Tipping in restaurants

[OnTheRoadAgain]

I have. But I worked my butt off and never expected anything. Now I rarely eat out because I hate feeling forced to tip, especially when the service is a fraction of what it should be.

It has nothing to do with my previous job experience or my financial situation. It has to do with society and selfish servers.

There's another one! Wow, I'm impressed with these attitudes of service without expecting tips.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Yes, I appreciate your tip, and yes since we're all adults here, I expect it. If it weren't for tips, I wouldn't be serving you. I'd enjoy it still, but couldn't make a living. I consider the tip to be what you give to ME for sharing my knowledge/expertise and experience and making your dining experience memorable. But then greedy business owners want your money, and they also want a slice of MY pie.

No matter where I have worked I have been expected to pay out between 2-5% of my total sales for the night into the 'tip pool'. This practice is now alive everywhere. If I sell $4500 that night, @4% I pay $180 to the pool regardless of what I made in tips. So restaurants then make me tip out an additional about on alcohol sales for the bartender. One establishment I was at required 5% tip out on total sales for kitchen and busboys, then a full 10% of liquor sales to go to the bar. I didn't stay there long.

Now I'd estimate in my average night 40% of my tables stiff me on tips. When I say 'stiff me' I mean between 0-3% (AKA a personal loss on the table). Approximately 30% of tables don't feel the need to tip me on drinks(often accounting for 50% of their bill and 90% of my time running to the bar to get them drinks) So their 10% tip on food really only works out to 5% on total bill(Break Even). The other 30% of my tables tip quite well. On an average night I walk out of work with approx 12% of my total sales in tips, less the 4% I currently pay out for a nightly take of 8%. In the summer I take closer to 12% after paying out. Then the government comes in and chooses an arbitrary number to tax me at. Despite my honesty I've been taxed multiple years @ 17% of my total sales, other years 12%. So there's another loss. Still I make good money from the tips I earn. I'm not loaded, but I'm doing well, and they help cover the costs that minimum wage doesn't.

Do I deserve this? I think I do, I bust my *bleep* for my customers, especially my regulars, and get consistently high reviews for my service. Even those who don't tip often comment on good service. But while I feel that my 8hrs of running around and being on my feet warrants a bonus from you, I understand that you may disagree. I believe that if you don't agree with tipping, then society needs to take a stand against restaurant owners to pay staff better, rather than stiffing your server who is just trying to make a living. And keep in mind the 'eye-roll' isn't always directed at you, often it is just an 'I'm taking a loss tonight' gesture.

PS: I can't say I speak for all servers, please do not confuse my feelings with 16 year old servers, but I believe my feelings are quite well rounded to the over 25 crowd who have chosen this path

What can you and other servers do (especially liquor servers) to ensure you are paid a fair wage?

Why do servers allow such pool tipping when demanded by their employers? Why do they not band together and refuse to accept this policy from their employers? What does the labour code say about this kind of activity from managers? (I see you made the choice to leave). How can there not be a place for negotiation when there is 'personal loss'?

Servers are being shafted by their employers and the government, and still get 'stiffed' by some their customers, who are expected to make up for the employer's shortfall in wages.

The government is the only entity that can collect a tax on income not earned within the service industry. This is just as unfair as those who do not report their income from tips.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

And another issue is the tipping with coupons:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... itter.html

[OnTheRoadAgain]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magaz ... wanted=all

“Here I was, winging it as an owner, running into these frustrations, which all boiled down to money,” Porter told me this summer. “I felt there had to be a better way.” After much thought, Porter arrived at a possible solution, which he presented to his staff on that November afternoon. “How do you feel about eliminating tipping?” he asked them.

Tipping, its defenders say, improves service by rewarding good waiters and punishing bad ones. But that’s not what Porter saw when he looked out on his dining floor

In his brief experience, working for tips encouraged selfishness rather than teamwork.

[steven lloyd]

I simply know that serving is a difficult job

No, actually, it's not. It's sales and order fulfillment at the simplest level.

Actually, in study after study serving is repeatedly rated as one of the most stressful occupations.

I worked in the industry for many years. I enjoyed the pace and have always been able to cope well with stress and workload demands (a byproduct of keeping myself physically, emotionally and mentally fit and that still serves me well today in another demanding position). Serving tables certainly not for everyone (especially those who like to make ill-informed presumptions) and I always tip well (20%) for good service, and still tip minimal (10%) for less than (because without making presumptions I have no idea what thee problem was and don't want to unfairly punish the server).

[steven lloyd]

In his brief experience, working for tips encouraged selfishness rather than teamwork.

Interesting. In well more than ten years in the industry I never noted that. Of course, tipping out to the bartenders and kitchen staff was always commonplace in the places I worked.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Good post, this pisses me off to no extent! Just cause they're ringing thru beer and booze they expect a tip! they're not bar tenders. Should we now start tipping grocery store clerks? They do way more work than a cold beer and wine store clerk.
Half of the time the cashiers at beer stores are too busy having fun with eachother and screwing around to warrant a tip at the best of times.

