i have grat-ed a table once at my restaurant,and it turned out to be so confusing (our system is really old/confusing/sh*tty) that i swore i would never do it again..and i havent. it usually works out.

As for bartenders/bussers/hosts..the majority that i have known get paid the same as servers (the $2-$3 and change range), get tip-out from servers. not only that, but food-runners on busy nights will cost servers a few extra bucks. the most annoying thing to me that i havent really seen on this thread or the other one it branched from, is when tables are just flat out rude, run you around everytime u go to the table, then tip you 15% or LESS. I am always polite and personable to tables, and that just kills me!

The bartenders at my place cringe when they get to-go orders b/c 90% of the time they get no tip. i bartended for a little when at my last place, and i didnt really care b/c i knew i would make a good amount from my bar guests and server tip out. but still, to-go servers and bartenders do deserve it b/c they are neglecting their other duties/bar guests to serve you by getting you order together. besides, it still goes into their sales, just like a normal server, so they should get tipped.

Since I eat out a lot for work (and we are often in large parties), most of the places I've seen that auto-tip for bigger parties still include the extra tip line if you want to add more. I realize not every place does this, but the restaurants should :)

I have absolutely no problem with the automatic gratuity. Most of the time, groups that large inevitably have one person who wasn't raised right and will undertip. This way, the server doesn't get screwed.

In my experience (beach towns in Florida 10 years ago), the servers got below minimum, while the hostesses and busboys started at minimum.

I was thinking that it makes sense for bartenders to handle the to-go orders since they get a tip-out from the floor servers even when the servers didn't sell alcohol.... Then when the pick-up customers don't tip, it's made up when they get money from the floor without making drinks. But I've never served, so I don't know if it works out evenly or not and only came to that conclusion from reading these two threads!

I have always been a higher than 15% tipper - usually 25% minimum (which drives my husband insane). But I absolutely ABHOR getting auto-gratuitized. Yes, I understand completely that it is a gamble to the server who should probably err on the side of safety. I guess it just makes me feel like the server ASSUMES I am cheap and will stiff them. Oh well - guess there's nothing I can do about it.

Here's a question to the servers on here: How do you feel about people leaving you a tip of 4.37 on a 20.63 tab to make their total charge an even number? Do you really have to count out the pennies? Is it a pain in the butt? I've always figured it best for the server to leave an even dollar amount for a tip to take out of the register, but if everything is totaled up at the end of the day, maybe the 37 cents isn't that big of a crime???

The restaurant I worked at, the hostess got $5/hr (under the table), tips from waitresses not mandatory, and the busser got $2/hr(under the table) + 10% of waitresses tips. Although there was a few times when my friend was bussing that she would show me how much she got, and I KNEW the waitresses stiffed her, because I watched them count their tips. There was one waitress who would actually keep a seperate pocket, and tables she cleaned herself went into that pocket, and tables the busser cleaned went into another pocket. That's just plain rude. When one busser is working 6 waitresses who each have 7-10 tables, the busser is NOT going to get to every one of your tables. She does what she can. We only had a busser on the weekends, anyway, so it's not like the waitresses didn't know how to clean tables. I actually tipped the busser MORE than 10%, and guess what? My tables magically stayed clean, and those who were consistantly stingy with their tips had more dirty tables. Yes, I realize that creates a cycle, but if they would have tipped her fair to begin with, it wouldn't have happened like that.

To all of you who are complaining about the automatic tip: if people didn't stiff us, it wouldn't be needed. Sure it sucks sometimes, but we have to do what we have to do.

There are also definitely certain "tipping stereotypes" about different groups of people. I've always hated church groups - Christians are AWFUL tippers as a group. Plus, they always do this thing where they reserve a room or a table for 40, have 15 show up and 10 of them order water and don't tip. Then the two servers who were assigned to the supposed 40 top are screwed. Happens frequently. There are other groups too, but we won't get into that.

I know I could add more if I wanted to tip more. It is a PERSONAL DISCRETION issue for me. The auto-tip takes the control away from me in regard to determining if the service was acceptable or not. I want that control to reward based on the quality of service.

That makes sense. I didn't read your original post that way, I just read what you originally wrote (about adding more if the service was great).

I'd like to hear what servers say about people making the tip so that the total bill is an even dollar amount... i've done that a bit in the past :o

[QUOTE=Here's a question to the servers on here: How do you feel about people leaving you a tip of 4.37 on a 20.63 tab to make their total charge an even number? Do you really have to count out the pennies? Is it a pain in the butt? I've always figured it best for the server to leave an even dollar amount for a tip to take out of the register, but if everything is totaled up at the end of the day, maybe the 37 cents isn't that big of a crime???[/QUOTE]

i dont care either way

very true. i hate when i get put on a party with 2-3 other servers of 40+people and about half show up. I can handle a 35 top myself!

i work every sunday morning and i always get 15% or less from the Christian tables no matter what (not trying to offend anyone, I am a Christian myself). I joke with my very religious father that maybe Christians should follow what the Bible says and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". He replies that maybe Christians tip so low b/c they give 10% of their income to the offering, so they figure a 10% tip is fine lol.

Could it be God finds a 10% tip acceptable? OTHERWISE, those Christians must really think they got "crappy" service from him..what with all those wars, and liberals running around..........

If you left $4.45 instead of $4 and the guy next to you left $3.73 instead of $3 or $3.50, and you wait on 50 tables, it's going to add up. That could be an extra $25, easy. So, yeah, leave the extra change, rather than rounding down. Of course, if you'd rather round up, that's fine too.;)

in NC at least the auto tip can't be enforced by law...my ex is a cop and has been called to resturants because someone/group refused to pay the auto-tip, he said they are only required to pay the cost of food and tax...also when I was still in the military a large group of us were in New Orleans and got HORRIBLE service at a resturant...one of our officers is an attorney and he argued with the manger about the auto tip...I can't remember if we end paying it or not there...

I live in NY and have waitressed in Missouri as well. We always got WAY under minimum wage, usually 2-3 dollars an hour. Now usually we get a "shift" pay of around 35 dollars and at my last restaurant, we got 45-50 because we were the head servers.


It doesn't bother me much, because the last few places I worked at, they do the tips in a check (which sucks b/c we get taxed... grrr) and not cash, so it's not like you're counting out 43 cents, it usually gets rounded up if it is cash anyway.