Continued from “Jipped on the Tip” by Doreen Linder of the Allentown Headlines Examiner

Last week told the story of two college students who got arrested for not paying their gratuity.  Well as anticipated, the charges have been dropped.  Northampton County DA John Morganelli said that this is a

Lehigh Pub

matter that should be processed civilly, not criminally.  The City of Bethlehem put out a police statement saying that Northampton County DA John Morganelli felt the,  “charge was not adequate.”

John Wagner and Leslie Pope had drinks, wings, and salad.  They had to go up to the bar to refill their drinks and they had to go find their silverware.  The waitress spent most of her time outside smoking.  When their bill came they refused to pay the 18% gratuity.  They refused to pay it and the bartender called the police.  The police then arrested Wagner and Pope.

The story has made national headlines.  When one looked up Lehigh Pub in an internet search, the second tab down, Yelp.com.  Some of the comments are, “Close this place down,” or “I get better service in a soup kitchen.”  Wagner and Pope are scheduled to be on CNN today.

Even the head of the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, Mr. Patrick Conway said that he did not understand this.  Restaurants typically go on repeat business and want happy customers.  Well Pope and Wagner are not happy and now the whole world knows it.

When the restaurant manager William Sheehan was asked about the charges being dropped, he said it was, “news to him.”  He then read a statement crafted by his lawyer.  They got lawyers involved?  How much is that costing them.  I’m sure much more than the $18.60 lost.

According to the Morning Call Newspaper the definition true definition of gratuity is, “A gift of money, over and above payment due for service, as to a waiter or a bellhop; tip.”  Therefore if you do not like the service, you do not tip.

By the way, who has ever heard of a bar having an 18% gratuity?  This is a pub.  Not a first class restaurant.  Lehigh Pub is not exactly the hotel Ritz.

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POINT

Add 10% or 15% to the bill? I think not
Posted By DENNIS THOMPSETT of TheSunTimes

My mother was a waitress at the Trio for years, but even so, I must admit, I don’t understand the idea of giving tips to people in restaurants. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

I don’t get it. Why am I expected to pay extra to have someone do their job in a pleasant and efficient manner?

And apparently I’m not the only Canadian with this feeling. In Florida and Los Angeles and Hawaii and Las Vegas and most of the other big tourist towns of the world, the natives hate Canadians because we’re just not big tippers.

Apparently we expect value for money.

To get a really memorable tip from me or from any other sensible Canadian, a waitress has to set herself on fire, cartwheel across the floor and deliver hot, heavy plates to the table with her feet. While whistling Dixie.

Otherwise, forget it.

I remember going on a cruise with my family years ago and, at the end, everybody expected a tip. And not just a little tip either. They all wanted $300 or $400 each. We got a circular about it before we disembarked. There were sure a lot of disappointed faces as we waved a fond farewell to that ship of fools.

The common argument is that these people depend on tips to make a living. Well here’s a tip: get a job that pays better. No one should have to depend on the kindness of strangers to support their families.

The only people who really benefit from tipping are restaurant owners who can continue to offer low pay and no benefits. Some places, like pizza joints, often pay nothing and the delivery guy only makes tips. In other parts of the world, or even here in Canada when you have a big crowd, they automatically add a tip on the bill. You have no say in it. You are, in fact, forced to pay the wages of the help in addition to paying for your food.

So here’s something to think about — every time you give a tip in a restaurant or bar, you are supporting an insidious kind of slavery. Low-wage slavery. Sweat-shop slavery. You are perpetuating a system where good people are chronically underpaid, in the hopes that the customer will subsidize that pay. Maybe.

It’s not all the restaurant owners’ fault. It’s your fault, too, for wanting to be well thought of by your waiter or waitress.

And here’s something else to think about for those sad sheep who give tips: There are all sorts of people who work just as hard for your custom, yet you never think of tipping them. Have you ever agonized about whether to give 10% or 15%% to the checkout person at the supermarket? To your bank teller? To the person in the convenience store? To the guy who reads your hydro meter? No? Well let me tell you something; they make the same kind of low wages that restaurant workers make. They often work harder. They’re often nice people. And they have families to support, too. Why don’t you subsidize them, if you buy into the flimsy arguments for tipping restaurant people?

And if you work in a restaurant and take tips, be aware that you’re essentially taking charity. You deserve better.

So what’s the answer? Only tip people who really need it.

