doubleohfive
Fleet Admiral
Lots of them, in fact.
When Did "Tips" (Gratuities) Become So High?
- Thread starter Knight Templar
- Start date
Lots of them, in fact.
Oh please. Sure it's not a blast all the time, but you get compensated well for the actual skill level/work being performed. Otherwise, why would so many people DO it?
Ok, so ability to carry a tray 50 feet is what you led with? You're aware that a LOT of jobs involve manual labor, most of which involve more than carrying a tray with 5 drinks on it?
Not tricky, and LOTS of jobs involve having to remember things. You have to remember them for about 5 minutes, others have to be able to recall extremely detailed technically info from discussions a year or more in the past. Plus, given the number of waiters I've had screw up my order, maybe they should be writing it down anyway. Customers aren't offended if you jot down the order, but we sure as hell aren't impressed when you try and memorize it and get the order wrong.
Really felt this one was top 3? Ability to add/subtract at a 5th grade level? Trying to figure out how much you owe back if you are handed a $100 and they only owed $5 (hint: 4 20s, a 10, and a 5. Count out loud if needed). And most restaurants have those fancy black books for the money to go, 'not mashing the money from 5 tables into a big pile' isn't a special skill. Shockingly, my job involves more math than addition/subtraction.
If you find a job without an asshole customer, co-worker, sponsor, boss, or owner, let me know. Pretty much every job has those stress points. And rarely at convenient times. Snapping at them gets you just as fired in a corporate job, except you're less likely to get another similar job after. It's part of acting professionally to suck it up and get through the day.
At least your rude customers go away after an hour. In most jobs, they are permanent, or at least have to deal with for years.
Not saying some aren't better than others, but I'd be willing to bet I could be competent within a few shifts. Per your 4 biggest criteria, I can carry things, have a good memory, can add, and am able to suck it up and act professionally around assholes in the workplace.
Not trying to say it's nothing, just pointing out that the criteria to DO the job aren't overwhelming, and thus lots of people can and do do the job. Hence the lower pay than more difficult jobs to get into/perform. When people complain about the VERY good money they get for a relatively easy job, it doesn't feel get much sympathy out of me. Lots of jobs that seem to involve a lot of similar work, but the waiting profession seems oddly more entitled about the whole thing and what they should be making.
And before we turn this into an argument about me being cheap, hating waiters, whatever, I usually tip very well, and go out to eat at least once a week for work. It's a standard 20% tip (rounded up to nearest dollar per person in the group, so often better than 20%) unless they really do something to screw us, or have a pissy attitude, ignore us to hang out in the kitchen, go grab a smoke, whatever.
It's not just the carrying of the trays that's difficult. You've been to a restaurant before. You've grabbed a plate from a server trying to pass it to you. Now, imagine you're holding a tray with eight of those, trying to maneuver around little kids running around the dining room, trying to squeeze around some fatasses blocking an entranceway. I'm not saying it's like this all the time, but sometimes I have to pull some Neo shit to get around people. And fifty feet is pretty close to the kitchen where I work.
I'll give you that you have to remember more technical stuff than I do. But, you also don't have people screaming at you for stuff while trying to remember things. At least, I would hope not
Addition and subtraction under pressure. And the $5 paying with a $100 bill is just an example. I never get bills with a nice round number. I've never had an incident of shortchanging/overchanging, but it is a fairly common occurrence. I always count, recount and count again as a rule, just so I don't lose money or shortchange anybody. But, a screwup of say, giving back change for a hundred when it should've been a fifty can really ruin your night.
I've had plenty of other jobs in a variety of fields, so I know there are assholes in management and customers. The only difference is, while dealing with an asshole customer working in a salaried position, you still get paid. If a server deals with an asshole, he or she doesn't.
Sure, anybody could wait tables. Problem is, a lot of servers don't put any effort into the tables. I went out to eat last night and the server came to my table exactly three times. I wasn't too happy with the service and tipped accordingly. I've been serving long enough to know when a crappy experience is or isn't the server's fault. Now there are some super shitty servers out there, but if you can put in the extra effort, serving can be lucrative.
Scout101 judging by your criteria for good service and your tipping strategies, it sounds like we'd get along just fine
The bar is set pretty low in order to get tipped well by us, but people still manage to sneak under it on occasion... 
I don't LIKE the tipping culture, but didn't say I didn't participate. Personally, I'd rather just have the server actually get paid, and food costs what it costs. No guessing, no guilt, etc. But servers (same one complaining about getting stiffed, bad tippers, etc) would riot if we gave them what they really asked for.
The percentage thing never made a lot of sense to me, either. If I order a $10 cheeseburger, I owe $2 for tip, at a 20% rate. Reasonable enough for taking the order, checking on me, bringing drinks, clearing table, etc. If I order a $50 steak instead, I now owe them $10 for the service. Nothing about what they are doing has changed, why's the cost of that service jump up 5x? Carrying the steak isn't any harder. If the bill is large because it was a big party, you can justify the big tip, as the meals added up, more work, etc. When it's only 2 people for dinner, and they just get more expensive food, seems like the % is broken there...
I don't LIKE the tipping culture, but didn't say I didn't participate. Personally, I'd rather just have the server actually get paid, and food costs what it costs. No guessing, no guilt, etc. But servers (same one complaining about getting stiffed, bad tippers, etc) would riot if we gave them what they really asked for.
