Best and worst Waiters/waitresses

I have a saying regarding this.

You can't pay, don't play. In other words, stay outta the restaurant if you aren't going to tip.

 

The only time I don't tip is if the wait staff is quite rude and the service sucks.

Most every other time I tip about 25% of the bill.

 

Here's the story of my most recent 25 percent tip ...

I was at the Old Country Buffet in Gaithersburg, MD yesterday afternoon (June 20, 2010) and I noticed around me, five tables that did not tip.

In fact, one woman who was eating, the waitress came up to her and they were talking as she was readying to leave and there was NO tip left on the table. That was done right in front of the waitress.

I had forgotten folding money because I had paid by credit card when I came in. So, I asked the waitress if I can go after I get done with the meal outside to my car to get the money for her tip.

When the time came, there was a hell of a line and I was wondering how get back in the door since I did not want to wait twenty minutes to just bring in money for a tip.

She said "Don't worry about it and bring in the money next time". She knows me as a regular. BUT when I got outside to the car, I started thinking about that.

So, I grabbed a five and pushed my way past the crowds at the front door. I came up to her and she seemed embrassed. I thought it would get some sort of praise for my honesty. She took the five and I said "Give me two dollars back and the rest is your tip".

She did not seem appreciative and I ended up having to say "Thank you" to her?

What's wrong with this picture?

 

A lot. A whole lot.

 

I really have to strongly differ on pretty much this whole post (sorry). I would imagine you make more then $3 per hour, which is less then half of mininum wage by today's standards (and minimum wage is not updated very often to even remotely reflect the amount somebody needs to make to live above poverty, let alone a family).

The service you get from a waiter or waitress may determine how *much* you tip them, but you should generally always tip for the service you have recieved. I have only once in my life not tipped a waitress and it was because her friend arrived early, and she told me she wouldn't be able to serve the dessert I ordered, and nobody else was available to do so either. So here I waited for 20 minutes and was told to take a walk, and so I did.

If a waiter/waitress doesn't fill my drink frequently (and the reason does not have to do with them being very busy), I *might* tip below 20% if I left the rest of the service wasn't good as well. That almost never happens. Usually the rest of the service is very good, and I may have to ask for a drink and get it at that point, and I'll go ahead and tip around 20%.

So I don't see why somebody would communicate to a waiter of waitress that they should improve their service by not tipping them at all, as opposed to reducing the amount of the tip. If you want to send a message, tip only 10%, for instance. They might think you are cheap, but they may also think about the service they provide if they are halfway smart (or maybe think of both at the same time). If you don't tip at all, you really only communicate that you didn't have enough money to eat there in the first place. If I was a waiter, that is generally the conclusion I'd come to unless I clearly made some mistake like spilled food on them, or really dropped the ball somewhere.

Besides, if you don't tip them at all, and you aren't happy with their service, are you telling them *where* they are going to need to improve? I think this is generally an excuse to justify the saving of money at the expense of others.

 

I ate at the Golden Corral yesterday (6-22-2010) in Hanover, MD which is next to Arundel Mills Mall.

My waitress said that her every two week pay check is about fifty dollars and she depends on tips. The people that are nicely dressed and are pleasant with her, talking to her, making jokes sometimes do not leave tips. She finds it shocking to come back to a table where she thought she gave them good service and did not find a tip from people who looked like they could afford it.

She's had a floor manager chase down a group of thirty diners who did not leave a tip and ask them why they did not leave one.

There are signs around that says tipping is a sign of good service but apparently that does not generate into more tips from the diners.

 

I skipped a tip once and only once in my time on the road. It was on I76 up in PA at that, USA or Eagle something truckstop. This was in 2008 or 9, It has all kinds of parking. Anyway I didn't want the Buffet or special but the waitress was rude and kept pushing it on me. It wasn't packed and I don't guess they were running behind so i agreed for the Buffet and went back to it. it was only hotdogs, baked beens, greasy fries, hamburger patties, and no salad. It was like $12 to. I got a hotdog and fries and couldn't choke it down because it was nasty. I was really pissed knowing I had just paid $12 bucks for a hotdog and fries with a large Pepsi that wasn't worth five bucks. She came back with my check and asked me to move because she needed the table, there were other tables open. So i moved to the counter. I asked for a check and she handed me one, IO tried to hand her some money but she barked pay at the counter. I got up and made a complaint about the quailty of the food and service to the counter. Some 20 something idiot told me it happens all the time and we are not refunding money to anyone, so i paid the $12 and walked right by the waitress without leaving a tip.

I wouldn't eat there again if it was a free meal and not only do I not regret leaving a Tip, I wish I could have regergitated the food and left it in the dinning room before I left the building.

 

If you are a decent waiter, in a decent restaurant, you probably WOULD make more money than you do trucking. But then look at all the snotty customers you would have to put up with!

As far as percentage of tip, the last time I checked with some of my friends in the business, it was on average, 10% for breakfast and lunch, and 15% for dinner. This was the norm. Extra good food/service got better, sometimes MUCH better, and less than good food/service got less.

In this economy, EVERYONE seems to be hurting. And it reflects on all service industries as well.

But don't worry folks, according to the media and the government the recession is over, and things are on their way back.

From where I sit, it DOES look like the recession is "over" and we are on our way back to the depression era of the 1930's. Or worse.