Do you just eat it or send it back?

[Buttonz]

I always send it back. I'm paying for it, I want it the way I want.

One of the few times I don't send back something is in Friday's if I order my steak medium rare and it comes rare, I deal with it because I like rare,but I prefer medium rare lol

[AlethiaSi]

I am a waitress now, and have been in the industry for about ten years. I've worked in family style places to friendly's to top notch. If someone is nice to me, I'll go out of my way to help them, plain and simple. (I also send over a tasting plate, give a free dessert, etc if things aren't great, sometimes even if i really like the table i will) If they are being rude, have a condescending tone of voice, or don't even say thank you, it's hurtful and I have learned not to take it personally, but it still gets to me sometimes.

I have never ever done anything to anyone else's food, but I have seen it done (they were always above and beyond obnoxious for this to happen), and its usually the back of house that gets mad that the server is upset and does something about it, not the server doing it.

Either way, be nice, courteous and appreciative, and tip appropriately. I expect 20% and it is amazing how many people don't do this.
When I go out to eat, I tip a crazy amount, 20% if the service isn't even good, and 25-30% if it is.
I don't usually send back food, but I will if I just can't eat it, and I'm super nice about it, explain that i'm also a server and understand it's a pain. That usually gets good results, and sometimes some extras!

[f8nacn]

I believe being polite goes a long way when dealing with anyone. I've had my share of rude waiters/waitresses which impacted the tip they were given. Depending on the restaurant and what I ordered I will send something back. More recently, I was out with a friend of mine @ the Cheesecake Factory. I ordered a turkey burger w/ honey mustard on the side. Another waitress brought us our meal but didn't bring everything that we asked for. So after asking her for it, she brought it over (again not the original waitress). I told her the fries w/ my meal were not hot and she just said okay and walked away...never asking me if I wanted new ones or something else. Our original waitress only came to the table to bring the bill. What really made me angry is that when the manager came over to ask if everything was okay (as he was making rounds) and I told him the same thing and he just said okay and walked away. That was by far the worst manager at any restaurant that I've been to and definitely my worst experience at the Cheesecake Factory.

[SMUalphachi]

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!

[DSTCHAOS]

Working for tips sucks. Thank God I never did that.

*cue T-Pain and Kanye West*

Is the tip life better than the life I live
When I thought that I was gonna go crazzzyyyy.....

[OOhsoflyDELTA#9]

once again its par for the course/occupational hazard when you get a job that is dependent on tips...my job for instance...I work from home and my time is not monitored at all...people think its great and gravy, which most of the time it is...BUT...unless I'm on vacation, I need to be available 24/7...if at a movie, on a date, in church, whenever..3am Saturday morning or 10pm Tuesday night...it doesn't matter...I knew this when I accepted the position...so when I had to leave one of my best friend's wedding early a couple of months ago...ummm ok...such is life...I signed up, I didn't get drafted....

if I sit at a bar and wait for my to go order, I tip the bartender on what he SERVED me...

but to each his own...I would never serve 1 because I don't have the temperment for it and 2 because I like to know exactly how much money I'm making...

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by OOhsoflyDELTA#9

once again its par for the course/occupational hazard when you get a job that is dependent on tips...my job for instance...I work from home and my time is not monitored at all...people think its great and gravy, which most of the time it is...BUT...unless I'm on vacation, I need to be available 24/7...if at a movie, on a date, in church, whenever..3am Saturday morning or 10pm Tuesday night...it doesn't matter...I knew this when I accepted the position...so when I had to leave one of my best friend's wedding early a couple of months ago...ummm ok...such is life...I signed up, I didn't get drafted....

if I sit at a bar and wait for my to go order, I tip the bartender on what he SERVED me...

but to each his own...I would never serve 1 because I don't have the temperment for it and 2 because I like to know exactly how much money I'm making...

And maybe if people weren't such cheap asses and understood how to show monetary appreciation to someone who is providing them a service, then serving wouldn't be such a shitty job.

[fantASTic]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

And maybe if people weren't such cheap asses and understood how to show monetary appreciation to someone who is providing them a service, then serving wouldn't be such a shitty job.

