Waiters and Waitresses Deserve Good Holiday Tips

[WoodysGirl]

I have failed miserably. It did not come.


~dejection~

Sorry Hos. The lady of the hour was actually banned after the last tip thread.

I have a feeling she's sniffing around tho.

 

[rkell87]

The best way to deal with that is to make yourself available, make eye contact, periodically walk by your tables, and check with your customers every now and then.

I used to train waiters. One of my rules was, not to nag the customers every 5 minutes but rather to make yourself visible and scan your tables from where you stand. If a customer wants something, he/she shouldn't have to spend 15 minutes trying to locate their server. If they can see you and you make eye contact, they will signal you for the check, refill, etc...

Another rule was, as best you can, treat your section as one big table, which requires you to consolidate your steps. This means, for example, you don't make a mad dash to the kitchen or to the soda fountain every time you need to refill somebody's glass. As you make your way to your destination, quickly walk by- and/or check with- your other customers to see if they need anything so you can bring it back with you with along with the refill.

I agree however some places aren't set up to be able to do this efficiently nor does everybody get proper training. When you go to a restaurant you as the customer have no idea if your server has ever waited tables before, if it's their first week and doesn't know all the tricks, or if they even give a damn that day/ever. If a manager is doing their job they should be visually scanning tables periodically and if they notice stacked plates on the same table ten minutes apart they know that server isn't doing their job and will take steps to remedy the situation, hopefully eventually increasing the efficiency of that employee or increasing he quality of staff possibly by subtraction.

your advice is great for any server and hopefully any servers on here picked up a thing or two from it however; ideally a customer would never have to do anything to get the attention of the person waiting on them but we all know that doesn't always happen so my suggestions were more aimed at what the customer can do to not only help the server out a little bit, but also improve their own experience as well by not having to wait forever for the check or fell uncomfortable with a cluttered table and the like. Now if those things still happen you can feel really justified in leaving a sub par tip.

also, sorry for the run on sentences I can never find a good spot to put a period lol.

 

[Sarge]

Mr. Pink would disagree with you.

 

[SkinsandTerps]

I think it is silly to stack the dishes for the waiter.
Often times it makes it harder. Let them take what they can and stack it in a way that is comfortable for them.

All you have to do is push your plate to the side and they will know you are done and then come along and stack accordingly to their system.

 

[Teren_Kanan]

The best way to deal with that is to make yourself available, make eye contact, periodically walk by your tables, and check with your customers every now and then.

I used to train waiters. One of my rules was, not to nag the customers every 5 minutes but rather to make yourself visible and scan your tables from where you stand. If a customer wants something, he/she shouldn't have to spend 15 minutes trying to locate their server. If they can see you and you make eye contact, they will signal you for the check, refill, etc...

Another rule was, as best you can, treat your section as one big table, which requires you to consolidate your steps. This means, for example, you don't make a mad dash to the kitchen or to the soda fountain every time you need to refill somebody's glass. As you make your way to your destination, quickly walk by- and/or check with- your other customers to see if they need anything so you can bring it back with you with along with the refill.

Definitely good tips here if there are any up and coming servers. The last part is one of the things newer servers have the hardest time with. Time management is everything. Getting refills without asking if anything else is needed, getting refills for one table at a time when you could get refills for multiple tables at once, or taking orders for 1 table at a time when you have multiple tables ready.

I think it is silly to stack the dishes for the waiter.
Often times it makes it harder. Let them take what they can and stack it in a way that is comfortable for them.

All you have to do is push your plate to the side and they will know you are done and then come along and stack accordingly to their system.

I mean, most plates are circles or squares. You put the bigger ones on the bottom and go up from there. Pretty sure my girl friend's elementary school class is learning the fundamentals of this skill set right now. There's not really a "system" to how we stack them, and it certainly isn't making it harder for us.

Say you have a table of 5 people. The table is generally against a wall, leaving me only one angle to get things off the table from. It can be awkward reaching in front of everyone several times to grab each plate, stack it the right way, shuffle the silverware onto the top most plate, reach again to grab the next plate. Then reach to grab empty ramekins, used napkins, etc, all while holding this stack of dishes in one arm, putting it closer to your head as I lean forward to grab the next.