I know it’s difficult to accept a new idea. Often you have to digest it a little at a time. So let me take you by the hand and lead you to a new life. First pick a bunch of people who are bitter, overweight, underpaid and shunned in social circles. Then send them a tip.

Address it to your poor Owen Sound Sun Times columnists. We’ll all share it and maybe get a crust of soggy bread to munch on.

Through our grateful tears.

————————————————————————————————-

COUNTER POINT

Letter to the Editor at TheSunTimes by Jesse Wilkinson

Contrarian off base about tipping

Editor:

Add 10% or 15% to the bill? I think so.

In reading Dennis Thompsett’s article on the exercise of tipping, two things became glaringly obvious: one that the Contrarian has never worked as a waiter himself (his attempt at insight using his mother didn’t cut it for me) and that two, he is writing after a bad experience, in which he feels the need to spout his flawed logic and spiteful naiveties.

It’s funny how a person who has no experience in an occupation can speak with such confident condemnation regarding said job. Waiters, waitresses and bartenders work very hard in a fast paced industry that demands you be personable, hard-working and able to “cartwheel across the floor and deliver hot, heavy plates” while singing birthday songs (not Dixie tunes).

Sorry they can’t light themselves on fire for your tip, Sir. I’m sure they’re all dying to impress you.

I agree that many other low paying jobs require hard work and admirable attributes but there is an expectation for good service when spending the night out for dinner.

If that expectation is not met, then you certainly shouldn’t feel compelled to tip. If you have a good experience and your server has been a part of that then they deserve a tip.

Servers make less than minimum wage, which Thompsett blames on the “slave-driving” restaurant owners, and therefore rely on tips to make the job affordable.

The notion that patrons are subsidizing the restaurant industry is flawed. If servers were paid a higher wage, then restaurants would need to charge more for their meals to cover the overhead, which would take the place of the tip anyways. As it stands right now Mr. Thompsett, you should keep quiet. You are riding on the backs of all the other tippers out there to ensure that you get cheaper menu prices and you don’t follow all the “sad sheep” and leave a tip yourself. If your ridiculous, demeaning argument influenced the industry, you would be shelling out a lot more of the precious bills and coins you seem to covet so closely.

I guess by your logic, no one should accept a year-end bonus because that is tantamount to charity as well. Servers are merely given tiny bonuses everyday is they have earned it for a job well done. They sure don’t receive anything of monetary value at the end of the year, merely the hope that they may possibly not have work Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day so that everyone else can go out and have a good time.

As for getting another job; well there aren’t many jobs one can work between five and midnight while trying to put themselves through university or college. I guess they should just absorb the increasing student fees and try not to keep on top of their debt.

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In your world Mr. Thompsett, many students would be graduating with an even heavier burden than they already have.

I know you really don’t believe all of what you said, because you are self-admittedly “The Contrarian” but for those people who may think your flawed logic makes sense, shame on you and shame on the Sun Times for printing your column.

Owen Sound has many restaurant owners who are struggling during these tougher times and many young, bright, energetic waiters and waitresses who work hard to ensure that when people want to have a good night out, they can.

If one does not enjoy their service, then they shouldn’t tip their server: it will help the waiters that truly strive to work hard and provide a valuable service.

I have lived and worked in other countries that do not subscribe to the culture of tipping and the level of service is far lower than here in Canada and I would hate to see that happen in our country.

I guess it depends on how much we value our ability to enjoy a night out and be taken care of after a long day. Maybe you need to get out a little more often, Mr. Thompsett, and while you’re at it, get to know your servers.

I’m sure you’ll find that they are working harder than you think. And it’s better you keep your tip if you think it’s charity. You’ve insulted enough people already. I can’t wait to see what industry you try to offer your brilliant insight into in your next column.

Welcome to your neighborhood nudie bar! Come in, have a seat, check out all the pretty girls. Oh, look! Here comes one now. But why is she fully clothed? I’ll tell you: because she’s me, your nudie bar waitress–here to tell you about our two drink minimum’

‘Two drinks!’ you scream, ‘they didn’t tell us at the door!’

Let me explain, idiot:
They don’t tell you that at the door because they don’t want to scare you cheap bastards off. See, you come in, you see a naked dancing lady, chances are, even the cheap mofo’s want to stay. You’ll probably be too distracted by the live pussy to notice the signs on all the tables that say, ‘two drink minimum.’ So I’ve been hired at minimum wage to inform you.

