I’ve mentioned before how my friends and I always end up tipping even if service is horrible, because someone will bring up the “I might want to come back here” argument. Well, last week we finally snapped, and of course it had to be at a place we really do go to frequently, because the food’s good and it’s very close to our office.
It was after the lunch rush, and the place (a fairly cheap university hang out) was almost completely empty. Our server brought us the menus, took our orders, brought the food-- all in a timely fashion. Then we decided we wanted dessert, and suddenly we were invisible.
The server walked right by us two or three times, making eye contact and ignoring us despite my friend’s obvious attempts to get her attention. Finally, my friend is turned around in the booth, practically falling out if it, waving at the server, who’s having a nice chat with a busboy at the register. The busboy got all confused looking, poor guy, and started waving back at my friend, until he realized it was the server’s attention being sought. So he poked her in the arm, and she finally came over to us, after staring at my friend’s frantically waving arm, without moving, for a good minute or so. It took us at least 20 minutes in total to get her attention.
Frankly, we probably would have tipped anyway, but we didn’t have any small bills and the idea of being stuck there for another 20 minutes waiting for change was just too much.
We’re familiar with the waitstaff there, and this woman was either new or just filling in. I doubt she’ll be there long; the place isn’t known for speediness but they’re normally very friendly and polite.
Ok, ok, I take it back about the tipping thing. This was from 15-20 years ago, maybe things have changed, whatever. I never waited tables…I worked in that other horrible field…retail. Don’t even get me started on that.
I just remember a couple people saying they got shorted on tips when people charged the tips, so I have always believed I was doing the waiter a favor by giving him his tip in cash.
Whatever…
No hard feelings.
For really bad service for waiters that expect something, you can get those little finger gloves for inserting suppositories… you know, the ones that look just like tiny condoms, and leave them on a napkin that says “this ought to just about cover your tip”
But in all seriousness, someone said a TIp is not a reward for good service but just plain service? Obviosuly they must have been a waiter, and not a very good one… Look up Tip, TIP was originally an Acronym for To Insure Promptness. THe whole basis of a tip is to reward soemone for something extra… if i don’t get a drink refil when one is expected, if my order isn’t right, if i am ignored… why do I want to provide a stipend for that?
Also the tip comes post tax, but it makes tipping easier… here tax is 8% if I want to leave a 15% tip I just double the tax… then i can leave more or less as warranted.
We get tips in my business, too. We were taught in beauty school to NEVER ask if people want change. It just puts the client on the spot (manners were a big part of our education). I don’t even bring up the subject of change. I just give it to them and if they want me to have it they will say so.
Only once did I mention change. It was a busy day and when I was done and we went to the desk there were 3 others checking their people out ahead of me. I said, “I’ll get you your change as soon as they are done” so the customer knew that I was acknowledging him. I cringe when I hear the “do you want any change” question. To me that’s just bad manners.
This will sound weird, but my pet peeve is when restaurants let me see–impose–their corporate quirks on me.
Wait staff, by and large, are good folks earning an honest buck–or less, depending on how they structure tips, and after the IRS get on them. The want to get food to the tables to keep turning customers over and minimize hassle.
I hate when restaurants insist on the godawful, “I’m Bambi and I’ll be your server tonight!” I hate when the food is slow arriving, and/or too few people are expected to wait too many tables. Making allowances and figuring out restaurant politics kills the pleasure.
I eat out to relax and wind down. When a restaurant imposes and/or permits predatory practices, it kills the whole purpose of dining out. I’d rather pay a higher bill upfront, with a waitstaff that’s treated respectfully and therefore unobtrusive, than having to worry about the pay structure when it comes time to pay the bill.
And fercryinoutloud, loose the pepper mills that look like Louisville Sluggers.
I used to work in the food service biz, so I kind of work both extremes. I’m a pretty good tipper for good service. Then again, give me rotten service and you’ll be lucky to get more than 5%. I rarely tip in the 15% range - it’s either more like 20% for good service or next-to-nothing for bad.
And any server who asks if I want the change back won’t get a very big tip from me. I’ve heard all the reasons (excuses)…save time…less hassle…yada yada yada. What it really means is, “I’m too lazy to bring you back this little folder/tray with your change, so if I can save a trip and get a little extra $$ at the same time, well so much the better.” Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.
I don’t mind sitting near kids if they’re well-behaved, but if they’re not, I expect the restaurant to handle it - they can throw them out, for all I care, but at a minimum, re-seat me away from the little monsters. A free dessert usually goes a long way toward earning my forgiveness, too.
BTW, Cranky…I have it on good authority that you make a pretty mean mustard chicken…
Sorry bout that, my last response was for Mattk. I think there are a few posts inbetween and that is where the confusion is. Posting got pretty wild this afternoon.
