When I go to a very popular chain restaurant (thank you gift cards!), I pay around $18 for SYSCO or similar food filled with preservatives that I could buy at the grocery store frozen food section for $3 - $5. If I want a drink, I then add $3 for soda I could buy at the grocery store for $1. If I add dessert, I then pay $7 for a slice of cake I could get from the frozen food section for much cheaper. In some cases, the frozen food section might even taste better! The atmosphere is pretty bad too but they do have a whole bunch of customers. To make a long story short, the restaurant owner doesn't pay much for food compared to what I pay them so I expect the rest of the price I paid to be covered in service.
Well, what I expect and what happens in reality is different. I keep hearing these sob stories and everything from waiters at these places blaming the customer for not tipping. It seems as a customer, not only am I suppose to pay a lot more for bland food, I'm also suppose to supplement the services provided by tipping 15%-30% of what I paid (not what things cost them). If I don't, then, well, the waiter spits in my food next time?
Why is the customers usually blamed instead of the restaurant owners? Why doesn't the wait staff usually demand the restaurants owners to pay them more instead of blaming the customers when they don't tip much?
Just to add, I'm not blaming all restaurants. At some restaurants, I can tell the time, energy, and resources to make my meal and keep up the restaurant's atmosphere makes it well worth the price I pay for food. I'd gladly help pay for service I was given since you could tell the money was well spent on other things. I'd also gladly accept higher food prices instead of tipping so that the service staff is well compensated.
Apparently someone just went to lunch with [REDACTED] at [REDACTED] and is pissed off that their bill was $[REDACTED], and their server, [REDACTED], was a snobbish bitch. ;D
(ps, just finished reading the [REDACTED] resignation letter)
there are lots of people in this town who go out to eat and don't tip....so here's the deal...if you can't afford (or don't want) to tip your servers (who make about $4/hour), then eat at home!
Quote from: cityimrov on July 26, 2011, 03:31:12 PM
When I go to a very popular chain restaurant (thank you gift cards!), I pay around $18 for SYSCO or similar food filled with preservatives that I could buy at the grocery store frozen food section for $3 - $5. If I want a drink, I then add $3 for soda I could buy at the grocery store for $1. If I add dessert, I then pay $7 for a slice of cake I could get from the frozen food section for much cheaper. In some cases, the frozen food section might even taste better! The atmosphere is pretty bad too but they do have a whole bunch of customers. To make a long story short, the restaurant owner doesn't pay much for food compared to what I pay them so I expect the rest of the price I paid to be covered in service.
Well, what I expect and what happens in reality is different. I keep hearing these sob stories and everything from waiters at these places blaming the customer for not tipping. It seems as a customer, not only am I suppose to pay a lot more for bland food, I'm also suppose to supplement the services provided by tipping 15%-30% of what I paid (not what things cost them). If I don't, then, well, the waiter spits in my food next time?
Why is the customers usually blamed instead of the restaurant owners? Why doesn't the wait staff usually demand the restaurants owners to pay them more instead of blaming the customers when they don't tip much?
Just to add, I'm not blaming all restaurants. At some restaurants, I can tell the time, energy, and resources to make my meal and keep up the restaurant's atmosphere makes it well worth the price I pay for food. I'd gladly help pay for service I was given since you could tell the money was well spent on other things. I'd also gladly accept higher food prices instead of tipping so that the service staff is well compensated.
Is this Mr. Pink?
Planet Green- How To Sell, Trade Your Gift Cards (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/sell-trade-your-gift-cards.html)
Problem Solved!
Quote from: tufsu1 on July 26, 2011, 03:55:36 PM
there are lots of people in this town who go out to eat and don't tip....so here's the deal...if you can't afford (or don't want) to tip your servers (who make about $4/hour), then eat at home!
So why don't they ask for more money? Like $8/hr or $10/hr? It's not like the restaurant can't afford to pay them more.
They can ask. And the owner can say no. It's a minimum wage and it's very, very low. The convention is that we make up the difference (at least) with our tips. This convention is reflected in the law. Servers minimum wage is lower than the minimum wage for other workers.
If you don't want to tip 15%, at minimum, don't go out to eat.
Quote from: Ajax on July 26, 2011, 03:57:41 PM
Is this Mr. Pink?
HAHAHHAHA
http://www.youtube.com/v/Z-qV9wVGb38?
