way they know they fuc$%ed up.

 

[ThunderGirl]

Originally posted by: 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

Nope it is not always the fault of the waiter/waitress but they can do things to keep their customes happy and not realize the time wait as much.

I was a waitress for years. Never got stiffed once and usually was the one of the highest tipped no matter where I worked.

Part of my job is to make the whole experience enjoyable for a couple/family/person when they come to eat. From beginning to end no matter what problems happen.

Heck one time I had another waitress run into a a guy taking of his coat at a 20 top I was doing it caused her tray to spill all over this lady's dress. Even then I still got tipped great from everyone at the table. Yes the restarant paid for everyone's meal basically and her dry cleaning bill. But still they didn't have to tip me. They could have just left as this was b4 they ordered anything.

I would have told her when she called me on the tip being to low ok well then I guess you would prefer nothing. Here is your tip next time give better service and don't complain if YOU don't feel your tip was high enough.

Just my .02

 

[DorkBoy]

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.

Ahhhh NO, regardless of their $80 bar bill she should get what she deserves.

I tip rather well, when I'm happy I have tipped over 20% But once I paid my bill and walked out without a tip because she was an Idiot Bi**h.

When she can't afford to work there due to low/no tips she'll go find some other line of work.

 

[ThunderGirl]

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: guyver01

Originally posted by: caramel
I don't know where you live, but where I come from, a tip is 10 to 15 % for good service. And the cooks do an excellent job. Too bad I can't tip them.

agreed... too bad you cant tip the busboy/busgirl..... most of the time, they do all the work.

i only see the waiter to order and pay....

The waiters and waitresses share their tips with the busboys and bus girls at most places.

A lot of place require them to share w/ the busser and the bartenders.

I know I always tipped my bussers and the bar because it meant they would do faster service and better for me next time. Who cares if it was a little out of my pocket that night in the end it was More $$.

I did this no matter if we were told to or not. But I found a lot of wait staff even when told they had to tip them didn't.

 

[ReiAyanami]

annex the restaurant and give yourself diplomatic immunity

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: 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

If the cooks are being slow, I expect my Waiter/ress to come to me and explain the wait. If I don't see waiter until the food comes, I'll assume it was their fault and not the cook's.

As for the "corporate America" whine, they do what makes them the most money. If the service sucks bad enough, people will stop coming in. Corporations run their business no different from small companies... just on a larger scale. I'm a small business owner (I'm incorporated, too ) and I stretch my labor as thin as I can without compromising service. Every smart business owner does. You don't make money keeping labor costs high by over paying your employees or over scheduling.

But then, I guess it's easy to blame the mythical, big, faceless "corporate America" than it is to actually point out something tangible.

 

[Grasshopper27]

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.

I disagree...

The tip system is the only way to weed out the bad servers. Some people shouldn't be doing that kind of work, and no or low tips is the only way to get them into a new line of work.

The good ones make a ton of money, why should the bad ones make money as well?

I won't tip a dime if the service sucked, I'll leave a $20 if the service was amazing.

Grasshopper

 

[Grasshopper27]

Originally posted by: Amused

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.

I'll double the tab with a tip if the service was really great. I like to reward those who bust their butts, provide everything without asking, keep my drink filled, and do it all with a smile.

That can be a really hard job, so I reward those who work hard at it. Those who don't, get nothing.

Most of the time, 20% is a reasonable amount to tip for decent service.

Grasshopper

 

[apoppin]

To tip or not to tip . . . for me it is simple: I ask myself if I am ever going back (if the service was poor).

If NOT, I don't tip (or tip according to the service rendered) and make no other comment.

If YES - perhaps they were just having a bad night - I call the manager over and express my dissatisfaction with tonight's service (and tip less than usual).

I would never tip poorly and then return another day.

 

[Raincity]

As for the "corporate America" whine, they do what makes them the most money. If the service sucks bad enough, people will stop coming in. Corporations run their business no different from small companies... just on a larger scale. I'm a small business owner (I'm incorporated, too ) and I stretch my labor as thin as I can without compromising service. Every smart business owner does. You don't make money keeping labor costs high by over paying your employees or over scheduling.

The only thing that corporations and small business have in common is that they are both in business, they both generate revenues and they both pay taxes. That?s about it. The corporations do it on a bigger scale statement than small business is untrue. Small business does not have to deal with inaccurate reporting from lower and middle management. Lots of corporations do cut staff to low and do loose revenues from a declining customer base do to the lack of service. I should know. I am the head bean counter for the largest gaming corporation on the planet, Owned by the largest Hotel and Hospitality Corporation on the planet.

