I’ve never been a waiter–I’m one of those professional types (an engineer)–but I have tremendous respect for waitstaff. I couldn’t do it; I’d go postal in a day. So, in the interest of compensating them fairly (and not having them go postal while I’m there), I generally tip 20-25%. It takes exceptionally bad service to get me to tip below 17%–I’m quite patient.
Jack, a Chick tract is one of a number of particularly vile, hate-literature “Christian” proselytization comics perpetrated by one Jack Chick. Even many Evangelical Christians seem to detest them. Invision a “Hell House”-type haunted house setup in a comic-book style, usually involving death and Hell for some poor teenager.
So, Quisling, do you actually have an AK? What type of rounds are you thinking of using? Most of the commercially available 7.62 ammo is not too great for short range – it’s mainly big game stuff. No expansion. I suppose you could get a 3/16 drill and make your own hollow points. . .
Be sure to take a video camera – you might be able to mount it where the scope would go.
Let us know how it works out. When you get access to a computer. In the prison library.
Don’t get me wrong – I never leave less than 15% – but I don’t understand how tips inflate.
When I was a child, to quote a famous apostle, 10% was considered an adequate tip. Now 15% is a minimum and 20% is a standard reward for good service.
I’ll admit that 15% has been the norm for a long time and most of you whippersnappers won’t recall the earlier era of 10% tips. But I could never understand why tips had to follow inflation. If the prices go up the tip goes up, right?
As long as I’m ranting I’ll join Guanolad in decrying tipping as an odd custom. I suppose it is too well entrenched in the American consciousness to ever go away, but I wish it would. I’ve had lousy service in restaurants that had nothing to do with the waitperson – what if the cook screws up, for example? And I’ve had plenty of meals in cruddy little franchise restaurants where the best service in the world didn’t make the meal worth more than the stated price.
But the restaurant business is, with a few exceptions, a hard way to make a living, both for the owners and the employees. So, until the world is a better place, I’ll shut up and give the waiter something extra for making my day a little more pleasant.
p.s. In the “I did not know that!” category: I just learned the other day that the word restaurant is derived from “restore”. It makes sense now that I think about it, but I never thought about it before.
I just checked out the Chick Tract link. Great Googly-Moogly, what motivates some people? One of these was left as a tip, with no money included?!?
That is not only, impolite, it is friggin’ offensive. Truly, I am not the type to go overboard on many issues, but that is out and out sickening.
Who ever left that shit as tip ought to be tracked down and bludgeoned.
Quisling, I hate to be the one to ask you this, but have you considered the possibility that you’re a lousy waiter?
I recently went to Acapulco’s with a friend. The waitress 1) brought 2 coffees, when we’d ordered one; 2) never came to refill water; 3) completely forgot when we’d asked her to refill our water; 4) never came to refill the coffee; 5) forgot to pick up the bill–we had to ask her to get it. We had to ask another waitress for water and coffee refills–she was great! I wanted to tip her.
In short, I left $2 for a $27 bill–and I really think that was being generous.
A tip is not automatic, except when there is a large party being served. In all other situations, it’s earned, period.
Of course, Quis, there is no shortage a cheap jerks out there.
Not, it isn’t. Here’s a good rule of thumb: Whenever someone tells you that a pre-20th, or at the latest pre-mid-19th century word is an acronym, they are probably incorrect. The very nature of acronyms assumes the existence of a generally literate populace and a great deal of cultural homogeneity. Acronyms are a very recent linguistic invention, and any word that dates back over 350 years is almost certainly not one.
I worked as a delivery driver in Iowa City for about a year back in ‘91. My most memorable delivery was to the local Ronald McDonald House - a $90+ order for several families. And I didn’t get one freakin’ red cent in tips. Yeah, I know, they’re in serious financial straits 'cos their kids are sick, and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us are doing so well we don’t need a little extra for the work we do!
Anyone who can’t figure out why tips should follow inflation isn’t looking at the right numbers. Menu items may increase in price to reflect the cost of the ingredients but the waitstaff’s wages don’t. We’re not tipping for the price, we’re tipping for the service.
Personally, I like to think I’m an easygoing bastard when it comes to restaurant service and there’s really very little that would make me tip less than 20%. As a matter of fact one time I was comped a sandwich 'cos the cook really fucked it up and I tipped the waitress the cost of the sandwich. It was good and all, but she had nothing to do with the fuckup.