Quote from: Jimmy on July 26, 2011, 04:03:12 PM
If you don't want to tip 15%, at minimum, don't go out to eat.
This. Also, if you already know the score with the quality of fare at said "popular chain," why would you expect the quality of service to be any better than the food? A business that cuts corners and does things on the cheap (regardless of popularity) is, well, just that.
To not leave a tip, or a reduced tip without at least letting someone know something is wrong and allowing a chance to correct it just makes the customer look like the a-hole.
Please remember the staff doesn't set the prices or control who and how the food is prepared, the owner does. The waiter gets taxed based on 15% of the food sales they ring up. Taking out price and/or food preparation anger on the waiter's tip is wrong. The only thing that should have a bearing on their tip is how their service was to you. If you have issues with the taste of the food you were served, ask to speak to the owner or the chef and voice your displeasure. If you have issues with the price of the food you were served, ask to speak to the owner and voice your displeasure. If you have issues with the food and the price, maybe you should be making a better decision on where you eat. Keep in mind a 15% tip is for standard service, if the waiter's service is above and beyond standard, your tip should be higher. If the waiter's service is below standard and down right poor, let them know it with a less than 15% tip - and you should probably let the owner know as well. If you have a problem with tipping, you should be staying home to eat. I believe there is already a lengthy thread on MJ about tipping. It might be a good read for you.
What bothers me is the encroachment of the "service tip" into other areas. For example, you go out to lunch somewhere with counter service, such as a Moe's or Jason's Deli, and when you get to the cashier, they give you a receipt to sign with a line for the tip. That is a terrible, very uncomfortable position to put the consumer in. Either you have to pay an extra dollar to be a nice guy, or you have to actively refuse to tip by crossing through the tip line or marking a "$0" in that field. This really bothers me, as does the fact that it seems like everywhere I go these days -- grocery store, movie theater, coffee shop, etc. -- asks me (loudly, in front of other custumers) to contribute to some random charity or cause that I know nothing about, nor do I know if and how much of my donation will actually go to said cause.
For the people who say if you don't agree with tipping, you shouldn't go out to eat, I respectfully disagree. I tip, because it's the custom and because I would like to be welcome back, but if someone chooses to not support such a goofy system, where restaurant management can get away with working their employees (er, "independent contractors") 60 hours a week below minimum wage with no benefits and expect the customers to pay their employees (largely tax free!) good for them. It's the only way things are going to change. Just because something is a social convention doesn't mean it's necessarily right. If enough people stopped tipping, there would be fewer servers willing to do the job, and thus, restaurant owners might actually be worked to treat them with the dignity and benefits of other classes of workers.
Quote from: Jimmy on July 26, 2011, 04:03:12 PM
They can ask. And the owner can say no. It's a minimum wage and it's very, very low. The convention is that we make up the difference (at least) with our tips. This convention is reflected in the law. Servers minimum wage is lower than the minimum wage for other workers.
Why would I normally go to that restaurant in the first place? This sounds borderline unethical. In fact, I'm conflicted on what to do now. If the owner is this mean, why in the would people give cash to that restaurant then? Why do they go there? This is rewarding very bad behavior. I dislike patronizing these places. Next thing you'll be telling me is they don't even provide health care, vacation days, sick days, etc.
Can I at least get the cash back from the restaurant who issued the gift card so I can get some value back? Giving a few hundred dollars to a bad organization who gives nothing back just doesn't seem right.
Quote from: Jimmy on July 26, 2011, 04:03:12 PM
If you don't want to tip 15%, at minimum, don't go out to eat.
That doesn't make sense either and I think it's plain rude and mean. If your going to argue that, at least make it fair. For example, if I stay at a restaurant for 5 hours, that means I should pay more for service. If I stay 5 mins and go quickly, less for service. If my order is complex, more, if not, less. If I need the waiters attention for my entire stay at the restaurant or I'm taking up major space another customer can that they can't help others, then I should pay way way more for the service than the food itself otherwise I'm abusing the space!
Yes, I'm sure the majority of folks who object to tipping where service is rendered are making the above sociopolitical statement. Damn the man, and whatnot.
I'll have to remember that the next time I feel compelled to leave my extra 15-20 cents on the dollar; that it's really in the server's best interest that I don't.
