Why should i pay $14 to enter the US?

[Brian]

The irony is that servers who would sabotage someone's food over what is perceived as an insufficient tip.. don't deserve any tip whatsoever, just a trip to jail.

 

[SmoothieX]

Most time we go out, we leave $1/person for lunch, $2/person for dinner. We don't eat fancy when we go out, so the price is typically relatively low.

I'll do a 20% tip if they sing happy birthday for me, or give me something free, or stay open late to accomodate us, or moonwalk over to the table with my meal.

 

[Holdfast]

The emotions in this thread are absolutely ridiculous.

​

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Me, I love a good rollercoaster.

 

[Sector 7]

But it's not. If you think about it as paying for labor, it makes more sense.

But that doesn't make a lot of sense, either. If you're paying for labor, well, it doesn't require much more labor to deliver a $100-a-plate meal to someone vs. a $10-a-plate meal, yet you're expected to pay an amount proportionate to the cost of the bill.

If it's really about paying for labor, then I should figure up how much waiting tables is reasonably worth on a per-hour basis, ballpark how much time the server spent serving me (counting times they had to go to the back and get something for me, of course), and offer up that amount as the tip. Let's say I think waiting on me is worth $12 an hour (which is pretty generous, I think) and you spent 15 minutes in total waiting on me while I was there. You should be tipped $3 regardless of how much the meal was, no?

This is the disconnect I don't get. Why should the price of the meal have any relationship with how much I tip, if tipping is about the quality and quantity of the table service and not the food?

I agree with this line of thought.

However, as long as the custom is to tip on a percent of the bill, I am going to do my best to benefit from it.

This is the most honest answer I have read yet. Who cares if it is logical or fair to the public? I'm makin' my money from it.

I gotta comment on this tip thing one more time. It's all about context.

Example, I go to a chain restaurant after work and order a burger and 2 beers. I'm there a total of 25 minutes. My total comes to 19.79. I leave $22 and walk out.

If you tell me that is a terrible tip then fuck you. A waiter's job requires minimal skill. I don't have sympathy that you deserve a 3rd dollar for the little amount of work. And really, if you are going to complain over that, then it's time for a new career.

This post isn't even wrong.

No, but it certainly is bitchy.

It is also closer to the truth than any of the excuses put forth FOR tipping. A gratuity is a VOLUNTARY gift for exemplary service. Originally, 10% was the norm. Later came 15%, then 20%... why? 10% should be the baseline, not 20%. Service certainly is not twice as good as when it was 10%, in fact it is worse. Factor labor into the cost and IF you impress me with great service I shall VOLUNTARILY reward you appropriately.

I'm a pretty light tipper. The concept is to reward exemplary service, which has somehow gotten twisted into supplementing someone's income.

Unless you do a real great job, I'll give you a little something, but none of this 20-25% stuff.

No joke. My baseline is 10-15%, depending on the venue and type of service. You get less if you suck, more if you're awesome. This mentality that a server is entitled to a minimum gratuity is asinine. And even if I agree to such a concept, it sure as shit wouldn't be 20%.

I could not have said it better myself.

 

[RoJoHen]

This is the most honest answer I have read yet. Who cares if it is logical or fair to the public? I'm makin' my money from it.

Damn straight.

 

[Pingfah]

I don't understand why this one area of industry is treated as special.

If you are going to have a minimum wage, it should be illegal to pay under minimum wage, whatever the job. If that's a problem for restaurants then they have to readdress their business model, I don't see why they should get this special exemption.

 

[Kestra]

We heard you the first time.

 

[Pingfah]

Already deleted

 

[Kestra]

Coward!

 

[Amaris]

So what do I do if I encounter very poor service? My general policy is to never tip very poor service. I'm not talking the food being a little late or things that aren't the fault of the server; I'm talking a server who never attends to my table after the initial ordering and serving, who has a poor attitude, who doesn't seem to, well, give a fuck.

I don't tip them. Ever. Some of you folks are saying, it seems, that I should still tip the server even when the performance is terrible. Why should I encourage poor performance? I don't tip out of pity, I tip because the service was good to excellent. I always take into account that someone is having a bad day, and if they try and I can tell they're just having a bad day, I still tip, but servers who don't do anything right and still expect a tip? No, I don't do that.

Why should I tip someone who makes my restaurant experience poorer?

 

[Sean Aaron]

So what do I do if I encounter very poor service?

Get their ass fired or never return to the restaurant until they're gone!

 

[Amaris]

So what do I do if I encounter very poor service?

Get their ass fired or never return to the restaurant until they're gone!

Why would I do that? I may think their service is poor but why would I try to have them fired? Unless someone acts egregiously (picks a fight with me or harms my family), I don't try to get people fired. By not tipping, I don't reward bad behavior. That should be enough for such a situation.

 

[Sean Aaron]

Why would I do that? I may think their service is poor but why would I try to have them fired? Unless someone acts egregiously (picks a fight with me or harms my family), I don't try to get people fired. By not tipping, I don't reward bad behavior. That should be enough for such a situation.

If they really suck at their job and management hasn't been clued in you're just doing them and the rest of the public a favour.

 

[Amaris]

Why would I do that? I may think their service is poor but why would I try to have them fired? Unless someone acts egregiously (picks a fight with me or harms my family), I don't try to get people fired. By not tipping, I don't reward bad behavior. That should be enough for such a situation.

If they really suck at their job and management hasn't been clued in you're just doing them and the rest of the public a favour.

Nah. Like I said, unless they do something egregious to me or my family, I wouldn't try to get someone fired.

 

[Sean Aaron]

Nah. Like I said, unless they do something egregious to me or my family, I wouldn't try to get someone fired.

Define "egregious" in the context of waiting tables.

 

[Amaris]

Nah. Like I said, unless they do something egregious to me or my family, I wouldn't try to get someone fired.

Define "egregious" in the context of waiting tables.

Purposely contaminates my food, gets belligerent with me without provocation, physically or verbally harms me or my family, attempts to steal my property or papers. Things like that.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

So what do I do if I encounter very poor service?

Tip them some pocket change so they know you didn't forget, you just thought they were awful.

 

[Amaris]

So what do I do if I encounter very poor service?

Tip them some pocket change so they know you didn't forget, you just thought they were awful.

That's a good idea.

 

[Finn]

When I went to Paris, the tip was already in the bill and the servers were horrible.