I don’t tell you this. Instead, I smile, and in the sweetest, bubbliest voice minimum wage can buy, I say,
‘It’s not the doorman’s job to tell you about the two drink minimum, it’s MY job!’
I hold a little sign with all the drinks and prices on it in front of you and ask kindly, ‘What would you like?’

You ignore the sign and say, ‘I’ll have a Budweiser.’

This is where I change my tone to sad and empathetic.
‘We don’t serve alcohol,’ I explain, ‘It’s illegal in San Diego to have full nudity and alcohol.’
I feel you. I understand. You make me want to drink.
Other times, I think, good try, little under-21 punk. You only got in because it’s an 18 and up club.

You finally look at the sign I’ve patiently held in front of your face. This is where you exclaim loudly, ‘$4.25 for a COKE?!!’

Inwardly, I sigh. Outwardly, I correct,
‘$8.50. You have to buy two.’
I sense your confusion, (not too good at math, eh?) so I explain again,
‘It’s a TWO drink minimum.’

You’re speechless.

Let me explain: In America, when you have a business, you want it to make money. Say you have a nudie bar in a city/state where it’s illegal to have full nudity and booze under the same roof. Where the heck are you going to make your money? You gotta sell something. So you sell cokes and juices for $4.25. And you make it a two-drink minimum.

Now you’re really upset.
‘8.50 for two cokes? I’m not paying $8.50 for two cokes!’

Here’s a reality check, idiot: First of all, I’m talking to you. I doubt women talk to you much, unless, like me, they’re in the service industry. That’s gotta be worth something. Secondly, have you been to the movies lately? They’re like $9, and you don’t even get cokes. What’s more, you have to leave after an hour and 50 minutes. In a strip club, the entertainment is live. Nudity, right in front of you, and you can stay longer than an hour and fifty minutes. Plus you get two nonalcoholic drinks. For a mere $8.50. It’s really a super bargain. So get off my ass. I didn’t set the prices.

The more I think about this, the more it bugs me. You aren’t paying $8.50 for cokes; you are paying $8.50 for the privilege of having many women take their clothes off and dance before you. Ask some random non-crack head woman outside to take her clothes off and dance for you for $8.50. See what happens. You might get slapped, you might get the police called on you. Now, with that same $8.50, you go try to get 15 women to do it. It ain’t gonna happen, buddy. So buy the drinks and realize it’s a bargain.

But I don’t balk at your resistance to the $8.50. Instead, I make a cute little flirty face and purr, ‘It’s really worth it” (I’m a real fucking bargain at minimum wage, I tell you.)

Now what gets me is the sheer percentage of you who will—after all this—say,
‘Nah, I’m good. I don’t want anything.’

You look past me, at the naked dancing lady, verbally and non verbally telling me, ‘go away ”

I try to put it in even simpler terms. I say,
‘It’s a two drink MINIMUM. You HAVE to buy two drinks to be in here.’
Then pause, dumb it down more:
‘You HAVE TO BUY TWO DRINKS.’

You don’t want to tear your eyes away from the bent over ass a few yards in front of you. I know, it’s a joy to watch a pretty naked girl bent over slapping her own ass. But somewhere in your pea brain, it registers that you cannot fully enjoy the ass until you get the persistent waitress to leave.
‘Okay, okay,’ you grumble.
‘What would you like?’ I ask, slightly relieved. My smile is warmer.
You look back at the sign. On it, an assortment of non-alcoholic beverages. Coke, diet coke, Sprite. Orange juice. Cranberry juice. Etcetera.

You start reading it. Slowly.
Yessssssss, your waitress has allllllllllllllllll dayyyyyyyyyy…

After an eternity, you decide.

‘I’ll have coke.’
I turn to your friend, whose been standing next to you the entire time.
‘What would you like?’
‘Uh, nothing. I’m not thirsty.’

Part Two: I Bring the Drinks

‘Are you guys paying separately or together?’
‘Separate.’
‘That’ll be eight fifty,’ I say.
You see two cokes in front of you. You complain,
‘Ahh, you bring ‘em two at a time?’
‘Yes, you idiot. Like I would trust you to buy one now and one later?’
Actually I only say, ‘Yes. ‘

You hand me a twenty.
I make change, giving you eleven one-dollar bills and two quarters.
Why so many ones?
A. Because it’s a strip club! I’m hoping that once you see a big pile of ones, you’ll realize what they’re for, and give me one.
B. I know if I don’t give you a bunch of dollar bills now, you will be asking for them later when the stripper whose ass you’ve been staring at hits you up for money”’ And lastly,
C. Since you’re probably not going to tip me well on the drinks, you for sure aren’t going to tip me for a second trip if I have to bring you change later. I unload all my ones on you now to save myself the trouble.

