Retail Employee Stories Part 6: The Life & Tragedies Of GrilledWitOnions

Status
Not open for further replies.
[quote name='GrilledWitOnions']Just wanted to second this... your blog is great. You write well, which is the biggest factor is what makes a blog a good read. I subscribed to the feed.[/QUOTE]

Thank you, I appreciate the compliment! ^_^
I've always enjoyed writing and find that I can release my otherwise pent-up emotions by doing so. It makes it worthwhile to know others enjoy reading something I've written.

I've posted a new entry...check it out. Also, I have enabled a rating system and you should be able to leave a comment on any post regardless of if you have registered for a wordpress account.

Edit: My sig seems to have disappeared. How sad. :(
Edit: And now the motherfucker's there. Whatever. -_-
 
[quote name='randomoutburst']I've started a blog about my dumb customers. Here: http://twentypercentplease.wordpress.com/

Only one post as of now, but it's a good one. Read "Would You Like a Refill On Your Hamburger, Too?"[/QUOTE]

I really love your blog, any way you could make a Twitter or Facebook account to update whenever you post a new blog?
 
[quote name='Cmosfm']I really love your blog, any way you could make a Twitter or Facebook account to update whenever you post a new blog?[/QUOTE]

Seconded, with emphasis on Twitter.

TWITTER.
 
Gah, guys, I hate Twitter. :(
I suppose I could make one...just for you.
I just can't guarantee I'll remember to update it when I post as well.
But I'll try.

Follow 20PercentPlease on Twitter and I promise I'll try to remember to update it when I post a new entry. :)
 
You don't tweet on the twitter??? WHAT?!?!?! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!! What a twit!

Sike. I like your blog too. More stories of asshole customers shoving fried chicken fingers down their throats please!
 
I've been getting a lot of unique page views at my blog - thank you, guys!
If any of you are in the same profession, you might find www.86badtips.com of interest. I have my own shirt from there which I quite enjoy wearing in public. (I have the black one...still considering the green one.)
I probably won't have a new entry until Monday, as tomorrow I have a full schedule and then I work Friday through Sunday. Don't worry, that just means there's a lot of opportunity for new material. ;)
 
I haven't updated my 20% Please blog yet (that will come Monday), but I did update my personal blog (www.passthepickles.wordpress.com). I know, what's up with pickles? Anyway, if you support gun rights you may find my recent post interesting. Just wanted to throw it out there, in case anyone else is up at 2:46 am and looking for a way to pass the time.
 
[quote name='randomoutburst']I've been getting a lot of unique page views at my blog - thank you, guys!
If any of you are in the same profession, you might find www.86badtips.com of interest. I have my own shirt from there which I quite enjoy wearing in public. (I have the black one...still considering the green one.)
I probably won't have a new entry until Monday, as tomorrow I have a full schedule and then I work Friday through Sunday. Don't worry, that just means there's a lot of opportunity for new material. ;)[/QUOTE]

That site is crazy. Never leave less than 20%? Damn i don't think i usually leave more than 20% unless they go way above and beyond.
 
[quote name='fluffynumkins']That site is crazy. Never leave less than 20%? Damn i don't think i usually leave more than 20% unless they go way above and beyond.[/QUOTE]

May I ask what your definition of "above and beyond" is? I'm sure if there was a universal definition, every server would try to give above and beyond service. But for some people, above and beyond service is not ever being without a drink and having their food arrive at the table just as it was ordered, while for others it is having the server wink at you or dance a jig on command. If your server smiled at you, got your order correct, and kept your drinks refilled, is that not good service? You're being waited on, and we are trying to make YOU happy.

So what do you leave? You know in most states servers are only paid $2.13 an hour? We depend on your tips to pay our bills. If your tab is $20 and you can't spare a $4 tip, go to McDonald's. We take your order, keep your drinks refilled, make sure your food comes out of the kitchen correctly, and clean up when you're done. And regardless of if you order a bar drink or not, or if I clean your table or the busboy does, I STILL must pay them each 1% of your bill. Not 1% of the tip you leave, 1% of your BILL. So if you tip 20%, I only see 18% of it. If you stay at a table for an hour and have a 20 dollar tab, is my time and work not worth $4? That means before taxes I'm getting $6.13 for that hour spent waiting on you...that's somewhere around minimum wage. If you buy your own food and cook it at home, it's cheaper. When you eat out, you are paying every employee in the restaurant. You are paying for clean bathrooms, clean tables and chairs, sanitary food prepared while you can sit and enjoy a friend's company, etc. You are paying us for our time because yours is valuable. Or because you're lazy.
If your time is so much more valuable than mine, go somewhere else to eat where you don't have to tip even though you get the same benefit of not spending your time preparing your own meal and cleaning up afterwards.
 