Brilliant!
I tip unless there's a reason not to. If the server's a dick I'll leave $0.02. If he's a total douchebag I'll leave $0.02, write a list of "Things Not to Do as a Waiter" on the receipt, and hand it to the manager instead of the server. Good service = 20%+ these guys make no money other than your tips, hourlies at restaurants are insanely low and have been that way forever. I personally think the tipping system makes plenty of sense, if the guy's a dick the customer can punish bad service. Which, in itself, encourages good service. I like that part of it.
About this extension of tipping to other areas, I agree it's annoying. Unless it's service at a sit-down restaurant, or unless it's something like hotel employees or a delivery driver, then I see no reason to tip people just for doing random crap that they were already being paid to do anyway. I have noticed, like the other poster, that many places are adding tip lines where there shouldn't be any. If it's a bonafide server at a sit-down restaurant, then they make chump change as hourly wages, specifically because the business relies on tips. So I'll tip them, happily. But I am still not sure why I should tip anyone for handing me a bag of takeout food, or for operating the cash register at Subway. Unlike a real server, you didn't do anything for me that you weren't being paid to do anyway.
Quote from: ac on July 26, 2011, 04:26:41 PM
I'll have to remember that the next time I feel compelled to leave my extra 15-20 cents on the dollar; that it's really in the server's best interest that I don't.
Short term, of course not.
Long term, it's an interesting question.
Personally, I would gladly pay a 20% higher menu price for dinner if it meant servers were hourly employees (not independent contractors), with fair benefits, that I didn't have to worry about tipping.
Nobody wants to hurt the little guy, but it's a ridiculous system.
If I go to Stonewood on a Saturday night and my wife and I order hamburgers and Diet Cokes, we're supposed to pay the server $6 on a $30 tab. If I go to the same restaurant, with the same server, and instead order two filet mignons and four glasses of wine, I'm supposed to pay the same server, for doing the same job as before with little to no extra work, three or four times more on a $100 tab. I'm sorry, but that's goofy. I do it, but I genuinely hate it. It's the same at a bar. Is that bartender really doing anything differently dependent on whether I order a $4 shot of tequila or a $30 shot of tequila, yet society dictates that I just throw exponentially more money at him because he got the liquor from the top shelf instead of the bottom shelf. It's a goofy, somewhat archeaic system that could definitely use a revise.
I've got it:
A flat fee, per guest, that restaurants can freely set.
There's a system I can get behind.
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on July 26, 2011, 04:40:22 PM
I tip unless there's a reason not to. If the server's a dick I'll leave $0.02. If he's a total douchebag I'll leave $0.02, write a list of "Things Not to Do as a Waiter" on the receipt, and hand it to the manager instead of the server. Good service = 20%+ these guys make no money other than your tips, hourlies at restaurants are insanely low and have been that way forever. I personally think the tipping system makes plenty of sense, if the guy's a dick the customer can punish bad service. Which, in itself, encourages good service. I like that part of it.
About this extension of tipping to other areas, I agree it's annoying. Unless it's service at a sit-down restaurant, or unless it's something like hotel employees or a delivery driver, then I see no reason to tip people just for doing random crap that they were already being paid to do anyway. I have noticed, like the other poster, that many places are adding tip lines where there shouldn't be any. If it's a bonafide server at a sit-down restaurant, then they make chump change as hourly wages, specifically because the business relies on tips. So I'll tip them, happily. But I am still not sure why I should tip anyone for handing me a bag of takeout food, or for operating the cash register at Subway. Unlike a real server, you didn't do anything for me that you weren't being paid to do anyway.
Be careful, you can use the same argument for that as for the sit down restaurant! If this starts catching on, the restaurant owners can then lower the wages on all new employees and say everything is dependent on the tip bucket. If a certain person is elected President (I think it was Bachmann), then the minimum wage laws will probably be changed to reflect this if they aren't abolished entirely.
Quote from: cityimrov on July 26, 2011, 04:53:30 PM
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on July 26, 2011, 04:40:22 PM
I tip unless there's a reason not to. If the server's a dick I'll leave $0.02. If he's a total douchebag I'll leave $0.02, write a list of "Things Not to Do as a Waiter" on the receipt, and hand it to the manager instead of the server. Good service = 20%+ these guys make no money other than your tips, hourlies at restaurants are insanely low and have been that way forever. I personally think the tipping system makes plenty of sense, if the guy's a dick the customer can punish bad service. Which, in itself, encourages good service. I like that part of it.
