We've never talked about tipping here, have we?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Yeah, yeah, I know, just kidding.

Anyway, I’ve always read tipping threads here with some interest, because I have almost never experienced bad service in a restaurant. Oh sure, mistakes have been made, but I’ve always felt that the server was genuinely trying to do his/her best, and sometimes shit happens. It happens to me too sometimes. Maybe I’m too quick to give the benefit of the doubt, I don’t know. So I always get good service and always tip at least 20%, sometimes more if it’s really good.

So I’ve always wondered where these people who complain about bad service are eating. I thought of it recently when I was at a restaurant and was getting, for the first time in my memory, really horrible service. Inattentive, didn’t seem to give a shit about anything, slow, didn’t offer to refill drinks (even alcoholic ones, which would have greatly increased the amount of the check.) It was a pretty expensive Mexican place, and my meal was spicy, and I was out of beer and really thirsty. All around really horrible service, and I found myself for the first time trying to decide how much I should tip this horrible excuse for a server, if at all.

Until I got the check. And then I realized that since we were in a party of eight, an 18% gratuity was automatically added to the bill. So I’m wondering- has this happened to anyone else? An automatic gratuity added to the bill does seem to give a server much less incentive to try hard. I don’t recall this situation ever being discussed here, and am wondering what you all think.

2

Yes.

I don’t often get bad service. And when I do, it often appears to be either just shit happens, the cooks fault, or the resteraunt/managers fault. Only rarely does it seem to be the watier/waitress’s fault.

Also, the worst service I got, and it was consistently poor the whole time I was there, was a place in the Bahamas were the tipping percentage was almost always automatic.

3

I don’t know, I don’t eat out in large groups often enough to notice. But I think if you complain about poor service to a manager, they will often remove the gratuity.

4

…oh, I thought was going to be about cow tipping…

sigh

Anyways, I’m finnish. We don’t tip. Well, unless you desperately want to convey the message of; “look at my huge bulging sacks of money, I bet you’d like to lick them like a dog”, then it’s acceptable.

People work, people get paid by their employers… end of.

5

You’ve obviously never eaten out in Prague.

6

This is your best recourse. If you honestly feel the service was substandard, the management should be notified. Chances are the gratuity would be reduced or waived, and that server would get some quality office time with the manager.

7

I’m finnish. Please take plate away. Bring check.

Sorry, couldn’t help it. Some jokes need to be told.