[quote name='randomoutburst']
So what do you leave? You know in most states servers are only paid $2.13 an hour? We depend on your tips to pay our bills. If your tab is $20 and you can't spare a $4 tip, go to McDonald's. We take your order, keep your drinks refilled, make sure your food comes out of the kitchen correctly, and clean up when you're done. And regardless of if you order a bar drink or not, or if I clean your table or the busboy does, I STILL must pay them each 1% of your bill. Not 1% of the tip you leave, 1% of your BILL. So if you tip 20%, I only see 18% of it. If you stay at a table for an hour and have a 20 dollar tab, is my time and work not worth $4? That means before taxes I'm getting $6.13 for that hour spent waiting on you...that's somewhere around minimum wage. If you buy your own food and cook it at home, it's cheaper. When you eat out, you are paying every employee in the restaurant. You are paying for clean bathrooms, clean tables and chairs, sanitary food prepared while you can sit and enjoy a friend's company, etc. You are paying us for our time because yours is valuable. Or because you're lazy.
If your time is so much more valuable than mine, go somewhere else to eat where you don't have to tip even though you get the same benefit of not spending your time preparing your own meal and cleaning up afterwards.[/QUOTE]

Just a random question here- not that I'm saying your reasoning is flawed (the main reason I've been tipping 15% is becuase I thought that was standard- I don't go out very often) but... you talk like if we don't tip, you don't get paid. My understanding was the law requires restaraunts who charge under minimum wage to adjust and provide payment up to minimum wage, in the event tips don't cover it. Am I mistaken in how this works, becuase this paragraph seems phrased to bully people into paying a salary that the restaraunt can/should be covering.
 
I think there are a lot of restaurants that don't follow that because my friend is a waitress and she doesn't make $7.25 (minimum wage).
 
http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm Nope, if you dont make enough tips for minimum wage, your job is required to pay enough to make it a minimum wage, which means RMB IS a minimum wage worker to say very bluntly , she just has more opportunities for cash then a non wage worker.

So my take on this is:
1)Waiting does (usually) deserve a good 15% at least, although typically I just make it 10% and throw on whatever money is needed to round it up to a clean 10 multiple. Sometimes its a little more, sometimes a little less, but I sleep at night.

2)Knowing this, you should NOT EVER feel pressure to tip. It is based on your judgement on a person and not necessarily "Its just the right thing to do"

3) The phrase "Dont dine if you cant provide a tip" is very true in most cases, but also very silly in other circumstances. Its like me figuring out how much cash to bring with me (a simple 17 year old who doesnt work) and I am actually figuring out how much Ill spend in my head JUST to figure out a decent tip. If I bring enough money, Ill do the 10%ish method, but if I dont, Ill tip whatever, or just not. One of the things about tipping is that its up to you.
 
You should always tip because the reality is that even though the law says that your job has to bump you up to minimum wage, this often does not happen.

You should feel pressure to tip because that's the way restaurants work in the USA. It's the right thing to do because that is how servers make their income.

If you don't tip your server has basically served you for free. Actually they lose money because they still have to tip out the busboys, the bartender, etc.

If you are 17 and you don't have money to tip then go someplace else or use your check card. The tip is part of the affordability of the meal.

Personally I hate the system because it means cheap fucks can rob people of income they need. It should work the way it does in Europe, where servers actually get paid a real wage. Tipping is unfortunately a part of the BS system we have now, and you should do it. 15% if you can afford it, but I think 10 is the bare minimum and you're cheap if you're leaving that little.
 
[quote name='randomoutburst']If you stay at a table for an hour and have a 20 dollar tab, is my time and work not worth $4? That means before taxes I'm getting $6.13 for that hour spent waiting on you...that's somewhere around minimum wage.[/QUOTE]

And if you do 3 tables in an hour, that's $14.13/hour. I'm sure far more tables an hour is pretty common, depending on where you work. I see servers doing 5-6 tables at a time when I go out, and I'm sure they don't all stay for a full hour.