But I do make it slightly inconvenient. I have learned not to hand you your change, which you will pocket. If I put your change on my tray, you have to pick it up. I’m counting on you being too lazy to pick up the quarters. That way, I’ll get at least fifty cents, (yeah, it’s pathetic what I gotta do for fifty cents). Fifty cents is more of an insult than a tip, but because I make so little, I figure it’s better than nothing.

So you pick up the bills. You look at the two quarters on my tray, decide it’s not worth it, and leave them. You didn’t tip me; you were just too lazy to pick up the quarters. You don’t say thank you. Neither do I.

I turn to your friend.
‘$8.50,’ I say.
He’s rifling thru his pockets. He’s scrounged up a five-dollar bill and three wadded ones. He drops them on my tray.
‘It’s $8.50,’ I say. ‘You’re short fifty cents.’
He looks at you.
‘You got fifty cent?’
You remember that fifty cents and nod at my tray. It’s already there. For a $17 order, I get nothing. And because I value/need my job, I don’t say anything.

Here’s a little rule: When you buy a drink, never tip less than a dollar. I live so far under the poverty level that I have to go to bars with $2 drink nights. I still tip a buck a drink.

If you ask your strip club waitress to go get someone because you want a lap dance, give me a dollar for my trouble. If you didn’t tip me for drinks, and don’t intend to tip me to go get her, get off your ass and get her yourself.

Lastly, don’t come in with a bunch of guys, have a big order, not tip me, then ask me to change $40 into ones to tip the dancers with.

I’m not making a living wage. My paychecks do not even cover my share of rent. And guess what? In the tipping/service industry, the government assumes we are getting tipped, and taxes us accordingly. I lose money when you don’t tip. It costs me money out of my paycheck!

My favorite: I wish you were out there reading this, but I’m assuming you’re retarded and illiterate. You came in. You bought two drinks. You asked for all ones for change. You gave me nothing, explaining, ‘I need these for tips.’

Let me explain something: You’re telling me that the naked ladies are more important for you to tip than your server. Well guess what? Some of those naked ladies (deservedly) make over $500 per night. Your dollar, little man, doesn’t mean shit to her. You will only mean something to her if you get her in a private booth and let her do a string of lap dances for you at $15 a pop. Ten dances, she’ll remember you and smile at you next time you come in.

I’ve seen strippers pick up dollars time and time again and not say ‘Thank you.’ I will always say thank you for a dollar. That dollar will mean a lot more to your waitress.
I can’t believe you, saying, ‘I need these for tips.’ Then not tipping me, your server.

I hope all that jacking off gives you carpal tunnel.

Tipping in Greece is confusing for most visitors. Here’s a simple guide that will let you return to any restaurant with confidence.

1. Tipping for Tourist-type restaurants: Ask for the bill – usually, it will not be brought until you request it.
2. Check over the bill for obvious errors, and bring any substantial errors to the attention of your waiter. Minor error? Decide if it’s worth trying to sort it out.
3. Confirm that a ’service charge’ has been included. If it has, follow suggestion below.
4. Pay the bill.
5. To reward warm service from your waiter, leave a few Euro, preferably in bills, on the tray. If service has been poor, skip this step, as the waiter generally shares in the revenues from the meal and from the service charge.
6. Regardless of the general service, unless it has been memorably abysmal, ease the burden of the busboy, who often receives virtually nothing for his work, by leaving coins totaling up to about a Euro on the table.
7. If appropriate, thank the owner or person in charge for the great meal.
8. Tipping for Traditional Eating Places: Ask for the bill. Check for obvious errors, and bring any to the attention of your waiter. If it’s minor, forget it.
9. Note if a ’service charge’ has been included – it probably won’t be.
10. Tip your waiter between 10 and 20 percent of the total. Leave this on the tray, or give it to him directly.
11. Leave some small change totaling about a Euro on the table for the busboy.
12. Thank the owner or person in charge for the great meal.
13. Tipping Taxi Drivers: Generally don’t expect tips (but won’t turn them down).
14. There is a minor charge by the taxi driver for handling each piece of luggage – this is not a tip, but an official charge.
15. Tipping Public Toilet Attendants: Tip small change and bless them, since without them, there would be no toilet paper or soap there.