About this extension of tipping to other areas, I agree it's annoying. Unless it's service at a sit-down restaurant, or unless it's something like hotel employees or a delivery driver, then I see no reason to tip people just for doing random crap that they were already being paid to do anyway. I have noticed, like the other poster, that many places are adding tip lines where there shouldn't be any. If it's a bonafide server at a sit-down restaurant, then they make chump change as hourly wages, specifically because the business relies on tips. So I'll tip them, happily. But I am still not sure why I should tip anyone for handing me a bag of takeout food, or for operating the cash register at Subway. Unlike a real server, you didn't do anything for me that you weren't being paid to do anyway.
Be careful, you can use the same argument for that as for the sit down restaurant! If this starts catching on, the restaurant owners can then lower the wages on all new employees and say everything is dependent on the tip bucket. If a certain person is elected President (I think it was Bachmann), then the minimum wage laws will probably be changed to reflect this if they aren't abolished entirely.
Nah, other types of employees are covered by the statutory minimum wage provisions, so you can't scam it to have them making less than the $7-something an hour minimum wage (and most likely they make more) without the legislature making changes. There is an exception that specifically covers restaurant servers and allows for them to receive a reduced minimum wage in anticipation of tip earnings, but that specific exception in the law is the only reason that servers make less than the normal statutory minimum.
The owner of a car wash or a gas station can't just put a tip bucket next to the register and then reduce all his employees' hourly wages, unless he wants to face fines or have his business seized. There is a specific provision for servers, it doesn't apply to everybody else. So you run no danger of creating this same catch-22 in other businesses. It doesn't even apply to other employees within the same restaurant, the owner must still pay the busboys, cooks, cashiers, etc., at least the minimum wage.
So yeah, whenever you see some random business adding tip lines on their receipts for employees that are not subject to the minimum wage exception, then you really shouldn't feel compelled to tip. They're already being paid to do what they're doing anyway. Personally, I always tip certain people anyway, like valet parkers since they have to run around in 100 degree heat in a uniform, I feel like whatever they're paying them it's not enough. But generally, I don't tip other peoples' employees for things they're paid to do anyway.
I've always chalked up the tip line on a takeout receipt to lazy POS terminal setup.
With an average run-of-the-mill order I've never felt obligated to tip on takeout just because there was a line to do so, and I doubt the business owner or person handing you your food expects it, either.
This may be helpful:
http://www.emilypost.com/out-and-about/tipping/89-general-tipping-guidelines (http://www.emilypost.com/out-and-about/tipping/89-general-tipping-guidelines)
QuoteRESTAURANTS:
Wait service (sit down)-
15-20%, pre-tax
Wait service (buffet)-
10%, pre-tax -(I'm assuming this is if someone is bussing your table, filling drinks, etc.)
Host or Maitre d'-
No obligation for greeting you and showing you to your table.
$10-$20 for going above and beyond to find you a table on a busy night or on occasion, if you are a regular patron
Take Out-
No obligation
10% for extra service (curb delivery) or a large, complicated order
Home Delivery-
10-15% of the bill, $2-5 for pizza delivery depending on the size of the order and difficulty of delivery
Bartender-
$1-2 per drink or 15-20% of the tab
Tipping jars-
No obligation
Tip occasionally if your server or barista provides a little something extra or if you are a regular customer.
Restroom Attendant-
$0.50-$3, depending on the level of service
Valet-
$2-$5
Tip when the car is returned to you.
I think it's pretty safe to assume if Emily Post hasn't covered it, it's safe not to sweat it.
AC, I agree with you that when you're doing something like getting takeout pizza from Al's, then sure it's just their terminal setup that adds the tip line automatically. But that's because they're a regular restaurant and you just happen to be getting takeout from them instead. That's not what I'm talking about, though.
What I was referring to is that a bunch of places, like Subway, Jason's Deli, and Moe's are now including tip lines on their receipts. Those folks aren't covered by the minimum wage exception, so they are already being paid a normal wage to do what they're doing. Moreover, they don't actually do anything to serve me, I have to bring my own food to my table, get my own soft drink, and clean my own table when I'm finished. Since they're already being paid for slapping my food on a tray, I don't understand why I would be obligated to leave any tip in addition whatever I paid for the price of the food? There's no actual service.