But I certainly agree with the moving the plate to the side part, regardless of what you do. As someone else pointed out, some people eat slow and don't want to be bothered, some people eat fast and don't finish everything, it can be difficult to tell if some people are finished eating, or just enjoying their time and taking it slow

 

[Hoofbite]

How do employers pay them less than minimum wage like that? Most waiters and waitresses I have known make minimum wage and rely heavily on tips to complete their deserved salary. I am just curious how employers can get around the minimum wage requirements. That's a little disturbing quite honestly.

/reality

A guy I know who worked for a restaurant said that if his tips didn't get him to minimum wage his employer either had to, or would, make up the difference.

I don't know if its some law or not but that's how it worked for him.

 

[Faerluna]

Regarding the removal of plates, when I worked fine dining, we were told not to clear plates before everyone at the table was finished so that if there were still one person eating, they wouldn't feel rushed to shovel their remaining food in their face.

I can see it both ways, and for the record, I'm also a plate stacker. I try to make it as easy as possible for anyone clearing the table.

 

[justbob]

Many of the remarks in this thread bring a different perspective from diners to waiters. Some I have a problem with.
No waiter should assume a tip of a certain amount...The tip is worked for and deserved. The "pay me so much or else attitude" is from the " I get a trophy no matter how many games I win mentality". You want good tips do a good job.

Diners come from all different ages and backgrounds . Some are nice some are not. You are working in business in which you are dealing with the public. Expect the extremes in tips and behavior. And don't expect people to do any of your job for you. You don't tell them to stack their dishes ,you appreciate those that do.

To say that someone should not eat out if they can't tip $5 dollars is wrong in so many ways. Many a times I had to scrap together all the spare money I had to take my wife out for a special date. For two people who worked their butts off,one night out every few months was special. Whether I had had $2 --$3 ---or $10 to tip, The person taking care of me got what I could give.

And yes there were times in my life that my wife's tips made the difference in what we had to eat. The difference, I am an old man who was not raised in an entitlement mentality, but in a- most of the time you get what you earned world.
My prospective.

 

[Vtwin]

I have a question for the servers posting in this thread.

What would you consider a decent hourly average at the end of your service?

What would a fair hourly wage be?

 

[rkell87]

Many of the remarks in this thread bring a different perspective from diners to waiters. Some I have a problem with.
No waiter should assume a tip of a certain amount...The tip is worked for and deserved. The "pay me so much or else attitude" is from the " I get a trophy no matter how many games I win mentality". You want good tips do a good job.

Diners come from all different ages and backgrounds . Some are nice some are not. You are working in business in which you are dealing with the public. Expect the extremes in tips and behavior. And don't expect people to do any of your job for you. You don't tell them to stack their dishes ,you appreciate those that do.

To say that someone should not eat out if they can't tip $5 dollars is wrong in so many ways. Many a times I had to scrap together all the spare money I had to take my wife out for a special date. For two people who worked their butts off,one night out every few months was special. Whether I had had $2 --$3 ---or $10 to tip, The person taking care of me got what I could give.

And yes there were times in my life that my wife's tips made the difference in what we had to eat. The difference, I am an old man who was not raised in an entitlement mentality, but in a- most of the time you get what you earned world.
My prospective.

I can't speak for the person who said it but when I say 'if you can't tip 5$/15% you can't afford to go out' I mean if you literally can not afford to give your server a tip based on level of performance relative to the cost of your meal then imo you can not afford to go out to eat. The tip is a part of the cost to go out at least in the U.S. and if you can't spare that 3-5 dollars you need to stay home. Normally I would agree about the whole get a trophy for nothing thing but I don't believe that is what is going on in this instance, I don't think they were saying you need to give $5 just because someone brought your food but that you need to make sure you are able to give a proper tip if it is earned

 

[rkell87]

I have a question for the servers posting in this thread.

What would you consider a decent hourly average at the end of your service?

