A tip isn't optional - Waiting... (2005) Discussion

[–] HSJDesign 15 years ago

I just imagined the famous american anthem theme playing in the background while reading that speach. Good stuff.

Agreed with it, though I've never waited. I always leave 15% if the service is okay, and more if it's better then that.

Everybody lies

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[–] Chicago816 15 years ago

We really didn't need another thread about tipping. C'mon!

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[–] JR541 15 years ago

I smell a post that simply wanted responses. You got one from me.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?

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[–] ChinaCha0 15 years ago

All hail, BOW DOWN to the waiter God's PHILOSPHY! I swear, as the movie implied those friggin FOREIGNORS know what's up but they still choose to be a-holes about it...

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[–] Kareiyasu 15 years ago

False, tipping is completely optional unless worked into the fee (more than a group of 8 or more). It's called gratuity for a reason. Look the word up if you wish, either way tipping is completely OPTIONAL. No, I'am not hiring a person to serve me, they are WORKING, performing a task they are already getting paid for. In the end it's freedom that allows me to go to whichever restaurant I feel and not tip.

You can refuse customer's from further service but would that be good for your revenue stream? no, in fact it would be stupid. I wouldn't care if a few customer's didn't tip aslong as they kept coming to my bar/diner to keep the revenue going.

Plus you're making mountains out of mole hills, a few cusmtomer's not tipping will not ruin you or your waiters, you need to step down off your pedastal.

"One gay beer for my friend, because he's gay, and one normal beer for me, because I'm normal."

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[–] doowopfan 15 years ago

Walk out without paying a check you are stealing; walk out without tipping, it is completely legal. A tip IS optional.

I did sixty in five minutes once...

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[–] xample-1 13 years ago

You have obviously never been a server. Go back to these places that you don't tip at and see how good the service is. Where I work if I know somebody doesn't tip they get the minimum service. Why should I bust my a** when I'm getting no tip regardless?

PS: The OP hit the nail on the head when explaining that if nobody tipped, every server in America would quit until they were paid more than minimum wage. This would result in the price being INCLUDED in the price of the food. Most people don't understand this concept. TIPS = TO INSURE PROPER SERVICE

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[–] dougbrigg 11 years ago

Why can't you just do a professional job for your salary like everyone else is expected to?
What makes you so special that you feel you should be paid twice or have a customer subsidise your wages?

"Eternal is the warrior who finds beauty in his wounds"

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[–] Doc80 9 years ago

Because they are only making 2 something an hour nimrod. If you want them paid the federal minimum wage then be prepared to pay $5 more per meal.

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[–] OnlyCaleb1 9 years ago

Yes, they're making 2 dollars an hour....unless the tips don't average out to the federal minimum wage...which is something people who justify tipping conveniently leave out.

The truth is, waiters actually make more than most people at entry level jobs. The least they'll make is equal to what someone who's a cashier at McDonalds is making. They can make far more in a given night though.

No waiter has ever made 2 dollars an hour. That would be illegal, hence the term MINIMUM Wage.

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[–] Doc80 9 years ago

Yes and if that is happening then the restaurant is still going to increase prices or close down because they obviously aren't getting enough customers.

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[–] eifler121 13 years ago

Waiters work for around $2 an hour. It's legal because they are supposed to be making tips.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] ClintJCL 12 years ago

Uh no. They are paid $2/hour because minimum wage is lower for servers because they are assumed to get tips. Look it up.

-ClintJCL
http://clintjcl.wordpress.com/category/reviews/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl

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[–] kolchak-thenightstalker 15 years ago

it just so happens that I tip when I feel service was good. if service was bad i do not tip.

if the server is upset than i would certainly be happy to sit down and explain why i didn't leave a tip (i.e. my food was cold by the time you served me, service was so slow, etc.)

the word tips stands for:

T - To
I - Insure
P - Proper
S - Service

Servers have to realize that a tip is for doing a good job, for doing above and beyond. you don't get a tip for just showing up to work.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] edbelfour3 14 years ago

Not to mention the fact that you'd use "Ensure" rather than "Insure" in this case.... So it would be TEPS if the previous poster wanted to be grammatically correct about their assertion.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] bgsmith33 15 years ago

Nightstalker:

I can actually understand if you don't tip for lousy service. Being expected to give money to someone who's been treating you like s*** doesn't feel right. I would never blame a customer for not tipping if the service is bad.