Rain

 

[Zenmervolt]

That's just presumptive on her part. I would have said, "You're right, considering that you've come to talk with me I have done something wrong. I shouldn't have left any tip at all." I tip 20% for very good to great service (25-30% in exceptional situations), 15% for average service, 10% for acceptable service, and 0% (or the $0.01 insult tip) for service that is below acceptable. A tip is NOT REQUIRED. It's supposed to be a reward for good service. I have no intention of rewarding a person for sub-par service, and if someone is impertinent enough to confront me about my tip, then they aren't getting anything at all.

ZV

EDIT: To everyone who is saying that they earn less than minimum wage without tips, you're mistaken. If tips plus hourly wage do not add up to minimum wage, the employer is required by law to make up the difference. At least, that's the way it was when I was working as a bellhop/valet parking attendant at a hotel in Toledo.

 

[xospec1alk]

you know, if i see them trying hard, they deserve a good tip...if i see them talking to other their peers, and not helping me, they'll get hardly anything...

if theres one thing i can't stand is a waiter/waitress who puts their personal life above their job

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Raincity

As for the "corporate America" whine, they do what makes them the most money. If the service sucks bad enough, people will stop coming in. Corporations run their business no different from small companies... just on a larger scale. I'm a small business owner (I'm incorporated, too ) and I stretch my labor as thin as I can without compromising service. Every smart business owner does. You don't make money keeping labor costs high by over paying your employees or over scheduling.

The only thing that corporations and small business have in common is that they are both in business, they both generate revenues and they both pay taxes. That?s about it. The corporations do it on a bigger scale statement than small business is untrue. Small business does not have to deal with inaccurate reporting from lower and middle management. Lots of corporations do cut staff to low and do loose revenues from a declining customer base do to the lack of service. I should know. I am the head bean counter for the largest gaming corporation on the planet, Owned by the largest Hotel and Hospitality Corporation on the planet.

Rain

You've obviously never owned your own business.

I've had my managers BS me before. I own multiple stores, and have both store managers and a general manager. I go through about ten managers before I finally get one that I trust and does a decent job. We've cut labor costs to the point that it hurt business as well. All do business owners have done it while trying to find the right balance between levels of service and labor costs.

There really is not that much of a difference between a smaller business, and a large corporation except for size.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

For fvck's sake, haven't we already beaten this topic to death? Someone do a search, I'm too lazy.

To sum it up:

If you do a good job, you get a good tip.
If you do a great job, you get a great tip.
If you do a crappy job, you get a crappy tip.
If you bitch and moan about the tip you were lucky enough to get, then you get to meet my good friend Jack Schitt, because that's all you're getting.

- M4H

 

[CraigRT]

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

tell her the damn truth.. stupid baby.. be good or expect to get shafted.

 

[LH]

Waiters only split with bus boys and cooks at upscale resturants. Ive never heard of places like Chili's etc splitting tips. But those places that have $50 entrees, etc those places split tips with everyone. Those people can make in excess of $50k a year as well.

 

[slycat]

bad service = bad tip
good service = good tip

End of story.

 

[Vadatajs]

take the tip back and walk out.

 

[lukatmyshu]

A few weeks ago I had one of the best waitresses I have ever had in my life. This was in a Macaroni Grill in El Cerrito, CA. She was no only attentive, but friendly. My drink never went dry (not even close), she knew when to chat with us and when to just give us something and leave, when she saw how hungry we were she started bringing double the amount of bread, remembered little things, and at the end of the night she brought us out a free piece of chocolate cake to take home . Not only did she get a 30 percent tip I did something that was probably better for her overall. I went to the front and asked to speak to the manager. When he came out I launched into a 5 minute oration on how amazing my waitress was. Often enough people only talk to managers if they feel the service has been poor. While i totally agree with that (and have done it often in the past) I think it's equally important to do the opposite. If you feel that your service has been exceptional don't just reward your serverwith a bigger tip. Take 5 minutes out of your day and talk to the manager. If she's been that good then she's probably saved you 5 minutes in the course of your meal anyway.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: lukatmyshu
A few weeks ago I had one of the best waitresses I have ever had in my life. This was in a Macaroni Grill in El Cerrito, CA. She was no only attentive, but friendly. My drink never went dry (not even close), she knew when to chat with us and when to just give us something and leave, when she saw how hungry we were she started bringing double the amount of bread, remembered little things, and at the end of the night she brought us out a free piece of chocolate cake to take home . Not only did she get a 30 percent tip I did something that was probably better for her overall. I went to the front and asked to speak to the manager. When he came out I launched into a 5 minute oration on how amazing my waitress was. Often enough people only talk to managers if they feel the service has been poor. While i totally agree with that (and have done it often in the past) I think it's equally important to do the opposite. If you feel that your service has been exceptional don't just reward your serverwith a bigger tip. Take 5 minutes out of your day and talk to the manager. If she's been that good then she's probably saved you 5 minutes in the course of your meal anyway.

The best service I ever got in my life was from a Denny's waitress . . .

. . . after her shift. I am quite certain she liked my tip (we moved in together).

:Q