# Fuck you non-tippers! Fuck you a lot! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 2, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243 "2004-01-02T06:33:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![My\_Darn\_Snake\_Legs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@My\_Darn\_Snake\_Legs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/My_Darn_Snake_Legs)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/1 "2004-01-02T06:33:13Z")
When you came into the restraunt at 9:45pm you seemed to be nice folks. You were polite and I gave you really really good service. You thanked me. You sat there for over an hour. What would be an appropriate tip on a tab that came to about $86? I realize that this is the big city. They have those in Oklahoma too. You are not people who have never been to a restraunt before. If you were unsure of the correct amount to leave for a tip on a bill of that sie you could have asked me for a percentage. I would have told you. I am very good at that. I was no math major in school, but I know that $0 is not the correct tip! What the fuck is that?! Did I spit on you? Did I give you unacceptable service? Were you happy when you left? Did I make fucking salsa when you asked for it and we didn’t have any left because we closed the doors an hour previous? Let me set any of you non-tipping bastards straight: I pay a percentage of my sales to the restraunt to help pay for the bussers and the door hostesses and what not. That percentage is 3.5%. So I paid $3 for the distinct privilege of serving your? Are you fucking kidding me?! Here are some more numbers for you: You made the last hour that I was waiting on you actually unprofitable. I am paid a wage of 2.13 an hour. I made -.87 because you couldn’t be bothered to give me a tip. It’s the service industry you fat pricks. If you can’t afford to pay the waiter to server you, then go to McDonalds. Not an up-scale Mexican restraunt at closing time! I may never get to tell you this, but I am certain that Karma or St. Peter or whoever meets you in Hell will have kept track. I just hope that I get the memo. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/2 "2004-01-02T06:51:34Z")
That does suck. I suspect this will be a popular thread. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/3 "2004-01-02T07:02:28Z")
Expect that shortly the cheapskates who don’t tip will come along shortly to defend their right to stiff any and all servers, with or without a reason, regardless of the fact that food costs would be higher if it wasn’t customary to tip. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/4 "2004-01-02T07:03:54Z")
Yep. If you don’t have enough to tip, you don’t have enough to eat. IMO, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ray\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ray\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ray_Walker)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/5 "2004-01-02T07:04:17Z")
> [@](#): > > I pay a percentage of my sales to the restraunt to help pay for the bussers and the door hostesses and what not. That percentage is 3.5%. So I paid $3 for the distinct privilege of serving your? Are you fucking kidding me?! > > Here are some more numbers for you: > > You made the last hour that I was waiting on you actually unprofitable. I am paid a wage of 2.13 an hour. I made -.87 because you couldn’t be bothered to give me a tip. You actually had to PAY that $3??? I thought 3.5% of $0 was also $0? You got screwed my friend. Man, I’d be seeing red if I were you. ---
**Author:** ![Ray\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ray\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ray_Walker)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/6 "2004-01-02T07:05:26Z")
Well, you are in fact angry, and rightfully so. I’d be just as mad as you is what I meant to say. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/7 "2004-01-02T07:14:31Z")
I always tip big, unless the service sucks. Waiters work hard for shit pay. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/8 "2004-01-02T07:25:32Z")
I’ve been caught with not enough cash, and actually come back later that evening to give a proper tip. If it were closing time, I would have come in the following day. I believe in tip-to-saliva karma, and I’m loathe to press my luck. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/9 "2004-01-02T07:26:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ray Walker \* > \*\*You actually had to PAY that $3??? I thought 3.5% of $0 was also $0? You got screwed my friend. Man, I’d be seeing red if I were you. \*\* It’s 3.5% of total tips for the shift. My sister tells me it all but illegal to tip bartenders in England (though you can buy them a drink). Any truth UK dopers? If so, I’d say copy that or be trailblazers. End the bullshit lower tip-wage for service workers and have each restaurant guarantee the federal minimum wage. You can bet your ass the managers, owners, even the dishwashers know what they’re making an hour. But you never mentioned, what do you average? Have you ever had a bill come to $86 and get a tip of maybe $20? I’ve done it and received it. I also plan to overtip, then deduct for any bad service from there, though even them I’m forgiving and still tip well. People like me can make up for those you had. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/10 "2004-01-02T07:30:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ray Walker \* > \*\*You actually had to PAY that $3??? I thought 3.5% of $0 was also $0? You got screwed my friend. Man, I’d be seeing red if I were you. \*\* She has to pay the percentage on her SALES. Her sale was $86, and 3.5% of that is $3.01, which she had to pay to the restaurant. A 15% tip, by my calculations, would be 12.90. A REASONABLE tip (IMO), since the party apparently waltzed into the restaurant after hours would be more like an even $20. If I had been paying the tab, I’d have tipped $15, because we wouldn’t have gone in a restaurant that was closed for the evening. Not without a prior arrangement with the management or something. {_Moderation notes: I added another P to tippers in the title. And, **My Darn Snake Legs,** please shorten your sig to no longer than 4 lines, including blank lines. Your sig is currently at least 6 lines long. Lynn_} ---
