Why should you tip? It is amazing how often this question is asked and debated. To me the answer is painfully obvious. When someone asks me why people should tip, I answer their question with a few of my own. Do you want hot food? Do you want your drink refilled? Do you want the person taking your order to care about the quality of food you are going to eat? The answer to these questions is always yes. So why would a person that is getting paid hourly whether you eat there or not care about any of those things if there is nothing extra in it for them? The acronym T.I.P.S. has been said to stand for: Tipping Insures Prompt (or Proper) Service. The argument above is usually very hard to argue against because there is no doubt that servers give good service based on what they perceive to be a carrot on the end of a stick. They will work hard for you and you will reward them at the end for a job well done. So to me, the question is not really to tip or not, but rather how much to tip.
Tipping standards vary greatly from region to region and country to country. To complicate matters, tipping standards change over time and what services require a tip also change. Back in high school I had a friend who believed that tipping on drinks was not necessary. I never did figure out his logic on that one but it does go to show that there are many ideas about tipping.
When figuring your tip, you should consider the following circumstances that may or may not apply to the server depending on which state you are in.
* Hourly wages are typically significantly less in the service industry, because tips are considered part of the servers income.
* Your server does pay income taxes. In absence of proper documentation of tips, the government will look at the servers food and beverage sales and base their taxable tip income on a percent of it. So if you do not tip the server, it has actually cost the server money to serve you. See the IRS tipping tax laws.
* Believe it or not, servers do not always get a paycheck. Sometimes, because of the taxes they pay and/or deductions, servers must pay in additional money to cover the taxes rather than get a check.
* Your server has to tip too. It is very common for a waiter or waitress to have to tip out their supporting staff, ie; the bartender, buss person, food runners and others. Bartenders may have to tip out their bar backs. These tips are based often on the sales of the server, so if you don’t tip them, in addition to the 8% the government gets they often have to shell out money to the support staff putting them further in the hole. Sometimes the support staff is tipped a percent of the servers tips. So not tipping the server is the same as not tipping any of the hard working support staff in the restaurant.
* Servers do a lot of work that they are not tipped on also. It is called side work and it is work that is done for no more than their hourly rate. Side work usually involves cleaning the restaurant, stocking supplies and getting the store ready for the next shifts business. Side work can be time consuming and at times physically straining.
The most common argument (and frankly the most annoying and ignorant) against tipping is that by not tipping you are “helping” the servers cause for better hourly rates. For starters, hurting one server here and there on any given day is not going to further any cause. Second there is no cause. Most servers do not rely on their hourly income. Serving is hard, fast paced work. Servers can earn a good living from the tips they get. If servers were going to work for a strictly hourly rate, I can assure you that rate would be high. If the hourly rate were high, guess what would happen to the prices you pay when you go out to eat or drink? That money would have to come from somewhere.
Do you legally have to tip? No. Occasionally, you will have a situation where gratuity has been automatically added to your bill. This is usually on larger groups or parties. This gratuity has been added because it is easy for the server to get a tip that is far less than they deserve, because in a group setting it is easy for one or two people to under pay causing the rest of the group to fall short. Again, you do not legally have to pay this gratuity, but if you don’t you should have a talk with the server and/or manager and explain why. Remember, just because a gratuity has been added, it may still be less than a good tip for the server. For example, a gratuity may have been added at 15%. This is a tip for average service. If your server did a great job it is good to add in the difference to make up to 20% or more. Many times the server had to give up several other smaller tables to take your party, so even with automatic gratuity they end up making less on their shift.
After all that, why do servers do it? Well in the end, there are enough people out there that understand that a good tip is a kind reward for a job well done. And waiting tables can be quite profitable. It is no surprise that the most financially successful servers are typically the most friendly, efficient and entertaining. These servers are rewarded for exhibiting those behaviors. And we all want to encourage those behaviors. Don’t we?
Revised 11/2/2009
Related Information
November 22nd, 2007 | 
So if you receive poor service, and you leave no tip, or a small tip, do you really think that actually encourages the server to do better next time? They’ll just think you’re cheap.
Conversely, if you leave a tip, because that is expected, or because they get a low hourly wage etc., you are encouraging more of the same poor service.
John,
“So if you receive poor service, and you leave no tip, or a small tip, do you really think that actually encourages the server to do better next time? They’ll just think you’re cheap.”
I can see where one could draw that conclusion, but I definitely think a server knows when that have really F’d up. If they think you’re cheap, they ARE F’d up.
“Conversely, if you leave a tip, because that is expected, or because they get a low hourly wage etc., you are encouraging more of the same poor service.”
