tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post113044525168770515..comments2024-01-20T00:41:46.149-06:00Comments on The Insane Waiter: Poll Time!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-24142781267006665592009-08-17T15:29:10.872-05:002009-08-17T15:29:10.872-05:00Get rid of the tipping system; not everyone's ...Get rid of the tipping system; not everyone's going to agree with how much I tip my waiter, let's just drop the hassle and enact a system that guarantees the workers their dues.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1152797516474818852006-07-13T08:31:00.000-05:002006-07-13T08:31:00.000-05:00"Unless you're a regular customer at a restaurant,..."Unless you're a regular customer at a restaurant, the waiter doesn't know that you're an excellent tipper, though. "<BR/><BR/>As a server myself, I can tell you that isn't true at all.<BR/><BR/>I lke the tipping system - it has it's downfalls, but at the same time, it's refreshing to get a big tip, and when a bad one comes along, I'm usually motivated to make the tip better next time. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1131405282546307172005-11-07T17:14:00.000-06:002005-11-07T17:14:00.000-06:00Look at it this way, you go into a restaurant, sit...Look at it this way, you go into a restaurant, sit down and look at the menu, order you food and it arrives, you eat it you go home.<BR/><BR/>The bill is $100 including tip<BR/><BR/>I don't care whether that tip was added by me or was included in the bill by increased prices however it'd be easier for me if it was included, because then I don't have to think I can just go out, drop $100 on a meal and go home.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130889478983564842005-11-01T17:57:00.000-06:002005-11-01T17:57:00.000-06:00dude, enough already about the tipping. We get it...dude, <BR/>enough already about the tipping. We get it, okay? You want a tip? Give good service. That's all the public asks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130847007137359952005-11-01T06:10:00.000-06:002005-11-01T06:10:00.000-06:00I'd like to see restaurants paying a minimum wage ...I'd like to see restaurants paying a minimum wage that's enough to live on, and including the cost of that wage in the price of the food. Then tipping on top for very good service. After all, you don't tip the checkout staff in the supermarket, or the usher in the cinema, do you?<BR/><BR/>I'm really worried about the way things seem to be going here in the UK, where tips are increasingly used to push salaries up to minimum wage. A tip shouldn't be part of your salary. The basic salary should be enough to live on, and tips are a reward for good service.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130796247708979262005-10-31T16:04:00.000-06:002005-10-31T16:04:00.000-06:00I love how some people read the posts and then don...I love how some people read the posts and then don't pay attention...<BR/><BR/>"I will address my feelings in the next post on this issue."<BR/><BR/>I was stirring the pot, cop out for a comment more like itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130793363599541352005-10-31T15:16:00.000-06:002005-10-31T15:16:00.000-06:00cope out for a post....cope out for a post....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130786987045165502005-10-31T13:29:00.000-06:002005-10-31T13:29:00.000-06:00I think we should keep the current tipping system ...I think we should keep the current tipping system in place. Although not everyone is a good tipper, not everyone is bad either. After my stint as a server a few years ago, I tip everybody well...hairdressers, servers, nail techs, etc. I think it's important to the customers as well as to the employees. I've had some servers that were not very personable but they got the job done, so I tipped them an even 20%. A server who goes above and beyond and on top of that is also personable gets double that, maybe more. A server who seems clueless and is unfriendly will STILL receive at least 10%. I don't believe in stiffing anyone. That's wrong. And like someone else on here said, I don't always base it on percentages, either. You can't put a dollar value on excellent/poor service or anything in between, but customers should TRY to remember that their server could be tired..maybe they're thinking about studying for a test they haven't had time to prepare for..maybe they're worried about paying their bills this month..maybe they have family issues. You never know! I had a server just recently who was very, very sweet and nice, she knew what she was doing, and she was very efficient. Then, suddenly, her section filled up so fast she didn't have time to take a breath. I sat there and watched table after table get sat, and as a consequence, she never had the time to ask us if we needed refills on our drinks, and even if she did get the chance to ask, she had no time to fill them. (I also noticed that no one else with slower sections offered to help her.) She dropped the bill off in a rush, and I still tipped her $10 on a $16 bill because she was working her ass off.MissJesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01653100352182424436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130781339637059542005-10-31T11:55:00.000-06:002005-10-31T11:55:00.000-06:00tips, tips, i like tips.with tips you can easliy h...tips, tips, i like tips.<BR/>with tips you can easliy hurdle to "minimum wage" line.