I still don't get why so many people are defending this system to the degree they are here - especially one where the only person really raking in the dollars is the restaurant owner. A culinary trained chef? Replaced mostly by just food prep people getting paid minimum wage. Food cost? Mass market pricing and production in a single factory that probably makes your frozen food. Wait staff? Those are nearly free and barely paid anything plus blames the customer for that low salary. The Customer? Overpays for food, needs to subsidized wait staff, and that food isn't very healthy adding to our country's obesity problem and thus our health care cost and taxes.
Why is so much energy given to defending and rewarding a bad system?
Everyone here is also mentioning minimum wage. Those tip jars are the future and there will probably be a time where minimum wage doesn't equal a living wage (if it doesn't today). Can a person make a living on a Subway salary? Will there be a time where we're paying $10 for food that's mostly preservative filled and isn't creatively made?
If that Mr Pink video is what everyone is arguing for, technically - I should be tipping everyone from the grocery cashier all the way to the waiters. If I visit a Wal-Mart, I should give a dollar to every employee I pass by! Think about it. If I see 10 employees, that's $10 and $10 to the total which probably equals the price I would pay for my goods at more ethical store. More then likely I'll pass by 5 so that's only an extra $5 out of my wallet. Way cheaper than a store I considered more ethical.
Quote from: cityimrov on July 26, 2011, 06:16:47 PM
...A culinary trained chef? Replaced mostly by just food prep people getting paid minimum wage. Food cost? Mass market pricing and production in a single factory that probably makes your frozen food. Wait staff? Those are nearly free and barely paid anything plus blames the customer for that low salary. The Customer? Overpays for food, needs to subsidized wait staff, and that food isn't very healthy adding to our country's obesity problem and thus our health care cost and taxes... [snip]
It sounds like you really don't like restaurants. I think you should maybe stop going to them...
Quote from: blfair on July 26, 2011, 08:42:58 PM
It sounds like you really don't like DARDEN restaurants. I think you should maybe stop going to them...
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on July 26, 2011, 08:47:58 PM
Quote from: blfair on July 26, 2011, 08:42:58 PM
It sounds like you really don't like DARDEN restaurants. I think you should maybe stop going to them...
Actually, the restaurant I'm thinking about when I made this thread is a very popular (non Darden) restaurant located in the SJTC with premium prices. I would love to stop going to them except I have a dozen gift cards with values worth it which they won't refund the cash bought them with so I'm trying to figure out what to do. Who knows, maybe just for fun I'll order the cheapest thing in the menu and whoever the lucky waiter is, I'll give them the rest of the card as tip so the restaurant will have to pay all that cash to them. I don't know yet.
For some reason, whenever someone wants to eat out it's never to this awesome places that MJ Dining Blog mentions but to well - these places! In those cases, it's Darden! I can't even get people to eat out at places like Chew or Orsay or bb's! It's like they are scared to go there for some reason. It's either a chain, buffet, or nothing! It's like places like Riverside or Downtown or Avondale is dangerous or something where they'll get mugged or shot. I don't get it but that is an entirely different topic that I probably posted about somewhere else.
Now we're getting to the heart of the matter.
I hate to tell you but (and I'm sure someone will correct me) there's not one good restaurant at SJTC. There, I've said it. They are all over-priced, sysco filled places that are getting by on name recog alone; but who can blame them? If I could seat 400 people in a night and serve overpriced sirloin or chemical treated tuna or kobe (really?) burgers, then I sure as hell would do it.
My personal rule of thumb is to try a place out, look in the kitchen and if nobody's yelling or sweating profusely, then I probably don't want to go back. It's a chore to prepare food. It's a chore to cook food to exacting standards. It's a chore to make 3-4 people put together freshly cooked dishes on the plate at the same time. It's not so tough to re-heat already pre-cooked parts and put them together on a plate with a sprig of parsley.
Servers are a reflection of the restaurant's ownership. If they come to your table with, "What do you want, My name is....., Can I take your order....." you prob don't want to be there and neither do they. So some of your argument holds true, but it's not the way things work - that's also why you can get the same food at a much cheaper restaurant. Instead of going to Black Fin - $18-$27 per and drinks at $7-$12, go to Red Lobster (yeah, I know - Darden), but you'll get a better meal for 1/2 the cost.