You simply shouldn’t tip (or tip less) if you receive poor service. It’s that simple. You should not encourage poor service. Like anything else, lack of income will weed out the bad servers. I believe most servers would agree that you should not just tip normal on poor service.
Tip great for great service – tip bad for bad service. Simple.
This is the most ridiculous article I have ever read. Your manager is paying you a wage, Mr. Server. If you don’t like your wage, then quit your job. It’s simple. I shouldn’t have to pay extra money for an already over-priced meal, no matter how convincing your friendly attitude was, just because your job sucks. Cry more.
Freddy,
You don’t have to eat out. There are things called grocery stores everywhere. Your meals will be at cost and you don’t have to tip. Sounds like a perfect world for you.
Oh My…
Whilst I admire your passion on the subject I’m afraid I completely disagree.
You pose the question, “Why should you tip?”. The answer is painful and obvious:
~ “Do you want hot food?” Look next to the menu and you will see a price. This is what you pay to be served hot food. With your logic you should be tipping the chef, waiter, manager, cleaners, accountant etc. as they all have an important role in the restaraunt you are dining in.
~ “Do you want your drink refilled?” Again, you pay for this. The drink and service.
~ “Do you want the person taking your order to care about the quality of food you are going to eat?” You should not be expected to pay someone to care about the service they are giving you. Imagine if a binman came to collect your rubbish and did it well… would you tip them? Put it this way, if they came to collect it, emptied it on your front door and shouted abuse at you would you complain to someone in a higher position that they had not done their job in a professional manor? I think that’s a no-brainer.
~ “So why would a person that is getting paid hourly whether you eat there or not care about any of those things if there is nothing extra in it for them?” With that theory, anyone that is working on an hourly wage (which is many people in many professions who don’t get tipped) is justified to not do their job properly unless tipped? If everyone was tipped then that’s all you would do all day, every day, it would be pointless.
~ “T.I.P.S. – Tipping Insures Prompt (or Proper) Service” This definition is a myth.
~ “Hourly wages are typically significantly less in the service industry, because tips are considered part of the servers income.” Wages are low in many sectors. This statement doesn’t make sense – Are you saying you should tip people if they are on a low wage? Next time you are in Spar, would you tip the shelf stacker for stacking the bread in an orderly fashion?
~ “Your server does pay income taxes. In absence of proper documentation of tips, the government will look at the servers food and beverage sales and base their taxable tip income on a percent of it.” Employers should sort this out surely? Sounds Illegal, can it not be reported. If not, shouldn’t the government be lobbied about this? Again, a poor excuse to tip.
~ “Believe it or not, servers do not always get a paycheck. Sometimes, because of the taxes they pay and/or deductions, servers must pay in to the company rather than get a check.” This is garbage, people get paid to work. Witholding staff’s salaries is against the law. “Pay into the company?” What exactly?
~ “Your server has to tip too.” No one HAS TO tip. If no one tipped they wouldn’t either. You should choose to tip!
~ “Servers do a lot of work that they are not tipped on also.” Hmm… are you by any chance a waiter? In case your not, a waiter/server has many responsibilities. Serving customers is just one of those. So we should tip for a server for putting a menue on the table… this is getting a bit out of hand.
~ “The most common argument (and frankly the most annoying and ignorant) against tipping is that by not tipping you are “helping” the servers cause for better hourly rates. For starters, hurting one server here and there on any given day is not going to further any cause.” It is a known fact that many employers top up staff wages to the National Minimum Wage by using “their” tips. If anything, the people who DO tip are hurting servers chances of better pay. Tipping also gives servers erratic pay no matter how they serve, as tipping amounts differ from person to person.
To my knowledge, tips were introduced many centuries ago and has since developed into this hideous awkward social-enforced habbit. Changing over the years from…
If a server gave you service above what was expected (or you just wanted to) you could give them a “tip”/enough money to buy a drink and the end of their shift. That is in my mind what a tip is.
not…
A percentage of the bill for a meal. Which in many cases doesn’t go to the person who gave you that great service. The arguements to tip this modern-way is an insult to the customer, staff and workers in sectors that are non-tip-zones. Firemen, Teachers, Doctors, Police… In fact it is illegal to tip government/council employees. It is seen as bribery in the eyes of the law!
~ “Do you want hot food?” Look next to the menu and you will see a price. This is what you pay to be served hot food. With your logic you should be tipping the chef, waiter, manager, cleaners, accountant etc. as they all have an important role in the restaraunt you are dining in.