The percentage thing never made a lot of sense to me, either. If I order a $10 cheeseburger, I owe $2 for tip, at a 20% rate. Reasonable enough for taking the order, checking on me, bringing drinks, clearing table, etc. If I order a $50 steak instead, I now owe them $10 for the service. Nothing about what they are doing has changed, why's the cost of that service jump up 5x? Carrying the steak isn't any harder. If the bill is large because it was a big party, you can justify the big tip, as the meals added up, more work, etc. When it's only 2 people for dinner, and they just get more expensive food, seems like the % is broken there...
One thing I am impressed by: Sometimes when you go to a Mexican restaurant, the servers don't even use the tray to bring out the dishes! These dudes will roll up to your table with 8 plates, usually blazing hot, stacked up on their arms. Then they are able to one-by-one take each plate and give it to you. How they are able to do this without spilling a plate or burning someone is amazing to me.
Yeah, I've seen the same thing, although they're usually wearing a sleeve made out of the same material as oven gloves, so I assume they aren't (easily) burned.
Still impressive that they deliver food this way, and make it look so effortless.
Well, they DO do it professionally Likely wasn't as graceful the first time they attempted it, but after a few tries...
Like the girls that deliver the beer at Oktoberfest in Munich (can't get to a photo-hosting site from work, but easy enough to google). If you wanna compare strength, these women carry upwards of a dozen steins of beer at a time. And having been there, even the ONE is heavy. Glass is heavy enough empty! Saw a few wandering the tents that had so many in their hands that they had started a 2nd level of them...
Likely wasn't as graceful the first time they attempted it, but after a few tries...Like the girls that deliver the beer at Oktoberfest in Munich (can't get to a photo-hosting site from work, but easy enough to google). If you wanna compare strength, these women carry upwards of a dozen steins of beer at a time. And having been there, even the ONE is heavy. Glass is heavy enough empty! Saw a few wandering the tents that had so many in their hands that they had started a 2nd level of them...
Even when the service is bad or virtually nonexistent?
Well, they DO do it professionally
Like the girls that deliver the beer at Oktoberfest in Munich (can't get to a photo-hosting site from work, but easy enough to google). If you wanna compare strength, these women carry upwards of a dozen steins of beer at a time. And having been there, even the ONE is heavy. Glass is heavy enough empty! Saw a few wandering the tents that had so many in their hands that they had started a 2nd level of them...
Ooooh German girls... my only weakness!
When I go to Haufbrauhaus they get an extra tip from me
I very rarely get bad service, the worst thing that usually happens is at the beginning of the meal, if they take to long to get to us or bring us the appetizer. I'd say that has happened maybe twice in the last 12 years. Only once have I left no tip at all.
Order something for Christmas via UPS and with a bit of luck it'll be him who delivers it so just hand him the package back and wish him Happy Christmas
A
Amaris
Guest
^D'awwww!
That's actually a cute idea.
Just make sure if you do that, that you require a signature on the package. The courier probably would not be able to accept the gift inside unless he/she has your signature already, that makes the package yours do do what you want with it.
ed629
Rear Admiral
Legally, you can't be charged for the automatic tip. They can include it, but you don't have to pay it.
When it's the restaurant staff operating the credit card/Point Of Sale terminal its a bit difficult for the guest to change the amount charged to your credit/debit card from something like $52 (last $8 for tip) down to $44 ($40 for food and $4 for tax).
You still need to sign the credit card receipt. When they run your credit card at the POS, it's to place a hold on your account for the funds (hold != chrage). At the end of the night, all the receipts are re-run with tips included to finalize the charge.
You also are provided with a copy of the credit card receipt, complete with transaction #, which you can use as evidence in the event the restaurant attempt to charge a price other than that to which you agreed, like if an overzealous waiter decides he wants to you pay him $112 tip instead of a $12 tip. It's unbelievably easy to get your credit card company to do a charge-back.
[vent]
So I went out to dinner tonight at a burgers and sports bar kind of place (I was having one of my very rare carnivorous moments
). Long story made short, they brought me a different burger than I'd ordered AND different fries. When the manager finally brought out the correct order, he made excuses for why I'd gotten the wrong food, and his version was different than the server's. Didn't apologize, didn't take anything off the bill.
This was the fourth time I've been there over a couple years, and the third time with bad service. Obviously I'm not going back. And, no, I did not leave a tip. I only remember doing that once before.
[/vent]
So I went out to dinner tonight at a burgers and sports bar kind of place (I was having one of my very rare carnivorous moments
). Long story made short, they brought me a different burger than I'd ordered AND different fries. When the manager finally brought out the correct order, he made excuses for why I'd gotten the wrong food, and his version was different than the server's. Didn't apologize, didn't take anything off the bill.This was the fourth time I've been there over a couple years, and the third time with bad service. Obviously I'm not going back. And, no, I did not leave a tip. I only remember doing that once before.
[/vent]
I'm surprised you've given them as many shots as you have...
Bad service once happens. The server or kitchen may just be having an off day. I'll go back at a different time if they acknowledge that they screwed up and do something to try and make it right. Screw it up the second time and I'm not coming back.
Bad service once happens. The server or kitchen may just be having an off day. I'll go back at a different time if they acknowledge that they screwed up and do something to try and make it right. Screw it up the second time and I'm not coming back.
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