**Author:** ![big\_yellow\_kingswood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@big\_yellow\_kingswood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/big_yellow_kingswood)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/11 "2004-01-02T08:20:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fluiddruid \* > \*\*Expect that shortly the cheapskates who don’t tip will come along shortly to defend their right to stiff any and all servers, with or without a reason, regardless of the fact that food costs would be higher if it wasn’t customary to tip. 🙂 \*\* Tipping culture has always facinated me for just this reason. Why have a customary tip when from everything I hear it’s not really ‘customary’ and more something that is socially required? Why not have slightly higher food prices and do away with tipping? It’d work out to be roughly the same to the paying customer: eg. $20 meal + $3 - $4 tip = $23 - $24 full priced meal. It would offset any cheapskates who don’t want to tip. If you’re impressed with someone’s service you can tip a couple of bucks on top of this as a token “thanks” and if you’re really unimpressed you can talk to the manager. They can then fire a crappy worker. I’ve heard the arguement that “tipping encourages waitpersons/bartenders to try harder”. This seems like complete bullshit to me, reason being that a decent wage and security of income encourages job satisfaction which in turn promotes a desire to perform well. Also losing a $15 an hour job is a much greater threat than losing a $4 or $5 an hour job. In Australia you don’t generally tip, unless it’s been _exceptionally_ exceptional service or there’s only a couple of dollars left over on a large bill, for example with the $86 bill above, rounding it up to $90 would be about it. When I did waiting and bar work (about a year ago) I was making A$16 an hour - $24 an hour on sundays/public holidays. If I got a $2 tip I’d be pretty surprised (pleasently). This usually happened a couple of times a night, but not from every customer out of maybe waiting 15 - 20 tables in a night - once I got a $50 tip off one bloke who was particularly happy with my service (he’d also just won $5K on a horse race). Admittedly my award with this particular establishment was a few dollars above the minimum award, which is I believe about $14 an hour. That works out to be probably US$11 an hour. Of course, this is just how things are in my country. If I went to yours I’d probably tip 15%, rounded to the nearest buck. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/12 "2004-01-02T08:51:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Tipping culture has always facinated me for just this reason. Why have a customary tip when from everything I hear it’s not really ‘customary’ and more something that is socially required? Why not have slightly higher food prices and do away with tipping? Quality of service would go way down. Restaurants couldn’t afford to pay servers what they would make with tips. I waited tables for 5 years, paid my way through college. There is NO WAY IN HELL I would have done it for min wage. It’s very hard work. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/13 "2004-01-02T09:05:09Z")
In a country like Singapore, the percentage for the service is automatically added to the bill. Tipping in addition to that is not done. This has obvious advantages, but a clear disadvantage: there is no incentive to give good service. Indeed, some of my worst experiences service-wise have been in Singapore. I like the European system. A fixed percentage service is included, but a small tip on top of that (say 5%) is usually given if the service has been better than standard. It seems to me that this is the best of both worlds. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/14 "2004-01-02T09:21:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by My Darn Snake Legs \* > **I am paid a wage of $2.13 an hour.** Here is your chance to come clean. What is your real hourly rate…$12.13?..$22.13? C’mon it can’t be $2.13, that’s not pay that’s your allowance. Please say it isn’t so. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/15 "2004-01-02T10:42:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don’t ask \* > \*\*Here is your chance to come clean. What is your real hourly rate…$12.13?..$22.13? C’mon it can’t be $2.13, that’s not pay that’s your allowance. Please say it isn’t so. \*\* Yes, that’s what food servers are generally paid in the US. Now you know why they get so worked up about tips. I was a waitress for a couple of weeks a loooong time ago. I wouldn’t want to do it again. A server can make or break my dining experience, so I try to show my pleasure or displeasure with my tip. Generally I will only tip 10% if the service is bad. Usually I get very, very good service, because I have certain restaurants I go to and they know me there. I get the service I want, the servers get the tips they want. It works out well. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/16 "2004-01-02T11:07:04Z")
Unbelievable. The hourly rate here appears to be $14-17 according to [these positions](http://www.recruitoz.com/JobsList.asp?CatID=1). A friend suggested that I read _Nickled and Dimed_, she said it would explain tipping pretty clearly. I think I see what she meant. What is worse about this situation is I’d feel honour bound to tip if the service was not very good. Here knowing that the waiter earns a wage, you are only inclined to tip if you’re happy with the service. In my experience at least. God, that’s close to grotesque - $2.13. If I may ask - do tips add enough to make a “reasonable” wage? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/17 "2004-01-02T11:20:54Z")
