Do You Tip?

[AdlersMommy22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustDivine I agree. It shouldn't be the obligation of the customer to ensure that the staff get a proper wage by leaving a tip in the face of bad service.

Me too. Im pry so anal about the whole thing because I know that Im a damn good server and Im 100% sure that I work my ass off EVERY time I'm at work and I "deserver" if you will, the standard 20%.

That being said, Former Phillies and Indians and Current White Sox player, Jim Thome, left me a $50 tip last Thursday

And I always crapped my pants when I walked up to my table and saw him.

Then I went to the bathroom and changed my facebook status to "Melissa is Waiting on Jim Thome!!!!!" lol!

 

[Lissa]

I always tip...I was brought up to believe it is rude not to. Here in the UK the standard amount seems to be 10%. People's hourly wage is not as low as in the States however. I'm glad I read this thread as if I go to the States I would HATE to piss off a good waiter/waitress by under-tipping them the standard amount

 

[LoveMU]

It really annoys me when they include a 15% gratuity in the bill at some restaurants. Why can't I decide how much I want to leave? It seems like it should be illegal because a gratuity is a choice.

Don't get me wrong, I always tip well, i know how hard it is, but if the service was shitty, I really don't want to leave a full 15 or 20% that's imposed upon me. I rather decide myself. I never leave nothing anyway, even if the service is shitty I will still leave something. If the service was adequate to good, I will leave at least 15%. If it was really great, 20% or more.

What about tipping in bathrooms? I live in NYC, and a lot of bars here have a lady sitting in the bathroom handing you a paper towel and a tip bowl. What do you guys think about tipping for that? I usually will give a buck every few times I go to the bathroom, I go to the bathroom a lot tho! LOL

What about tipping for:
cabbies?
hair salons?
nail salons?

 

[concertina]

^^ I agree on the adding tips to bills. If its a large party, 8 or more, I understand. But even then, it sort of bugs me.

But normally, you can speak to a manager and have that tip lessened or even add to it for exceptional service.

For cabbies, I do about $1-2, depending on the length. I'm in Texas, though.

For hair, I do about $5-$10 depending on service, if she was able to get me in quickly, etc. Nails, $2-5, again depending on service, availability, etc.

 

[COBI]

I haven't seen 15% added in a long time; the standard now is to add 18-20% to large party bills. We actually had a group of 12 at a dinner for a retiring co-worker last night. We were the server's only table and the restaurant as a whole was slow (about 12 other diners total while we were there). The server was HORRIBLE. Rolled her eyes while we were ordering, didn't refill drinks (all non-alcoholic, so not a bar issue), seemed bothered that we were going to have dessert (it was only 7p, mind you), and the hostess was rude to a few of the people as they arrived, but I really don't understand why the server was so bad at providing minimal service.

We were a group of 12 professional women coming right from our office jobs, so it's not like we came in looking like we'd be a difficult group or anything. Who knows? But on a $350 bill, she certainly did NOT earn over $60 worth of tips for about the 90 minutes we were there (which works out to about $40 an hour.) HECK NO when she was bad and we were her only table.

We adjusted the 18% added gratuity to an amount that reflected the service we received. We also followed up with management and owner today to explain the reason for the adjusted tip.

Interestingly enough, no one else at the table realized that they aren't obligated to pay whatever gratuity is added until I told them that you have every right to adjust the tip up or down.

 

[X4biddenxLustX]

I just had another experience the other day and adds more reasoning as to why people should tip!

My mom works at a restaurant downtown in pittsburgh as a kitchen aide (she chops up veggies, cleans dishes, helps put food in the containers,etc) and I occasionally tag along with her to work cause her boss is cool with that. And just this friday I went with her again. But there was a convention I think going on downtown so many people were looking for places to eat at afterwards. We ended up getting a whole group of 12 people and a few other groups with a bunch of people and then more people just kept popping up. Now on Wed, Thurs, and Fri the customers have an option to eat at the all you can eat buffet or to order from the menu. Many customers opt to just eat at the buffet since its $7 and theres no waiting around for food to be cooked. Well things were getting busy so they asked if I could look out at the buffet area and report back if certain foods need to be cooked. Practically all of the buffet food was running low or were completely out so yeah her boss had to cook everything. And I had to also carry a container of each dish and pour it into the buffet dishes. So I was constantly going back in forth to the buffet area and the kitchen. I also had to check on customers and refill glasses of water. This went on for a bit and the guy who I helped out was nice enough to tell me he'd split whatever tips he'd get with me but to not expect much because we had discussed earlier that many of the buffet customers don't leave many tips or none at all. i ended up with only a little over $3, which means the guy only made $6 and some odd cents in tips that day! I felt really bad for him since he had to split his tip with me and he didn't even get much to begin with. It aggravates me that just because some people think that since there only eating at a buffet that they dont have to tip. We still have to carry the food out, clean up after your mess, check up on you, ect. The buffet is all you can eat at under $7, I'm sure you could at least spare an extra DOLLAR for tip.

I also on another occasion came in to actually work at the restaurant for a day since they were short staffed and my mom's boss kept asking my mom to bring me in. Again there was a convention going on with many customers coming in and I barely made any money. My mom joked later that day after work that I made enough money to pay the trolley fair to get to the restaurant and to get home lol.

 

[BloopBloop]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CellyCell I'm reading some stuff for my exam on Sociolcaca (aka sociology) Class and had to read on waitresses and tips and yada-yada... It got me wondering if you tip? How much would you usually tip... do you do it because you feel obligated or because it's the right thing to do, excellent services, feel like they need the money etc-etc... If you don't, why not? --------- I do tip on occasion and it's always $2/3 - all the time. I'm way too broke to be tipping more than that and I usually tip on what I paid for myself ($12 bill, $3 tip - sounds fair, right?), not the accumulative amount me and my friends pay for together. If they don't tip, that's on them. Sometimes I do stiff if we get horrible service...but that's not often. I wish every job where allowed to get tips, lol. Is tipping just an American thing, btw?

Because I work in customer/food service as well, I tip pretty well but im also very particular about service. If i feel rushed and the waiter/ess makes no attempt to earn the tips i give, that person wont be getting much.

I've been known to give a 35 cent tip (the change off the bills) to a restuarant because they brought the condiments i asked for 15minutse late (AFTER) i already finished the chicken, i went up to the counter to get change and the money was basically thrown at me, and the waiter hovered our check in between my brother and i's conversation before we asked for it. And then he had the nerve to follow us out telling us its a law to tip 15 percent. NO ITS NOT!

On the other hand, i recieved excellent service and felt very welcome at another restuarant. Without hesitation, i gave the lady 5 bucks extra on top of the 15%

 

[lesreid2]

I always tip(unless the service is awful). And I always tip at the LEAST, 15%. More if the waiter/waitress was great.