JUST SO YOU KNOW, I’M A SHITTY TIPPER
Before the rest of his party of ten showed up, the gentleman paying the bill asked me this question, because apparently, being cheap consumed his mind;
HIM: “Do you folks charge an *18% gratuity for parties?”
ME: “Yes with parties of 8 or more we put it on the bill.”
HIM: “Is it included in the bill?!”
ME: “No. It is SUGGESTED, but you don’t have to pay it. I will just remove it from your bill.”
WHAT I WANTED TO SAY,
“You mean to tell me that a man in his 60’s who is buying his family’s meal isn’t intelligent enough to NOT bitch about the gratuity until AFTER I have served you? Basically you are telling your server you are getting LESS then a 18% tip, so don’t work to hard.”
While I gave them good service, all I could think to myself was, ‘Cheap Fuck’ and sure enough, he proved it when he gave me a 12% tip on a $175 tab.
*(personally, my goal is 20% or more, obviously, especially this time of year, 10% is the going rate, but the reason 18% is suggested is so the server gets 15% and the other 3% is paid to the support staff. Trust me, it is not some mad conspiracy to screw you over, the state legislature has done a fine job of screwing over servers for years.)
S. L. Ehrisman (c) 12/20/11
If 12% is your idea of a “cheap fuck” I’d hate to see how you react to someone who tips single digits.
I generally tip at least 15% unless the service is very, very poor (or at a place like HuHot where all the server does is bring me a drink and the check), but if I thought the server considered me cheap for tipping less than 20% or if they displayed an attitude suggesting a industry norm of 15% isn’t acceptable… I might reduce it to even less. Because I’m a dick like that – and respect goes both directions.
(Not saying this has anything to do with your situation DL… just speaking in general terms)
Does Costner know you get paid $2.10 and hour to wait on his cheap ass?
If you don’t “PLAN” on tipping 15 or 20% then just go to the buffet or stand in line for your meal.. If the service is shitty and you intended on tipping well, then talk to the manager. When I am in a family group and someone else insists on paying the tab, I always pay the tip at least or make sure it is better than expected.
This segment of the ugly table was not about tipping, it was about the ignorance of telling a server you were giving them a shitty tip before they ever served you.
The point of tipping is based on service. I start at 20% of my bill, and I eb and flow on that starting point. I don’t tip on a predetermined amount, that is silly, and I agree with the gentleman on that account. But to piss and moan about a corporate ruling and hold me hostage is juvenile. Fuck him.
In contrast – my sister, who used to be waitress has been known to plop down a $20 when she’s seated and inform the wait person that that will be their tip if they provide good service- and every time they do (a), or (b) or (c), the amount will go down by $5.
Personally, I start with double the tax rate – rounded up to the nearest whole dollar and adjust for circumstances of the whole encounter.
Thats definately got to be frustrating…personally I use a rule similar to what Rufusx mentioned. I start at 15% and leave 20% with someone good (the extra bread, chips and refills all help) and go down to 10% if the service sucks. Another thing that helps for me… my kids have that damn “tip calculator” on their cell phones so they ALWAYS remind me what the tip should be every time the check arrives at the table
Exactly. TIPS (to ensure proper service) is just that. You tip on service. This guy made it sound like he was ‘required’ to leave something no matter what. You are not. I get stiffed at least 3-4 times a week, by ‘nice’ people. You don’t have to tip, you also don’t have to wipe your ass, lets just say I put you in the same category. For example, I had a table the other night that left me a 25% tip, and when I picked up the book they told me not to take because they did not put enough in it. I opened it and looked and told them that it was plenty. A starting point is fine, but always tip on service.
I generally leave a tip of at least 15% rounded up. I remember when 10% was considered the norm. Our waiter friend made $21 on that bill. I doubt that was the only table he waited upon at the same time. We only have HIS word he is the one who says he gave great service. We do not know from the customer’s point of view whether the service was great. I hate it when the establishment puts a gratuity on the bill automatically. That tip is up to the customer, not the establishment and not up to the server. BTW, how much of your tips that are in cash do you report?
Being a bad tipper is bad form, but they will always be out there. Confirming whether a gratuity is added for large parties is not bad form. Lewis, I’m sure you’ve seen large party tables with a gratuity added on the bill. The customer doesn’t realize this and tips like he regularly does, wo the waiter gets double tipped. I don’t imagine the server goes running out in the parking lot to clarify. Point is, the guys 12% tip is tacky, but confirming the establishment’s policy on gratuity for parties over “x” is perfectly ok.
