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VeeJay
7/9/2006, 01:31 PM
I think maybe I won't be going to dinners out with my oldest daughter any more. Last night we were at Dave and Buster's. Bill was $70. $66 before tax. I throw $10 for tip on the check, and my 20 y.o., a waitress at another restaurant, was watching me like a hawk - always does. I suppose...to measure up Dad against the cheap tippers that frequent her place. She looked at me like I just stole money from the waiter's bank account or something.

The way I look at it, tipping based on a % of the total check is BS. What did this slob do for us for a $70 check that a poverty stricken waitress at Denny's wouldn't have done for a check that totalled $20? He filled up my drink glass one time and brought the food out. It ain't like he pointed out any preferred menu selections or seemed particularly interested in whether we were pleased or not.

It was the same with older step daughter, who worked at Outback. We were in Cheesecake Factory one night (WAY over-priced) and she had pulled the same stuff of inspecting how much tip I gave the waiter. Is it really any of my daughter's business how much I tip since I am picking up the whole damned check? I think not! At any rate, she pulled out a $5 bill since I had only left 15% and threw it on top of a pile of unfinished mashed potatoes.

WTF is up with restaurant people? How about if I just double the amount of the check for tip and throw in a couple of savings bonds and some gold bouillon?

royalfan5
7/9/2006, 01:33 PM
It's stuff like this is why I learned to cook.

oumartin
7/9/2006, 01:52 PM
well, my cheap*ss wife only left our waiter $5.00 on a 42.?? check yesterday after asking me how much she should leave. I told her to just round it up to $50.00. that should cover it.. She then glared at me like I was outta my mind and said "I'm only leaving 5" I asked her why she even bothered to ask me then.
People should avoid waiting on her like the plague. She is nasty and cheap...

Gandalf_The_Grey
7/9/2006, 01:59 PM
I am just saying, if you go into Denny's and spend 20$ and the waitress does a great job, keeps the glasses full, checks on us and has a good personality, I might like 10 or 15 dollars because she earned it. Now if I go to a place that charges 100$ and my glass is empty, they don't check and have horrid personalities...they might get a 1$ if they are lucky. I find that in the end between those 2 the 16% thing will even out. I just refuse to leave a big tip for someone who sucks. My paychecks rely on me getting tips....I kiss *** like it's nobody's business!!

yermom
7/9/2006, 02:36 PM
yeah, why don't they just pay the waitstaff and charge more for the meal?


$10 on $70 is a little over 14%... if you get ****ed about that as a waiter you think too much of yourself (that's $10 for one table, how many tables does one have in one hour?)

we must have gotten too soft, i mean i know people that would whine about ONLY getting 15%

bitch when you get nothing, or a $1 or change, but don't bitch because you didn't get 20%

i usually tip pretty well, but i'm not going overboard, especially if the food is pretty expensive and the service was par, or sub-par

if you are paying and they are bitching about the tip, let them leave the tip when you pay the tab ;)

crawfish
7/9/2006, 03:30 PM
This is EXACTLY the reason the wait staff always spits in your food. :D

King Crimson
7/9/2006, 03:37 PM
as a longtime kitchen vet at pretty upscale places.....i have almost nothing but contempt for waitstaff as a group. as people and individuals and sex partners, that's dif.

regardless, i tip 20% everywhere and don't worry about it. it's the price you pay to go out to eat, IMHO. i don't worry about service or my water glass. if i want something, i ask for it. worrying about and rating your server on the tip % scale detracts from the experience you are paying to have, I think.

so, I ignore them and their imbecilic banter and tip 20%.

VeeJay
7/9/2006, 03:38 PM
This is EXACTLY the reason the wait staff always spits in your food. :D

So if someone spits in my food before bringing it out, then I leave 20% or 25%, I've gotten the shaft twice....

That does it, no more tipping. And I beat the hell out of all waiters and waitresses from now on.

batonrougesooner
7/9/2006, 03:41 PM
I think a 15% tip as the OP pointed out is usually sufficient. Having waited tables myself back in the day, I usually tip at least 15%.

