New min wage and tipping

[TeeJay]

A server at Denny's can work a table for 4 and have a $50 bill. Tip? Maybe $8-10.
A server at the Keg working a table for 4 can have a $250 bill. Tip? Maybe $40-50.

An even worse example

You go to the Keg with your wife & 3 kids
You + wife order a regular meal and each kid gets a smaller portion
You call server over multiple times to refill kids waters and your rugrats make a general mess of the place

I walk in, order a smaller lunchtime meal + alcohol
Eat fairly quick then back to work
Yet somehow my % tip is expected to be higher in that scenario?

Insanity

(Although in neither situation would I ever tip in reality)

 

[black booty lover]

Silly of them to expect it

This statement shows just how mindless you are about it. They expect it because your supposed to, which is why it shouldn't even be an option and put right into the price so guys like you can't do that to them.

 

[Occasionally]

An even worse example

You go to the Keg with your wife & 3 kids
You + wife order a regular meal and each kid gets a smaller portion
You call server over multiple times to refill kids waters and your rugrats make a general mess of the place

I walk in, order a smaller lunchtime meal + alcohol
Eat fairly quick then back to work
Yet somehow my % tip is expected to be higher in that scenario?

Insanity

(Although in neither situation would I ever tip in reality)

The thing about tipping a higher amount due to a higher bill doesn't make sense. Not just because the person is doing the same amount of work, but in every full service I've eaten at.... let's say bottom tier is Denny's or East Side Marios's, mid range is The Keg, and high end is one of those steak places where they show you your choice of cut on a platter (there was a great place in the US I had... forget its name but it was in Green Bay I think as I remember posters of Lambeau Field), I'd say that the overall service at every place is generally pretty similar and good most of the time. Friendly service, the food is correct 99% of the time, paying the bill is fine etc....

It's not like the service at The Keg is any better than eating a burger at Jack Astors, nor have I found the service at a high end steakhouse better than Keg..... ok, they brought over a big platter and showed me cuts of meat. Big deal. Ever eaten at a diner where you sit down and they take your order and eat a plate of souvlaki with potatoes? A greasy spoon place. I've found the old ladies working the place just as friendly and fast as any other place.

Yet because my food bill at a diner or Jacks is $20, but a high end steakhouse $100+, the server expects 5x the tips?

Pretty dumb expectations. But that's the tipping culture here. it's not like the server at a high end place is doing a 5x better job or is a 5x better person.

 

[TeeJay]

It's not like the service at The Keg is any better than eating a burger at Jack Astors, nor have I found the service at a high end steakhouse better than Keg..... ok, they brought over a big platter and showed me cuts of meat. Big deal. Ever eaten at a diner where you sit down and they take your order and eat a plate of souvlaki with potatoes? A greasy spoon place. I've found the old ladies working the place just as friendly and fast as any other place.

There's a truck stop place in Mississauga (name escapes me at the moment) where they have better steak & shrimp than any of the chain steak places I ever saw in my life (eg Keg)
From the outside I bet most people would never even try somewhere like that

 

[TeeJay]

This statement shows just how mindless you are about it. They expect it because your supposed to, which is why it shouldn't even be an option and put right into the price so guys like you can't do that to them.

I actually saw a sushi place where they had a 10% tip built into the bill once
I sent the bill back and told them fix it or I would not pay it
Manager said because so few tips lol

And no response yet as to why a tip should be a % of the bill?
In that illogic a server would be better served trying to work at a place with a more expensive menu?

Oh so here is another example; if you are in a "classy" place and your server looks like a whore (tats, piercings, poor clothes choices) should they be punished tip wise for poor dress choices?

 

[Occasionally]

I actually saw a sushi place where they had a 10% tip built into the bill once
I sent the bill back and told them fix it or I would not pay it
Manager said because so few tips lol

And no response yet as to why a tip should be a % of the bill?
In that illogic a server would be better served trying to work at a place with a more expensive menu?

Oh so here is another example; if you are in a "classy" place and your server looks like a whore (tats, piercings, poor clothes choices) should they be punished tip wise for poor dress choices?