What would a fair hourly wage be?

that is very broad because as we all know you tip more at a nice steak house than at ihop so a fair wage would really depend on the establishment you are working at.


my cousin worked at ihop and she said it was the hardest place she has ever worked cause it was so busy, she would have an 8 table section and just turn and burn getting $2 tips every time and walk out with $100-150 while on the other hand I have worked in a $45 a plate place, had 4 tables total in an 8 hour shift and walked with $200.

 

[justbob]

I can't speak for the person who said it but when I say 'if you can't tip 5$/15% you can't afford to go out' I mean if you literally can not afford to give your server a tip based on level of performance relative to the cost of your meal then imo you can not afford to go out to eat. The tip is a part of the cost to go out at least in the U.S. and if you can't spare that 3-5 dollars you need to stay home. Normally I would agree about the whole get a trophy for nothing thing but I don't believe that is what is going on in this instance, I don't think they were saying you need to give $5 just because someone brought your food but that you need to make sure you are able to give a proper tip if it is earned

Why ? If a couple works hard ,pays their bills and has little pleasure in life other then every once in a while going out for a meal. Believe me I have been there ,both my wife and I going to school and working full time. Sometimes having enough money (which I usually saved by skipping meals) to eat out every few months and having a hour from the day to day grind. Why can't someone like that go out and why should they feel guilty because the $2.00 in change is all they have left to put on the table..The tip not the cost of the meal. The tip has become in the minds of people as an obligation---but its is not. It is a special gratuity to give at the diner's choice. The server may feel , because a certain percentage is customary, that he is entitled to that percentage. But he is not. The server is entitled to what the person lays down and leaves for him. And for someone who saves their money to go out, and leaves that $2.00 in change to be told to stay home or they shouldn't be able to eat out is wrong on every level. Because when I, like many others, left that $2.00 in gratitude to the person who served them, they are truly grateful because they left all they had.

 

[Teren_Kanan]

Why ? If a couple works hard ,pays their bills and has little pleasure in life other then every once in a while going out for a meal. Believe me I have been there ,both my wife and I going to school and working full time. Sometimes having enough money (which I usually saved by skipping meals) to eat out every few months and having a hour from the day to day grind. Why can't someone like that go out and why should they feel guilty because the $2.00 in change is all they have left to put on the table..The tip not the cost of the meal. The tip has become in the minds of people as an obligation---but its is not. It is a special gratuity to give at the diner's choice. The server may feel , because a certain percentage is customary, that he is entitled to that percentage. But he is not. The server is entitled to what the person lays down and leaves for him. And for someone who saves their money to go out, and leaves that $2.00 in change to be told to stay home or they shouldn't be able to eat out is wrong on every level. Because when I, like many others, left that $2.00 in gratitude to the person who served them, they are truly grateful because they left all they had.

If you make 20$ and hour at your job, pretty sure if your manager came up to you and said "even though you worked adequately this week, the company is a little short on cash so we are going going to pay to 10$ an hour for the week" you'd be upset.

View tips however you want, but this is exactly what is happening when people don't tip well because they "can't afford to". There are other establishments to eat at that do not require a tip. If you can't afford to tip decently (for servers who deserve said tip) then maybe you should wait another day or two, or however long it takes for you to save up 3$ more dollars to add to that spare 2$ you have in your pocket before going out.

Call it entitlement or whatever you want, but tips are 95% of a servers income. We do not make pay checks. You're no more entitled to good service than we are to good tips, it should be a mutual relationship. If tipping standards weren't the way they were, you'd be paying that extra 3$ in food costs anyhow. Food is able to be put at a much cheaper price because restaurants don't have to pay their wait staff a fair wage.

No server should be entitled to their tip, they should feel they need to earn it. Perfectly true. I'm not defending bad service here, nor am I against tipping less for poor service. That's not the discussion.

If you go to a Chili's and get a 50$ check, and you tip 2$. I make 0$ off of you. Yes, you're a bad person if you are doing this. The entirety of that 2$ you gave me is going to the restaurant as 4% of sales is a pretty standard tip out. If you give me 0$ on a 50$ check I'm LOSING 2$ out of my pocket because I still have to tip out based on my sales.