I’ll chime in too! First, I would like to suggest to this man who was grumbling about an 18% gratuity to WAIT on his family of 10 for a meal sometime, taking care of ALL THEIR wants and needs with a smile on his face and do it quickly and efficiently keeping in mind he has no control on the cook in kitchen or any support staff. I think he would have a little bit different viewpoint. Sounds like my Dad who is 87 who is still stuck in the 60’s for tipping, it’s embarassing.
“Does Costner know you get paid $2.10 and hour to wait on his cheap ass?”
Yes, and Costner also knows that the server gets whatever I leave (which as I said is generally at least 15% unless they did something horrible or simply ignored me the entire time). Thus if I go out and spend $35 on dinner for two, the server can expect at least $5.25 out of me (actually $6 since I always round up).
Since it is safe to assume I’m not the only table they are handling at that moment – I’d say their hourly wage is more than sufficient. I’m not going to be held responsible for the cheap asses that don’t tip, nor will I feel guilty for “only” tipping 10% to some server who drops off the meal and doesn’t come back for 30 minutes or who ignores the idea of a drink refill the entire meal.
I’m also not about to drag a manager out to explain why I am not going to give the full 15% or more. I’ve got better things to do that to complain to a manager on every little detail – and a good server will soon figure out if they ignore their customers, their tips will suffer. They shouldn’t need me or anyone else to explain it to them.
DL is right though – it is stupid for a guy to basically tell the server up front they are getting shafted. That is one way to almost guarantee the service is totally unexceptional. It may still be good… but it probably won’t be great.
Here is something else that bothers me though. I have some friends who used to wait tables and I have a relative who used to work the country club scene as a bartender, server, and banquet captain. I’ve seen these people treat servers as if they aren’t even people. They tip fine, but they act like the server is a robot and their comments always seem like they are demands rather than requests.
What ever happened to treating someone with respect? I don’t care if their job is to “serve” me – I am no better than they are and I don’t feel the need to talk down to them. It is their job, it is not the core of who they are.
Finally – I do understand why automatic gratuity is added to large parties. I have been involved in more than one large group where people laid down their “portion” of the tab while ignoring the tip, and I’ve seen servers get shafted because if someone forgets their ordered three drinks instead of two and they don’t lay down enough to cover it – the server is the one taking the hit in the end. I could give you specific examples of how many times I’ve seen this, so needless to say I fully support the automatic gratuity on large parties. I just keeps things civil and makes it easier on everyone.
You know my grandma always tipped good or great but she sure did give the help a hard time. “The bacon is not chrisp like I wanted”
“The coffee’s terrible”
“I like the food but I don’t like the smirk on your face”
“Why do you always put me under the fan?”
“Girley, could we get some service here? Girley – Girley”
“Well I guess I’m not going to get the extra napkins I asked for”
“Excuse me, I don’t want to sit next to those blacks”
“The food here isn’t as good as it was years ago honey(tosses spoon on plate)”
You see I memorized those as they were used more than once.
If my grandma was a racist… I wouldn’t go out to eat with grandma. At least not after the first time.
Just sayin’.
If you tip $5.25 on a $35 tab the server gets $4.20 not $5.25 because we have to give an automatic 3%. Happened the other night, a table of 4 gave me $6 on a $125 tab, on top of it, they were rude. I got to keep $2 of the tip and give the other $4 to tip share. This is why grat is added to large parties so shit like this does not happen. I don’t have a problem with the $2.13 and hour, I do however have a problem with having to pay my boss’s employees from my tips.
I have to claim 10% tips on all cash sales and 100% on all CC tips. For example if I make about $60 in tips I’m claiming around $55. Not much of a break.
I also have a term about people who pay the tab for the whole table (to show off) and fuck over the server on a lousy tip, “The Big Wheel” I would prefer a check gets split 10 ways over having the “The Big Wheel” pay. I had one guy fight tooth and nail to pay the tab and made a big scene about it, so I finally just handed it to him. He gave me $5 on a $100.
I would agree, rude people makes your job a lot tougher. If anything respect means more to a server then big tips.