Tip your waiters!!!!

[theogt]

Do you guys calculate the tip on the total bill after taxes or before taxes?

I always just take the first number on the total after taxes and double it, subject to of course extremely poor service.

So, if it's $75.35, it's a $14 tip. Quick and easy.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

No you don't you cheap skate. You leave a penny tails side up.

Shhhh. I don't want the wait staff to pee in my spaghetti...

 

[vta]

Kind of off topic just a bit

If you call in an order, pickup or drive thru, do you tip? I'm not talking fast food like McD's.

On a pickup order, I usually tip two or three dollars.

That's something I've seen springing up (tip jars at the register when I pick up) lately and I'm not obliging. Someone serving me (and plenty others for the most part)? Not a problem. Taking my order over the phone? Nah. Hell I'd tip the cook over the person answering the phone and jotting down my order.

Pretty soon we'll be seeing tip jars at checkout in grocery stores.

 

[Yeagermeister]

Shhhh. I don't want the wait staff to pee in my spaghetti...

Too late :

:laugh1:

 

[ScipioCowboy]

That's something I've seen springing up (tip jars at the register when I pick up) lately and I'm not obliging. Someone serving me (and plenty others for the most part)? Not a problem. Taking my order over the phone? Nah. Hell I'd tip the cook over the person answering the phone and jotting down my order.

Pretty soon we'll be seeing tip jars at checkout in grocery stores.

Yeah. I'm not a fan of the tip jar.

 

[ShiningStar]

That's something I've seen springing up (tip jars at the register when I pick up) lately and I'm not obliging. Someone serving me (and plenty others for the most part)? Not a problem. Taking my order over the phone? Nah. Hell I'd tip the cook over the person answering the phone and jotting down my order.

Pretty soon we'll be seeing tip jars at checkout in grocery stores.

*takes down the tip jar* stupid interwebs.

Tho i agree, the tip jars are becoming annoying. I saw one at my local pizza place. Come on. I talk with the cook and stuff, but the person ringing me up after winging my food across them and on the counter THAN i take to the car myself. Lords.

Anyway *dangles his tip jar*

 

[vta]

Yeah. I'm not a fan of the tip jar.

*takes down the tip jar* stupid interwebs.

Tho i agree, the tip jars are becoming annoying. I saw one at my local pizza place. Come on. I talk with the cook and stuff, but the person ringing me up after winging my food across them and on the counter THAN i take to the car myself. Lords.

Anyway *dangles his tip jar*

Ka-Chink...

 

[Dallas]

I always just take the first number on the total after taxes and double it, subject to of course extremely poor service.

So, if it's $75.35, it's a $14 tip. Quick and easy.

My iphone app tells me how much to leave behind. I dig it.

 

[DCgirl13]

Sorry I just needed to rant. I am a waiter and I am sick and tired of people coming into the restaurant and asking for a million things, racking up a $40 bill, then leaving $0 for a tip. Heck, even $3 sucks for that bill. 20% is the rule people. Maybe it was 15% back in the day but times have changed. Unless they just have a terrible attitude the whole time leave a tip, you have no idea how stressful it can be to wait on 6 tables at one time. Also, the kitchen is to blame for most food mistakes. The amount of people leaving 0-5% tips makes me sick. I am trying to work to make money for college and people can't even leave a few bucks. Odds are $5 won't make a difference in their standard of living, but it makes a huge difference in my life.

Umm..newsflash! 15-18% is still rule. And actually, if you suck as a waiter, then you don't deserve your tip. We typically tip 20-25% though if service was really good. Yes, it's crappy that people leave such a little amount all the time, but I'm sick and tired of these waiters who chose to do this job and then complain when they get stiffed. It's the nature of that job.

We are in a recession and I'm sure many people are trying to save money. Perhaps they should just stay home though because if you do a good job, you do deserve a tip no matter what. These people should just go to McD's if they can't afford to leave a tip.

However, In my opinion, restaurants should start paying a wage where you can make enough to live without relying on tips. Then again, waiters would get lazy and I'm sure service would suffer.

Everyone has gripes about their job, but you do CHOOSE to work there. If you don't like it that much, find another job. I'm in the process of that right now actually because I freaking hate my job.

 

[Kevinicus]

I am speaking of the 30-40% of people (and that is no exaggeration) who come in, get good service, joke with me, thank me for doing a good job, and then leave 0-3 dollars on a 50 ticket.

Let me ask you, do you always do more work for a $50 ticket than say a $25 ticket? Or is it sometimes that the customers just ordered something that costs twice as much?

I don't tip based on percentage, I just tip on what I think is fair considering the service received. Sometimes it's 20+%, sometimes it's 10%, sometimes (but very rarely) it's like 2%. If the waiter/waitress does me a favor with not charging me for an item or doing a discount of some kind, it will boost their tip pretty good (usually 50-80% of whatever they saved me depending on what it was).

 

[Phrozen Phil]

Let me ask you, do you always do more work for a $50 ticket than say a $25 ticket? Or is it sometimes that the customers just ordered something that costs twice as much?

I don't tip based on percentage, I just tip on what I think is fair considering the service received. Sometimes it's 20+%, sometimes it's 10%, sometimes (but very rarely) it's like 2%. If the waiter/waitress does me a favor with not charging me for an item or doing a discount of some kind, it will boost their tip pretty good (usually 50-80% of whatever they saved me depending on what it was).