Still, if a server takes your order, pours your drinks, brings you your food (and in some cases, has a hand in making it), and does it all with even a somewhat pleasant attitude, he/she deserves something for it. Maybe not the standard 18-20 percent, if you feel the server should have done something better, but to totally stiff a server for mediocre service isn't right.

--
Be prepared for the coming Zombocalypse!
3/3/14

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[–] ekillr 14 years ago

Yes, they deserve their wage, which is paid by their employer. All of that is part of their job description.

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[–] monalisa35023 14 years ago

Yes, they deserve their wage, which is paid by their employer. All of that is part of their job description.

My fiancé is a waiter and he does not get paid because he gets tips...his highest paycheck ever at his current restaurant (up scale Italian place) was $11 for 2 weeks of work. The majority of his paychecks say Void on them because he makes his wages in tips. His pay rate is about $2.36 an hour. If you do not tip your server they do NOT get paid at many places.

I do agree that if a server was bad then you should not reward them for their work but if they treat you well and provide as prompt a service as possible then you should not stiff them.

"Blinkin' fix your boobs. You look like a bleeding picasso."

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[–] StaunchWoman 13 years ago

If a waiter DEPENDS on tips, they should go above and beyond every single time. If not..... GET ANOTHER JOB!!!!!!!!!

it's quite simple actually....

We've met before, haven't we?

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[–] imdb-15906 12 years ago

"My fiancé is a waiter and he does not get paid because he gets tips...his highest paycheck ever at his current restaurant (up scale Italian place) was $11 for 2 weeks of work. The majority of his paychecks say Void on them because he makes his wages in tips. His pay rate is about $2.36 an hour."

Oh, good! A story problem! If he gets $2.36 an hour and "his highest paycheck ever" "was $11 for 2 weeks of work", then he must never have worked more than 4 hours 40 minutes in two weeks. Hardly seems like a job at all.

By the way, if this is in the US, it's a violation of Federal minimum-wage law. Something that seems to have been forgotten in the discussion so far is that (in the US in 2012), the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Employers are REQUIRED BY LAW to pay at least this much. Employee payment can include both wages paid by the employer and tips, but if the total of wages + tips is less than $7.25 per hour, the EMPLOYER IS REQUIRED BY LAW to make up the difference.
(US Department of Labor http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/q-a.htm#.UN9zXeTAfTo).

Anyone being paid less than $7.25 an hour, total, should complain to the Feds. Or join a labor union. Or both. Of course, this might result in the establishment shutting down.

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] kpddukpoki 11 years ago

wait if the food comes out cold you would stiff the server? Really because i have one question for you. Did the chef make the food or the server?? Unless the server forgot to bring your food out a good 10 minutes for the food to cool down (which given the timing, is highly unlikely for a mulititude of reasons), if the food was cold, you should seriously be mad at the restaurant and chefs, before the server!

"Servers have to realize that a tip is for doing a good job, for doing above and beyond."

This is a fallacy simply because the gov't expects most of the server's pay to come from tips. Hence why they aren't paid minimum wage like employee's from Mcdonalds. If you tipped a Subway guy more then that fit's the TIP paradigm but in a full service restaurant, the TIP paradigm is slightly different.

Another poster here said why is it that only servers are expected and have to do extremely well and in their best behavior to make such a wage? For instance, if you hire a plumber and he or she is in a sh!tty mood, and only says "Hello" and then goes on to do his work, you still pay them but when a server is in a bad mood (maybe they got in a car wreck or someone close passed away, whatever it can be the same reason as that plumber too) and says "Hello", takes said order, most people would stiff them simply because they weren't all smiles, upbeat, & pretty much above and beyond amazing??? It's really a double standard. Most people see through what it really is though. It's just all excuses to be cheap! :P

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[–] glam87 8 years ago

Food being cold is NOT the waiters fault.

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[–] starkitty78 15 years ago

To the people who think tipping is optional. In the state of Pennsylvania, min. wage for a server is $2.83 an hour. It hasn't gone up with min. wage in over 10 years. So how would you feel if you were making that much money an hour and got stiffed? I wait tables for a living. If your not going to tip, stay the hell home or go through the drive thru.

Until you have all worked waiting tables and relying on tips for a living, I think you all need to shut the hell up, because you have no clue what it is like. You'll change your tune on not tipping real quick.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] skidbubble 15 years ago

"If your not going to tip, stay the hell home or go through the drive thru."