I think tipping is a double-edged sword. It seems ridiculous when the service is crappy, but it is my pleasure when the service has been good. It is nice to have somebody working for you with the understanding that they are working for a tip. They tend to work harder and be more attentive. In general, the harder you work, the more you get paid. This isn't always the case but it did seem to balance out well for me at least. The flip side would be the restraunt charging more inorder to pay the service staff a higher hourly rate. Ultimately I think service would suffer since the incentive for attentive service has been removed.

Plus, alot of larger and corporate restraunts make the servers "tip-out" a portion of their tips to the busboy, bar, food runner, and sometimes the kitchen. They base this on a percentage of total sales by the server, not just their tips received. So by leaving no tip or a very small tip, you are actually costing the server money. It isn't an optimal system to say the least from a worker's point of view but unfortunatley it is the reality.

If you receive service so bad you are tempted not to leave a tip, you should let the manager know of your experience. Otherwise if you just don't like the idea of tipping in general, it may help to be aware of some of these facts above.

Sooner24
7/9/2006, 03:48 PM
yeah, why don't they just pay the waitstaff and charge more for the meal?


$10 on $70 is a little over 14%... if you get ****ed about that as a waiter you think too much of yourself (that's $10 for one table, how many tables does one have in one hour?)

we must have gotten too soft, i mean i know people that would whine about ONLY getting 15%

bitch when you get nothing, or a $1 or change, but don't bitch because you didn't get 20%

i usually tip pretty well, but i'm not going overboard, especially if the food is pretty expensive and the service was par, or sub-par

if you are paying and they are bitching about the tip, let them leave the tip when you pay the tab ;)


VOILA!!!!!

BajaOklahoma
7/9/2006, 04:53 PM
if you are paying and they are bitching about the tip, let them leave the tip when you pay the tab ;)

We usually volunteer to pay to pay the tip when we go out with my f-i-l, whether we are paying or the guest. And either Mr. baj or myself has to be the last one to leave the table as we caught the f-i-l removing part of the tip one time. :mad: Cheap b$*(*&^.
And if we find out that we have a brand new waiter/waitress, we tend to leave a very large tip and make as few requests as possible.

StoopTroup
7/9/2006, 05:23 PM
I think there's a lot more to think about than the amount of the bill.

Is it a place you go to often?

Has that waiter/waitress served you before?

When sitting down to eat...if you told them you were pressed for time...did they acknowledge the information and get you in and out?

If you decide to campout at the table during the most busy time of their evening...you should tip 20% IMO.

If they act like they are doing you a favor by waiting on you...leave one dollar, make a note of who they are and go talk to the Manager. You must have good reason though.

I could go on...but the deal is this...If I decide to go out to eat...you must understand as a waiter that many people don't do it anymore because they are to lazy to fix it themselves...it's because they want to pamper either themselves or their Wife and or Children.

If you make my experience a memorable one...your tip will be 10-15%. If you don't like it...go back to school.

If you make your living as a waiter or waitress...then you should be so darn good at it...that I'd feel bad not to tip you well.

King Crimson
7/9/2006, 05:25 PM
if you are pressed for time, that's your deal as a customer. it should have nothing to do with the server or the kitchen. if they accomadate you, neato....but to have that expectation they accomodate you as such is not the way it works.

StoopTroup
7/9/2006, 05:28 PM
Oh yeah...the Dennys thing...

That wasn't a tip.

That was pity on you for having to work there.

StoopTroup
7/9/2006, 05:33 PM
if you are pressed for time, that's your deal as a customer. it should have nothing to do with the server or the kitchen. if they accomadate you, neato....but to have that expectation they accomodate you as such is not the way it works.
See that where we differ....

However if the place is packed and you had to wait to be seated...I could sum things up for myself.

If I come in early before the rush and need in and out for a particular reason and you just aren't in the mood to wait on me...here comes your dollar.

StoopTroup
7/9/2006, 05:37 PM
As customers...

I feel it's my civic duty to dollar tip the slackers that think they automatically get 15%.