**No, this is the price of the food that will be brought to you. If it is not to your satisfaction you can take it up with the management. But if I were you, I would want to make sure that the employee bringing it to me made sure it was safe, hot and good. Not just delivered in what-ever condition. You take a lot for granted about the service and food industry.
~ “Do you want your drink refilled?” Again, you pay for this. The drink and service.
** If and when I get to it then, if that’s your attitude.
~ “Do you want the person taking your order to care about the quality of food you are going to eat?” You should not be expected to pay someone to care about the service they are giving you. Imagine if a binman came to collect your rubbish and did it well… would you tip them? Put it this way, if they came to collect it, emptied it on your front door and shouted abuse at you would you complain to someone in a higher position that they had not done their job in a professional manor? I think that’s a no-brainer.
** Yeah, I would complain. They are paid to take the trash. Not dump it on my step. Also they are paid much more than server minimum wage. plus, I don’t eat garbage.
~ “So why would a person that is getting paid hourly whether you eat there or not care about any of those things if there is nothing extra in it for them?” With that theory, anyone that is working on an hourly wage (which is many people in many professions who don’t get tipped) is justified to not do their job properly unless tipped? If everyone was tipped then that’s all you would do all day, every day, it would be pointless.
** Nope, wrong again. We are talking about the SERVICE industry. Not construction, not garbage collection, not rocket science. You are tipping on the SERVICE you get. That is the whole point. If you want shitty service and live in a world where that is the norm, fine keep propagating the problem. Eventually you will either pay a lot more for food or service will suck. Just a watch and see.
~ “T.I.P.S. – Tipping Insures Prompt (or Proper) Service” This definition is a myth.
** Agreed the etymology is questionable… Still, not a bad acronym.
~ “Hourly wages are typically significantly less in the service industry, because tips are considered part of the servers income.” Wages are low in many sectors. This statement doesn’t make sense – Are you saying you should tip people if they are on a low wage? Next time you are in Spar, would you tip the shelf stacker for stacking the bread in an orderly fashion?
** Again, not a service to ME. Why would I tip? I don’t give a shit if it is stacked in an orderly fashion or not. If the bread is brought to me to eat, I’d like to ensure that it has been well taken care of by the SERVER, so I would tip.
~ “Your server does pay income taxes. In absence of proper documentation of tips, the government will look at the servers food and beverage sales and base their taxable tip income on a percent of it.” Employers should sort this out surely? Sounds Illegal, can it not be reported. If not, shouldn’t the government be lobbied about this? Again, a poor excuse to tip.
** Servers ARE responsible for the money they make legally, just like everyone else. The way the system is, if you choose not to tip, the server has to pay the Government to serve you, because their taxes are based on THEIR sales, not the restaurants. If you don’t like that, take it up with your representative, don’t blame the server.
~ “Believe it or not, servers do not always get a paycheck. Sometimes, because of the taxes they pay and/or deductions, servers must pay in to the company rather than get a check.” This is garbage, people get paid to work. Witholding staff’s salaries is against the law. “Pay into the company?” What exactly?
** This was poorly stated in the article, but the point is the TAX withholding and other deductions can amount to more than the hourly rate if the server make exceptional tips.
~ “Your server has to tip too.” No one HAS TO tip. If no one tipped they wouldn’t either. You should choose to tip!
** Yes and no. It may be unspoken but if you choose not to tip the support staff in most places you will be “run out on a rail”, hours will be cut and you will be essentially exiled at the restaurant.
~ “Servers do a lot of work that they are not tipped on also.” Hmm… are you by any chance a waiter? In case your not, a waiter/server has many responsibilities. Serving customers is just one of those. So we should tip for a server for putting a menue on the table… this is getting a bit out of hand.
** You have never hmmmm… been a waiter – obviously – it’s all part of the job. It has been said a thousand times, if you don’t like tipping, don’t go out to eat. You obviously have zero appreciation of what goes into putting a good, hot, safe, fresh quality meal on the table in a restaurant. So shallow it’s sad.
~ “The most common argument (and frankly the most annoying and ignorant) against tipping is that by not tipping you are “helping” the servers cause for better hourly rates. For starters, hurting one server here and there on any given day is not going to further any cause.” It is a known fact that many employers top up staff wages to the National Minimum Wage by using “their” tips. If anything, the people who DO tip are hurting servers chances of better pay. Tipping also gives servers erratic pay no matter how they serve, as tipping amounts differ from person to person.
** I don’t know. This doesn’t make much sense to me. Most servers I know like working for tips. Precious few employers pay more than they have to and there is probably a reason if they do. It is definitely the exception to the rule.