Bartenders invariably get 20%. They gotta put up with me when I get drunk so they deserve as much money as I can give them for still serving me. Unless they dis me straight off like the jerk at the Cowboy Cafe in Arlington, VA, who wouldn’t even look at me when he was standing right next to me with a $20 in plain view in my hand. No tip for you, two years.
Another reason to tip. Good tippers are remembered. I tip well. I usually get free food quite often. Waiters and bartendes like me. They invite me to parties. They hook me up with other restuarants. I neve pay for coffee in the morning anymore. Although I still leave a dollar tip. It’s just good karma. Trust me, people can tell if you are a good tipper. It makes you instantly more attractive. The men/women won’t be ablte to stay away. Tip more, get laid. Simple as that.
And yes Jack, I really do think those idiots should be beaten.
I agree, Jack, but I think you have the correlation a bit off. It is not so much a person’s “class” as their life experience. I think that the average working class person has probably worked in a food-service job at some point or another. Waiters and ex-waiters do tip better.
I don’t think anybody would call me “working class,” but I have waited tables, and I am an excellent tipper.
Coming from an ex-bartender, I did it for seven years while going to school, tipping directly correlates to the service you receive. Or so it should.
Crappy, slow service= Low tip 5-10%
Fast, courteous service= Good tip. 20-25%
It’s the whole point of tipping. You show in your tip what you thought of the service and the person serving you. And you’re usually rewarded for this, i.e., even better service.
I’ve had good tips and bad tips. I’ve usually had higher end tippers because I was fast and courteous. But, I’ve also had bad tips. Some people are clueless. There’s one in every bunch. But believe me, we remembered. I had no problem ignoring a poor tipper to get to the good one. And I was tipped accordingly.
A further point, not addressed yet, word will get around real fast who’s getting tipped well and who isn’t. Management see’s this and schedules accordingly. I’ve seen it happen alot. They don’t want crappy servers representing their bar or restaurant. And beleive me, they know how well your doing tip wise.
The bottom line is this: Not to be mean, but if you’re constantly getting bad tips, you might want to consider what you’re doing wrong. I’ve never seen a great bartender or server complain that they always got lousy tips. It does happen, but, in the end, you should come out having the better tips far outweigh the poor ones. Unless of course, you are really that bad.
Which brings up another point. I don’t know if it’s the same where you live, but in San Francisco, there is virtually no establishent where money changes hands where a “tip jar” is not present. Isn’t this kind of arrogant?
Okay, if the young lady at Starbucks makes a particularly tasty latte, or the dude at Marcello’s heats me up a delicious slice of pizza, I’ll gladly throw some gratuity in the bucket. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to tip somebody for selling me a pack of smokes. How does the ability to make change (most often reliant upon the register to figure it out for you) merit a tip?
Was that a hijack? Didn’t mean to.
Anywhere else I never tip under 15%, usually closer to 20%.
I come from a family that tips for take-out, for heaven’s sake. The one time I was at a restaurant and didn’t have enough money for a good tip (I’d lost a $10 while I was running around), I went back the next day and tipped the waitress double. At the local Olive Garden, the staff there knows my dad on sight, and he gets star treatment because he generally tips 25-30%. Of course, he’s a chauvenist pig, my dad, and tips the cute waitresses best.
If I get bad service, the tip I give is cut to 10% or less. If I get really bad service, the manager hears about it.
First off, I think the idea of tips in the U.S. is awful, because the waitstaff is so underpaid. If I get bad service, I really don’t want to feel bad for leaving the server a bad tip because I know they are paid so little–but I certainly don’t want to reward them for their bad service.
In general, I ALWAYS tip 20% unless the server did something really awful. If I notice they are covering a lot of tables and aren’t as attentive as I would like, I will still leave 20% because I know they are busy and doing their best. If I am displeased with the service or if the server doesn’t get my water refilled (by the busser or themselves) that will detract from the tip. Even so, I have never left less than 15%.
As far as tipping delivery people, I admit that I usually give whatever the change is, unless it’s less than a dollar, in which case I will add a dollar. I guess I don’t feel like they’re doing a whole lot, just driving some food to my house.