If we don't then when we go out to eat...we'll just have to suck it up when we get treated like cr*p.

StoopTroup
7/9/2006, 05:41 PM
So if someone spits in my food before bringing it out, then I leave 20% or 25%, I've gotten the shaft twice....

That does it, no more tipping. And I beat the hell out of all waiters and waitresses from now on.
VeeJay...

Next time you take her out to eat and pay for everything...

As your getting up to leave and she watches you like a hawk...

Tell her to handle the tip and that your tired of her character assassination of you.

If she gets mad...tell her that that's the way it's going to be from now on if she doesn't stow it. :D

Did I mention that I can be an a****le sometimes. :D

StoopTroup
7/9/2006, 05:44 PM
I just hope I've helped my fellow humans in someway. :D

VeeJay
7/9/2006, 06:44 PM
You have, ST!

Esp. the part where I allege she's assassinated my character. That will shut her down.

StoopTroup
7/9/2006, 06:48 PM
:D

the_ouskull
7/9/2006, 07:00 PM
As someone that has spent the better part of the last 10 years living off of tips, here's my take:

http://blogs.newsok.com/index.php?blog=19

"If you're at a restaurant, part of the experience is that you have to leave money at the end of said meal based on service. It's not the waiter's fault if you only get out every 20 years and still think that 1) a $20 meal is expensive, and 2) that $1 is still a good tip. It is... for every 5 that you spend."

I agree, however, with the whole, "acting like you're lucky they're waiting on you," bit. I won't tip a bartender that is acting "too cool for school" when I order drinks. (This rarely happens nowadays as I don't really go anywhere 'new' anymore...) I figure they get enough out of being themselves. I don't need to come out of my pocket for that.

A few other things...

-- I also believe in tipping based on service moreso than as a percentage of the check, but, at the same time, Part of the service experience is based on the quality and amount of items brought to you. If you leave $10 on $50. Good for you. If you leave $10 on $100, shame on you. YOU may think that they did the same amount of work, but there's a LOT more going on with a $100 table than there is with a $50 table. You can't JUST tip across the board; $5 or $10 bucks, no matter what the check is. Otherwise, beer cart girls will offer to bl*w you at every turn, and fancy restaurant servers may try to meet you in the parking lot.

-- If you receive poor service, notify the manager. If that person is a good server who gave you a bad experience, the manager will be able to tell you. If that person is a sh*tbucket, the manger won't tell you that, but they'll know that the public is taking notice. TOO many servers / bartenders that are just absolutely sh*tty at their job AND sh*tty to work with keep their jobs because nobody ever says anything to someone who can do something about it. Ironically, the reasoning behind not saying anything is to avoid trouble.

...oh really? So the guy that just left $2 on $40 is trying to "avoid trouble?" Not so. You're just not saying anything 'cause you know that, at heart, you really ARE a cheap b*stard and there really WASN'T that big an issue with the service or food or whatever. Also, if you're the kind of person that DOES say things to management, congrats to you. If you're not, then keep leaving your sh*tty tips, but, unless you give a reason, it will just be assumed that you're a bad tipper. NOT a good reputation to get in a town like, say, Norman, which, while good-sized, is also pretty cliquey. I know that servers I've worked with always went out of their way to point out the poor tippers. Then, when those people came in again, they were treated accordingly. Now, imagine if those people had a problem the FIRST time and had said something about it. The person that got them messed with might be gone. Circular, eh?

-- The bottom line. Don't go out to eat unless you're in a mood to interact. Servers talk to their tables to establish a rapport so that, by the end of the meal, you feel like you've dined out with a buddy instead of the person assigned to your table. That is how they make their money. If you're not in the mood to deal with people, don't go out to eat. Servers aren't there for you to berate to try to make you feel better about yourself. They're also not there for you to ogle like they're a piece of meat. That's my job. Servers are there to make your dining out experience a more pleasant one... but they won't be able to do that if YOU don't try a little bit too.

the_ouskull

King Crimson
7/9/2006, 07:12 PM
. You can't JUST tip across the board;

the_ouskull

you can when you have dealt with as much lying, bull****, waitstaff false dramatics as i have in 10 years in high end kitchens. i

i don't buy the "poor waitstaff" stuff. i've worked with mexican guys who have serious culinary skills and make 70 bucks a night working their *** off doing 300 covers at high end, high pressure..... after "taxes" and watched waitstaff hoes complain about making 250$ cash for 5 hours of work. and bitch about having to "tip-out" the kitchen.