My rule is, if my server's haircut looks like it cost more than my meal, they don't need the extra money.
 
Can anyone explain to me why 20 is the new 15? Why did everyone all of a sudden decide that servers deserved more money? I know they work hard, but plenty of ppl have been working hard without a 25% pay bump.

I suspect it has something to do with the server wage freeze since 1990 but I wanted to hear the opinions of industry workers and other restaurant patrons.
 
When I used to deliver pizzas I made some low hourly wage and mileage but I never expected anyone to tip me that way I was never disappointed. I myself usually tip very well at least 25%unless I get horrible service because I know how is it to be dependent on good tips. However, that being said tipping isn't mandatory and you don't have to do it if you don't want too. If servers don't like it no ones stopping them from finding a new job that pays you for your work. And it doesn't matter how good a service anyone thinks they're providing because to a customer their perception is reality in a service industry.
 
I think it should e 20% is they do a good job (i.e ask how the food is, address any problems, ask about drink refills, act in a timely manner) 15% for a decent job, not great but still acceptable, and 10% for a poor job. I'm not talking about a poor job where they say something incredibly rude or do something outrageous, just if they make a few mistakes. You should always tip no matter what, they need to make a living like the rest of us. I agree that if you can't afford at least 15%, then you shouldn't be eating out.
 
So then what happens when everyone thinks like you? "Oh, she has three tables and will make a lot of money because everyone else will tip her." Then NO ONE tips well and I'm back to making two bucks off every table. I don't constantly have three, four, or five tables at once. It doesn't matter how many tables I have, because it's not a communal pot where you decide how much you're going to tip based on how much everyone else does. You should tip based on the service provided to YOU, not you and everyone else.

And why do you think a haircut is a good indicator of how much money they have? I wear Coach glasses and carry a Coach wallet, but not because I have extra money to spend on them. My mom bought them for me as gifts for my birthday and Christmas. Does that mean you should tip me less because I "obviously make plenty of money"? I drive a '94 Camry because it's paid off and I don't have to spend extra money on a car payment. I'm married and working to pay for college and our apartment. Yes, my husband has a stable job, but we can't cover our expenses without the money I bring in. I'm not some college student who spends the money she makes on beer and pot. I'm actually working to support myself. I would love to have a job where I am paid a set hourly wage. Waiting tables isn't the best job, and I definitely don't want to do it forever. But while I'm in college and need a huge amount of flexibility in scheduling from my employer, it's really the only option I have if I want to spend any time at all outside of work and school with my husband.

"Don't dine if you can't tip" isn't ridiculous at all. Paying your server for her time is part of eating out. You don't walk into a store, look at the $20 in your wallet and the $25 shirt on the hanger and think it's okay not to pay that extra five bucks plus sales tax.

My paycheck is ALWAYS a big fat goose egg. I go home with whatever cash I earn every night, and theoretically my $2.13 wage should show up on my paycheck. Taxes are taken out of it, though, so I never see anything more than I actual cash I earn in a day.

If you've never worked as a server before, you should. Your body takes a lot of wear and tear and I assure you that you would grumble and complain too when you work your ass off to get a couple bucks from someone who thinks you don't "deserve" a 20% tip.

I'm not suggesting you should tip 20% no matter what the service. As I said in my last post...if your drinks are always filled, your order was taken and arrived at the table correctly, and your server was friendly and smiled, that's good service. If you don't think that's good, that what the fuck else do you expect? And don't give your server "verbal tips". That's when you tell them they gave wonderful service and then leave them 5-10%. Kind words aren't accepted as a form of payment at my college, apartment complex, or utility services, so let's stick to cash.
 
I worked at Applebee's for 4 years as a Waiter. I always gave the best service possible and would usually always go out of my way for people at my tables. I think I deserved the tips I received.

When I go out to eat and I do not receive that same service, I do not feel that tipping 15-20% is warranted. If a server wants to be lazy and ruin my experience, you aren't getting 15-20% from me.