Here's some more dumb rationale:

Typical response from a waiter wanting more tips:
- I get paid low wages because the boss is cheap..... so I want you customers to pay me instead
- I want you to tip me for good service..... but the larger your bill is, the more I want even though it may have zero correlation to how much effort I put in
- I don't want you to ding me tip because the bathrooms are bad, or the food is lousy in this cruddy hole. I'm not a cook or cleaner..... but if I work in a nicer place with fancier food, I want more tips even though in this restaurant I don't cook or clean
- I get paid a few bucks less than minimum wage, so going solely by that metric, I'm poor..... but if you add in tips, especially under the table cash tips, my wages averaged out per hour is probably at least $20/hr
- I should get at least 15% tip..... but it's actually more like 17% I want from you because most people tip based on the final amount that includes tax. So keep it that way and I won't bring it up that tip should apply to the food bill, not food + tax total
- If you can afford buying a pricey meal, I want more tips because it looks like you can afford it. So don't be Scrooge
- If I bring you a glass of water, I expect no tips. If I bring you a glass of Coke, I should get maybe $0.50. If I bring a glass of wine, I should get $1.00 or so. Same effort, same task, but I want more tips for things like a glass of wine

 

[ets2361]

I actually saw a sushi place where they had a 10% tip built into the bill once
I sent the bill back and told them fix it or I would not pay it
Manager said because so few tips lol

And no response yet as to why a tip should be a % of the bill?
In that illogic a server would be better served trying to work at a place with a more expensive menu?

Oh so here is another example; if you are in a "classy" place and your server looks like a whore (tats, piercings, poor clothes choices) should they be punished tip wise for poor dress choices?

There used to be many restaurants (especially high end 4 and 5 star establishments) that use to add a 15% service charge to all bills. There would be a notation at the bottom of the menu in very small print supposedly informing you of this service charge (aka tip). Not sure if this practice is still done by many establishments as there were quite a few lawsuits over this practice in the US. As a server though I always wonder when restaurants did this what percentage of the service charge went to the server and what percentage went to the establishment itself.

 

[Butler1000]

What I find the most interesting about the comments here partially shows how service levels have dipped.

I spent several years on various restaurant floors. From cheap bars to full French service dining. Slingin wings and beer to making salad or the flambe right at the table.

And really good service has dropped over the years. Partly due to a the lowering of expectations and turn and burn mentality in chains. When I started you were expected to be able to take care of 6-8 tables maybe 20 people with deuces and 4 tops. And have product knowledge where if someone ordered a martini you could rhyme off the gin or vodka choices(also to upsell) know all the specials. And the ingredients in them. As well as have enough wine knowledge to recommend.

Now they have 3 table sections, and some are still lost, and have to run to the bar and kitchen to find out if they carry Chopin vodka or the soup of the day.

But most of all beyond the order the guest would not have really had to ask for anything because it would have been anticipated.

But on the other end the nature of dining has changed. Dress codes are gone, kids running without manners, phones at tables(lord I hate to see them). And generally people just don't care to have a dining experience. Just eat and go.

The chains really did in a lot of what made dining out a treat as opposed to an everyday thing.

Anyway I actually prefer my own cooking to the oversalted crap they serve and reserve my dining budget for occasional top end meals where the service is still worth it and the food as well. The rest goes into top choice food I can make at home.

Tipping does work because of the Acronym it is....To Insure Prompt Service.

But I agree the level is to high at 20% as a standard. Not what you are getting in most places anyway. But that is as much due to the lowered expectations of society now as the raised expectations of wait staff.

 

[Brill]

Tipping does work because of the Acronym it is....To Insure Prompt Service.

Snopes says this acronym is false.

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp

 

[Jasmine Raine]

What I find the most interesting about the comments here partially shows how service levels have dipped.

Service overall has gone down in my opinion.