<BR/><BR/>some nights it's more than possible to surpass the wages of your non-service industry friends and foes.Jodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01865381203595756813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130770574326671092005-10-31T08:56:00.000-06:002005-10-31T08:56:00.000-06:00Okay, real-life scenario. I went out for dinner F...Okay, real-life scenario. I went out for dinner Friday night to a mid-level restaurant. We both ordered higher-priced entrees, but no appetizers or dessert (who can eat that much???). <BR/><BR/>Our waitress's conversation consisted of no more than:<BR/>"What would you like to drink?"<BR/>"Here you go."<BR/>"Are you ready to order?"<BR/>"Here you go."<BR/>"Did you save room for dessert?"<BR/><BR/>She was not friendly, acted like we were taking up her time, and didn't even ask if our food was okay. We tipped her 10%. What did she deserve?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130697504094575442005-10-30T12:38:00.000-06:002005-10-30T12:38:00.000-06:00I think a large part of the problem is many people...I think a large part of the problem is many people just don't know how to do math to figure what 15 to 20% is. The tax in my state is 7.7% so I double the tax then go from there. As long as my drink is full and my server is nice I give 20% or more even if my food is wrong ... The server doesn't cook but yet people forget that and take it out on the wait staff. I used to be a waitress and it's a thankless job some nights. I would say depends on the restaurant and if the management would truely pass on the 18 to 20%. <BR/><BR/>Think of baggers at a grocery store. Some grocery stores have a carry out service and state "Do not tip our baggers, we pay them an hourly wage." Where as on a military base they get a small base pay of like 3.00 an hour and work for tips. I have to wonder which way is better for the service industry.Spicy Crackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08048695676619447891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130677720372764452005-10-30T07:08:00.000-06:002005-10-30T07:08:00.000-06:00hey there - love the blog...anyways - i live in A...hey there - love the blog...<BR/><BR/>anyways - i live in Australia adn 'tipping' isnt so much a part of life here but i do believe in paying for the service you get - i am inclined to tip personally to my witer/waitress than the whole establishment because i believe the person on their break out the back really doesnt deserve the money i pay for someone to serve me my coffeeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130637443856519802005-10-29T20:57:00.000-05:002005-10-29T20:57:00.000-05:00Sure - sometimes when the kitchen screws the pooch...Sure - sometimes when the kitchen screws the pooch, or the music is playing too loud, or the ambience is all wrong, as the spokesperson for the restaurant, you as a waiter, receive the wrath of the customer through a bad tip. It wasn't you fault. You provided excellent service, fine.<BR/><BR/>But...<BR/><BR/>Second side of that coin - the kitchen provides fantastic tasting beautifully presented food in a timely manner, the music is good, and the ambience is perfect. You reap in a great tip.<BR/><BR/>It balances out. Now if a certain restaurant has a great kitchen, ambience and music etc, tips will be great there, and the competition to work there will ensure that the best servers get the jobs, the servers who deserve those good tips. A restaurant with a crap kitchen, bad ambience, music etc, and tips that are never high, will have less competition for employment.<BR/><BR/>Same again with the price of a meal. Being in New Zealand, I'm just going off monetary amounts already quoted. But, if you're paying $50 for a meal, you expect a fine dining experience. The waiter should be prompt, courteous, helpful, friendly and work his or her arse off for their tip. In a $6 pizza place, friendliness is generally good, but you don't exactly have to follow the table service manual to the dot, or put up with as many snobby customers in general. (not all, I know, just a higher percentage).<BR/><BR/>Then again, despite my big rant about karmic justice, I quite like the system in NZ. We get paid a living wage. Tipping does happen, but not often, and seldom from locals, mostly just tourists. Amounts vary greatly, and percentages are hardly ever worked out let alone thought of. I like this, because when I go out for a meal, I know my waiter isn't expecting a tip. That means that if they're friendly and provide service above and beyond the call of duty, I know that their personality and professionalism are genuine, stemmed from self-respect and congeniality over greed. And when I do tip them - I make their day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130614689139002962005-10-29T14:38:00.000-05:002005-10-29T14:38:00.000-05:00Tipping is a far better system. As a waiter/barte...Tipping is a far better system. As a waiter/bartender I prefer the gamble. It's just a fun game to see what happens. <BR/><BR/>Plus, where I work some people leave some pretty big tips and I'd miss that.