The reasons I love food service are that I get to meet people from all over, and I love having regular guests.
On the familiarity thing, it just depends on the person you are serving. Lone Star tells their people to get cozy, Fox and Hound tells you not to. Strange, because the are owned by the same parent company. Baileys also, but I don’t know what they tell people to do.
I am in a collage town, and we get alot of the collage people in and they can sit for hours and study. Keep em full of caffine and break their tension every once in a while and you have found a great friend as well as a great tipper.
I started training hostesses, waitresses, and managers for Bob Evans. I actually opened the only one in Iowa, it is the furthest this side of the Mississippi. Owens for the people in the south.
I can still tell people anything about Bob Evans. I loved that job so much, but had to quit because of a car accident. They had a point system you see. And the GM was an ass.
Everything for the hostesses is scripted. I used to get a hard time from other employees because I sounded like a training video. Well, how do you think I became a trainer? I was good at what I did, easy on the eyes, and stuck to corporate ways.
I think it would be a good idea to have “Family” and “Non-Family” sections in restaurants.
We all know that plenty of people do not enjoy hearing kids laughing loudly, singing, being hit in the head with flying crayons, etc. There are other people who despise the very site of children out in public without harnesses and muzzles. These people could choose the “Non-Family” section.
However, those people who bring children out to eat and those who enjoy playing with children while waiting for their food could choose “Family.” Then the people like me and my husband, who do not mind one way or the other most of the time so long as service is good could just say, “First available.”
Also, if a couple who loves children is going to a restaurant and they usually do the “First Available” thing, but on this particular night they are celebrating an anniversary or popping the question, they can choose the “Non-Family” section so as not to be disturbed by little Johnny and his mashed potato hat. Same thing goes for when Mom and Dad finally get to go out for a night away from Junior.
I think it is feasible. People who are so adamant about not wanting to be seated next to the McCaughey septuplets would be so glad that there are restaurants that allow them that option that they would be happy to wait. Of course, a small problem might be when Mr. and Mrs. Jones come in with 6-year old little Timmy and want to be seated in the “Non-Family” section because he is so well-behaved. The guidelines would have to be set up so that no children under the age of, say, 12, are allowed in the “Non-Family” section. And the restrooms would have to be centrally located.
Absolutely INCORRECT!
I do not employ the wait-persons in the establishments I visit. Presumably, they receive a paycheck for getting their lazy incompetent butts into work. If they aren’t happy with their pay, then they should look for another job.
If I chose to tip them, it is because I appreciate the service they have given me, and wish to show that appreciation. I too have been a waitress… it wasn’t a job I liked, but it was a job that I did well. I take pride in my work (no matter what I’m doing) and I see the satisfaction of my customers as a personal reflection on me. If the kitchen was slow… I would still stop by my tables, and let them know that there was a delay in the kitchen, while checking drink refills, bread etc. No server can solve all of the potential problems in a resteraunt… but they should at least do what they can, and offer to get a manager etc. if the situation is out of their control.
That being said, generally, I tip well. At least 20-25% (depending on the type of place, and the responsibilities of the server)if the service was acceptable. More, and sometimes specific praise to a manager or hostess if the server was really good. But, for really bad service, I do tip low, or sometimes not at all. If this is the case, I make certain to fill out a comment card, or comment directly to a manager to explain my dissatisfaction.
Servers need to get it through their heads that tips are not required. They are rewards. You work hard, you are rewarded, you slack off and you get what you deserve - nothing.
I agree with you. If the waitress has common sense, she would gently explain her situation to the customers, such as, “It’s going to be a bit of a wait due to…” I tend to get down-right irate at servers when they ignore customers (particularly me ). When I go out to a resturant it is because I am hungry, and intend to eat, not watch others eat while I sit at the table parusing the menu 15X over.
I waitressed (also at Village Inn) for a couple years, but when the management is terrible, you can’t expect the customers to be happy enough to make tips.
Unfortunately, as a waitress you have no choice but to be dependent on tips, because at best, you might get $4.00/hour. BUT the problem is with the tax system. At least at the Village Inn, they tallied up the cost of all the food/drink you serve to customers and THAT total is what the waitress gets taxed on, usually at about 10%, not how many hours she puts in. So if, for example, she sells $1000 worth of food and only makes $50.00 in tips, she not only loses money in tips, but the government also taxes her measly paycheck for the remainder 5% (of $50). Even if she does not receive that $50 from her customers! It really is terrible system.
I posted the first “no children” section comment and will stand by it forevermore.