Anecdote:
My father carries a tip card in his wallet that is so old it has calculations for 5, 10 and 15% on amounts up to $100. So I have to help him out when he pulls out the tiny card with its miniscule print and tell him, “OK, Dad, figure out what the 10% is and then double it.” And every time he has a coniption that we are leaving so much. (Mind you, we usually eat at places like Chili’s or Applebee’s where the bill is less than $50) He says things like, “What, are we eating at the Taj Mahal? Was there gold in my food?” He’s only 55 (and tries to get the senior citizen discount everywhere) but he acts like he’s 90!
Okay, they aren’t showing up to your door and re-filling your water for you, but it’s still a service. One which entails a certain amount of skill and tact. Usually these drivers are just as underpaid as waiters and waitresses. I did it for $5 an hour, using my own car (no mileage compensation included). And, your’s is not the only delivery on their schedule. They have to make sure all their customers receive their orders promptly and with a curteous smile.
Try driving around an unfamiliar neighborhood with 5 pies in your back seat, knowing that someone is standing in their kitchen at that very moment saying, “Where the hell is my pizza?”
Well, I definitely have to say I always thought that delivery drivers were making at least minimum wage and were being compensated for mileage. I never really thought too much about the fact that I’m not the only person whose house they’re looking for, etc. Now I feel kinda crummy about how I’ve tipped those people. At least we don’t have a lot of deliveries. I can say in my defense that any time we’ve had a delivery in snowy weather, we always tip them well just for being out in the weather.
No,no…you didn’t come off harsh. It was one of those things that you do and never really think about. And then someone gives you a little info which makes you look at it differently, and you go…“Gee, I’ve kinda been a jerk all this time and I didn’t know.”
Like when I didn’t used to put the grocery cart back in the cart corral until one day my friend complained that her car had been damaged by a wild cart. I never looked at it like the carts could hurt the cars, I just didn’t feel like walking over to the corral and figured, hey, they pay people to do this. Now I feel all smug when I’m walking my cart over, knowing it’s not my cart hurting somebody’s car.
Oh, and, no thanks on the delivery. I have less than a dollar to tip you with.
First off, having been raised in my childhood in Japan where tipping as a custom does not exist, leaving a cash tip is considered downright insulting. You’re telling your waiter that he needed to be bribed with extra money just to get service. In Japan, the philosophy is that you are paid to do your job; being tipped means the patron thinks you can’t do your job well enough for what you’re making. Some of the more expensive restaurants simply slip a “service fee” onto the bill. But it’s NEVER cash on the table, and it’s NEVER called a tip.
HOWEVER, do not take this to mean you can forego tipping at your neighborhood sushi bar. Antics like that will get you some surly service next time.
I say, if you’re paying the extra money to eat somewhere that’s not fast food, if someone comes to your table to take your order and makes sure all the courses arrive on a timely pace, and your water and beverages get refilled quietly and unobtrusively, and you don’t have to do the dishes… tip them the minimum 15% (and 20% if they’re very good). BTW “good” is not “And how are we doing today? My name is Joshua, and what’s yours?” I don’t need patronizing or smarmy service. I want courteous, polite, efficient service; I don’t need touchy-feely sensitivity-trained service.
If the food doesn’t taste good or the music is too loud, complain to the MANAGER; don’t lower the tip. A lot of things are out of the waiters’ control.
If you don’t like it, go eat at Burger King… or stay at home and tip yourself.
In the city where I live, the tax is 7.9%. So, I got into the habit of doubling the tax on the bill if the service is fine, adding to it if the service is above average.
A few years ago I went to Maui, and the first time we ate out, I automatically doubled the tax. I remember thinking in passing that it seemed low, but didn’t really think about it until we got back to the condo.
After a while, I got one of those “Ah HAH!” moments, and realized that taxes are NOT THE SAME EVERYWHERE! Boy, did I blush with shame. We went back to the same restaurant the next day, and had the same server, and I made up for it.
She probably figured that someone had raked me over the coals the night before. She was right, except that I was the one who did the raking!
Baglady: I can understand that a surcharge to a tab seems to be more fair than our current tipping concept here.
But it brings up the obvious question.
Under that scheme, servers could do their jobs as they see fit. No motivation to do better. Why would there be. You’ll make just as much money as the person busting his/her ass off to serve the customer the best they can.
In our system, going above and beyond is often rewarded or punished in the form of a good or bad tip. That’s a pretty strong motivating factor.
Furthermore, in my opinion, our system tends to weed out the bad servers. They leave because they stink and can’t make enough money. The good ones stay because they can usually make a bundle.
