We haven't had a conversation about tipping in awhile

[RoJoHen]

The whole system really is kind of ridiculous, and in general, "bad tips" and "good tips" usually average out, so overall it's not really a big deal. I've been in the industry for a long time now as server, bartender, and now manager, so I tip like a crazy person. 30-40% is usually my standard...because I just tend to keep throwing cash down on the table.

Last week my roommate (also a server/bartender) and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Our bill was around $30, and between the two of us we ended up leaving the guy a $13 tip for bringing us wings and a beer. As we left, we discussed how stupid that was, but we were both totally okay with doing it.

 

[Amaris]

The whole system really is kind of ridiculous, and in general, "bad tips" and "good tips" usually average out, so overall it's not really a big deal. I've been in the industry for a long time now as server, bartender, and now manager, so I tip like a crazy person. 30-40% is usually my standard...because I just tend to keep throwing cash down on the table.

Last week my roommate (also a server/bartender) and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Our bill was around $30, and between the two of us we ended up leaving the guy a $13 tip for bringing us wings and a beer. As we left, we discussed how stupid that was, but we were both totally okay with doing it.

Yep. For me, it would have been $6, before my friend added in his tip. Not bad for tossing a beer and some wings my way (in my opinion)!

 

[marksound]

The low per hour wage is based on the assumption that employees receive gratuities, and is an incentive for the employee to provide exceptional service.

I've noticed the quality of service decrease with each new generation (for lack of a better term) of young people. "Millenials" in general are the worst, especially about interrupting conversations. Every time a server in a restaurant interrupts me or my wife, the amount of the tip goes down. I'm not even factoring in (yet) the tendency to hint for us to vacate by leaving the check before we've finished eating. This has become the rule rather than the exception.

I rarely if ever fail to tip, but the amount is directly related to the quality of service. It's not my fault these people don't get good tips. It's theirs.

 

[Colonel Green]

I'm not even factoring in (yet) the tendency to hint for us to vacate by leaving the check before we've finished eating. This has become the rule rather than the exception.

I have the opposite problem! It drives me nuts when the server comes and clears our plates and then leaves us sitting there waiting for the bill for 10 minutes, especially if it's lunch as I'm usually in a hurry.

About a minute after the last plate is removed from my table, little tip meter appears in my head and starts to drop at an increasing rate.

 

[RoJoHen]

For what it's worth, some restaurants train their servers to drop the check early. It's supposed to be "more convenient" in case the customer is in a hurry.

 

[Roger Wilco]

That must be an American thing too. I literally can't recall a single time a waiter has brought me the check before being asked for it anywhere I've been in Europe.

 

[RoJoHen]

It's usually a lunchtime practice because most people only get an hour break and need to get back to work. It makes it easier for people to get in and out if they have their check right away.

 

[Kestra]

Hence the reason I posted the first picture. For me, the question is always "what could the server have done more?" If the answer is that they couldn't really have done much, a high-end tip is fair. If you have actual complaints, a lower tip is perfectly valid. But a lower tip shouldn't be an excuse to save money.

But you can't have it all. I mean, some people are not going to agree with you about tipping. They are not legally obligated to pay that money, it's not built in to the price of the food, so you're not always going to get it.

You mentioned how getting a low tip or not getting a tip would make you wonder what you did wrong. In that situation, you should actually be happy to have a receipt like the one posted because it tells you that there is nothing you did wrong. The issue is that the customer believes that not tipping is a way to save money.

Should I be writing out my complaints with the server every time I give them less than a 20% tip? Have a discussion with them at the table? Talk to the manager? I can't imagine doing any of those things unless there is a significant problem, not just "lousy service." I also think that most people want to complain, not be given constructive advice. It's not limited to servers, it's just the way people are in general. We'd rather complain about how something is unfair rather than take steps to correct it or put in the effort to improve ourselves.