To my knowledge, tips were introduced many centuries ago and has since developed into this hideous awkward social-enforced habbit. Changing over the years from…
If a server gave you service above what was expected (or you just wanted to) you could give them a “tip”/enough money to buy a drink and the end of their shift. That is in my mind what a tip is.
**It’s nostalgic, but no longer reality.
not…
A percentage of the bill for a meal. Which in many cases doesn’t go to the person who gave you that great service. The arguements to tip this modern-way is an insult to the customer, staff and workers in sectors that are non-tip-zones. Firemen, Teachers, Doctors, Police… In fact it is illegal to tip government/council employees. It is seen as bribery in the eyes of the law!
** Don’t see the correlation between firemen and servers. Servers deliver you food and the better quality service the more thankful you should be. A fireman’s job is to put out fires and save lives. There is no gray area there. Government?council people should be put out of work if they suck at what they do. A server that makes no tips will be put out of work automatically. No one would do that job long for minimum wage or less. I agree that a percentage of the meal is arbitrary and I don’t care for that method of calculation, but it is the easiest standard to go by.
I appreciate your thoughts on this topic and I’m glad you cared enough to speak. That’s what makes this country great (while it lasts) You are just missing the whole point of the article.
Tipping is a moronic dying social convention that I refuse to prop up. In no other industry are we expected to pay people for doing the jobs that they were contracted to do by their employers. This argument that we should tip to avoid getting our food spit on is vile and extortionary. Thank God the rest of the world has moved away from this primitive remnant of the 17th century… here’s hoping America will join them soon.
Where the hell did you the idea tips were to avoid getting your food spit on? I don’t think anyone has said that.
whatever.
you’re an idiot if you’re foolish enough to be goaded into leaving a tip… the practice is arbitrary and should be abolished.
hey dude! that waitress really likes you!
http://www.tippingsucks.com
To Dan or whoever may agree with him:
“T.I.P.S. – Tipping Insures Prompt (or Proper) Service” This definition is a myth.”–T.I.P.S stands for To Insure Proper Service. As a server I firmly believe you should get tipped on proper service. I’ve worked with plenty of people who didnt deserve the tip they got and its ridiculous. However, if you get great service why shouldn’t you leave a tip?
“Believe it or not, servers do not always get a paycheck. Sometimes, because of the taxes they pay and/or deductions, servers must pay in to the company rather than get a check.” This is garbage, people get paid to work. Witholding staff’s salaries is against the law. “Pay into the company?” What exactly?”—In Ohio we get paid 3.65/hr. We see that in our paychecks however we have to claim at least 10% of our sales(not tips) and that gets taxed too. If we dont work enough hours to cover the taxes being taken out then it becomes a negative figure and we have to pay the difference.
“Your server has to tip too.” No one HAS TO tip. If no one tipped they wouldn’t either. You should choose to tip—Based on our sales, we have to tip 1% to the bartenders, 1.5% to the server assistants(hosts, bussers) and $1 to the food runner for every hour they’ve worked. This usually comes out to about 20-25 dollars on a friday/saturday shift. And these tip-outs are mandatory regardless of whether you made enough money that night.
And to say that a tip should be enough so they can grab a drink after work? I have a 2 year old daughter that I solely support and go to school full time. Serving is the only job possible right now with enough flexibility. Try raising a toddler on a $2 tip. Or even getting enough gas in your car to make it to work. Tipping is an Americn custom. One of which we’re never going to escape regardless of whether you like it or not. And if you dont agree with it then dont go out to eat, at least not at a full service restaurant.
Why should you tip?
Tipping is a socially implemented system to give incentive to people in the service industry to provide you with above average service. If you are one of these douchebags who think \"I am paying for my meal therefore I shouldn\’t have to tip\" then you should just let your server know that you do not plan to tip ahead of time so they can provide you with the minimal service you deserve. You should also visit a country (like the U.K.) to see exactly what type of shitty service you receive when gratuity is already added to your check.
The truth is:
- You know that you are expected to tip.
- You acknowledge this fact by arguing reasons why you shouldn\’t have to tip – acknowledging the fact that tipping is customary.
- You argue against it as a means to justify your rude, cheap, and unacceptable behavior.
- Servers know when they have provided you with good service and you stiff them solely because you are a cheap asshole. We are well aware of when we slack or screw something up. It does not upset us when you stiff us if the service was bad. When we give good service we expect a tip because that is the social contract that you entered when your fat, cheap ass sat in our station and ran us back and forth for free refills and 15 sides of ranch dressing.
FYI: My manager pays me well above minimum wage and when I claim all the tips I make, my check is still $50 a week.