SoonerInKCMO
7/9/2006, 07:14 PM
I usually tip 30-40% because I want people to like me.

OUinFLA
7/9/2006, 07:16 PM
Eat at Burger King it solves this problem nicely.

Or my favorite ...Golden Coral all-you-can-eat buffet.

JohnnyMack
7/9/2006, 07:29 PM
regardless, i tip 20% everywhere and don't worry about it. it's the price you pay to go out to eat, IMHO. i don't worry about service or my water glass. if i want something, i ask for it. worrying about and rating your server on the tip % scale detracts from the experience you are paying to have, I think.

so, I ignore them and their imbecilic banter and tip 20%.

I disagree.

The last two times I've been to a certain restaurant where I've been going for quite a while now I've had the misfortune of having the same bad waitress each time for lunch. She's not bright, not attentive, not quick, not really that good at her job. She doesn't do a good job, she doesn't get an automatic 20% just because.

It has nothing to do with the cost of the meal, it has to do with that restaurant having a certain level of service being a given, and when you don't get it you should tip accordingly. I also agree that in this situation I should tell the owner. If it were a Cracker Barrel on the interstate I wouldn't think twice about it, but I really like this place.

MamaMia
7/9/2006, 07:33 PM
This is a fun subject at our house. :D



It was the same with older step daughter, who worked at Outback. We were in Cheesecake Factory one night (WAY over-priced) and she had pulled the same stuff of inspecting how much tip I gave the waiter. Is it really any of my daughter's business how much I tip since I am picking up the whole damned check? I think not! At any rate, she pulled out a $5 bill since I had only left 15% and threw it on top of a pile of unfinished mashed potatoes.

WTF is up with restaurant people? How about if I just double the amount of the check for tip and throw in a couple of savings bonds and some gold bouillon?
Back in the late 70s, I use to be a waitress at The Mont, as is my daughter as we speak. We were, and are, perfectly happy with a 15% tip.

My husband wanted me to add that if one of our daughters, all 3 of whom have waited tables, ever lays a 5 on top of his 10 dollar tip, he'll picked up his 10 and thanked her for leaving the tip. ;)


I usually tip 30-40% because I want people to like me.
My daughter told me to tell you that it didn't work. :P

SoonerInKCMO
7/9/2006, 08:20 PM
My daughter told me to tell you that it didn't work. :P

:(

StoopTroup
7/9/2006, 09:13 PM
The Customer is KING BABY!

I wish a waiter would come out to the parking lot.

Then He / She won't get embarrassed.

Matter of fact any of you who do this for a living...really think that would be a good idea? I can't imagine the Manager of any reastaurant allowing the waitstaff to go complain to a customer.

Tipping isn't a law...it's saying..."Hey...thanks for the service."

If I wanted to pay huge money out the rear for service I'd hire a Chef to come to the house and cook every meal.

I want a decent meal and I'd like not to have to go into the kitchen and teach the staff how to do it. If you could get the meal to me as soon as he has it ready instead of 10 minutes after he set it under a heat lamp...that would be nice.

BTW I'm not going to tip you or the Bartender for the $49.00 of Kendall-Jackson I can get for $18. I'll tip you for the meal. That's it.

Me buying the wine at $49.00 meant you didn't have to refill any drinks and you weren't even the one who topped off our water that one time. :D

I must say however...lately things seem to be pretty good when I eat out.

My tactics must be working...;)

VeeJay
7/9/2006, 09:30 PM
1. I wish a waiter would come out to the parking lot.

2. BTW I'm not going to tip you or the Bartender for the $49.00 of Kendall-Jackson I can get for $18. I'll tip you for the meal. That's it.



