I am soooo fucking pissed off right now I can't stand it. I got a call this morning from a place that I used to work, wanting me to come in and serve a party from the *This Big Goverment Agency* (I don't want to say WHO they are in case someone knows this woman and hears me call her a bitch) They were short good servers and I was to split this part with another girl. Cool. I need the money and so I was excited about it. After my normal job I show up... the party get's there at 5:00. *steam shooting out from my ears*

The bar made beautiful fruit and veggie trays for this party. They don't make fruit and veggie trays. The manager part of this Big Government Agency and decided to do a favor for the head of this deal. So... anyway. It was going to be a cash bar with the 50+ guests of this "Meet and Great" to be ordering from me and this other girl and cashing out as soon as they got their drinks. Great! *I am FUMING*

This deal was supposed to be over at 7:30. That's how long the manager agreed to giving them this area of the bar. (I'm just now getting home). Anyway...

Towards the end, the manager asked the head of this deal if it was okay to add gratuity to the bill... 15%. She said, that it wasn't a problem. Whatever was easier for him. The bill for the food and HER drinks came to over $500. The manager added gratuity and I presented her with the bill. She comes to me later asking me to give her a total LESS tax because she WAS NOT going to pay gratuity on tax. *grumble-grumble-bitch*. So, I run and do that for her. Present her with the new bill LESS tax. *bitch* Then she proceeds to take the bill to the chairman and they are going back and forth, him saying, "Well, you have to pay tax.. 6%"... she continues to argue with him. Then she says... "That's what the cash bar was for... for the girls to make tips off of that. I shouldn't have to give them a tip." *I want to knock her out*

I go and tell the manager that I am going to be fucking HOT as HELL if she doesn't tip right for all the work we did. He goes and asks her if there is a problem. Oh no... there isn't any problem she tells him. He comes to me and this other girl and says it is all A-Ok. Right.

She comes to me and gives me a check (we don't accept checks, but whatever) and tells me that me and Kristi did a FANTASTIC job and the party went better than she expected. *I want to kick her in her teeth because I overheard her bitching to the chairman about the bill* I smile graciously and say whatever nice thing came out of my mouth.

I go to cash her out. The fucking check is $130.02 SHORT! I go to the manager and he is beside himself for going out of his way to host this deal here and she is acting like this. Anyway... he ends up removing charges for stuff so that me and this other girl can split $30. *fuck* That's all he could do.

This lady ends up pulling me aside and handing me $20 and telling me that it was a little extra for all of our hard work... and to split it with my "sidekick". I didn't say anything for a minute... apparently just stared at her, because she asked me if I heard her. Through clenched teeth I tell her, "thank you".

Now, I don't know if it was the drinks she had or if it was her high-class, smug attitude that made this happen. Perhaps it was the alcohol and she figured incorrectly... I don't know. But, I think it's a bunch of shit. And... I could have gotten other tables and made more money, but they stayed until 10:30... when the party was over at 7:30!

Whew... thanks for the venting, guys! Damn I am pissed off. I am tired, my feet hurt, my back aches... grrrr... I think I should soak and go to bed.

IF YOU DON"T WANT TO READ ALL OF THAT... HERE IS MY QUESTION...

Anyway... how much do you all tip your servers? 10%? 15% 20% What makes your decision on how you tip them? I really don't think that people take into consideration that most servers only make $2.65 an hour and they count on their tips to make a living. When I used to work there a lot of servers would have tables completely stiff them and I noticed that some people don't care what they're bill is, they go by how many people there are and tip according to that. I've found that attorneys and judges are the WORST tippers in the world, whereas others tend to give you about 20%+.

If I tip less than 20%, it's because the server was just plain mean or blatantly negligent. It's like I always say - if you can't afford to go out right, don't go out at all. Cooking at home is better for ya anyway...

The American system of tipping is so fucked up. Why do the customers have to pay the serving/waiting staff direct?

The service fees should be incorporated into the price of the goods i.e food and drinks, then management should pay you a decent wage for you work.

That is how it works in Australia. Tipping is purely optional and at the discretion of the customer, therefore, goodservice gets rewarded with something extra. We usually dont tip more than 10% if you want to, and sometimes it is just a few dollars. It is more a reward for good service.

Sorry I didnt answer your question. when i was in the US ten years ago I'm sure i was tipping 15% as I was advised to in all the travel books.

i agree with bkw on this...tipping is soo silly..

i say this even though im a heaver tipper...it just breaks my heart to see servers bust their butts for minimum wage and rely on my tipping...

but i have a tip for the tippers...when in doubt, mutiply your taxes by two and thats the appropriate tip..

Anxiety said:

That's what I do... I'll tip no lower than 10% if the server was HORRIBLE. And, they would have to be VERY BAD in order for me to do that. Usually I tip 25% though... but, that's only because my ex-husband would do that and now it's just habit.

I think I've only stiffed a server once in my life, that I can remember, and I left her a note explaining exactly why I didn't leave her anything.

That's fucked!! It really sucks when you still have to be polite to the customer though you know they totally screwed you on the tip.