Also, people who say \"there is no other industry where tipping is expected\" is full of shit. Incentives in other fields are very similar, except companies just charge you more without asking (regardless of your level of happiness). How do you think executives get bonuses and salespeople make commission?
I love when people\’s solution to this questions ends with \"If you don\’t like it find another job.\" This just shows what a stupid mindless piece of shit you really are. This shows your complete and total lack of respect for people in the industry. These people always act like waiting tables or tending bar is beneath them. The truth is that most of the people I wait on are nice and tip me generously.
Very few people share your sentiments with tipping. Most of them appreciate the good service I provide and tip me accordingly. Those who don\’t I know are just assholes who probably don\’t appreciate anyone or anything.
My husband and I enjoy eating at restaurants and we usually tip between $10-$15 (more for better service, less for worse) regardless of the bill amount (which is usually $30 or $40) I tip because my dad always tipped big and I feel that it would be rude not to. (Unless the service was extremely awful) Reading this article is beginning to change my mind on the subject. I strongly dislike being EXPECTED to tip in order to get good service. Good service should be there regardless of a tip. A tip should not be an incentive. And if it were to be an incentive, it should be applied everywhere, not just to waiters. I, as a dispatcher, should be tipped when I’m extra nice to a customer over the phone, right? I don’t get paid as well as I want to, so gimme a tip! That said, I’d like to reiterate, I tip because I want to and I’d hate to be expected to tip (it ruins it for me.)
Tipping is very important to the server. When I get a pay check from my manager, you know what it says every time? VOID. In big bold letters. Servers get paid 2.13 an hour and all of it goes to taxes!! The only money we make, THE ONLY MONEY, are the tips we receive from the people we wait on. And if we give poor service, drinks not refilled, not attentive, etc. not leaving a tip IS NOT the right thing to do. Instead leave the minimum 10% for lunch and 15% for dinner. Times are hard right now for all of us and if people can afford to go out and eat, they should be able to afford a tip.
I work and have worked in the restaurant industry for years. I am in management now and have been for some time. I will say this, tipping is not and should not be optional. When the restaurant industry as a whole decides to outlaw tipping and increase prices across the board by 20%, then tipping will be optional. Until then, it is as important as any social norm of etiquette that you would be expected to follow if you want to be treated as a normal human being in civilized society. As a manager, if you don’t tip or tip like a cheap ass once, shame on you (barring bad service, of course) But then again, I only hire good servers so that is RARELY the case. And how do I attract these good servers? The money they make for doing a great job and waiting on people who for the most part get the correlation. But, I digress. If you tip like a cheap ass twice or 3 times and I catch a pattern, I will add gratuity to you table just in case you need a little help with your manners. If you refuse to pay it or have a fit about it, you will be asked not to return to my restaurant. You don’t think you have to tip? Fine. You also can go dine somewhere else. Maybe somewhere the service sucks because they get a lot of people like you. Sounds like a good match to me.
If you dont have the money to tip, then you shouldnt go out to eat at a sit down restaurant. Order it to go, get take out, or go to a drive-thru. Being at a restaurant is not just about the food, its about the experience of being out of your house and eating good food. i am a server and here is what i go by: if you leave a bad tip or no tip at all (b/c you believe tipping is not something you should do) regardless of the good service i provide you, then i WILL remember it. and then next time you come in, and i am the server, again, you better believe i will not refill you drink, i will not be nice or personable, and your food will probably wait in the window just a little bit longer than before. because that it the caliber of service you are tipping for. the price on the menu is the price of the food, not the service. so a tip should be required for good service. if you dont feel that way, then you should make your own meals or serve yourself at a buffet.
First off, I’m a good tipper. I generally tip 20% or more. I used to bag groceries when I was in high school for tips only. We didn’t get an hourly wage and worked for tips only. I still know people that do it and I know people in the food service industry, so I usually tip well.
I work abroad. Currently, I work in Russia where tipping is somewhat frowned upon. The workers over here are paid fairly for the work they do. Austrailians I work with tell me that 10% is their standard. Same deal, they actually get paid a decent wage and tipping is just a gratuity to show appreciation.
I’ve been having a lot of discussion lately about tipping and I’m starting to hate it. I still do it, but I hate it. Here’s why:
An employer who pays their employees less than minimum wage because they factor in tips is just wrong. That means they are passing their employees salaries onto the customer. I don’t agree with that.
I don’t like percentage tipping (even though I still do it). If I go out to an expensive restaurant and have shitty service I’m expected to tip more to the server than if I went to cheap restaurant and had great service. If I take my family out to eat for $200, I’m supposed to tip $30-$40. If I take them out for $100 then it’s half that, even if it’s the same amount of time spent in the restaurant, same service and same quality.