One time at Friday's Restaurant (I used to frequent this restaurant before this), they had a waitress who was lazy, did not refill anything and would talk, laugh and stand around with her colleagues rather than concentrate on her tables. One of her other tables left her a $1 tip. She took the $1 while standing at the computer station (It was right next to her tables), threw it up in the air and started to bitch like a maniac. The person who left the tip got into an argument with her about her poor service and the lady said "You should always leave 15-20% regardless of how well I did, if you can't, don't come in here". I thought she made all servers look bad when she said this. I chimed in and said that her service was some of the worst I'd ever experienced and that I was a waiter for four long years. She must of had some blackmail on her manager b/c he came over and DID NOTHING about it. We had already gotten our food and were just about done at the time, so we paid our bill and left. I could not believe her or her manager's actions.

I've worked in the industry, I know what kind of service I should be getting. I never went back to that Friday's.

Good blog btw, I definitely can relate to those posts. I could post a number of stories from my experiences.
 
I was a server once.. at a restaurant (starts with an A, ends with some bees) in Baltimore city where 95-99% of the clientèle was black. Blacks are the worst tippers.. seriously, I would rarely make decent money. It was literally anywhere from $5-10/hour. :\

Do I think customers NEED to tip? Actually, I don't. From my experience working at that restaurant, I've become more sympathetic towards the customer, not the server. I think that.. the way it works is like this: the restaurant employs the server and their services. They have a staff of servers to get the food to the customers. They pay the servers to do so. Sure, they might not pay a lot.. in Maryland I think it's $2-3/hour, but you know what? That's the job you signed up for.. if you're not happy with it, maybe you should get a real job? Where you're not relying on the charity of others?

I usually tip around 15-30% for service that I deem anywhere from acceptable to outstanding. If I think the service is poor, I'll just leave whatever change I have on me.. if any. If I don't have any change, I'll go get a penny from the car. :]

Still, I don't think tipping is necessary. I think tipping is only warranted when the server actually takes care of the customer and makes their experience at the restaurant an enjoyable one.
 
From my perspective, not everyone who is a server is serving because they can't get or don't want a "real job". I'm in college so that I CAN get a "real job", but right now serving is my best option. And what's to say serving isn't a "real job"? You go to work, you get money for it. That's a job. Stocking shelves at Wal-Mart is a job, too. What you're referring to is a job that pays more than minimum wage. No one forces people to tip, but it's called social conformity. It's expected, so most people do. If people weren't expected to tip, we wouldn't be paid 2.13 an hour. We would get minimum wage or better and tell people they don't have to to tip unless they feel the service was exceptional and just want to.
 
[quote name='PhrostByte']I was a server once.. at a restaurant (starts with an A, ends with some bees) in Baltimore city where 95-99% of the clientèle was black. Blacks are the worst tippers.. seriously, I would rarely make decent money. It was literally anywhere from $5-10/hour. :\
[/QUOTE]

Ah, "Canadians" we'd call them. We used to hide if they were the only ones in the restaurant and would ask the host or hostess if they were mad at us when they were sat in our area. Even my black co-worker buddy, Nick who I worked with would hate getting them, since he hated getting low tips too. While I can also say that Indians were pretty bad tippers, the black folk were the worst.

The only time I was ever stiffed was by a black guy who I went out of my way for (as usual). He then said he "couldn't afford it". This is the type of person who should not be eating out if they "cannot afford it".
 
If restaurants were set up so I could refill my own drinks and pick up my own food, I would, I have no problem with that, I'm not so lazy that I need someone to do it for me. I pick a restaurant because they have the food I want to eat. It's the cook that makes my experience enjoyable, but I can't tip the cook. I go out to buy dinner, not buy dinner and pay someone's wages. It's not my fault the government says it's okay to screw servers.

I'm not saying I never tip, I usually do, but if the service isn't that great, you get no tip. What really pisses me off is places that force you to tip. I went to a hard rock cafe once, and because there were 6 of us, they automatically added a 15% gratuity to the bill. That gave the servers license to give us the shittiest service we've ever seen. fuck that, I will never go back.
 
I expect drinks refilled and them to check up on our food orders. If there is a mistake I assume its the kitchen, and as long as its taken care of I don't take it out on the waiter.

If I'm sitting there waiting to eat cause I don't have anything to drink is when the tip starts going down the drain, although unless they are uber bad I always leave 10%. 95% of the time I leave 20%.

One other thing is if everyone is on seperate checks and my meal is only like $6-8 I always tip at least $2.
 