I take the approach that I want good service. If there's an issue, I'll raise with the waiter/waitress or maitre'd. I will usually tip 20% , but like you, if my server gives me a deal or does something exceptional, then the amount gets boosted.
A bunch of us wanted to do something for a friend who was down on his luck. His son was attending college in the fall and was getting scholarship money, but he was still short on the money required. We went for dinner where his son worked, requested him as a waiter and gave him a $1000 tip. One proviso: we gave it in cash and told him that it was a gift, not a tip, so he didn't declare it as income. We steered a couple of groups of professionals (Doctors, Lawyers, and Teachers) to him as well and he was able to make through his last two semesters with cash to spare.

His co-workers were cool with it and we did a benefit for a couple of them as well.

 

[big dog cowboy]

If you call in an order, pickup or drive thru, do you tip? I'm not talking fast food like McD's.

So do you tip at Sonic?

I don't.

 

[TheKey]

Let me ask you, do you always do more work for a $50 ticket than say a $25 ticket? Or is it sometimes that the customers just ordered something that costs twice as much?

I don't tip based on percentage, I just tip on what I think is fair considering the service received. Sometimes it's 20+%, sometimes it's 10%, sometimes (but very rarely) it's like 2%. If the waiter/waitress does me a favor with not charging me for an item or doing a discount of some kind, it will boost their tip pretty good (usually 50-80% of whatever they saved me depending on what it was).

It depends. Obviously an expensive steak doesn't take more work than spaghetti, but if you get an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert then it raises the bill and the work. Just to make it easy most people should just leave solely based on dollar amount. Sometimes you will pay more, sometimes less, but it will even out. If people would just leave 20% unless something is terribly wrong it would all be good in the end. Yeah you might lose a few dollars here and there, but God will bless you for giving.

I see what you are saying about the not charging you thing, but that is called stealing. A waiter that doesn't charge stuff that they sold is stealing from the restaurant.

 

[TheKey]

I take the approach that I want good service. If there's an issue, I'll raise with the waiter/waitress or maitre'd. I will usually tip 20% , but like you, if my server gives me a deal or does something exceptional, then the amount gets boosted.
A bunch of us wanted to do something for a friend who was down on his luck. His son was attending college in the fall and was getting scholarship money, but he was still short on the money required. We went for dinner where his son worked, requested him as a waiter and gave him a $1000 tip. One proviso: we gave it in cash and told him that it was a gift, not a tip, so he didn't declare it as income. We steered a couple of groups of professionals (Doctors, Lawyers, and Teachers) to him as well and he was able to make through his last two semesters with cash to spare.

His co-workers were cool with it and we did a benefit for a couple of them as well.

That is the kind of compassion this world needs more of. Some people don't wait tables because they choose to (like many have suggested) but because they have to so they can make it through college (like me). God Bless you.

 

[daschoo]

i've only ever once not left a tip and to be honest they were lucky they got paid and not punched in the mouth. i was out with the girlfriend and grabbing a quick bite before going to the opera, very posh i know - not me at all. anyway when we went in we said we're in a bit of a hurry will this all be ready reasonably quickly? we were assured everything would be fine but twenty minutes later were still waiting when the table next to us ordered sushi which is what my girlfriend had ordered only to be told that there was a delay with any sushi tonight. after 40 minutes we were really panicking about the box office closing as it shut 15 minutes before the show started so lindsay ended up leaving and getting a taxi up to the theatre to get our tickets. when they eventually brought our food over i said to the waiter is there any chance you can put my girlfriends food in a takeaway as she has had to leave to get our tickets because your food took so long despite being assured it wouldn't to which he responded ye if you want. no apology! when i finished my meal, soup by the way i had to eat it there, he looked at me twice but never bothered coming over to see if i wanted the bill - i'd mentioned twice i was in a hurry and the mrs had left! i had to get up and walk over to where he was polishing cutlery and ask for my girlfriends meal and if i could pay for the food. he again really couldn't have cared less and was totally unapologetic. you won't be surprised that i made a point of waiting to get every penny of my change and haven't been back. the thing that annoyed me most was that the food was excelent but the standard of service left me absolutely raging. incidentally i enjoyed the opera far more than i thought i would have. the "lungs" on the female lead may have helped

 

[YosemiteSam]

My iphone app tells me how much to leave behind. I dig it.

That is straight up lazy. :laugh2:

 

[Phrozen Phil]

That is the kind of compassion this world needs more of. Some people don't wait tables because they choose to (like many have suggested) but because they have to so they can make it through college (like me). God Bless you.

I waited tables (a lonnnnnng time ago)and recall just how stressful it was. It's hard, demanding work and good waiters never get enough credit. Go to bitterwaitress.com to give yourself some perspective. It's a site that gives support to Wait Staff and has a database of bad tippers.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

I remember the part-time job I had as a waiter at a Japanese restaurant. Many of the customers were Asian. To put it bluntly, most Asians don't tip well. Some Japanese customers wouldn't even leave a tip because it was a Japanese restaurant and there are no tips in Japan, even though the restaurant was in the US.

The custom of tipping needs to go away. Just pay a fixed wage.

 

[Yeagermeister]

So do you tip at Sonic?

I don't.

Not unless she's really cute

 

[bbgun]

During the summer before my Soph year in college, I worked in a restaurant where all of the employees got a cut of the tips, because we were considered a "team." The wait staff was not happy.