Quote from: cityimrov on July 26, 2011, 09:25:38 PM
I would love to stop going to them except I have a dozen gift cards with values worth it which they won't refund the cash bought them with so I'm trying to figure out what to do.
Quote from: ac on July 26, 2011, 04:00:19 PM
Planet Green- How To Sell, Trade Your Gift Cards (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/sell-trade-your-gift-cards.html)
Problem Solved!
;)
EDIT- Whoops, didn't check the date or the links in that blog post. Looks like the only only one who still does the buyback is Plastic Jungle.
Looks like you can get 80% of the value back on Darden Restaurant GCs though.
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on July 26, 2011, 05:46:05 PM
AC, I agree with you that when you're doing something like getting takeout pizza from Al's, then sure it's just their terminal setup that adds the tip line automatically. But that's because they're a regular restaurant and you just happen to be getting takeout from them instead. That's not what I'm talking about, though.
What I was referring to is that a bunch of places, like Subway, Jason's Deli, and Moe's are now including tip lines on their receipts. Those folks aren't covered by the minimum wage exception, so they are already being paid a normal wage to do what they're doing. Moreover, they don't actually do anything to serve me, I have to bring my own food to my table, get my own soft drink, and clean my own table when I'm finished. Since they're already being paid for slapping my food on a tray, I don't understand why I would be obligated to leave any tip in addition whatever I paid for the price of the food? There's no actual service.
My guess is that more and more people use debit and/or credit and don't carry cash to tip. All of those places you named, while they wouldn't normally require a tip, also happen to do large orders and catering for pickup. In that event, it's still not necessarily required but a good idea to recognize and reward the extra time it took to prepare those large orders. If you weren't carrying cash and had no tip line, how else could you?
OTOH, If you ever run across a cashier at Subway or Moe's who gives the stinkeye if you don't write in a tip for your single Italian BMT or Joey Bag O'Donuts, then by all means resent it (and tell them to bugger off). Otherwise, pretend that tip line isn't there, as it doesn't apply to you.
IMO this particular hangup is a molehill. Maybe I'm more willing than most to assume no ill intent to shame/guilt people into tipping unnecessarily for takeout.
Quote from: cityimrov on July 26, 2011, 09:25:38 PM
Quote from: Non-RedNeck Westsider on July 26, 2011, 08:47:58 PM
Quote from: blfair on July 26, 2011, 08:42:58 PM
It sounds like you really don't like DARDEN restaurants. I think you should maybe stop going to them...
Actually, the restaurant I'm thinking about when I made this thread is a very popular (non Darden) restaurant located in the SJTC with premium prices. I would love to stop going to them except I have a dozen gift cards with values worth it which they won't refund the cash bought them with so I'm trying to figure out what to do. Who knows, maybe just for fun I'll order the cheapest thing in the menu and whoever the lucky waiter is, I'll give them the rest of the card as tip so the restaurant will have to pay all that cash to them. I don't know yet.
For some reason, whenever someone wants to eat out it's never to this awesome places that MJ Dining Blog mentions but to well - these places! In those cases, it's Darden! I can't even get people to eat out at places like Chew or Orsay or bb's! It's like they are scared to go there for some reason. It's either a chain, buffet, or nothing! It's like places like Riverside or Downtown or Avondale is dangerous or something where they'll get mugged or shot. I don't get it but that is an entirely different topic that I probably posted about somewhere else.
One perception of locally-owned restaurants is that they are supposedly more expensive than the chain eateries. Reality tends to prove otherwise. I had a conversation with a chef at Blue Fish and what he said made a lot of sense. His place, and others like it, offer reasonably priced entrees that rival those prices that are offered at even the 'cheapest' fast food place. A small plate and a drink at Blue Fish cost only five dollars more than a value meal and are comparable in price to a chain restaurant. I, personally, have made a point of seeking out more locally-owned establishments.
Back to the topic, my biggest complaint about restaurants is when servers neglect to communicate with the customer. I would prefer a waiter/waitress who explains to me that my meal may be running a bit late over the one who visits my table as often as a solar eclipse occurs. I understand that a place can be busy to the point of being slammed. I also believe that there should at least be some understanding on the part of the staff that customers would like to be kept in the loop when it comes to the food that they are ordering. Instead, many servers risk appearing aloof, disinterested or rude. I will still tip regardless of the crappy service, but will tip more for those who actually give service that deserves a larger tip.