Children have to be taught how to behave in a restaurant just like they have to be taught most everything else. The way to do this is to first teach them manners at their own dinner table. The blame for the failure of the kid to behave in a restaurant fall squarely on the parents. It’s just that the kid is the instrument of their ineptitude.
[soapbox]
It’s quite apparent when a child has not been taught the basics of good table decorum. The kid in the high chair that’s acquired the attention of the nearest 15 tables is a good example. So is the one that still has to be fed french fries one at a time – a practice that generally results in some of the food in the kid, and a goodly portion of it on him, the chair, the table, and the floor.
Age this kid a year. Someone, somewhere, had the godawful idea of keeping him quiet by keeping him busy – with crayons. Now there’s food, scraps of paper, and crayon scattered over, under, and around the table.
Age him another year. Now the kid is too big for the high chair so he sits in the booth with the adults. And the kid wants pancakes. There’s syrup on the table, on the chairs, on the salt and pepper shaker. The booth is next to the wall so the wall and window are also a mess. If the patron’s are lucky there’s noone in the booth next to the terrorist so there is noone to receive the primary assault. But the kid won’t sit still so he’s standing up in the booth, looking around the restaurant, dropping his mess into the neighboring booth. Noone thinks to scrub that end of the restaurant just because a kid entered the door so the poor slob that next gets the adjacent booth is just as likely to have his/her clothes ruined as the guy that actually sat next to the kid.
A second peeve is this practice of taking my salad plate away before serving dinner and forcing me to hold my dinnerware or put them down on the dirty table. And don’t give me the BS about having cleaned the table. I saw the rag that was used to mop down these 4 tables in succession. If you think the rag is so sanitary, you suck on the rag. THEN I’ll put my dinnerware on the table.
[/soapbox]
SouthernStyle
To rip a quote from Resivoir Dogs “If they don’t like their job they can learn to fucking type”
I mean not to be rude, but I get sick of hearing all these bleeding heart stories about “we don’t get paid enough, blah blah blah…” When I feel like i don’t make enough money I don’t have the luxury of asking people to give me extra for doing what I do. If I want more money I find a new job.
Working as a teacher, I don’t expect the people who attend my courses to tip me based on my performance. I had a teaching job that didn’t pay well, so what did I do, I honed my skills and got a better job, still teaching but at a better company with better pay.
The moral of the story is, if you don’t like your pay don’t expect people to fund you. A tip is a luxury, a kindness, if people want to make it required, add it into the cost of the food and add it to the server’s paychecks.
Here is how a good server can accomplish his/her supposed polite inquiry about whether or not you need change back. They say, “I’ll be right back with your change.” That assumes nothing and gives you a chance to say “we’re all set” or “Keep it” or whatever if you have, in fact, planned on the change being her tip. I hear this more often than “Do you need change?” and it solves the problem.
These posts are reminding me of a story… Before we met my husband ate out several times a week at a restaurant near his apartment. One night things were running slow, obviously, and he inquired about what was up with his dinner (the pork chop special). In a show of remarkable pull-it-out-your-ass creativity, the server said, “It’s taking longer because the chops are extra thick tonight” (complete with thumb and forefinger held up to indicate amazing thickness, and the “extra thick” said in drawn-out voice reminiscent of a barbecue sauce commercial). The guy kept a straight face and husband swears he was serious.
OT, but I want to clarify how servers are taxed on their tips:
Legally, you are supposed to declare 100% of your tipped income.
In practice, most people don’t declare 100%. However, you have no choice about whether or not to declare 100% of credit-card tips - the restaurant is reporting those to the IRS, so you will have to declare them. For example, if I serve a $100 dinner and the customer leaves me a $50 tip on Visa, I must declare the entire $50. However, if the customer pays the $100 bill on Visa but leaves me a cash tip of $50, even though I am legally supposed to declare the entire $50, I could very well say I only made $8. (Obviously if you do this a lot, the management and IRS are going to catch on.)
The IRS automatically assumes that you have made at least 8% of sales in tips - e.g., if you have $1000 in sales, they will assume you made at least $80 in tips. It doesn’t matter if you got stiffed on every single table and made ZERO, the restaurant will still report to the IRS that you made $80, and your paycheck will reflect total income of your hourly wages plus $80 and you will pay taxes on that $80.
The server pays taxes on the entire tip amount received - it doesn’t matter if you had $1000 in sales, made $200 in tips, and had to tip out 25% to the busboys and bartenders. You will have the whole $200 reflected on your paycheck and you will pay the taxes on the whole $200.