[quote name='randomoutburst']"Don't dine if you can't tip" isn't ridiculous at all. Paying your server for her time is part of eating out. You don't walk into a store, look at the $20 in your wallet and the $25 shirt on the hanger and think it's okay not to pay that extra five bucks plus sales tax.[/QUOTE]

Now this is the funniest thing Ive heard today. Tipping is completely optional, and when you say "It's a part of dining out", you forget to mention it's an optional part. Secondly, that is a terrible metaphor. 25+tax is not OPTIONAL, and tipping is OPTIONAL. I (and everyone else) should eat out because they want a good meal, NOT because they want to support people who work there (although do that if you want). If they really have so much difficulty, they are welcome to hunt for another job as they were capable enough to find the first one. Now I already tip whenever I can, but I feel that it is stupid to feel pressured to eat out at all when you cant provide a tip. If tipping is so necessary, it would have been added to the bill. Nice blogs though
 
[quote name='randomoutburst']From my perspective, not everyone who is a server is serving because they can't get or don't want a "real job". I'm in college so that I CAN get a "real job", but right now serving is my best option. And what's to say serving isn't a "real job"? You go to work, you get money for it. That's a job. Stocking shelves at Wal-Mart is a job, too. What you're referring to is a job that pays more than minimum wage. No one forces people to tip, but it's called social conformity. It's expected, so most people do. If people weren't expected to tip, we wouldn't be paid 2.13 an hour. We would get minimum wage or better and tell people they don't have to to tip unless they feel the service was exceptional and just want to.[/QUOTE]

I've had both real jobs and jobs as a server throughout college.. I only recently graduated. I only served for about a year because it was ridiculous. You had to have this fake warm and fuzzy attitude and were at the mercy of others generosity.
 
[quote name='Filler2001']Now this is the funniest thing Ive heard today. Tipping is completely optional, and when you say "It's a part of dining out", you forget to mention it's an optional part. Secondly, that is a terrible metaphor. 25+tax is not OPTIONAL, and tipping is OPTIONAL. I (and everyone else) should eat out because they want a good meal, NOT because they want to support people who work there (although do that if you want). If they really have so much difficulty, they are welcome to hunt for another job as they were capable enough to find the first one. Now I already tip whenever I can, but I feel that it is stupid to feel pressured to eat out at all when you cant provide a tip. If tipping is so necessary, it would have been added to the bill. Nice blogs though[/QUOTE]

To be fair you are 17 and you have some amount of money handed to you(since you say you have no job). I'm sure if someone offered the server the money to fill the gaps they probably wouldn't need to be doing a job either. To say people who have a job can just up and get a new one is insane as well. Like mentioned, scheduling around everything if you have a full plate as it is can be difficult and there's very few places to work that don't mind giving you odd hours. Eventually you or your friends will be in dead end jobs as well and you will remember telling someone it's no big deal to get a new one when the market isn't that great. I'm sure the common sense of your job sucks get a new one isnt a new idea to the person at the job hasn't thought of.

I would say it's fair to say if you can't tip don't eat at the places. I know that you are saying why shouldn't you and your friends be able to eat something aside from Mcdonalds but they do have the option for takeout in which I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have to tip or pay for absorbitant uptick on drinks(what's the profit on soda? 300%?). As far as the eating out to have a good meal instead of to support people, you are basically saying that supporting a corporate entity that doesn't take care of it's employees is more important than supporting the little guy. In the end if the service is bad then don't give a good tip. But if they took care of you take care of them. You don't really seem like a jerk since you talk about tipping maybe just a little careless with your thoughts towards people surviving. It's a rough world, a little kindness goes a long way.

Not to completely de-rail the thread. I once worked in a call center and one of the accounts was for some magical skin cream that apparently cured the aging problem(of course).

Me:Now maam would you like the 2 oz bottle of the cream or the 4 oz bottle?
Caller:What's the difference?
Me: About 2 ounces.
 
@randomoutburst
I agree a lot with what you say, but one thing I am curious about.....why is it a big deal to split a check?
 
[quote name='myl0r']@randomoutburst
I agree a lot with what you say, but one thing I am curious about.....why is it a big deal to split a check?[/QUOTE]

A lot of people became irritated when asked to do their jobs.
 
[quote name='randomoutburst']So what do you leave? You know in most states servers are only paid $2.13 an hour?