It is not acceptable to any retail company that their employees accept tips, so don't bother. They are paid union rates to do good service jobs.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

This forum is hilarious!
Wow, people are CHEAP!
If your 'baseline' for tipping is 10%, you need a REALITY CHECK!
And the guy who wrote that 6 people could go for dinner and the check would be $180??? WOW! Where are these people eating? Red Robin??
I think most people in this forum are old and cheap...thank goodness for the servers of Kelowna most people's "Baseline" for tipping is 15%, and it should go up from there....good service is 20%, and really good service in a high end restaurant, you should be tipping 25-30%.
If you cant afford this, stay home....tipping is just part of the expense of eating out, and having SOMEONE WAIT ON YOU!...
Thanks for the laughs.....its been fun!

Perhaps a reality check for you is in order. You do realize that tipping is optional? You realize that it is the restaurant owners and managers, and the government who are 'cheap' to servers? You realize that without the customers, the servers don't have a paycheque nevermind a tip on top of it?

Your baseline for tipping is not the same as mine. This does not give you entitlement to call me cheap.
Who do you think you are that you have this power to set the tipping norms for everyone else?
Who do you think you are that you have this entitlement to tell others that they should stay home if they can't or don't tip.

Thanks for the laughs you have provided us with. Quite amusing indeed!

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Further to my earlier message....
If you are tipping 10%, you are getting bad service because of THAT....if you are a regular in ANY of the places you go to, TRUST me, all the servers KNOW what a cheapskate you are, and probably dont waste a lot of time on you......There are PLENTY of customers who know how to properly tip, and they are the ones who get GOOD service and attention.
IF you want better service, tip properly, its as simple as that!

Oh boy, there's that 'other' attitude in full force!

We are all now very frightened if we do not leave a tip, because those servers KNOW how cheap we are, and won't waste a lot of time on us. ROFLOL

FYI: Proper tipping is the amount one leaves for a gift at their own discretion.
Cheapskates do not eat in restaurants. LOL more good laughs!

If I were a restaurant owner or manager and I learned that servers were not attending to customers who didn't leave tips, they'd be short one job in that moment.

[steven lloyd]

If I were a restaurant owner or manager and I learned that servers were not attending to customers who didn't leave tips, they'd be short one job in that moment.

Professional servers would never be so short-sighted. You have no idea why a person doesn't tip (person could be a clueless redneck), but their word of your good service is still good business and could still result in someone else visting your establishment (maybe even your own table) and they could be very good tippers. Good servers look past the small picture.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

In my experience the quality of service in restaraunts here in Kelowna rates from poor to fair.Good service is pretty uncommon.I don't know why this is, but it is.
For me tips are usually 10%, I feel this is fair considering the level of service I get most times.
Occasionally i'll give 15%, but not to often.
For the servers out there that are complaining, if you want more do a better job.
As I can only speak for myself, I will reward you if you try harder to make my meal an enjoyable experience.
Ty

Poor service always falls back onto management's fault.
Always report poor service to management in a kind way, not explosive or rude, just to let them know your experience and how they could improve.
I have absolutely no use for percentage formula tipping.
For the servers out there complaining, do not expect tips just becasue you do a better job. Hope for them, but do not expect. Some people just do not tip, and this is their prerogative. But go home feeling that you did a good job. That will last longer than a monetary tip anyways.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

i am curious as to what criteria is used to determine what, if any, tip you might give. a smile or good attitude deserves what, 10%, 15%, 20%? what is "exceptional service"? what is "good service"?

Depends completely on personal decisions. For me, percentages don't enter the tipping equation at all.
You see, everyone has different definitions of 'exceptional service', and 'expected service'.
This is why people have different tipping formulas.

[Captain Awesome]

Comes down to work ethic people have (or don't have). Some people are ready to give 140% at work no matter what the work pays - doesn't mean they'll stay there forever (and those good people never do, really). It's whiners who think just because they don't pay what they want they can work half-ass never move anywhere in life and become "professional servers" - bitter, angry on the inside, and very sad.

Anytime somebody says "I don't get paid enough to work hard" - it's time for them to go poison some other work place. Hate people like that with passion.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

If you find yourself getting tipped at 10% or not at all, more often than not it's because you're providing subpar service.

Congratulations on being a mediocre at best waitress.

On the other hand, that 10% might just be the largest tip that customer has ever left, because he is not one to normally tip.
Ya just never really know.

[steven lloyd]

Comes down to work ethic people have (or don't have). Some people are ready to give 140% at work no matter what the work pays - doesn't mean they'll stay there forever (and those good people never do, really). It's whiners who think just because they don't pay what they want they can work half-ass never move anywhere in life and become "professional servers" - bitter, angry on the inside, and very sad. Anytime somebody says "I don't get paid enough to work hard" - it's time for them to go poison some other work place. Hate people like that with passion.