I’ve seen arguments for tipping counter service, like Starbucks. Why is it you have to tip bartenders and not the hot dog vendor? I tip bartenders the same amount every time, regardless of the amount spent. If I get one beer, I tip one dollar. If I get two beers, I tip one dollar. If it’s a large order, I will tip more. I don’t see the relation to money spent in a bar to the amount I should tip. If I get 5 beers @ $25 I’m not going to tip $5. It takes them a couple more seconds to pop the tops off 4 more beers.
If we’re expected to pay for service, the restaurants should do away with hourly wages all together. They should say “Here is the menu, if you want someone to bring the food out to you and refill your drink, it will cost you $X amount.”
I still tip, but I’m starting to hate it. When I was in high school and went out to a burger joint it was common for all of us to throw in $2, regardless of what we ordered. Now it seems like the tipping standard just keeps going up. I don’t blame the servers, I blame the employers for expecting us to tip so much.
As a former waiter who used to suck at tipping (before I got into the service industry), I know how much tipping is important to us waiters. I suggest to every one of you who complained about having to tip on top of an expensive meal to either stay home and cook for yourself and serve yourself, or go find a summer job as a waiter and try it out. YOU WILL LEARN SO MUCH about the service industry that you don’t know about as an outsider (patron). When I became a waiter myself, I had no idea why tipping was important and all the hard work involved. Listen, I have worked MANY customer service jobs in my lifetime, from phones to reception to cashier to retail, but nothing compares to waiting tables! I refuse to ever do it again. 5 years was enough! It’s not easy. There is a reason why waiters’ shelf life is short (I have never heard of a career waiter because most waiters I knew left after a couple of years, because it’s EXHAUSTING!) So far I have heard so many arguments against tipping and the one that stuck out at me the most was the argument that no other industry who does similar work gets tips, so why should waiters. One person mentioned garbage collectors (wtf!) and another mentioned answering phones and that they provide great customer service because it’s REQUIRED, which is correct. If a garbage person leaves a mess consistently when picking up your garbage and you then have to pick up after them, then you can call to complain about a bad job done. Same for a receptionist who does an awful job, you can complain to a supervisor next time you call (if you can get their badge number). But I just don’t see similarities between being a receptionist and a waiter. A server is consistently “slaving” (for lack of a better word) for you; refilling your drinks, getting you more bread, making your drink (yes, in my restaurant, I wore many hats; waiter, bartender and food runner) and attending to your needs. If I went to Walmart and asked a customer service person to not only push my cart for me around the store but to grab the items off the shelf for me, read the food labels to me, scratch my ass too, then THAT is a SERVICE (unless you are blind or handicapped, then it’s a courtesy). That’s why when you shop at Walmart or any store, you do these things on your own, right? – otherwise you’d tip them. (hence why you tip bagger that bring your groceries to your car!) I mean, it’s just common sense. A grocery bagger DOES NOT have to bag them and follow you to your car while you yap away on your cellphone and then demands that you put them in his/her car and drive away. That is an EXTRA. They are there to occasionally help you find something, but that’s it; not to be your personal shopper! If you don’t feel like cooking one evening (everyone knows that cooking for oneself can be very time consuming) and don’t feel like getting up from the table to refill your drink and also want to experience a great ambience, alone or with friends, that you CAN’T get staying at home, then YOU ARE EXPECTED to appreciate the SERVERS that wait on you hand and foot and you appreciate their service by tipping them. Any idiot knows that if servers were actually paid 15 dollars an hour, then your steak and potatoes that costs 10 dollars would then cost 20, ok? It’s got to come out of somewhere!!! Hellooooooo! I honestly do believe that if servers were paid an actual consistent salary (as some of you have suggested), service would suck even more than it occasionally does now. I eat out a lot and it’s very rare that the server sucks at being attentive to my needs. And when they suck, I will tip them a lot less and I WILL TELL THEM WHY. You betcha! That way they LEARN to be a better waiter, instead of assuming that I am cheap. Next time, they will think twice about chatting up their coworkers too long or bullshitting instead of being attentive. Because if I wanted to keep getting up to refill my drink or get my own silverware, and clear away my table, I CAN DO THAT AT HOME! I am starting to think that maybe ALL THE CUSTOMER SERVICE job salaries should be tip-based. That will show ‘em! Next time I go to Walmart and I am standing there on line and they are ignoring me, it will reflect in their next pay check. Or next time I go to check out and the cashier is snobby and unfriendly, it will also reflect in their paychecks! I know that as a server it IS MY JOB to be polite and give good service but I hate to admit it… when there is an incentive to give not only “basic” service but EXCELLENT service, you WILL provide over-the-top service and bust your ass running around to make sure your tables are ok. I mean, when employees at Walmart that see me walking in and decide still to make me wait an extra minute to acknowledge me knowing they are still going to get paid 7.50 an hour, they won’t give me that extra special service. The golden carrot at the end of the stick isn’t there to give them incentive. On a final note, I highly recommend anyone who has had bad service to not be afraid to vent with the waiter or talk to the manager about your experience. There is nothing more frustrating than doing an awesome job, constantly refilling someone’s table, asking how they are doing, providing a smile everytime and then realize you were stiffed out of a tip! People, please don’t take it out on the waiter if you are one of those who believe restaurants who pay their servers higher wages. It’s not the server’s fault. Take it out with the restaurant or your legislators. Or just stay home. Plain and simple. You can buy a six-pack for a lot cheaper and stay home or go out and pay 4 bucks for a beer and enjoy the company of people, the good music, conversation from the bartender and patrons, etc. It’s the ambience and service you are paying EXTRA for. If you are too cheap to go out to eat, there is always McDonald’s…. and you can refill your own drink!