My old roommate was a bartender/waiter. He told me once he had a regular who'd always leave small tips, when he did leave one. Well, one day after waiting on him hand and foot (I guess he was extra demanding on this day) the customer leaves him the loose change from the bill. My roommate said he was so furious that he took the change put it in a envelope. The next time that customer came in he gave him the envelope and told him he forgot to take this last time he was there.

From then on the guy always left a decent tip.

It depends on how good the service is before I decided on how much I'm gonna leave. It's usually above 15%.

bkw said:

Damn...Azure, I'm sorry you had such an evening. Damn...

Uhh...well, I always leave at least 25%...more whenever the service is good...I've matched the check a few times for what I thought was excellent service...(for example, say, great service for my party of 6 or more...).

Have a good soak, Heather, and try to relax.

sosgemini said:

Depends upon the local tax rate, don't you think? If you're in Seattle, where restaurant meals are taxed at something astronomical like 9%, that's probably a good rule of thumb. But if you're in Massachusetts, where restaurant meals are taxed at a mere 5%, doubling the tax means a 10% tip, which is rather skimpy.

bkw said:

Co-Sign....

When I was living in the USA I had to get used to that BS tipping too. Most of the time they weren't even worthy of it. The Oz system works well for me, at the customers own discretion is how it should be.

I generally tip 20% plus whatever change is necessary to bring the bill to an even dollar amount. I've worked for tips myself (delivering pizza), so I try to tip well. I will dock a tip for bad service, although it doesn't happen very often.

My other tipping practices:

Bartender (or casino drink server): $1 per drink

Pizza delivery driver: Same as restaurant server (20%). Never less than $2.

Valet parking: Nothing at drop-off. $2 or $3 when the car is returned to me.

Body piercer: $10 for piercing, $5 for jewelry insertion

Hotel housekeeper: $2 per night. (I don't follow the "rule" that a tip is necessary only when staying two or more nights.)

Hotel room service: Nothing, because a 15% to 20% "service charge" (which goes to the server) is generally tacked onto the bill (not to mention a $1.50 or so "delivery fee"). I always confirm with the server that he or she gets the service charge, and the answer has always been yes.

Restroom attendants: $1

Tip jar: Nothing. Being a barista at Starbucks isn't a tipped job.

Skycaps and bellhops: Nothing, because I can deal with my own bags, thankyouverymuch.

I think what the woman did was flat wrong and done deliberately as she sounds cheap.

I generally tip 25% unless the service is really bad.

The bottom line is, the server doesnt get paid unless you tip them. Sure, restaraunts COULD include the cost of servers into their prices, then just pay them hourly, but they don't.

15-20% is the MINIMUM you should tip your server. It's not some "extra thing" you throw in when you're feeling charitable and gracious, it's part of the bill.

When you sit down to eat at a restaraunt, where a server is waiting on you, you're paying for the food AND the service. If you don't like that, go to a drive thru.

Tom said:

Yeah, but it shouldnt be the customer who pays the server direct. It is not up to the customer to decide how good a job these people do. The manager should be managing his/her staff.

In the alternative, tipping should be a fixed percentage that is added on to the bill as a service charge.

14-20% (double the 7% Tax on the bill, then round up).

You gotta be REAL bad to not get a tip though.

I went to [famous pizza restuarant] with some friends, and they warned me the waiter is notoriously surly. I didn't believe that a waiter could be that bad. But he WAS.
-He went out of the way to say "ew!" to something a friend ordered.
-He pushed his arm across me and SARCASTICALLY said "SCUSE ME".
-He yelled "THIS IS BAD MUSIC" when I programmed the jukebox.
I'm sure there was more.. anyway it was just a bad scene.

So I spelled out the word "ASS" with my remaining fries and tipped him $0.01.
no no, not but ONE CENT.

You would think not grimacing and not insulting customers would be a quick way to make some extra money?

Whoa everyone, i must admit that i am pissed off that we need to be tipping people to deliver food to us. nobody tips me when i fix a mail server for 5000 users or when i get up at 5am and then work through till 9pm just to ensure that the network is running.

all i get is bitching when something doesn't work.

Why then should i tip someone else?

i have been to the states a few times and left $50 tips for a girl at Hooters who served 6 of us and it was good service, but then i have also been chased out of a restaurant by some silly cow in Boston who wanted to know why I hadn't left a tip.

Sorry but what sort of society demands that someone deserves a gratuity for doing their job??

Much better in Europe where people get tipped for doing a good job not as the norm!!!

If you 'don't get paid' if you aint getting tips get a job that pays hourly like McD's (hey I used to work in one and I KNOW they get paid hourly)

That is my rant over. Kind of reminds me of Reservoir Dogs

bkw said:

That's the way it is here, the restaurant pays their staff, not the customer. Most places don't have a service charge, those that do usually charge somewhere between 10% and 15%. Tips are always discretionary and are usually in the 10-15% range.

I think it works quite well. If you get a grumpy, rude or incompetent waiter you don't need to feel obliged to tip them well (or at all). The tip ends up being what it should be - a reflection of the level of service you received.


