Question: What are your thoughts on "tipping" waiters/waitresses?

[uafan4life]

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.

As long as it's not more than $10, right?

 

[Bamabuzzard]

As long as it's not more than $10, right?

YOU PEOPLE are killing me. DT_alc: :biggrin2:

 

[RJ YellowHammer]

Here's the deal; Tips are gratuity in a manner of speaking, but I consider it a part of the cost of my meal. For those who say "I base my tip off of the effort/service of the waiter or waitress," don't forget about all of the work that goes in to making the restaurant ready for you to eat(rolling the silverware, cleaning the tables, mopping the floors, returning the dishes, cleaning the bar,etc.) that you don't see and all of the preparation that goes on behind the scenes while your food is on its way to your table. You "effort" folks also shouldn't forget that your tip is split between every member of the front-of-house staff (bartender, bar back, expo, and bus people).

Don't forget that, if you regularly visit a place, your tip will affect the quality of service at that location. Not because the staff will know you, but because if the staff is better compensated the restaurant will be able to keep better staff, improving the service the restaurant offers.

 

[Hamilton]

I don't quite understand this, as the person you are tipping at the cleaners is not the one who got the stain out, at least not in any cleaners I have used. Tipping for services rendered is appropriate to the one who renders it, I would think.

If the person bringing me my clothes can tell me the process they used to remove an exceptionally difficult stain, and no information about the process or even the stain itself was mentioned on the tag, then they either have an exceptional memory given that they've recalled details about an article of clothing that they didn't work on, or they actually worked on it. Either way, I think they deserve a little extra. My dry cleaner usually tells me what they did to remove specific stains and shows me the formerly stained area of the garment. If they don't do that, I don't tip them because I assume they didn't get it out. Sometimes I get home and I'm pleasantly surprised, and then I figure that the person who brought me the clothes knew nothing about their condition when they came in.

 

[Bama Reb]

Here's the deal; Tips are gratuity in a manner of speaking, but I consider it a part of the cost of my meal. For those who say "I base my tip off of the effort/service of the waiter or waitress," don't forget about all of the work that goes in to making the restaurant ready for you to eat(rolling the silverware, cleaning the tables, mopping the floors, returning the dishes, cleaning the bar,etc.) that you don't see and all of the preparation that goes on behind the scenes while your food is on its way to your table. You "effort" folks also shouldn't forget that your tip is split between every member of the front-of-house staff (bartender, bar back, expo, and bus people).

Don't forget that, if you regularly visit a place, your tip will affect the quality of service at that location. Not because the staff will know you, but because if the staff is better compensated the restaurant will be able to keep better staff, improving the service the restaurant offers.

I don't think that's part of the tip, but rather just part of the restaurant business. If you don't have these things, or aren't willing to do them, you shouldn't have a restaurant in the first place.
Don't expect me to pay extra for those things I expect - no, demand- from you before I even walk through the door.

 

[Springs1]

Undercooked/overcooked food is out of my control. And it happens. The timing belts on the broiler can get messed up and it come out a little to pink, or not enough pink. I can't cut into your burger.

That's just not true that it's not in the server's control.

They can put in the order wrong such as let's say I order the steak well done, they press the medium well button or put in medium well.

Also, some foods you can notice without cutting it open if they are overcooked or undercooked such as BACON. If the customer ordered bacon crispy, unless the bacon is covered up, it is very easy to tell if it's crispy or not crispy to serve it or not. Now of course, if you aren't the server that took the order and the order was put in wrong(that means the ticket isn't correct), then I can't blame you then for not knowing, I can blame my server for putting the order in wrong in the first place.

I agree you can't cut into a steak, but I sure think if the restaurant is empty and let's say I am dining alone, I order a medium steak, it is taking a while, I would A. Notice the amount of time that I put in the order B. Notice if it would be looking as if it's burnt, it's not for sure medium, that's well done.

 

[Springs1]

it is possible that it should greatly increase your tip.

Sorry, but customers that stay long that still order throughout the entire time they are there are increasing their tip with the more stuff they are ordering, so there is no "rental fee" and even if there were, it would go to the RESTAURANT, NOT the server just as when you rent a room for a party at a restaurant. The money goes to the restaurant in that case. We don't owe more just because we are sitting there and if the service was not good, why should we care even more so? We are tipping based on SERVICE, NOT the amount of time we are there. If you don't like it, there's the door. NO ONE IS MAKING YOU BE A SERVER!!

If you have a problem and you do not inform your server, then that is your problem and not their problem. It should not affect your tip.

Yes it should. So we should have to get in ARGUMENTS with our servers? That has happened before once when I decided to tell a server what she did wrong when she was giving me and my husband very poor service. She blurted out "That's the hostess's job" when I told her one of the things that I had to ask for utensils twice. She got fired and I was GLAD I got rid of a bad server for others as well.