If you are going to expect a tip, bring my meal promptly and hot, refill my coffee if it is low / empty, bring me a new clean fork if I dropped mine on the floor, bring me extra napkins if I am eating like a messy pig, and if I don't have water, ask me if I would like some. If these requests are not being met, don't expect a tip.

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[–] MagicUser197 11 years ago

You need to die, skidbubble.

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[–] InkedInBlood 11 years ago

Calm down, retard. Taking the internet seriously is the sign of a deranged mind.

I don't like the way blood money spends.

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[–] clout571 11 years ago

No, Skidbubble is absolutly right. You need to GTFO.

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[–] west-travel 14 years ago

Yeah but dude I might be poor and me living a tip is me losing money. What if I just cant afford it?

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] astronaut1 12 years ago

If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat at a restaurant.

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[–] ekillr 14 years ago

Look, you were the one that made the life choices that led to you having to wait tables at a restaurant that only pays minmum wage for a living. Should have done better in school.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] xample-1 13 years ago

I know plenty of servers with college educations. It's called a bad economy, and has nothing to do with "doing better in school." I'm so glad that most people aren't complete douchebags like you when it comes to tipping.

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[–] Samuraibro 8 years ago

Hey asswipe, someone being a waiter or a busser has nothing to do with success in school.

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] napframe 15 years ago

So let me get this straight...I need to tip for them to do their job properly. WHAT A GREAT IDEA!

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Valtiel 15 years ago

Yeah, tipping is optional.

And there are other jobs out there so don't act like its their only option.

I tip when I feel the server did a good job. And I NEVER tip on a buffet. Taking my plate and getting me a new pop doesn't get you 15% in my book. Money should go to the cooks.

I work at a golf course and occasionally help out in the snack bar when the hours are slim. Last night I did a ticket for 60 bucks and didn't get a dime. Do you hear me complain? No.

As someone said earlier. Don't expect a tip just because you did you showed up and did your job

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[–] bgsmith33 15 years ago

Do you think servers should work for free?

Servers get their money directly from customers (except the $2-3/hour wage, which isn't enough to live on). You wouldn't expect your plumber or roofer to work for free, which is essentially what you're doing to your waiter/waitress if you don't leave a tip. What makes working for you such an honor that your server should do it without pay?

The "Mr. Pink" excuse:

"I'm very sorry the government taxes their tips, that's *beep* up. That ain't my fault... Look, if you ask me to sign something that says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it, put it to a vote, I'll vote for it, but what I won't do is play ball." -Mr. Pink, Reservoir Dogs

I've heard non-tippers paraphrase this speech dozens of times, and they all fail to see where the logic falls apart. "Not playing ball," would mean not going to restaurants with table service. You don't like the way servers are paid, fine. Don't give the offending establishments your patronage. It's like joining a game of basketball--you should play by the rules of the people who were already playing, or get the hell off the court.

I get passionate about this because I hate to see my friends and family (many of whom have been servers) ripped off.

BTW, I don't know how buffets pay their servers, so I never really know how much/if I should tip. I just err on the side of caution and leave 10-15%.

--
Be prepared for the coming Zombocalypse!
3/3/14

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[–] Grotzyy 15 years ago

I love how people on here defend the stance of tipping being worthless. Is it that hard to throw down an extra 3$? People are cheap *beep* hell I tip the guy at jack in the box like 2$. Customer service is a *beep* job, I know.. people are naturally stupid and cruel.

--------
DISCO

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[–] willcoop 15 years ago

"Do you think servers should work for free?

Servers get their money directly from customers (except the $2-3/hour wage, which isn't enough to live on). You wouldn't expect your plumber or roofer to work for free, which is essentially what you're doing to your waiter/waitress if you don't leave a tip. What makes working for you such an honor that your server should do it without pay?"

I tip fairly, but if I didn't, this argument wouldn't change my mind. It's such a stupid reason to advocate tipping. I don't expect a plumber/roofer to work for free because they aren't going to. I can go to a restaurant and get a waiter to "work for free" by not tipping. In that scenario, it's the waiter's fault. If you don't want to "work for free", go get another *beep* job.

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[–] bgsmith33 15 years ago

It's not a server's fault that some a**hole decides not to tip. A person who doesn't tip is getting something (table service) without paying, by allowing the waiter to believe he'll be paid for his work. If you do that to someone in any other profession, you're breaking the law. But because of the broken payment structure in American restaurants, refusing to pay for table service (after having already enjoyed it's benefits) is perfectly legal. Still, just because you can get away with something, doesn't make it right.