I don't like the servers who feel they are entitled to get good tips, and it's hard to make arguments about tipping as a server without coming off like one. So that's not my goal here. A server should meet all of a guests needs with a smile regardless of the situation, regardless of tip. However, a patron should tip properly when servers do so.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I still say if you can't tip 4-5 bucks, don't go out to eat. They have other restaurants for that.

 

[justbob]

I still say if you can't tip 4-5 bucks, don't go out to eat. They have other restaurants for that.

My question is WHY. If I save enough money ,drink water and eat sensible and give the server 100% of what I have left why don't I deserve to take my hard working spouse out to eat what I can afford. There is no law that says I have to tip anything, but I am giving him(her) what I can. And that nice meal may be the highlight of the woman,s year. May be the last meal they have together --you don't know. The tip is given- not demanded. And the amount is dependent on the giver. And for the record my wife has waited tables, I do tip above the "accepted amount" and I do it cause I choose to, dependent on the service I get not cause it is a right of the waiter.

 

[CowboyStar88]

I still say if you can't tip 4-5 bucks, don't go out to eat. They have other restaurants for that.

We finally agree on something lol.

 

[InDakWeTrust]

For the servers who complain about lousy tips:did you truely offer impeccable surface, got refills, maintained a cheerful attitude and you didn't make the guest wait for an excessive amount of time for drinks, apps, salad or their meal? Was everything served in a timely manner? Can you read someone's body language when you bring the food or drinks out to make sure there are no errors?

If you still feel like complaining, just go work for minimum wage where tipping is allowed, like a Dunkin' Donuts, or somewhere like a iHop next to a bar on a Friday after last call. Tell me what is easier to be more successful at.

I've been in management at a DD and in the restaurant business, and I disliked both. But, it is easier to see if the waitress doesn't deserve a tip by their poor service, or if the restaurant doesn't deserve your future business because the kitchen was awful.

I liked at DD tipping that was not required so I could pull tips from the slower, unproductive team members. Gave them some incentive to improve before I started hiring their replacement.

I believe I tip well for great service, keep my mug full if I order a pitcher, keep my table clear when I finish my salad, do not push a check until my plate is empty and I look satisfied with my meal, and I will pay when I am ready regardless if your shift is over, you do that and I won't be back to your establishment.

If you wait on people for a living and are still complaining, consider changing to something else, there always will be people to take your job waiting on tables. Or maybe it is the restaurant you are employed by. Just find something new.

Simple as that.

 

[rkell87]

Why ? If a couple works hard ,pays their bills and has little pleasure in life other then every once in a while going out for a meal. Believe me I have been there ,both my wife and I going to school and working full time. Sometimes having enough money (which I usually saved by skipping meals) to eat out every few months and having a hour from the day to day grind. Why can't someone like that go out and why should they feel guilty because the $2.00 in change is all they have left to put on the table..The tip not the cost of the meal. The tip has become in the minds of people as an obligation---but its is not. It is a special gratuity to give at the diner's choice. The server may feel , because a certain percentage is customary, that he is entitled to that percentage. But he is not. The server is entitled to what the person lays down and leaves for him. And for someone who saves their money to go out, and leaves that $2.00 in change to be told to stay home or they shouldn't be able to eat out is wrong on every level. Because when I, like many others, left that $2.00 in gratitude to the person who served them, they are truly grateful because they left all they had.

If you make 20$ and hour at your job, pretty sure if your manager came up to you and said "even though you worked adequately this week, the company is a little short on cash so we are going going to pay to 10$ an hour for the week" you'd be upset.

View tips however you want, but this is exactly what is happening when people don't tip well because they "can't afford to". There are other establishments to eat at that do not require a tip. If you can't afford to tip decently (for servers who deserve said tip) then maybe you should wait another day or two, or however long it takes for you to save up 3$ more dollars to add to that spare 2$ you have in your pocket before going out.