You are so right. Tipping carry-out SHOULD be as expected as tipping a server. Having done it for quite some time, you make no money, put up with a LOT of shit, and oftentimes go waaaaay out of your way to make everyone happy. And having to tip out the bartender on sales that I did where I made NO tip makes it 10x worse, because I have to PAY to serve you. It costs me money. If you're not going to tip, make it yourself at home, because I don't feel like spending the little money that I earn on you because you're too cheap to tip.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

And maybe if people weren't such cheap asses and understood how to show monetary appreciation to someone who is providing them a service, then serving wouldn't be such a shitty job.

lol

[BabyPiNK_FL]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

And maybe if people weren't such cheap asses and understood how to show monetary appreciation to someone who is providing them a service, then serving wouldn't be such a shitty job.

Aw sister!

I've never waitressed. So I honestly wouldn't think to tip someone who brought me the bag either because all I see is that they brought the bag and I assume the chef did the work and I can't directly tip him. I don't make much either, me eating out is a treat and I wouldn't "give" money away if I really honestly don't think/know that the person did anything. I work in retail (jewelry) and I do a lot of work to make a sale (up to 30 min. and sometimes the people will buy nothing and no commission either). I work for my hourly wage (granted it's not $2.00), but it's not much at all. I can't afford to make any less and wouldn't work a job so dependent on other people. I just think that is the point she is trying to make.

I'm not trying to justify whether or not anyone should tip, but I really do see both sides of the argument. People really might not understand a lot of what goes into waiting. But at the same time, if someone doesn't feel like the service the received merited it (cos they don't really see the other side) then they feel like they are basically giving money away and they already paid for the food. (Ex. sometimes when we do an ear piercing the people are nice and offer us a tip, but the majority do not because they are already paying for the earring and know we are being paid by the company and whatever the wage happens to be is not their concern; although obviously a restaurant in most cases is different because tipping is the norm there). I guess it's because most times you just pay for what you buy (ex. in a store you buy a shirt or milk but you don't tip the stock people cos they put it there, etc.)

P.S. -just reiterating that I see both sides and I'm not endorsing tipping or not tipping so nobody be mad and have a t*tty attack like GCers are so prone to doing.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by BabyPiNK_FL

have a t*tty attack like GCers are so prone to doing.

Yeah, tell me about it. This should be a thread.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

And maybe if people weren't such cheap asses and understood how to show monetary appreciation to someone who is providing them a service, then serving wouldn't be such a shitty job.

It would still be a shitty job.

That's "in general." Many servers absolutely love what they do for a living.

They need the Server's Union to make the public more aware of the dynamics of tipping. Most of us already know it's up to 15% and that tipping is part of good etiquette and humanity. But we don't know who gets the tips in every establishment and tax stuff.

[OOhsoflyDELTA#9]

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00

And maybe if people weren't such cheap asses and understood how to show monetary appreciation to someone who is providing them a service, then serving wouldn't be such a shitty job.

I'm playing the world's smallest violin right now....

if serving is a shitty job get another one...

a lot of people that I know serve because its flexible and they say that they make decent money..I wanted more then decent money so I secured a job that affords me as such...anyone can do it...I'm far from cheap, but I'm not going to just give my money away either...bottom line cuz this horse is just about dead is we're not going to agree...I personally wouldn't attempt to support my child/household on a job that depended on tips..God bless those who do...

[DSTCHAOS]

I don't know what this thread is about anymore. So here goes:

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/employ/...mwages2006.htm

ETA: I noticed the "tipping" thread said that not all restaurant staff gets minimum wage. That sucks. Who determines whether they do get minimum wage? If they don't get minimum wage, I can see they are dependent on the tips. Oh well.

[33girl]

All this about the take-out from Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday's etc...count me as another person who never tips in that situation, and I'm not a cheapskate. I honestly had no idea wait staff had ANY hand in that, and I'm betting most of the public doesn't either. That's shitty that they're made to include that in the things they're doing - especially since the restaurants are REALLY pushing it lately.

Re the tip jars - they make me LESS likely to tip. Especially when they're at places like Subway where I know damn well the staff isn't working for tips (i.e. they're making minimum or better). It's presumptuous & intrusive.