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!!![/QUOTE]

Stop bitching and find a better job. If you don't have the skills, tough fucking shit. Robots or illegal immigrants are going to replace you eventually, anyway.
 
[quote name='myl0r']@randomoutburst
I agree a lot with what you say, but one thing I am curious about.....why is it a big deal to split a check?[/QUOTE]

I don't really understand this either. My friends and I go out to eat a lot and we almost always split a check. Our server never seems to mind.

As for the argument about tipping. I always tip when I eat at a restaurant. I haven't gotten shit service in quite a long time. Most of my servers are pretty good and keep my drink full all the time and don't fuck up my orders. I leave somewhere around 20% as a tip.
 
When did I say I minded splitting a check? I don't mind in most circumstances. For 1-6 people it's usually no problem because I have a decent memory and can do it without much hassle.
Here's where it becomes an issue: When there is a party of, oh...say....18. I ask at the beginning if they need split checks. They either ignore me or say no. Okay. Whatever. They eat, order multiple drinks, get dessert, etc. Then at the end, they decide that they have changed their minds and DO need split checks. Well, damn, if I had known that to begin with, it would be a lot easier to just write it down as it needs to be split, rather than having fingers pointing everywhere going "Well, he's on my ticket, and I'll buy his drinks, but she said she wanted to pay for half my meal..." and so on and so forth.
But even then, it's manageable. I'll work it out and I'll eventually get it right. The worst part about splitting checks is when the above scenario happens and then the table gets ANGRY about the amount of time it took me to split their checks. Even better is when all of the above happens and then they get mad because they all pay with a twenty even though their checks are $9.57. I have to get $11.43 for EVERY person then, which requires me to get a manager to open his cash drawer because I don't feel comfortable carrying more than $50 change into work. So this of course takes around 5-10 minutes. Not to mention I will then be behind in taking care of any other tables I have, causing more problems for me.

Moral of the story: if you want split checks, PLEASE let the server know beforehand, especially when you have a large party. If they don't ask before you begin ordering, they can't really bitch about it because they should have asked. But I ALWAYS ask when there's more than six people, and I have to say that it is very irritating to have a table do what I described above. Other than that, I'm more than happy to split your check. :)
 
[quote name='evanft']Stop bitching and find a better job. If you don't have the skills, tough fucking shit. Robots or illegal immigrants are going to replace you eventually, anyway.[/QUOTE]

You obviously haven't read ANY of my other posts. I'm married. Attending Austin College. No, not that party school SFA. AUSTIN COLLEGE. It's fucking hard and fucking expensive. I'm in there for pre-med. You think I'm serving tables because it's the best I can do? If you had read past the first sentence, you'd see that I wait tables because it allows me to work odd hours. I have to somehow schedule everything I do around classes, labs, and outside study groups. Then I have homework hours. Then I have to sleep. Then I want to spend time with my husband. So in order to pay for my shit and still have a relationship, I wait tables.
fuck you.
 
[quote name='Filler2001']Now this is the funniest thing Ive heard today. Tipping is completely optional, and when you say "It's a part of dining out", you forget to mention it's an optional part. Secondly, that is a terrible metaphor. 25+tax is not OPTIONAL, and tipping is OPTIONAL. I (and everyone else) should eat out because they want a good meal, NOT because they want to support people who work there (although do that if you want). If they really have so much difficulty, they are welcome to hunt for another job as they were capable enough to find the first one. Now I already tip whenever I can, but I feel that it is stupid to feel pressured to eat out at all when you cant provide a tip. If tipping is so necessary, it would have been added to the bill. Nice blogs though[/QUOTE]


Not tipping because you don't feel like it is stealing IMO. The reason tipping is setup the way it is, is so the employees go out of their way to help you out. It's like hotel chains that only franchise. They want to make sure that their brand is managed well, so they franchise it out, so that the quality is mostly put on the person who runs the business.

I never worked a service job a day in my life, pure retail until I finished college, but I would never eat out if I couldn't afford to tip. They don't automatically include it, because then they'd have to worry more about slackoff employees.

If a waitstaff is totally lazy, never refills drinks, doesn't check up on the order, takes forever to get to you and doesn't apologize, then yea you shouldn't tip. The point of tipping is to prevent people like this from working, as they are responsible for maintaining their own work ethic.