<BR/><BR/>I like to turn around and buy drinks for the guest with the tip they gave me.Big Tastyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13269288452233988404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130595123464877932005-10-29T09:12:00.000-05:002005-10-29T09:12:00.000-05:00I guess the big issue here is not whether or not t...I guess the big issue here is not whether or not the tipping charge should be left in place, but what constitutes "good service". I only take your order and maintain your table. Someone else cooks your food and someone else delivers it. I have no control over how fast it reaches your table. If the kitchen is overwhelmed, that is out of my control. If the kitchen screws up your meal, that is not my fault, so why should you leave me a crappy tip because of it. The fact that I am the spokesperson for your percieved anger over things I cannot control gives you the right to punish me. This is not fair. A mojority of the restaurant staff will make their hourly wage having never to see your face but if they make a mistake you take it out on me. How is this fair? What makes Good or Excellent service? Does it mean friendly and attentive? What makes good service and how does that merit a reward? This is the real question here.akirakidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15584394093791114413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130564044310870342005-10-29T00:34:00.000-05:002005-10-29T00:34:00.000-05:00I was 17 when I went to Europe (seven years ago) a...I was 17 when I went to Europe (seven years ago) and if I do remember correctly the tip was already added to the bill. I think it was 10-15%. I think this is what you mean by a service charge. It would be a good idea to automatically tag 15% on the bill, then if a person likes you and leaves money it’s a compliment. This way the waiter is also guaranteed a wage from a table they slaved over for the last hour.Nick Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04695591929975257416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130555997443970862005-10-28T22:19:00.000-05:002005-10-28T22:19:00.000-05:00In the long run, is a server getting more by makin...In the long run, is a server getting more by making $6.50 an hour and paying taxes for the whole thing...or by making $3.00 an hour and getting cash tips (come on, most don't keep exact numbers and don't claim most or all of their tips when they figure income taxes) <BR/><BR/>I tip well, so I really don't care either way. I'll pay the extra 15-20% or I'll leave a tip for a good server.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130546058516589472005-10-28T19:34:00.000-05:002005-10-28T19:34:00.000-05:00I only get 2.13 in OklahomaI only get 2.13 in OklahomaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130538369671813162005-10-28T17:26:00.000-05:002005-10-28T17:26:00.000-05:00Woah! You get paid $3 per hour to wait tables? Cha...Woah! You get paid $3 per hour to wait tables? Cha-ching!! Here in DC we only get $2.75.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130533304348077542005-10-28T16:01:00.000-05:002005-10-28T16:01:00.000-05:00I hate tipping. I would rather pay more to the r...I hate tipping. I would rather pay more to the restaurant so they could pay a living wage to the servers. The seemingly reasonable 15% or more that is paid to the server is often, in reality, an outrageous amount when compared to the time/energy it takes to provide the service. I'm not talking here about $10 or $15 meals in a greasy spoon diner but rather the $50 or $100 meals in upscale joints. In these situations, the server gets a significant amount of money from each of the tables served during the same time period and the resultant hourly remuneration is much higher than the service is worth.The Atavisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529157597486952484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130530487623810402005-10-28T15:14:00.000-05:002005-10-28T15:14:00.000-05:00There is a fundamental difference of opinion about...There is a fundamental difference of opinion about tipping: is it an optional reward for exceptional service or a customary unofficial payment? It's a thorny point of both etiquette and ethics, which can be seen as an indicator of character.<BR/><BR/>Service or shakedown?<BR/><BR/>Big tips can mark a person as nouveau riche or as the life of the party. In the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs, Mr. Pink's refusal to tip a waitress on general principle makes the other robbers turn on him, and marks him as the most likely to be the rat. On Seinfeld, George Costanza's five per cent tips (if that) indicated his general selfishness. <BR/><BR/>Many etiquette guides preface their sections on tipping by saying that the practice itself is disagreeable. Not only does it add an extra expense and element of complexity to dining out, it reminds people of a time when servants were dependent on the generosity of their social superiors. Others say that management has somehow shifted the responsibility for servers having living wages to the customers. Less charitable writers complain about tipping as a shakedown, separating travelers and diners from their money for no good reason.<BR/><BR/>Tipping can even have unsavory connotations. Detractors liken it to graft, bribery or other illicit transactions, and tips may go as unreported income.<BR/><BR/>Nonetheless, the consensus of etiquette says that tipping is a fact of life and, barring deliberately egregious service, mandatory. A social guide written by Lady Troubridge in 1926 stated: "The system of tipping is much to be deplored, but it exists in every country, and we are certainly more reasonable now than were our ancestors a hundred years ago, who tipped a whole row of waiting servants after a dinner-party." The same book pegged the standard tip for restaurant service at ten per cent.<BR/><BR/>Tipping did not come into common practice in the United States until the mid-nineteenth century, but it proved resilient. Every few years, someone gets the idea to found a chain of hotels or barber shops or some other service with a strict no tipping policy, only to go back to the old ways. Even in the Soviet Union, tipping was ubiquitous enough to prompt disdainful editorials, calling it a "survivor of capitalism" that "humiliates the honor of men."