Call it entitlement or whatever you want, but tips are 95% of a servers income. We do not make pay checks. You're no more entitled to good service than we are to good tips, it should be a mutual relationship. If tipping standards weren't the way they were, you'd be paying that extra 3$ in food costs anyhow. Food is able to be put at a much cheaper price because restaurants don't have to pay their wait staff a fair wage.

No server should be entitled to their tip, they should feel they need to earn it. Perfectly true. I'm not defending bad service here, nor am I against tipping less for poor service. That's not the discussion.

If you go to a Chili's and get a 50$ check, and you tip 2$. I make 0$ off of you. Yes, you're a bad person if you are doing this. The entirety of that 2$ you gave me is going to the restaurant as 4% of sales is a pretty standard tip out. If you give me 0$ on a 50$ check I'm LOSING 2$ out of my pocket because I still have to tip out based on my sales.

I don't like the servers who feel they are entitled to get good tips, and it's hard to make arguments about tipping as a server without coming off like one. So that's not my goal here. A server should meet all of a guests needs with a smile regardless of the situation, regardless of tip. However, a patron should tip properly when servers do so.

TK covers just about everything here so i'm just gonna touch on a few other things. Yes I have been there, same as you, my gf of 7 years has too, no breakfast, raman for lunch, mac and cheese every night for a month just to be able to afford chili's. Even still if we couldn't spare 15% of our bill for a tip we wouldn't go out. If you truly gave all you could and somehow I knew that as your server yes I would be grateful, however I would rather you have not come in at all so I have a chance to get a table that could tip me based on the quality of service I provided and not limited to what you can spare. And in all honesty if two dollars is gonna hurt you that much I would rather you not tip cause you need it a little more IMO but don't think I don't think you are an idiot for spending money you can't really afford to spend just cause you need a night out. Really what we are talking about here is the difference between tipping $2 on a $25 bill for two people or $3.75, if you can't afford to split $3.75 between two people then you couldn't really afford the meal to begin with and you should have stayed home. You say the tip is not obligatory, I disagree, don't misunderstand me and think i'm saying everybody should always get a tip, but yes every server that waits on you and does a satisfactory job deserves a tip but it is up to you to determine what satisfactory entails. But my real point is it is not fair to the server to have a low tip ceiling (regardless of the level of service provided) by serving you because you can't afford it.

 

[rkell87]

For the servers who complain about lousy tips:did you truely offer impeccable surface, got refills, maintained a cheerful attitude and you didn't make the guest wait for an excessive amount of time for drinks, apps, salad or their meal? Was everything served in a timely manner? Can you read someone's body language when you bring the food or drinks out to make sure there are no errors?

If you still feel like complaining, just go work for minimum wage where tipping is allowed, like a Dunkin' Donuts, or somewhere like a iHop next to a bar on a Friday after last call. Tell me what is easier to be more successful at.

I've been in management at a DD and in the restaurant business, and I disliked both. But, it is easier to see if the waitress doesn't deserve a tip by their poor service, or if the restaurant doesn't deserve your future business because the kitchen was awful.

I liked at DD tipping that was not required so I could pull tips from the slower, unproductive team members. Gave them some incentive to improve before I started hiring their replacement.

I believe I tip well for great service, keep my mug full if I order a pitcher, keep my table clear when I finish my salad, do not push a check until my plate is empty and I look satisfied with my meal, and I will pay when I am ready regardless if your shift is over, you do that and I won't be back to your establishment.

If you wait on people for a living and are still complaining, consider changing to something else, there always will be people to take your job waiting on tables. Or maybe it is the restaurant you are employed by. Just find something new.

Simple as that.

yes we did, any other questions?

 

[Faerluna]

yes we did, any other questions?

I think that anyone that considers themselves a server on a more professional level (as in they have worked for years in the profession, not just for a few months in college to get by, etc) would say that there is a certain level of service that you provide to all customers simply because this is how you do your job as a server.

We have that standard for ourselves not only because we know that when we give our very best we are likely to make more money, but out of capability to do the job well.

I've always felt that being a good server is not something everyone can do and some people simply have the knack for it.

(I'm no longer a server, but I was a server and bartender for many years.)