I didn't really want to respond as I hope your just fuck'in with people in the thread, but if you're serious you shouldn't be eating at a restaurant unless you go in with the mindset of tipping 15-20% pending establishment and only after bad service do you leave less.


Now the grey area I get to are the restaurants like Outback that have curbside takeaway. I hate doing that cause I feel like I should be tipping, but the whole reason I get curbside is so I don't have to tip. I usually walk in, but then they all want to bring the meal out to your after you pay unless its ready. Just let me walk in and pay for my meal like I'm at subway so I don't feel the need to tip. I always wonder if those people are relying on tips or are on tipshare.

On another note I hate fuck'n places like starbucks that have tip jars. Unless you are considered waitstaff just do your job. I took it in the rear and bent over backwards all the time at best buy, way more than some schmuck makin me a venti frufru drink, and we did not have a tip jar.
 
Why is it that the tip should be a percentage of the total bill? I can spend $20 for a great meal at a local resturant. I can go to a fancy resturant, and spend $100. Assuming that the service is the same, why am I expected to tip $15-$20 at the fancy place? The server did the exact same job.

Also, federal law requires that your employer makes up the difference between the $2 hourly wage and your state min wage. If your employer doesn't do that, then you have every right to file a complaint against the establishment. However, the law also requires that you must pay taxes on your entire wage (hourly wage plus tips). I have not worked in the service industry, but I know from friends and students that have worked in it that this rarely happens. If you are not claiming all of your tips on your taxes, then you are breaking the law.
 
I am just curious, who the hell came up with the idea for tips at restaurants anyway? I can understand giving someone a tip for exceptional help (carrying a piano up some stairs, thanks buddy!) But who had the bright idea to tip waiters? I don't tip my garbage man, or my mail man. Why waiters? I understand they get paid less and get the rest from tips, but who came up with that stupid idea too? Why not just have a normal salary. I think the whole idea and concept behind tips is stupid
 
[quote name='KongaKing']I am just curious, who the hell came up with the idea for tips at restaurants anyway? I can understand giving someone a tip for exceptional help (carrying a piano up some stairs, thanks buddy!) But who had the bright idea to tip waiters? I don't tip my garbage man, or my mail man. Why waiters? I understand they get paid less and get the rest from tips, but who came up with that stupid idea too? Why not just have a normal salary. I think the whole idea and concept behind tips is stupid[/QUOTE]

You'd just be paying more for food anyway if you didn't have to tip, so that we could have a higher hourly wage. You're going to be spending it somewhere.

And to the poster above who mentioned reporting tips, yes we are required to report all tips, even cash. We are taxed on everything we earn. I know some servers who do not report the cash they earn, but I report mine. I've seen too many people get audited because the IRS looks at their earnings which are half or less than what it should be and knows something's up.
 
[quote name='Bubbakja']Not tipping because you don't feel like it is stealing IMO. The reason tipping is setup the way it is, is so the employees go out of their way to help you out. It's like hotel chains that only franchise. They want to make sure that their brand is managed well, so they franchise it out, so that the quality is mostly put on the person who runs the business.

If a waitstaff is totally lazy, never refills drinks, doesn't check up on the order, takes forever to get to you and doesn't apologize, then yea you shouldn't tip. The point of tipping is to prevent people like this from working, as they are responsible for maintaining their own work ethic.[/QUOTE]

Wait, so are you saying you think delivering the food in a timely fashion and occasionally refilling drinks is "going out of their way"? That's like minimal effort imo.
 
[quote name='rainking187']Wait, so are you saying you think delivering the food in a timely fashion and occasionally refilling drinks is "going out of their way"? That's like minimal effort imo.[/QUOTE]

when you are at a restaurant and your sever only has a table or two, then yes.
Go to most restaurants on a Sunday after local churches get out. Maintaining 5-7 tables at once can be pretty tough work(I'm sure, I have no experience). And sadly, from what I hear, the "church crowd" are horrible tippers.


oh, and randomoutburst
on your blog it seemed like splitting checks was spoken about in a negative way. like on your list of things NOT to do at a restaurant. However, given your example, that would be a frustrating thing to have someone do.
 
I enjoy the premise of the system (your compensation is directly performance-based) but it's incredibly flawed. People are stingy or don't get it. You're never consistent in your pay as you're either raking it in or you're dirt poor. Then there's the great point that someone brought up of how you have to tip the fancy waiter more than the common one merely based on the bill.
 