<BR/><BR/>Tipping is the front line in the class struggle, where pocket change for one side means a decent living for the other. The implied threat of sabotage by slighted tippees goes back to the days of vails. There are apocryphal tales of traveler's baggage being tagged with discreet chalk marks, indicating their tipping proclivities to initiated servants, or diners being pursued outside the establishment as a not-so-gentle reminder. More recently, one hears about various bodily fluids added to orders. Poor service was the more common retaliation. <BR/><BR/>Now, I admit I have never worked for gratuities. I did work as a server/line cook at a pasta restaurant, in which the customers ordered and paid at the counter and serving staff brought their orders to their tables. With a few exceptions, none of the customers tipped. (Why the kitchen and bussing staff, who work just as hard in both tipping and non-tipping establishments, should be denied that extra income is one of the many mysteries of tipping.)<BR/><BR/>I will also admit that I have stiffed a few tips on occasion, though I plead ignorance or financial necessity in those cases. When I have been forced to order only water, I still left a few quarters.<BR/><BR/>I have always accepted the practice of tipping, and I realize that by some economic quirk they are what many people need to make a living wage. I've generally followed the fifteen per cent standard. Yet, I reserve the right to reduce or withhold a tip. In my opinion, tipping is not a courtesy. It is a payment for service, and if that service is not satisfactory, the payment is withheld. <BR/><BR/>In a world full of blatant fraud like movie theatre popcorn, parking charges on concert ticket even if you don't take a car, and nightclub drinks that are ninety per cent ice, tipping is the one point in the consumer experience when you can pay what you think is fair.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130525958181010002005-10-28T13:59:00.000-05:002005-10-28T13:59:00.000-05:00Perhaps I'm too much of an idealist, but I'd like ...Perhaps I'm too much of an idealist, but I'd like to see something in between: a 10% service charge, perhaps? That would allow customers to reward or punish their server, but still ensure that the server receives enough to cover taxes, tipouts, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130523545949665522005-10-28T13:19:00.000-05:002005-10-28T13:19:00.000-05:00I have been in the service industry in the past, s...I have been in the service industry in the past, so this may color my view a little. I think they should keep tipping the way it is. I think it is unlikely that restaurant owners on the whole will pass the money on to their staff. The staff will not got 18-20% of each bill, even if a service charge is added. I think that tipping should be kept the way it is. (Although, I tip 15% to awful servers and more to great ones )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130521438399463762005-10-28T12:43:00.000-05:002005-10-28T12:43:00.000-05:00An anonymous waiter claims that his service is "wo...An anonymous waiter claims that his service is "worthy" of a 20% tip. Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. From a customer's perspective, the problem is a lack of pricing clarity.<BR/><BR/>If I am looking for a place to get dinner, I can look at menus, compare prices, and decide which restaurant is going to give me the best deal [this is not the same as "which is the cheapest"]. I can do exactly the same thing when I buy, well, anything.<BR/><BR/>Except service in restaurants and the like. You don't tell me how much you're willing to accept in exchange for good service. I usually can't choose a server independantly of my restaurant choice, so I'm limited to making choices along the lines of "I won't go to restaurant X - I got bad service there last time". As a waiter, you don't know whether I gave you a "small" tip because I didn't like the service, or because I'm cheap, or because we have different ideas about what an "appropriate" tip is. If the food was good, I probably enjoyed my dinner, and so will tend to give a larger tip because I had a good time. If the food wasn't very special, I probably won't have such a good time, and so will end up, more or less unconciously, giving a smaller tip. So how much I pay the waiter for his service is being affected by how good the chef is.<BR/><BR/>I think my point is that it is really not easy to distinguish the general quality of service in a restaurant from the food, the ambience, and everything else that goes into a pleasant evening out, so it doesn't make much sense to price them seperately.<BR/><BR/>If a waiter goes out of his way to provide a special service, it distinguishes him, and that service can be rewarded seperately. If all you do is turn up promptly, take an order correctly and refrain from pouting iced water over the table, you tend to blend into the general ambience of the restaurant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15210421.post-1130519445225163912005-10-28T12:10:00.000-05:002005-10-28T12:10:00.000-05:00Lots of people have said "I like tipping because i...Lots of people have said "I like tipping because it gives the waiter an incentive to give good service. I'm an excellent tipper..."<BR/><BR/>Unless you're a regular customer at a restaurant, the waiter doesn't know that you're an excellent tipper, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com