If you stiff a server (without a good reason), you are, in effect, stealing from that person (not legally, but morally), because you are refusing to pay for services rendered. You won't go to jail, but you will go to Hell.

--
Be prepared for the coming Zombocalypse!
3/3/14

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[–] ekillr 14 years ago

Once again, your logic is flawed and your point is ridiculously invalid. Table service at Applebee's is not an EXTRA that I'm paying for, it's part of the service that Applebee's is selling. The server is Applebee's employee, not mine. Seriously, what you are saying is that I should have to subsidize YOUR payroll, and do it out of guilt for the way YOU are screwing YOUR employees.

Believe me, I may be going to hell, but it isn't for not tipping for what passes for service these days.

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[–] sistik 8 years ago

If i get a Handy under the table then they did a good Service and will receive a tip lol

www.youtube.com/sistik123

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[–] aeternus_proeliator 14 years ago

Because you complain about the sound, realistic logic of non-tippers (which works in the rest of the world but Americans always claim won't, for some magical reason, work there) but ignore the ridiculous fallacious reasoning that you pro-tippers come up with to justify a ridiculous system.

Even now you've simplified "waiters get paid in the price of the meal" to "durr if you don't tip then thats like asking your plumber to work for free".

You ARE paid, idiot. Come back when you actually have an argument.

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[–] ekillr 14 years ago

The big problem with your little speech is that if you really felt that passionately about it, you'd pay your servers better, so they wouldn't have to depend on tips. You're a hypocrite. As far as not going to table service restaurants, you do realize that the United States is the only place where there is a wage offset for waitstaff, right? Not allowing parity of wages is a paractice put into place by the foodservice industry, which is why so many corporate restaurant chains demand servers declare every cent of their tips. That way, they can show that they aren't paying miserly wages.

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[–] guanzilla 14 years ago

The "Mr Pink" excuse has bits that are 100% valid and 100% false.

Valid: "I got 3 words for ya 'learn to f%#%in' type'"
False: "They get paid minimum wage"

Not all states pay wait staff minimum wage and that is the problem. I'm a good tipper, but if you suck, you won't get much of anything. It takes a lot for me to think you suck though.

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[–] medmom54 15 years ago

I worked at a buffet for about two years, and trust me I was pissed off when I got stiffed. The difference between a buffet and a restaraunt is that the server will not have to take the orders but will get 2x the amount of tables. Maybe a 20% tip isn't necessary, but not tipping AT ALL is just ridiuclous. Thats great that you picked up a single table with a 60$ bill and got nothing for ONE night... try doing that every day and getting stiffed at every table. It would suck now wouldn't it?

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[–] damnMe90 13 years ago

Change jobs, start collecting cans or organize a union or whatever. What you don't do is complain at people who does not GIVE you money when they have absolutely no legal obligation to do so. The tipping service is stupid, if a waiter asked me to give him +15% here in Sweden I would laugh my a*s off. Good service by the waiter should be a part of the job, not a thing the costumer should bribe the employees into. To ensure good service to costumers? manager should fire those who doesn't give good service.

And ye, I could agree that the wages are low for waiters, but that is hardly the costumers fault.

a little bit of topic but America seems to have a thing for flawed systems that aren't being used in the rest of the world.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] astronaut1 12 years ago

I live in Denmark and can tell you the minimum wage in Sweden translates to about $15.40 an hour, I think it's more in Denmark. I think that earning between $0-£2.50 an hour waiting tables in USA warrants a tip, don't you?

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[–] aeternus_proeliator 14 years ago

Tipping should not exist. You should get minimum wage and not expect, or ever demand, a tip for basic service that isn't even remotely over the top.

But if ANYONE should get a tip...it's the cooks. They are responsible for everything great about a meal. And no amount of "fantastic waiting" is going to outweigh that part of the dining.

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[–] xample-1 13 years ago

If a server only made minimum wage they would probably quit. People that stand on the side of the road holding a sign makes minimum wage. If you were a server for even a day you would be shocked at how much abuse some people shell out because they know they can. Now say if servers made 10-12 an hour (In California minimum wage is $8) then that would be fair. The catch-22 of that is that restaurant owners would be forced to raise the price of the food, and that bad service would be more rampant because the servers get paid all the same either way.

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