What I want to know is how the hell do American restauranteurs get away with only paying $2.65 an hour? Isn't there a minimum wage?

Anxiety said:

Same here. In general I tip 20%, if the server had to put up with a huge party or an obnoxiously drunk friend of mine or other unusual circumstance, I'll leave more. If the service were so bad I don't feel a tip is warranted at all I make sure to let the manager know why I didin't leave a tip. And that's happened. I didn't return to one of my favorite restaurants for years because of one bad service experience.

matt said:

Good ones! I never tip the pizza guy more than $2.00. Is that bad? Should I be tipping according to the price of the delivery? I'm close, or the same as, as all of the others that you mentioned.

AsylumUtopia said:

There is a minimum wage... somehwere around $5.50 I think. But, for servers it is usually around $2.65, because you are being tipped, which they think makes up for the difference. The majority of the time it does. When I used to work at this place I would make, roughly, anywhere from $9-$20 an hour, depending on the night... not including my wage. Other times, I could make barely $2 an hour, not including my wage. It all depends.

There are times when you get rather unruley guests, too. I've had guests ask some outrageous things of me before, very rude guests and guests who, for some reason, think they are better than you. Servers (most of them) try to be friendly, but there does come a breaking point with some. I, personally, have gotten so angry that I would finally forget about any tip that I may get and assume that I'll get nothing and return the snotty attitude right back. Of course, I've also been brought to tears by guests out of frustration.

If you can't afford to go out AND afford a decent tip, please don't go out to eat.

IAmTheTouch said:

I had to be nice. The manager of the place knew her.

Yes... the tax for servers isn't right either!

matt said:

Yeah, I thought I was a generous tipper, but I've noticed that you are generally even better about it than I am.

But the baristas. . . They aren't fast-food workers, they are making specialized, individual, fussy drinks. And putting up with us pretentious assholes who drink them. They are tipworthy. So says this Seattlite.

matt said:

your right..but im in california, and since we are the center of the universe, i stand by my statement and could care less what Mass. people pay in taxes...

Tips are not a bonus, theyre a person's wages. Servers pay taxes on their tips just like anyone else pays taxes on their wages.

Most restaraunts aren't going to include tips into their checks simply because they know there are people who refuse to tip, and wont come out to eat as much if this were implemented. As long as they get customers thats all they really care about, whether or not their staff makes any money isnt of much concern to them.

AzureStarr said:

They wouldn't get away with that over here, every worker must be paid minimum wage regardless of what they may (or may not) additionally earn through tips. Of course, they're expected to pay tax on their tips too, which is why the cash tip is king.

I have to say I find the American way very unfair. If it's a slow day or you're unfortunate enough to only serve mean bastards you end up not earning enough to eat? Why put up with that? It seems odd to have to rely on the generosity of your customers in order to get paid. It seems ludicrous that it is enshrined in legality. I don't have to pay my staff because legally I can assume that my customers will be generous enough to pay them! Whataloadacrap!

Still, that's the way it is, so, as you say, if you can't afford to pay a tip, then don't eat out.

You know what surprises me even more though - the standard of service in American restaurants. I've been to quite a few (in NY and moreso in Denver) and everyone who served me was friendly, polite, professional, and unquestioningly deserving of a hefty tip. Maintaining that high a standard while on a base wage of $2.65 an hour seems to me nothing short of miraculous. Maybe Americans just have a more positive attitude than us, or maybe you're just a friendlier bunch, but I can tell you this much. If you paid somebody here $2.65 an hour they'd have a hard time raising a smile. You'd probably get your food thrown at you with a grunt, if you even got it at all. Generally, service standards here are not the same. I've been to allegedly 'posh' restaurants here where I'd feel tempted to drag the staff by the ear, take them to a Red Lobster or Bennigans (or practically any restaurant), and say "Now watch these guys, that is how to treat a customer".

Oh, and just so you know I'm not one of those mean bastards I spoke of, when I'm in the US, I always tip 20%, or more if the service was very good, or if I'm pissed and feeling generous. (Note - Irish person speaking, so pissed means drunk, not angry).

I'm extremely generous when I'm drinking.

I've been known to tip 50% when I'm in a good mood. I feel for them having been a waitress in my younger years.

For dinner, at least 20%

Hair done, between 20% and 30%

My friends and relatives look at me weird, but I tell them that they're cheap bastards and continue to do what I want. It makes me feel good, and I believe in sharing the wealth.

More & more I'm seeing tip cups at the registers of fast food restaurants. That irritates me & I will never put any money in!

AzureStarr said:

If I were asked for a "rule," I'd say that pizza drivers should be tipped like restaurant servers; i.e., 15%-20% of the bill. Now, during my pizza days, I wouldn't have considered a $2 tip to be "bad"... but it isn't a great tip either.

I usually tip Sinatra-style (read "Big"). I look at it this way: I am one of the fortunate few who makes a very good living in this world. These people rely on gratuities to make a decent wage. It's the least I can do.