Tipping

[Hopeful_Bubbles]

I can see some of the points about the auto gratuity, but having been a server in a college town at a restaurant that didn't add gratuity no matter the size of the party I often wished we would've had it. Tips in general were pretty bad there no matter how good a server you were. Even the poor tips weren't as bad as the people who come in and let their kids run all over and don't watch them.

[AlethiaSi]

I always tip 20% if not more... I'm very forgiving because even though I'm a good server, I know what it's like to be in the weeds.

Adding gratuity should be up to the server, we call it "a roll of the dice" because if you don't add it you could get really lucky or get screwed.
I usually can read my tables well enough to know that the 20% from autograt is all i'm going to get or if they'll throw down more than that.

I hate to say this, but women almost always just leave the bare basic amount, especially in groups, I had lots of them this holiday season.... Plus they are usually a huge pain in the @ss...

[scbelle]

Originally Posted by AlethiaSi

I hate to say this, but women almost always just leave the bare basic amount, especially in groups, I had lots of them this holiday season.... Plus they are usually a huge pain in the @ss...

I noticed this, too, when I was a server. I usually got the general 15% (or less, sometimes) if I was waiting on women dining together. If I had a male-female couple, I usually got between 15-20%. If I had a table of all gentlemen, I'd get a really good tip. 20-25% and above sometimes. Once I waited on the Anheuser-Busch reps who came to our restaurant and they gave me $60 on a $100 bill. I know they probably got to write it off, or were dining on the company card, but still. I wonder, though, if gender does make a difference in how a server is tipped. Will a woman-patron tip more for a male server? My hunch is probably yes.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by ZTAngel

Also, why should I have to pay 18% is the service is terrible? I had a really bad experience at a restaurant last year on my friend's b-day. The waitress was flat-out nasty. She put a bunch of items on our bill that we had never ordered and told us that we were liars when we said we had not ordered the items nor had they ever been brought to our table. When the kitchen finally told her that she was wrong, she mumbled an apology and had the manager fix our bill while she hid in the back. While those items were removed from our bill (and we got a free piece of cake....to share between 9 people), the 18% gratuity was not. It's like this waitress was being rewarded even though she was a general asshat to us.

I would have taken the bill, marked out the 18% tip, put in whatever tip (if any) I thought was appropriate, recalculated the total and handed that bill along with my credit card to the manager.

And I would hope he wanted to argue with me about it.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

And I would hope he wanted to argue with me about it.

The LAWYER would say that.

Wouldn't that be like going into battle with an unarmed person?

[fantASTic]

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.

[twinkle555]

Originally Posted by fantASTic

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.

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.

[sageofages]

Originally Posted by twinkle555

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..........

[speedsters]

i bussed for 3 years while in high school and i was paid around $5 an hour plus 10% of tips.
i preferred to split up the restaurant if i worked with another bus, so i would get tips from whatever waitresses sections i was in, instead of splitting, because the other guys i worked with slacked off, if that happened usually the waitresses would slip me a few extra bucks after splitting it because they wanted me to keep doing a good job. but by splitting the restaurant i would work with the waitresses who liked me and because they knew i was on top of their tables would tip me more.

i tip 20%, because i know what it is like to work in a restaurant, and if i pay by cash i always tip up to the dollar, but by credit card i make it an even number...

[aggieAXO]

Maybe this has been covered but I am too lazy to read through the entire thread-is it better to tip in cash?

[Cardinal026]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

Maybe this has been covered but I am too lazy to read through the entire thread-is it better to tip in cash?

I've worked in 9 restaurants, and for any of them I can say that it truly didn't matter if you left cash or not. In the rare event you had tables that paid mostly on CCs, the manager would just give you cash to make up what your tips were, so every night, you were able to leave with exactly what you made - CC and cash. So yep, just do whatever is easier for you.

[AlethiaSi]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

Maybe this has been covered but I am too lazy to read through the entire thread-is it better to tip in cash?

I've been a server for about 6 years.... and the general consensus amongst myself and my "server" friends, is that cash is better. Most recently, I've worked in restaurants where we don't get tipped out at the end of the night unless there is cash. It goes into our paycheck and we get taxed on it... So, Cash is better in my opinion but it's not a huge deal... I'd rather people focus on tipping well.

I had a table on saturday that was super fun and everything was great with them. The bill was like $550 for 6 ppl with wine, dinner, and dessert... They split the bill 3 ways, and gave me $35 each... I can't remember the exact total, but it ended up not even being 20% all together... (I didn't autograt them because I figured I'd be better off... the "roll of the dice") So, when in a large group and splitting the bill... talk about the tip and make sure it's enough! Thanks that's my PSA for today

[Fawn Liebowitz]

I have a friend from work that tips $1...always, no matter where we go or how much her bill is. I know it's none of my business, but it irritates the hell out of me anyway.

[ComradesTrue]

Okay, the To-Go thing was touched on briefly earlier, but can we re-visit that issue?

My husband and I enjoy eating out, and do tip very well when we eat in the restaurant.

But we also do the To-Go thing. We either call ahead, order at the bar, or go to the appointed area that some restaurants (Maggiano's, Chili's, Carrabas, etc) have gone to.

I do not mind tipping the person who packed my food, but 18-25% seems out of scale compared to having a waitperson in the restaurant for a 90 minute meal. The person packing my to-go order is not having to take my drink order, keep glasses full, bring out appetizers, meal and dessert separately, and remove dishes as we go along. They also do not have to set up or clean up after us. Yet, I have heard some of these individuals grumbling that they weren't left 20%.

What is the appropriate tip for someone who packs a To-Go order? This has always puzzled me.

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by Blondie93

Okay, the To-Go thing was touched on briefly earlier, but can we re-visit that issue?

My husband and I enjoy eating out, and do tip very well when we eat in the restaurant.

But we also do the To-Go thing. We either call ahead, order at the bar, or go to the appointed area that some restaurants (Maggiano's, Chili's, Carrabas, etc) have gone to.

I do not mind tipping the person who packed my food, but 18-25% seems out of scale compared to having a waitperson in the restaurant for a 90 minute meal. The person packing my to-go order is not having to take my drink order, keep glasses full, bring out appetizers, meal and dessert separately, and remove dishes as we go along. They also do not have to set up or clean up after us. Yet, I have heard some of these individuals grumbling that they weren't left 20%.

What is the appropriate tip for someone who packs a To-Go order? This has always puzzled me.

Depending on the situation, if it seemed appropriate, I might tip 10%.