Ok…I have worked in the service industry for 30+ years. It has afforded me a decent living, but by no means, will I ever become rich in the business. Waiting tables is a job that requires an extreme amount of organizational skills, tons of patience, an outgoing personality, and true care about your job. To the people who think tipping isn’t necessary, trust me when I say that if you frequent the same restaurant, you WILL be remembered, and you will get the service according to your tip. Servers have no authority over what the price of a meal costs, however, you should remember that included in this price is the cost of everything that goes into making the meal. Cooks and dishwashers have to be paid, as well as busboys, utilities, linens for tables, etc. Going out to eat is a luxury, just as being served is. If you don’t want to tip, stay home, cook yourself, buy your own groceries, wash your own dishes, and serve your own plate of food.
I provide my customers with excellent service, above and beyond the call of duty. I’m friendly, helpful, and do the best possible job for them. Occasionally, I have the misfortune of getting a party of people who expect to be served like kings and queens, which they are, and don’t appreciate what they get, leaving a tip that’s less than protical. I do remember their faces, and the next time they are seated at my table, they get what they pay for. I simply chalk it up to ignorance of the customer.
Should there be an occasion when I give less than great service, I don’t expect a decent tip. Also, when I receive my paycheck at the end of the week, it’s for the amount of $0.00, because I have to report everything I make. The hourly wage of $2.50 that I’m paid by my company is all taken up by taxes.
Be good to your server, and it will be returned to you 10 fold.
Freddy wrote:
September 15th, 2009 at 2:00 am
This is the most ridiculous article I have ever read. Your manager is paying you a wage, Mr. Server. If you don’t like your wage, then quit your job. It’s simple. I shouldn’t have to pay extra money for an already over-priced meal, no matter how convincing your friendly attitude was, just because your job sucks. Cry more.
FREDDY: serving does not suck… and do you know that most servers make 2.13 an hour.. THAT is the FEDERAL minimum wage for servers. I as a server make about 800-1000$ a week. do you? my job does not suck, but it is part of dining out. If you can’t afford to pay for service then DON’T go out to a restaurant to eat.
Tipping is for suckers! That is why you should move to a country that does not tip, like Japan. Prompt, polite (sometimes overly), and accurate service that is comparable to costs in america. The only difference is that the waiters in Japan make about 10.00 an hour and only pay a 6% tax to the government.
FYI: In lots of places servers do in fact make more than minimum wage. For instance, union servers in Vegas make $11.50 an hour. I WOULD NOT wait tables for a mere $11.50 an hour though – even if I kept every penny of it. In tips, I easily make triple that per hour.
Waiting tables only sucks if you have to wait on douchebags like Freddy & James. Most people have the common courtesy and decency to tip because they know that not tipping simply because you don’t feel like it is simply a dick move. Everyone knows that tipping is expected so if you fail to do so once you have been provided with good service you are simply a scumbag loser who is pretty much stealing from the waitstaff.