'Ay, Stoop, I think you're onto something there:

1. Did you see the episode of The Sopranos when the waiter chased Paulie and Christopher into the parking lot after Christopher left a $10.00 tip on a $1188 bill? It was the last tip he ever collected. :eek:

2. $49 for a jug you can pick up at Costco for $18 and change? Wow! The Pouilly Fuisse must really be pricey at your place!

MamaMia
7/9/2006, 09:49 PM
:(
Just kidding. We all adore you. :D

Gandalf_The_Grey
7/9/2006, 10:16 PM
How come i haven't been hooked up with OUSAEMom's daughter....wow I am hurt ;)

MamaMia
7/9/2006, 10:29 PM
How come i haven't been hooked up with OUSAEMom's daughter....wow I am hurt ;)I have 3 daughters, a blonde, a brunett and a red head. Its like the Petticoat Junction around here. One is taken and the other twos hearts belong to Daddy. :)

usmc-sooner
7/9/2006, 10:31 PM
One time in Norfolk, VA me and my wife (much younger version of us) go to eat at IHOP and the waitress would not wait on us because we were not black!!! It was so funny. I was like WTF am I being discriminated against?

I didn't leave her a tip.

royalfan5
7/9/2006, 10:33 PM
One time in Norfolk, VA me and my wife (much younger version of us) go to eat at IHOP and the waitress would not wait on us because we were not black!!! It was so funny. I was like WTF am I being discriminated against?

I didn't leave her a tip.
Should of went to Denny's, they had the rep for the opposite happening there.

Gandalf_The_Grey
7/9/2006, 10:34 PM
Did you write a letter to the ACLU ;)

usmc-sooner
7/9/2006, 10:41 PM
Did you write a letter to the ACLU ;)

I think we just got up and went to the Golden Corral

OUstud
7/9/2006, 10:42 PM
1. You all need to see the movie Waiting..., it is a great one. Deals some with tipping and whatnot.

2. Ever since my first date in 7th grade, Pizza Hut, when I didn't have enough money to tip and my girlfriend had to, I've been sure to tip well whenever possible. Especially at Sonic, much to the chagrin of my friends, because they make something like $2/hr. plus tips, so I try to be cool and make sure they get theirs. Also, at restaurants, I've heard servers tend to not like kids coming in because of the lack of tips/rudeness, so again, I tip well and encourage my friends to as well. Of course, if we are blown off, which has happened at a restaurant that will go unnamed (rhymes with Kuffalo Mild Dings), the tip will go down, from 20% or so to 15% or lower. I haven't really had awful servers though that wouldn't warrent even a semi-respectable tip though.

3. Also, I sometimes clean tables at a local restaurant (or cook, depends), and nothing makes me happier then seeing any kind of tip, because it isn't a place with waiters or anything and few people realize that it would be nice to at least give some pocket change.

picasso
7/9/2006, 11:23 PM
if the service is good they get 20%. if the bill is $40. they get an $8 dollar tip.
if it's really good service, I may go highaa.

Mrs. Norm
7/9/2006, 11:55 PM
True story: My in-laws went to a restaurant in OKC. My MIL left a couple of dollars on the table for a tip. Apparantly, this waiter was pretty bad. As the in-laws were walking to their car, they heard screaming. They turn around and the waiter is out their shaking their money they left him and yelling at them!!! Needless to say, they haven't been back to that particular place.

olevetonahill
7/10/2006, 12:14 AM
True storey
In 83 I was driving back towards Elk City. going thru OKC I was hot and thirsty . I stopped at a waffle house ? ( I think ) In OKC the young lady asked me if she could help me , I said yes I want a Gallon of Ice tea to go :)
I was being a smartazz , She was being GREAT :cool: . She washed out a gallon syrup jug , went to the ice machine . and filled it with Ice 1 cube at a time then put in the tea .
Then asked me if .90 cents sounded fair :eek: I said Yes, Gave her a 10 spot and said keep the change .
If You GIVE good service you get GOOD tips
If I Eat anywhere I expect good service , And I tip accordingly ;)

olevetonahill
7/10/2006, 12:17 AM
True story: My in-laws went to a restaurant in OKC. My MIL left a couple of dollars on the table for a tip. Apparantly, this waiter was pretty bad. As the in-laws were walking to their car, they heard screaming. They turn around and the waiter is out their shaking their money they left him and yelling at them!!! Needless to say, they haven't been back to that particular place.
I would have whooped his azz and took MY 2 bucks back :mad:
just sayin

soonerjoker
7/10/2006, 07:54 AM
i tip at least 20 %.