Tips:

1. The’cover charge’ on the bill is literally the cost to cover the table when you sit down, and includes your bread and non-bottled water.
2. The cover charge is cannot be removed, even if you don’t drink the water or eat the bread. Don’t argue it.
3. Had a horrible experience and feel ripped off? Contact the local ‘Tourist Police’ office. They exist to handle complaints and assist tourists – not to arrest them!
4. Don’t stress over tipping – get it close to the guidelines above, but don’t break out your calculators.
5. Greeks aren’t expected to tip as often as tourists are. And the more remote the location, the less likely it is that a tip is expected.

Found in Seattle Weekly. Article By Maggie Savarino in Ask the Bartender

It’s that time of week when we answer the questions you’re too drunk or shy to ask…This question comes from Eric:

We went out after a late show, but we weren’t very hungry. My wife and I ordered a salad and appetizer, then split an entrée. I don’t drink, but she had two glasses of wine. The server definitely tried to rush us out of there, not even asking if we wanted dessert before she brought the check. Is there an unwritten rule I should know about regarding ordering? Does everyone have to order an entrée at night? What if you’re on a budget?

Pissy waiters are a blight on the industry. Unfortunately, every waiter gets pissy every once in a while and forgets her place and the service she is supposed to provide for all. You ordered food. You did nothing wrong.

If you go to a place that’s clearly a restaurant during the hours of dinner service, you need to order food in order to sit at a table. Period. It doesn’t matter if the restaurant isn’t full at the moment, because that can change on a dime. A ton of restaurants are strict about this, because when you make an exception once or twice, it can bite you in the ass later. (If the hour is much later, this rule can be a little flexible, but always ask.)

That salad and appetizer, I’m guessing, was equal in value to an entrée. Two drinks, two entrees — you did your part as far as I’m concerned. Waiters, however, live off their tips, so obviously they want to jack that check up as high as possible. What many shortsighted waiters forget is that it all comes out in the wash, always. Maybe you and your wife would have returned some later evening for a splurge-y date. If you had received killer service, maybe you would have made the joint your after-movie hang, over the course of a year giving the restaurant ten or twenty times what you spent that night.

It amazes me just how much damage a shitty server can do to a restaurant owner’s pocketbook. It also amazes me that some owners let their staff get away with such behavior, either through absence or lack of discipline. Not every hand is blackjack, and not every table is going to throw down for a bottle of wine and three courses. But every customer is a potential PR agent for your restaurant. Smart owners and servers know this.

So, no, you are not required to order two or three courses to have a seat at a table in a restaurant. These days, as I’ve said before, many places should be happy just to have butts in seats. How you ordered is the perfect way to cut a few corners when going out if you’re on a budget.

I apologize that some of us in the service industry, well, can lose it at the end of the night. It’s not fair to you as a customer. In conclusion: Stupid, stupid waitress. Stupider, stupider owner.

Found on CBS4.com

More and more families are finding it increasingly difficult to afford a night out at a restaurant let alone pay the 15 to 20 percent suggested tip. Service workers say since the economy took a turn for the worse gratuities have done the same thing.

So just what the rules for tipping in tight times?

There are rules for just about everything so why not tipping.

“Fifteen to twenty percent is the usual,” said Pamela Eyring with the Washington School of Protocol.

Eyring says when economic times are tough consumers spend less and that often means cutting back on gratuities.

“The ‘dine and dash’ is back and although they’re paying the bill, they’re not leaving any tips,” said Eyring.

Coast to coast, servers say they are feeling the squeeze too with fewer customers, smaller orders and lower tips.

“People who would tip you a little bit more, like 15 to 20 percent, are going for the 10 to 15 percent tip,” said server Jonathan Mancipe who works at the Bodega restaurant.

Excusable behavior in a bad economy? Eyring says ‘absolutely not’.

“It’s just like stealing. I mean it’s just like not paying the bill; part of that gratuity is part of the meal,” said Eyring.

Less tip money also affects more than just the person who took your order at the table. Usually a waiter or waitress’s minimum wage salary goes to taxes. Many of them share their tips with food runners and bartenders.

Experts say if tight times find you tipping less why not order less or take advantage of specials.

“If you’re going to dine out and go to nice restaurants, then you pay the tip,” said Eyring.

The experts say the only time you should consider giving less in a tip, maybe 15 percent instead of 20 percent, is when you’ve received poor service.