From what I have read, the main arguement for tipping is that it is for the service and if you don’t like it, eat home. Now I understand that point but I’m coming from a completely different industry and that is retail. In retail we service the customer with tasks that are far more confidential than “hot food” and tips in our jobs can get you fired. I am a manager for a large retail chain and worked my way up and here is what I see. If I help a customer lift a 50 inch tv into their car without scratching their car and making sure I don’t mess up the tv…I don’t get a tip…that’s a service but if I accept a tip…I will be fired. How about best buy geek squad…you are dealing with sensitive information that people are putting in ur hands. They ensure you have your files and things u need…they are NOT allowed tips for their service…they will be fired for it. I damn well expect someone to work on my computer with care and respectfulness…though I do not need it personally that is the outlook I have.
So these non food industry services aren’t tipped but I think are equal if not more important than hot food.
Now the point of tips cause you do not get paid enough well it is the choice YOU make. I am not forcing u to be a server nor am I telling u living off tips is wrong but it is UR choice to be in that profession and if you don’t get tipped well…you should look internally at the choice you made for a profession. If you make good money…rock out congrats…I prefer my salaried check every week knowing exactly how much I make and not worrying what ill be getting paid based on others rather than my employer.
Side note – I tip but don’t like people saying they deserve it…sorry no one deserves anything.it is about the choices you make
Excuse me! I am no douche-bag, that would be the manager or owner of the establishments in question. I never said I didn’t tip when I lived in America, I only saId it is advisable to live in a country that doesn’t tip. When I go back to the US I still tip even now though I can’t help but feel cheated since I am paying more and more than is listed. Why is it that every other country requires these costs in print so you pay the price you see? Seems like America needs to change it’s policies so we don’t feel so ripped every time! Even at the grocery store, you add up the costs you see on the labels and get to the register then you find out the tax. So stupid!
Would consumers prefer an automatic 20% additional fee on their bill? -or- would you rather keep it optional and based on performance? Just food for thought. (pun kind-of intended.)
Would it not weed out the people who would be stingy otherwise since it is already there? And like earlier stated…some places do that already either on customer size (amount of people) or whatever it may be
James: I’ve been to countries where the gratuity is added to the check automatically. The service sucked at every single place. The gratuity that was added was still only 12% or so – not enough for a person to reasonably live on. If the tipping system were remodeled to include 20% on each check then a lot of cheap people would just stay home or eat fast food. That would be fine by me but inevitably these people would call corporate offices to complain and change the system back so they can continue to be cheap dicks.
The conversation would go as follows:
Corporate: “I’m sorry that is our new policy because some people didn’t like the old system.”
Cheap asshole: “Well I don’t like the new system. I feel I am being penalized for other people’s actions. I want the old system back.”
Each corporation would cave because they are tired of hearing people bitch and those cheap assholes that called to complain (who were the problem to begin with) will go back to being shitty tippers or non-tippers.
The main argument for tipping in the first place is that it is a socially subscribed to system that gives incentive to servers to do a job that is above average. If gratuity is automatically added to each check then servers (not all but most) tend to lose interest to go above and beyond. Instead they will provide average service at best. If you think we feel a sense of entitlement when we do a good job and a guest even says “the service was phenomenal,” then you’re right. That is the system and if you are aware of THE TIPPING SYSTEM and you simply say “I don’t care, I don’t like the system, I will do whatever I want” then you are the problem not the solution.
As for people who argue that retailers aren’t allowed to accept tips there is also a reason for that. Retailers who accept cash from people might be doing it for either free merchandise or merchandise at a reduced rate (paying for a lower priced item and receiving a higher priced one for instance). The reason you can’t accept tips is because the corporation that you work for doesn’t want to encourage theft. Instead, retailers promote good service by offering other incentives – commission, profit sharing, bonuses etc. Also, you are not labeled by the federal government as working in a tipped position which means there isn’t a way for you or your employer to claim these tips as income. The comparison isn’t even remotely valid.
Also, if you can’t afford to tip then you really can’t afford to eat out. If your money is stretched so thin that an extra $5 per person is going to break the bank then you really need to learn how to live within your means.
wow. I really can’t believe the arguments that servers leave in their own defense. You carry things. All day long you carry things from one spot to another. I ask you for something and you carry my order to a person who actually cooks it and then you carry that back to me. If I want a drink you tell a bartender who makes it and then you carry it back to me. You stop me from walking is all you do. If you can carry things to me in a polite fashion you get twenty percent or more of the total of my bill. How can you even begin to have an argument for always getting a tip? You walk from point a to point b! Get over yourselves. Anyone and I mean anyone can do your job that is why you get paid so little by your company. You are expendable. If they can ever get a cheap automated way to replace you they will. How low and lazy are you to try to guilt someone into tipping you when you can\\\’t even carry something well. When you have grown up and see how the real world works and how real jobs expect you to perform you will look back and wish you could go back to that job.
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