yea i was surprised to hear that servers get taxed, but i have never claimed all my tips, i usually claim about 1/4 of them when i clock out. Its better to leave cash as a tip b/c its less we have to claim..or something like that. My boyfriend worked at a restaurant that made you claim all your credit card tips (if you didnt., you wouldnt be able to clock out!)

As for me, i have never sent anything back. Luckily, i have never had a huge problem where i would have to.I dont mind taking something back if it is cooked way wrong or has something in it my customer is allergic too. Its funny when i get a table that gets a burger and doesnt realize we put lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on it (unless otherwise stated), and they pull the "ohhh, i dont like onions.." and hand it back to me. honestly, what do u think the cook is gonna do in the back? he is just gonna pick them off and depending on if it had cheese or not, maybe throw it back on the grill for 2 (literally) seconds. Save me the trip and trouble and take them off yourself :p

Not going back and quoting, but 18% is NOT the minimum tip I consider acceptable, and I've worked in a restaurant. 15% is just fine.

And if a server screws up (and I mean royally), I don't really care that they're expected to report a tip for my bill, they're getting nothing. Tips are for service provided, not because servers have to claim them.

That said, the vast majority of people get 20% rounded up from me. And I give my boyfriend crap about how he needs to tip more if he's paying.

Exactly-I always tip better than 15%, but that doesn't mean I have to do so. I'm certainly not going to tip with money if the service is bad. I might give them a tip--like learn how to do your job. :rolleyes:

It all depends on the service for me. Piss poor tip for piss poor service. Average tip for average service. Great tip for great service. It's not rocket science.

ETA: I don't know why, but this posted twice.^^^^

Of course not. :)

I was talking about credit card tips... although they are SUPPOSED to claim their cash tips too, I've never heard of a server at any restaurant claiming them.

I thought Michigan has a standard server minimum wage and it's 2.65?

Yeah.. I thought she meant that servers make the "real" minimum wage, and if they only get $2.65, then that's like a 1/3 of the minimum wage. I would hope they'd get at least $5 an hour in tips though.

How can I, the consumer, educate myself, though? I mean, really? It doesn't matter what the sanitation score says; you're right, that's just one day, and who knows what they do the other 364? But if I can't walk through the kitchen and check that separate cutting boards are used for meat and greens, make sure there aren't dirty dishrags in the food sinks, and inspect under the employees' fingernails, how else am I supposed to educate myself?I was at a restaurant in Pearl Ridge a couple of months ago and went to the bathroom while my friends and I were waiting to be seated. Another girl and I came out of our stalls at the same time and started to wash our hands in the sinks and then saw a server come out of a stall and walk right out without washing her hands. The other girl and I just stared at each other, and then I said, "I hope she's not my server." I scanned the floor when we got out to our table and didn't see her anywhere, so I guess she went home. Still, if I had seen her waiting tables, I would have grabbed a manager and ratted her out. I'm sure everyone's skipped handwashing once or twice, but when you're serving other people's food, you should at least try to be sanitary.

In the view of our Federal Government, they decided to tax tips at a rate that they could collect and charge.

I am a firm beleiver that a server can make or break a eating place!

Act like a biotch or s o b, no tip and never go back! Oops out of job and business!

When I was 16, I worked at a fast food restaurant as a cashier. I quit because the conditions of the kitchen grossed me out and I couldn't deal with it anymore. Not to paint all fast food places with the same brush, but I hardly ever go to fast food places because of that. I'm sure that not all restaurants (that aren't fast food) are pristine, but like KKC said, how are the consumers supposed to know?

whoever said tip on to go orders is smoking something good....if I walk inside and get it to go why would I tip?? I will give a buck or two for the curbside pickup but thats about it...when dining in, I usually double my tax and add a dollar...that makes it more then 15%...

1. The server still gets taxed on it.

2. You order soup, salad, or a dessert. BESIDES the other tables that a server has, they are most likely working on your order as well... which means boxing things up instead of bringing it out to a table.

3. Do you think you order the food and it just magically appears put together? Someone is still providing a service for you.

You walked inside a restaurant to pick up your food... you're also walking inside to go sit down and eat.

ummm maybe we're talking about different to go orders...I mean I'm home, I call where ever, I drive to get my food, pick it up from the bar, the hostess stand, have them bring it to the car..whatever the drill is for that place...I don't tip like I had the meal there in the resturant...if someone brings it to my car I will give them a couple of bucks...kinda like the pizza guy....why would I tip 15+% for that???

I've been serving for three years now and I've been working in food service for a little longer than that. I've worked at two family-owned Italian restaurants and am now working at a corporate casual dining chain that I have been at for two years.

I get paid $2.13 an hour, but my paychecks are usually $0.00 because of tax. I do claim all of my tips because servers are very likely to get checked by the IRS and I don't want anything to happen to me! However, I have never NOT made at least $5.15 an hour, even on slow days with bad tippers. This is mostly because I'm good at my job and my tip average is usually between 18-22%. At my casual chain restaurant when I'm working to-go orders, I'm also taking tables and they are suffering from limited service while I am also working on to-go... I'm still getting paid $2.13 an hour for this, so tipping on to-go is incredibly important - it can make or break a night for me. And when you're sitting at my table and you don't tip me, I am PAYING out of my own personal money to serve you. And believe me, that is not how I prefer to spend my money. I have to tip out bar and bus depending on my sales - not on my tips. This includes if I have a table that did not order alcoholic drinks and even if I clean the table instead of the busser.

That being said, the job does provide good money for me because I have high sales and I generally make good tips. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't make money. Still, I have lost most of my faith in the goodness of human beings because some people are so rude and unpleasant... I'm here to make your day better. Sit back, relax, and please be pleasant to me like I am to you. I know many people like to think otherwise, but my life is not some big conspiracy theory to ruin your experience in our restaurant. I had a table that had a bad experience last night (though this particular one wasn't my fault) and I still feel guilty about it the next day. I like this job because I like to make people happy.

I would never hesitate to send food back in a restaurant. I never get angry if somebody sends food back to me if it is not prepared correctly. YOU are paying for your meal and you should be 100% happy with it. That is what restaurants are for! On the other hand, please don't send something back just because you changed your mind after you ordered or want a free meal. This one woman complained yesterday how awful her meal was - after she ate 90% of it!!! She asked for a box to take the rest home... go figure. Somebody overheard her laughing about how she can always get free meals. Classy.

Last thing - I've never seen ANYBODY tamper with food. That is gross and unacceptable. I'm not saying it doesn't ever happen, I'm simply saying that I have never personally seen it at any of the restaurants I have worked at and that it must be incredibly rare. And you can bet that if I saw a coworker walk out of the restaurant without washing their hands, I would freak out. The vast majority of us do care about your health, I promise!