TexasLidig8r
7/10/2006, 08:10 AM
Now.. do you hillbillies base your tip on the "taxes" added to the bill?

Let's say you're at Del Friscos. You and your date de jour each have a a martini before dining, shrimp with remoulade sauce, turtle soup, a bottle of Ferrari Carano Tresor, a filet, potatoes, asparagus and a dessert. Your bill at the end of the night comes to $300.00, BUT, that pesky 8.25% tax is added on top and the bill comes to approximately $325.50.

Service is not obtrusive but not over the top good. Do you tip based on the $300 or the post tax bill of $325.00?

For the record, if the service is 5 star, I will tip 25 - 30% and will make sure the manager knows that he has a great server on staff.

crawfish
7/10/2006, 08:43 AM
I waited tables at the Steak & Ale on Western back in college...my worst table ever stiffed my on a $150 order. They were very demanding and worked my butt off, and I made no mistakes and they never acted offended or upset.

So, here's the problem: They had transferred a $40 bar tab; I had to pay a 10% tip share to the bartender, so 4 bucks. I also paid a 3% tip share on the food portion - or, $3.30. I made $2.01 an hour, and they were there two hours. So: $4.02 in, $7.30 out, nets me -$3.28. :mad:

If you're service was any good at all, leave a freaking 15% tip minimum. I've only stiffed a waiter twice, and that was because they were outright rude, hostile and incompetent.

VeeJay
7/10/2006, 09:37 AM
Mrs. VJ and I celebrated our anniversary back in April at Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach. We used a $75 gift card given to us by our daughters, and the out of pocket expense was right at $220. The tip I left was a whopping $40.00, based on the bill before tax. And yes I tipped based on the portion covered by the gift card.

I told myself the tip was excessive, but it was 15%. The waitperson was very good. I double and triple checked my math due to the champagne and bourbons consumed.

If she's doing ten tables a night, and most with more than a party of two, at $60 a table average, she's doing OK for herself.

yermom
7/10/2006, 10:12 AM
Mrs. VJ and I celebrated our anniversary back in April at Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach. We used a $75 gift card given to us by our daughters, and the out of pocket expense was right at $220. The tip I left was a whopping $40.00, based on the bill before tax. And yes I tipped based on the portion covered by the gift card.

I told myself the tip was excessive, but it was 15%. The waitperson was very good. I double and triple checked my math due to the champagne and bourbons consumed.

If she's doing ten tables a night, and most with more than a party of two, at $60 a table average, she's doing OK for herself.

Key. Lime. Pie.

i've debated having them ship me one, yes they are that good

VeeJay
7/10/2006, 11:09 AM
Key. Lime. Pie.

i've debated having them ship me one, yes they are that good

Years ago, Joe's had a chef that had his secret recipe for Key Lime Pie and wouldn't share it with anyone. He reportedly took it to the grave with him when he died in the mid-90's. They still do a killer Key Lime Pie. And yes, they do ship. It's out of season, so no stone crabs until October. But you should be able to get a pie sent your way.

This place is an institution in South FL. When the Super Bowl was here a few years ago, the Dolphins owner rented out the whole restaurant for all the owners of NFL teams - virtually shut it down for the whole night. I would imagine the tab was enormous.

http://www.joesstonecrab.com/

Enjoy, hillbilly!

yermom
7/10/2006, 11:44 AM
yeah, i know they will ship them :)

i first heard about them from a buddy of mine that had stone crabs shipped to his office from there

we went there with him before TGOWWDNS