 

[Ood Sigma]

I, for one, am glad when the bill gets dropped off early. The only time I feel like I'm being rushed out is when they attempt to take your plate when there's still food on it, or when you've just taken the last bite. Dropping the bill off early gives me time to prepare my credit card and examine the charges for errors. Nothing's worse than getting the bill and realizing you have about 5 seconds to look at it or else the waiter's going to leave and not come back for 5-10 minutes.

 

[Kestra]

I like when they drop the bill off fairly early and just say "no rush" or something like that.

 

[Kegg]

This is why I eat fast food.

That and it's cheap.

 

[RoJoHen]

This is why I eat fast food.

That and it's cheap.

I would hope that most people who go out to eat do it to spend time with their friends and family. It's no fun doing that in the dining room of McDonalds.

 

[Kegg]

I would hope that most people who go out to eat do it to spend time with their friends and family. It's no fun doing that in the dining room of McDonalds.

Hey so long as someone else foots the bill I'm game.

Most times though I eat out because I'm nowhere near where I live and I need a bite in-between doing whatever it is I do.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I had an annoying experience at a new restaurant near me.... Also, if you ask for separate checks, they make you pay before the meal. What?!

This was kind of buried in my first post, and I'm still curious... Has anyone else run into this policy anywhere?

 

[RoJoHen]

That doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

 

[Grey]

I feel that creating an industry standard, and by percentage, turns it from being a tip into a tax. Something required regardless of level of service. They've set the standard of what I believe to be a fair tip, and force my hand, because if I don't tip "industry standard", then I'm apparently a cheap ass, and that's just not right.

...

I do understand where you're coming from, as well. Like I said, I love to tip generously, but when it's demanded of me, it changes the relationship between the server and the customer, placing undue pressure on both by the employer.

And there you go. I have to agree with this.

The industry standard, so far as I know, is 20% base with higher for exceptional service and lower (but no lower than 15% or 10% in extreme cases) for worse service. But when I talk to people outside of the service industry?

"Oh. I thought 10% was the base standard for exceptional service!"

How many times have I had that conversation? People who haven't worked in the food industry don't actually know what the current industry standard is. And then you get people who do use tips as a way to communicate various messages about the service, but they don't tell you which messages, nor do they tell you which amount corresponds to pleasure vs displeasure (remembering that many still think 10% is for excellent service!), so in the end tipping percentage does a lousy job of communicating how effective the service was.

I've noticed the quality of service decrease with each new generation (for lack of a better term) of young people. "Millenials" in general are the worst, especially about interrupting conversations.

Hey, you raised us.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I had an annoying experience at a new restaurant near me.... Also, if you ask for separate checks, they make you pay before the meal. What?!

This was kind of buried in my first post, and I'm still curious... Has anyone else run into this policy anywhere?

I've never encountered that. However, I do know that servers get pissy if you don't tell them you want separate checks right up-front. This is made all the more annoying when I'm with a group of people who are too socially awkward to say this themselves, so I'm stuck doing it.

 

[RoJoHen]

The reason servers get pissy is because it can be a huge pain in the ass to separate checks after the fact, especially if it is a large table. Servers don't always remember everything that every single person ate or drank. If they just have a big list of items, trying to figure out who had what can be really annoying.

If you tell them at the beginning, they can ring in everything separately from the get go. Makes it a lot easier at the end of the meal.

When I was a server, I would always ask if my customers wanted separate checks before I ever started taking an order.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I had an annoying experience at a new restaurant near me.... Also, if you ask for separate checks, they make you pay before the meal. What?!

This was kind of buried in my first post, and I'm still curious... Has anyone else run into this policy anywhere?

I've never encountered that. However, I do know that servers get pissy if you don't tell them you want separate checks right up-front. This is made all the more annoying when I'm with a group of people who are too socially awkward to say this themselves, so I'm stuck doing it.

I am always that person

Because nothing bothers me and other people are apparently terrified of appearing to be rude.

 

[MacLeod]

^The server could always ask what each party member had, rather than trying to remember what each person had. Remember they would still have a list of what was brought to the table.