They are held to those standards by the CUSTOMERS. You expect the service to be on par with the amount of money youre spending.
I think what he meant was that if it was structured where the restaurant owners simply paid them a traditional hourly rate the current prices we do pay would be higher. I don't think it was meant that they actually "reduce" the price of the food. We all know that's not true.
I just want to make two quick points:
1. TIPS doesn't come from any acronym meaning "to insure prompt service" that is an urban legend. Here is a link about the legend.
2. I stick to what many here have said, if you can't afford to tip at least 20% of your bill at the restaurant then you would be better off not eating there IMO.
I served and bartended and I have been stiffed before as well and yes it sucks to actually pay to wait on a table. I didn't realize so many people were against the entire practice of tipping until I ran across the thread. I am really amazed by that. Not saying anything bad about anyone, doesn't make you a bad person, just a bad table to wait on. I just never realized that some people had such a hardline stance on tipping. I assumed people were either just jerks or they didn't know any better. Now I know. At least the Army always pays me.
You would think since wait staffs at higher end restaurants get less traffic than lower end they'd be less arrogant and a lot more friendly. But I'm sure they've gotten used to people basing their tip amount from ticket total. Do the same quality of work but get higher tips due to higher ticket prices. Imagine that.As as aside. I've noticed that the wait staff at some of these really high-end places tend to be arrogant/snotty/aloof. As if they've waited on so many millionaires (who probably tip handily).
My wife asked for the house pinot at one of these restaurants, and the waiter huffed, "Ma'am, we don't have a house pinot."
She knew what was my knee-jerk response ("Well, eff you then.") so she shot me that "Don't do it!" look.
:biggrin2:
This paragraph nails it. It's what I've been trying to say, but obviously couldn't. +1 indeed.
I woulda started referring to him as "boy" and started snapping my fingers in the air when I wanted something - like Paulie did on The Sopranos.As as aside. I've noticed that the wait staff at some of these really high-end places tend to be arrogant/snotty/aloof. As if they've waited on so many millionaires (who probably tip handily).
My wife asked for the house pinot at one of these restaurants, and the waiter huffed, "Ma'am, we don't have a house pinot."
She knew what was my knee-jerk response ("Well, eff you then.") so she shot me that "Don't do it!" look.
Agreed. I tip the customary 15%, sometimes more for exceptional service. Don't tell me I shouldn't eat out because I'm not doing 20%. This goes back to my statement that too many servers think they have earned a tip before they've done anything to earn it. If you want 20%, you better go above and beyond the typical service, more then just showing up.
I totally get your perspective and even agree with it to some degree. However, I actually get more liberal with my tipping as restaurants move up the high-endedness scale. I'm already spending a good bit of money, so as long as the service is exceptional, I'll tend to tip much more than 20%. The menus at such restaurants tend to be far more complicated than those at Applebee's and Chili's and more complicated to explain and offer up recommendations as a result. Plus, it seems far more common these days for the servers at high-end restaurants to also serve as sommeliers of sorts. I personally think that the value of the service at a high-end restaurant is far greater than the service at an Applebee's or Chili's -- the service is much less transactional and much more consultative in my opinion.
Very interesting. For a brief interval, my daughter was an hostess at Olive Garden (thank god she moved on to becoming a successful international lawyer). I went in with a friend to eat lunch and left a cash tip. Not knowing the relationship, our server complained to her that I'd stiffed her. Knowing better, Rachel responded that I was her dad and she knew I never stiffed anyone. They did a sting operation and caught the busser stealing tips. The lesson is that the wait staff doesn't always know what you're leaving...I stated before that my family's legacy on dining out is to stiff the wait staff. Stiff the Staff, if you will.
My grandfather on my Mom's side was also a legendary cheapskate. During the Great Depression, there must have been NO tipping at all, and that carried over for the next 70 years, I suppose.
My oldest daughter was a hostess and server at a restaurant called Up The Creek - first job she had. When my grandparents snuffed out this information, they began going there after church every Sunday - to see their great granddaughter, but knowing them, thinking they would get a discount in addition oto the Senior Discount.
After a few weeks, everybody in the restaurant knew who they were. My grandparents would pay the bill in cash. If it was $19.85, they'd pay with a $20 and leave the $0.15 as a tip. It got to where my daughter was embarrassed - when they came in, whoever was assigned to their table, they'd go up to my daughter and say "I know it's your grandparents, but I don't want to wait on them."
To the restaurant folks here, do you notice people in their 80's and 90's are a little more frugal with their tipping generosity?
Which is why I try to make sure to hand the waiter/waitress my tip directly. I hate it when I leave a tip and the busboy (or another customer) picks up my tip.
^^^ +1^^^ Amen. .Bamabuzzard said:
It seems you tip in the same range that I do. Though I do not go by the ticket amount my tips range from $3-$10 with $10 being about as high as I'll go.
We always hit happy hour at local pubs on Friday. Half-price drinks and appetizers. I tip really well on those outings. Drinks and pub food rarely totals more than $20. I'd be a total arse if I didn't tip well. At those places, the bartenders and servers are busting it to keep folks supplied with food and beverages.
I'll agree here. One of my wife and mine's favorite restaurant is setup a lot like a pub. You can sit in the bar area and order from menu, drink, watch tv and shoot the bull with the bartenders. Those guys in that area bust there humps and hustle it constantly. I normally drop some extra coin on them as well.