We shouldn't have to tell you COMMON SENSE ISSUES like if you have more than one thing on a tray for different tables to hand them out in the order in which they came in or don't take my glass so I have nothing to drink just so you can not have as much dirty dishes to deal with. Common sense issue also is not to assume such as if I am not ready for the check at dinner time let's say, you bring it without asking, you were wrong, it's common sense that if I order something else YOU assumed wrong.

So I should have to tell you every little detail? Some things are just common sense and I think it's INSANE to tell you every little thing.

If your burger/steak/whatever is over-cooked or under-cooked then that is not your server's fault.

It can be if you put in the wrong temperature into the computer or if it appears the total opposite such as a RARE or medium rare steak vs. a well done steak. Time factors should be thought of too in that sense.

As long as the server does what they can to fix the problem, then that problem should not affect your tip.

Only if the issue is NOT the server's fault.

8. Keep an eye on the clock. There is an "x" factor with regards to your tipping: time. While time should not significantly decrease your tip, it is possible that it should greatly increase your tip. Servers don't make a lot of money at a table. And they can only serve so many tables at a time. For the server, time is most definitely money. The longer you spend at a table, the higher your tip percentage should be. Some people eat slow, some people eat fast. However, as a general rule, it shouldn't take you more than half an hour to eat your food after it arrives. Add another 15 minutes if you then order dessert. If you spend longer than that at a table, you should tip more. If spend another 45 minutes at a table sitting and chatting, and your server continues to serve you even if it is just refilling drinks, then you should probably double your tip. It doesn't matter whether or not there are empty tables nearby. When it is slow, the patrons get divided up among the wait staff, and your server may only have one table. As long as your are sitting there, then you are that one table. A server typically wants to average one hour or less per table. If you sat there for two hours, then you just took up two tables worth as far as the server is concerned, unless it took you an hour to get your food. At that point, your issue should be with the kitchen and the manager, not the server.

NO, there's no rental fee for a table and it would go to the RESTAURANT if there were. That is not our issue. If the customers aren't ordering anything else, let's say they ask for the check at 7:45p.m. and you ring them up. They are still there at 8:15p.m., but you haven't actually given them ANYMORE service like refills or ANYTHING, tell me WHY should someone tip more for ZERO MORE service, huh?

Now if you give refills during that time for example, I would leave a couple of dollars more, but that's about it. It depends on if we get any more service throughout that time. Some servers once you ask for your check, they don't come by ONCE even. Do you honestly think those type deserve anymore tip?

Tips are for actual "SERVICE", NOT a rental fee for how long you sat.

 

[Springs1]

If I use a coupon or get comped anything I tip my usual percentage against what my bill would be, not what my bill ends up being. Got a Groupon for $40 of food for $20 somewhere recently. Total bill ended up like $35 with Alcohol etc so I tipped against $55 rather than $35.

For me, it depends on the service. If the reason WHY I got a comp was because of the server, it depends on HOW THEY HANDLED the problem. Did they not care or apologize and did I have to get a manager or did they? If I have a coupon, it depends on the service whether I base it on BEFORE or AFTER the coupon. If I get lousy service, I am sure as hell not going to tip on the amount before coupon. If I get excellent service, I will definitely tip BEFORE the coupon.

 

[Bama Reb]

I agree you can't cut into a steak, but I sure think if the restaurant is empty and let's say I am dining alone, I order a medium steak, it is taking a while, I would A. Notice the amount of time that I put in the order B. Notice if it would be looking as if it's burnt, it's not for sure medium, that's well done.

It shouldn't be necessary to cut into a steak. Here's a reliable 'test' to determine whether your steak is cooked to your preference:
Handy Steak Tester

 

[Bamaro]

What about tipping the owner if they are your server. I was always told that, especially in a bar, you dont tip the owner. I always do but feel a little confused doing it.

 

[RedStar]

What about tipping the owner if they are your server. I was always told that, especially in a bar, you dont tip the owner. I always do but feel a little confused doing it.

See I've always viewed a bar differently. I've always tipped the bartender, ya can't stiff them, no matter who's behind the counter.

Plus, more often than not, if you stay on the bartender's good side, you'll score the occasional free drink

 

[RedStar]

Went to a wedding in Birmingham over the weekend and ate at some nice restaurants. My wife's grandfather was there who is very, very wealthy and a self-made millionaire ate with us & paid for our meals. When it came time to tip, he left a $20 bill on the table, which was far less than what the 15% would have been for all of our meals combined. When he noticed my wife looking at the total amount compared to the tip amount he leaned in and said "You don't get rich by leaving big tips."

I've never had that mentality, but thought it was pretty interesting nonetheless.

 

[BamaInMo1]

When I lived in Palm Bay,Fl, we went to a restaurant once and the waitress walked by my table 5 times with two empty glasses on the end of the table and never once spoke to acknowledge that I would be brought another drink or anything. The place was not busy or anything so she didn't have that excuse. I think I left her a $.31 tip.

Now, if I get generally good service I am pretty generous with my tipping. I give 15% - 20% regularly. If my ticket is even say $8.00 I'll leave a $5 tip. Just don't let me go thirsty and don't bring me cold food.