Depends on the place. If it’s a grease-shack diner, probably not. But I’ve known people who got waiter jobs at fancy French restaurants, where the chefs are famous for ruining perfectly good cuts of meat by smothering them in some kind of sauce, who could take home two or three hundred bucks a night in tips. ---
**Author:** ![big\_yellow\_kingswood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@big\_yellow\_kingswood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/big_yellow_kingswood)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/18 "2004-01-02T11:52:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Glory \* > \*\*Quality of service would go way down. Restaurants couldn’t afford to pay servers what they would make with tips. I waited tables for 5 years, paid my way through college. There is NO WAY IN HELL I would have done it for min wage. It’s very hard work. \*\* Calm down, mate. I don’t think you see what I meant. I don’t see that quality of service _would_ go down. Minimum wage would be $15 an hour (casual). Most people I know derive job satisfaction out of making a certain, steady amount of money - a base wage that would be consistant, regardless of the customer being generous or stingy. This satisfaction leads them to be happy, productive, _quality_ service providers. My personal preference would be taking home a guaranteed $100 for 8 hours work _regardless_ of the generosity of the customers than not being certain of what you’ll be getting from shift to shift. Now if you’re pulling in more than that in tips on an average shift, fine. I see on preview that **Friedo’s** froggy friends are doing just that, but I’m talking more your common pizza place or courner pub. To add to **don’t ask’s** list, [here](http://www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au/awards/pathways/results.jsp?contentlist=false&clause_plus=r&award_code=577) is a list of my state’s restaurant award wages. Tipping is also _not_ eliminated under this system, it just becomes more of token. The waitperson would be making their wage for the night, and anything on top of that that a customer wants to give, they can. If you’re really impressed with someone’s service, by all means give them a bit more - just don’t feel obliged to because you’re worried that they rely on you doing so. If, on the other hand, they do a crap job, then the customers complain and the server gets the arse. I also dispute that restaurants would not be able to afford to pay workers the same rate as they’d be getting from tips. The point I’m making is that this money is _made up_ by increasing the price of the average dish slightly. Of course, you’ll now have to pay tax on the money, but I’m sure that you were doing that anyway cause it’d be illegal not to. And you wouldn’t do anything illegal, would you? ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/19 "2004-01-02T12:34:38Z")
Lynn, this is in re where you quoted Ray Walker. The 3.5% tipped to “helpers” (bartenders, busboys, etc.) is based on shift tips. Why tip wages to them should you happen to not have a table on a slow night? Now here’s the rant, and if you don’t want to trust it, earn the trust of a mod, have them contact me, and I’ll provide the IRS letters. I worked as daytime bartender at a major entertainment facility. During the day, almost all business was the lunch crowd. (It was a convention center.) Not too many drinking before the seminars, etc. The few drinkers I had weren’t the kind you counted on for tips. Now, the problem was that all sales counted to the main area I was in. I was under the “allocated” tax rule (which included food sales.) End of the day, I was expected to tip out the waitresses. One problem, I didn’t know I was responsible for the tax on these “tips” until the IRS sent a letter saying I owed over $400 in taxes on them. I never thought to keep a daily record of tips since they were never more than $9/day. Therefore, I learned it was up to me to prove I DIDN’T make money. How the fuck do you do that? Long story short, if you “earn” tips, DO NOT enter them in the sytem if you use Micros at work. (Servers will know what that is). Keep a daily paper log for taxes and enter what you earned. Unless you realize that your tips are based on your service, not your standard job, in that case, “donate” what you want to Washington. And yes, I thought of making up a journal, but the company went tits up in 2001 and can’t get the employment hours record from coke-head. End of rant. At least here. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243/20 "2004-01-02T14:47:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by duffer \* > **My sister tells me it all but illegal to tip bartenders in England (though you can buy them a drink). Any truth UK dopers?** No, none at all (though the level of tipping is slightly less). Can I join in the rant? Out on Saturday at a very nice Italian restaurant with my gf and four of her friends (two couples). We turned up late (not my fault), but even though the restaurant was very busy, we were given our table straight away. The service was excellent and the food impressive. One of the couples knew the staff (this was their “favourite” restaurant) and schmoozed with them throughout. The bill came to a very reasonable £129.50. I suggested chipping in £25 each which would leave a tip of around 15%. This did not meet with the approval of the schmoozing couple. Perhaps it was too little, after all this was probably the restaurant’s busiest night of the year, and it is the season to be generous, right? No! They proposed £45 per couple, leaving 4% tip! Now, these fuckers are all professionals, all earning good salaries – I don’t know their every financial commitment but they dress well enough and drive good cars. One of the couples is so financially sound that they have chosen to take a year off to go holidaying! FOUR FUCKING PERCENT!? And then I remembered the last time we ate out together, same thing happened, only that time a threw extra money in to make up a half-decent tip. I couldn’t stomach doing the same again, but I have four new names for my First Up Agaist The Wall List come the revolution. Twats! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-non-tippers-fuck-you-a-lot/222243.md?page=2)