[quote name='KongaKing']I am just curious, who the hell came up with the idea for tips at restaurants anyway? I can understand giving someone a tip for exceptional help (carrying a piano up some stairs, thanks buddy!) But who had the bright idea to tip waiters? I don't tip my garbage man, or my mail man. Why waiters? I understand they get paid less and get the rest from tips, but who came up with that stupid idea too? Why not just have a normal salary. I think the whole idea and concept behind tips is stupid[/QUOTE]


Would you rather tip based on the quality of the employees work or just pay more for food and then they have half the waitstaff to reduce costs since they are paying them a salary and have to worry about budgeting, or employees who slack off and get paid no matter what?


In all honesty the tip system started a long time ago when most families ate at home a bulk of the time. I don't think eating out constantly was popular until maybe 80's-90's.

I know my parents families only ate out for special occasions and both were middle class. So back then it was prolly a good system as people who went out to eat were expecting to spend some money.

Now people think its a right to be waited on at a restaurant, not a privelege to just be going.
 
Could you kind folks please move your tipping argument to a new thread? I'm sick of reading it every time I check this thread for new stories.
 
Never tell me you need something. You don't need anything, and I'm not obligated to give you anything. "Can I get ?" "Yeah, let me have ." "Hey, I came to pick up , do you have any?". These are all acceptable ways of conveying to me that you would like to purchase a title from me. "Hey, I need that new NCAA". "I need this disc buffed". No, you don't. While we're at it, don't use fucking derogatory terms towards me. Don't call me pal, brother, little buddy (or any form of buddy), partner, pal, anything. If you must call me something, call me sir. I'd even prefer "hey you" to anything listed above. I had a customer do this today. I'm already sick and not feeling well and wanting to be anywhere except there, and I get this: Customer: "Hey buddy, I need this disc buffed." *sets it on the counter* Me: "Sure thing." *buffs it* Customer: "Thanks pal!" I don't know why it bothers me, but it does.
 
I work in a nursing home, and using terms like buddy and pal are against the rules, you can get written up and fired for doing it. They're considered to be degrading. Other than that, I can't really share any stories from there, with HIPAA and all.
 
For those that missed it, I'm going to repost my story, since Macheezmo replied to it.

Never tell me you need something. You don't need anything, and I'm not obligated to give you anything. "Can I get.." "Yeah, let me have.." "Hey, I came to pick up.." "Do you have any.." These are all acceptable ways of conveying to me that you would like to purchase a title from me. "Hey, I need that new NCAA".. "Hey, I need this disc buffed".. No, you don't.

While we're at it, don't use fucking derogatory terms towards me. Don't call me pal, brother, little buddy (or any form of buddy), partner, pal, anything. If you must call me something, call me sir. I'd even prefer "hey you" to anything listed above. I had a customer do this today. I'm already sick and not feeling well and wanting to be anywhere except there, and I get this:

Customer: "Hey buddy, I need this disc buffed"
*sets it on the counter*
Me: "Sure thing.." *buffs it*
Customer: "Thanks, Pal!"

I don't know why it bothers me, but it does.
 
I don't know where in my blog it sounds like splitting checks is a hassle, but I couldn't find it. Some help, someone?

Okay, this lady came in today with her family. I greet them and ask what they want to drink.
"Do you have internet here?"
"......I'm sorry?"
"In-ter-net."
"To drink?" (Yeah, I decided to be a smartass.)
"NO. Do you have a computer with internet I could use?"
"...just the manager's computer in his office. Is there an emergency?"
"No, I just want to check movie times."

WHAT THE fuck? Chili's is not an internet cafe. I told her no and she wanted me to call the manager over so she could ask him herself. He told her no too. :)

I also liked dining out with my husband at a small diner recently. An older man at the adjacent table keep oogling me so my husband stared at him until he caught his eye. "How you doing?" my husband asked with a look that suggested continued staring was unwelcome. "Fine" the guy said without looking away. The server came by and asked what he wanted to eat. A suggestive glance and smirk in my general direction is not a response my husband found humorous. I thought it was funny simply because the guy had the balls to do that. Poor server was mortified and apologized to us on the guy's behalf. :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
bread's done
Back
Top