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on July 26, 2011, 04:40:22 PM
I have noticed, like the other poster, that many places are adding tip lines where there shouldn't be any. If it's a bonafide server at a sit-down restaurant, then they make chump change as hourly wages, specifically because the business relies on tips. So I'll tip them, happily. But I am still not sure why I should tip anyone for handing me a bag of takeout food, or for operating the cash register at Subway. Unlike a real server, you didn't do anything for me that you weren't being paid to do anyway.
I always figured they used the same software as the sit-down restaurants, thus the tip line is there. I just ignore it. Some of those counter places offer a few nice extras, like bringing your food to you, or pouring your drink, and I suppose those might be worthy of some extra generosity now and then. But if I have to walk in a line micromanaging my meal preparation and then have to juggle my tray while pouring a drink from the fountain, well tipping seems just silly!
Thank goodness I haven't had a "bad" server in a very long time. I forget the last time I wanted to just leave 2 cents. ;D
Quote from: danem on July 26, 2011, 10:40:34 PM
I forget the last time I wanted to just leave 2 cents. ;D
Until now????
Blame FBC.
Quote from: danem on July 26, 2011, 10:40:34 PM
Thank goodness I haven't had a "bad" server in a very long time. I forget the last time I wanted to just leave 2 cents. ;D
Ironically, it never happens to me either at "normal" restaurants. My usual haunts, e.g. Carmine's, Kickbacks, the Brick, Harpoon Louie's, are generally great with service. The outrageous experiences I've had in Jax have been at the allegedly high-end places, especially AIX and BB's. I don't know what's behind this phenomenon, but with the exception of Orsay, I find the high-end restaurants around here usually have the shittiest service. Go figure.
The only time I do not Tip, is if I have HORRIBLE, and I mean HORRIBLE service from wait staff. I never not tip because the food is bad, that is on the Chef not the wait staff.
I have the following scale based upon the percent of the meals cost:
0 - Horrible Service
5 - Bad Service
10 - Okay Service
15 - Good Service (this is typically the minimum I tip, and I think it is the standard)
25 - Stellar Service
50 - Memorable Service
I think everyone should have some similar scale.
I feel pretty bad for servers out here. First of all many of them make less than minimum wage and then on top of it they are taxed on their gross sales by the government. If you are not tipping 8% then your server has to pay out of their own pocket for you to come and eat there (waiting on you, touching your gross napkins and half eaten food). Pretty messed up eh? I tip based on the amount of my food total prior to tax. 15% for average service 20% for good service and it goes up for phenomenal service. I don't think I could ever be a server out here in Jacksonville since they do not have to pay their servers minimum wage and I see many restaurants so over staffed with servers just standing around hungry for a table.
Tips have nothing to do with what the Chef does or the cook do... or what the manager buys for product. If you ahev an issue with the food, speak to the owner or manager. More than likely your bill ends up being reduced if you have a complaint. If you don't want to eat at chain restaurants and only go because your friends go, MAKE NEW FRIENDS. Or take them for a surprise meal someplace else that you prefer.
Tips are a servers wages. Restaurants whose servers tips don't add up to the national minimum wage including their $4/hour have to pay their servers to make whatever the full current minimum wage is. If service is crap, tip less or don't tip and put in a complaint. If service is good, leave a tip. Regardless of the quality of food. Servers have very little to do with food. Servers deal with people when they're hungry, angry, in a hurry, have no clue of what they're eating (countless times being asked why a sushi place doesn't serve eggrolls or duck sauce), or just plain rude and condescending a good bit of the time. Then they get paid very little on top of it. It's their job to deal with all of that, get paid crap, smile through it and be genuinely nice and polite to earn that 15%-20% tip on top of the hour (or 6) they've been waiting on you and your friends. If you don't tip because you dislike the restaurant, don't go back.
And if this whole thread is because you feel bad wasting gift cards, give them to someone else to use in exchange for cash maybe?
Also, if you receive a giftcard for a restaurant it doesn't mean that you are obligated to go eat there.
The tip is about the service... not the food, chef or if you like the resturant.