I am an expereinced diner, I would say. I go out often enough that I close my menu and put to the end of the table when I am ready to order. Finished plates are always put to the end of the table when finished as well. Like for apps/starters, salads etc. The plates you want taken away during your meal. Close to empty glasses at the end of the table as well, so wait staff can easily see the drink is getting low and needs a refill.

I absolutely hate having my drink empty. It is a big pet peeve. I use to base my tips on that. If it was fully empty once, I would take a couple % off. Sadly, now it happens so much that if I based my tipping on that, I would be be giving no tip. I find that because I don't drink alcohol, only pop or water, I get less service on the drinks. I guess because of the price difference, they are not as worried about the pop as they would be about wine or beer.

It will be interesting to see what happens in restaurants when the wage is changed, and I have no problem admitting that I will be rethinking my personal tipping policy once that happens. I don't know if I will change it, but I will be reevaluating.

 

[Butler1000]

Snopes says this acronym is false.

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp

Sorry what I meant was when some Human Resources director came up with the Acronym for some seminar to pitch to the staff. The word itself is a lot older.

 

[happ]

If you don't have the money to tip your server 15-20% don't go out to eat.

I don't except when I'm in countries where wait staff aren't expecting. Why dont you cum along dear next time I fly out. There's room for two.

 

[eternalbachelor]

I don't except when I'm in countries where wait staff aren't expecting. Why dont you cum along dear next time I fly out. There's room for two.

And girls just love the guy who doesn't tip or otherwise mistreats waiters

 

[happ]

And girls just love the guy who doesn't tip or otherwise mistreats waiters

You watch too many rap videos

 

[fuji]

You watch too many rap videos

No he actually knows women.

 

[Butler1000]

And girls just love the guy who doesn't tip or otherwise mistreats waiters

I'm assuming sarcasm here.

Because as a former server the rude ones with a girl, well, I could afford to lose a tip here and there for an "accidently" spilt Virgin Ceaser.

Hey shit happens.

 

[eternalbachelor]

I'm assuming sarcasm here.

Because as a former server the rude ones with a girl, well, I could afford to lose a tip here and there for an "accidently" spilt Virgin Ceaser.

Hey shit happens.

my buddy once didn't give a tip to a street hustler in cuba. next day buddy was sitting in a cafe with two beautiful Dutch tourist civvies who he just met and everything was going well. The hustler walks in, approaches my buddy and the girls and says very clearly and loudly "hey how did you like the prostitute from yesterday?"

I think my buddy would give good money if it was "accidently" spilt Virgin Ceasar instead. And he tips religiously since then, and generally treats people below him decently.

 

[OnTheWayOut]

There used to be many restaurants (especially high end 4 and 5 star establishments) that use to add a 15% service charge to all bills. There would be a notation at the bottom of the menu in very small print supposedly informing you of this service charge (aka tip). Not sure if this practice is still done by many establishments as there were quite a few lawsuits over this practice in the US. As a server though I always wonder when restaurants did this what percentage of the service charge went to the server and what percentage went to the establishment itself.

I encountered this very thing and when paying by credit card there was STILL a blank line beneath the total bill to add a tip. If you hadn't noticed that the "tip" was built into the bill some folks were actually double tipping, quite a nice scam.

But when a "tip" becomes a normal part of the bill it is no longer a tip and defeats the whole premise. I reserve the right to not tip, or poorly tip, for bad service. Just as I reserve the right to tip generously for great service. When it's automatically added to a bill I agree that bill needs to be sent back and fixed. And if I did get great service my server would get it in cash.

 

[happ]

No he actually knows women.

like you've travelled all over the world with your rubber ducky

 

[black booty lover]

my buddy once didn't give a tip to a street hustler in cuba. next day buddy was sitting in a cafe with two beautiful Dutch tourist civvies who he just met and everything was going well. The hustler walks in, approaches my buddy and the girls and says very clearly and loudly "hey how did you like the prostitute from yesterday?"

I think my buddy would give good money if it was "accidently" spilt Virgin Ceasar instead. And he tips religiously since then, and generally treats people below him decently.

Hopefully things like this start happening to CheapJay. Sorry, I mean TeeJay.