If your state allows reduced (less than minimum) wage pay for tipped service workers, you are only supposed to get paid that reduced wage as long as you have sales. For example, if you come in and do set-ups for 2 hours and then sit around with no customers for 2 hours and then get sent home because it’s slow, you are supposed to be paid the prevailing standard minimum wage. If, however, one person comes in for a $5 sandwich, the restaurant is now allowed to pay you at the reduced wage for the entire time you were there. It doesn’t matter that you only had $5 in sales.
Now for my peeve: I really really hate servers who want to be my friend. They are not my friends and I don’t want to get to know them. I don’t care about their names and I don’t want to tell them mine or what I’m doing in town or what the occasion is. I just want my food and drinks served in an efficient manner.
I could talk about the world of restaurant work for hours and hours …
People are different, I suppose. I love bantering with the waitstaff, and in fact, will tip a waiter/waitress better if they engage in a little chatter.
Maybe it’s a Southern cultural thing, because I do notice more of a tendency down here for folks to chat with their servers (or with the clerk at the grocery store, or with the lady at the Post Office, etc.).
I’m very sorry to a) hijack the thread and b) tease someone about a spelling error, but the following is quite simply hilarious.
Not trying to be mean here, Kricket, but I keep getting pictures of people and buildings made out of bits of string, macaroni, cut out pictures and fingerpaint.
I don’t know if this qualifies as a hijack or not, but the only people I want to chat with when I’m out is my companion or my bartender, and bartender only if I’m a “regular”, and am in the mood for chit chat.
I do not understand what is up with those people, be they waitstaff, sales clerks, gas station attendants, YOU NAME IT, who want to sit and tell me their names, their life stories, ask me about my day, about my job, notice my work badge and say “Oh I know so and so who works there - do you?” (YEAH RIGHT you moron - they employ 7000 people at that location alone - sure I know your cousin in shipping!) and generally just annoy the living hell out of me - I do not want a friend. I want my drink/food/pack of cigarettes and I want it now. Leave me alone!
You know, when I look at you, don’t respond, and am growling under my breath, can you PLEASE not bother me with your inane chatter? I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT.
What compels people to do this? No, I’m not talking about the “How are you today” types, I’m talking about the sit at your table and chat you up for 10 minutes before writing down your order for freakin biscuits and gravy, or stand there yakking while all you want is your damn Old Style.
brachyrhynchos and Kriket, in reference to my “bad service” story, we sat for 30+ minutes after the menus were brought to us, and were not able to place an order for ANY food.
Chalk me up on the “if you give me bad service, I’m not giving you a tip” side. I’m more than happy to leave large tips for wonderful service, and good tips for good service. I’ve seen good waiters & waitresses do a great job, even in a busy restaurant with a slow kitchen. I’ve seen bad waiters & waitresses do a bad job when I’ve been the only customer in the whole place, and there’s 3-4 cooks chatting in the kitchen because they don’t have any orders to fill. I tip accordingly.
My goodness, the idiot imposter Ayesha troll is busy this morning !
I do believe in tipping BTW, and have worked in resturants where all tips were pooled and at the end of the shift, split between wait staff, bus persons and cooks. I do think that wages for all of these persons should be raised to a reasonable rate.
I can’t believe I just agreed with the coward on that part of it’s post. Shoot me now, please.
I’m just wondering about the people who are so vehemently opposed to kids in restaurants. Do you guys have kids of your own?
My husband and I have 3 kids, and when we go out to eat, we usually go to “family” type restaurants…Friendly’s, Chili’s, TGI Fridays, Chi-Chi’s, AppleBee’s, that kind of place.
We would NEVER take them to a fancy place.
Our kids are also very well-behaved. They would never be allowed to throw food or stand up and hang over the other booth or scream and yell or run around. I know what you are talking about; I have seen it myself…BUT…it is the fault of the parents for not making the kids behave.
But, also, how do you expect kids how to learn to behave in a restaurant unless they actually get to go to a restaurant once in awhile? Yes, the parents need to make kids behave, but I also see horrible brats all over; in the mall, the grocery store, the movie theater.
We were in Burger King a few months ago and this little girl, maybe 18 months or so, was being a terrible brat, screaming and crying, she only wanted to eat french fries, wanted to go in the PlayPlace, but the parents were trying to get her to eat her hamburger, but mostly they were yelling at each other to shut her up. The dad was yelling at the mom to make her stop, the mom was yelling at the dad to make her stop…it was awful. She was also drinking tons of Coke. Just my opinion, but little kids like that don’t need the sugar and caffeine. The dad kept saying, “She always does this when we go out and it’s your fault”. The mom was also very pregnant. I could only think that these were people who should not have had kids. They had no idea how to discipline their kid. That little girl obviously ruled the home. I would NEVER let my kids act like that. They know better.
