Tipping a server

[flames_1987]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

I feel that a room service coke is about as lazy as it gets and the hotels know that. If you really want to be served Coke in bed then they will charge you 9$ for the privilege. Most mid range hotels have pop machines or a small store with reasonable prices if you can walk to the elevator. For the ones that don't you should play really cheap and call a pizza place and ask them how much to deliver a coke to your room, it will probably be cheaper.

It needs to be stated again for the ignorance that was shown there, that the employee delivering the food is seeing nothing extra because of those charges. That is money the hotel is getting. Nothing at all to do with a "tipping" culture.

[GP_Matt]

My personal theory on tipping is that you should tip people who do something for you that you could do yourself but choose not to. Those are generally the jobs where the employees are most vulnerable to low wages and poor conditions. If most people can do the work then the employee has very little bargaining power. I am not trying to imply that they have no talent, just that a cheap manager can always find someone who will work for cheaper.
With my philosophy, if you don't want to tip just do the work yourself but if you are going to hire someone to make your bed or clear your food you should be tipping them. The value of the tip will depend on the service of course but the only time I remember not leaving a tip was after an evening of terrible service that we cut short after complaining to the manager. I still have never been back to that restaurant even though we don't even have that many in town.

[albertGQ]

If tipping was banned, I would not have a PT job. There is no way I'd serve even if they increased my wage by 100%.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHowDoO'duya

I know it was on the menu, like I said I just think its a sign of what is wrong with the entire tipping culture.

Using your logic, why not just add 18% to all bills for tips, afterall couldnt you lose money on any table using that model? whats the difference of 3 tables with 3 people each or putting those three tables together to make it a party of 9?

One of times that really aggravated me. I ordered room service at a hotel, not only did I pay a ridiculas price for the food ($4.00 for a coke), they charged a service fee AND a $3.00 delivery fee. Isnt the delivery component part of the $4.00 I paid for a can of coke?

the hotel basically stole the tip from the attendant, why should I pay 3 times to have it delivered (service fee, delivery fee and tip)?

The 18% auto grat. is because when you have a large table, you usually get other tables in your section taken away so you can focus more on the large table and larger tables don't turn over as quickly as possible. Large groups tend to sit around and talk, long after the meal is finished, whereas small groups eat and leave. Large groups are often special occasion get togethers, while small groups are usually there on dates or simply to eat. Yes there are exceptions, but there is a huge difference between three tables of three and one table of nine. The 18% will compensate the server from losing their regular section for an abnormal group. They don't auto grat. every table, so that customers have some say in the process and the industry norms that have been accepted. It also allows the good servers to make more and the bad servers to make less.

When the total starts getting large, people stop tipping by percentage and start tipping by a dollar amount. If you have an $800 total and you tip $50, it may seem like you are giving the server $50, but really you are giving them 6.25%. When they tip out 5% of their sales, you are really leaving them with about $10 for a couple hours worth of work.

As for room service, if you knew the rules. It's a lazy tax. If you don't want to pay the steep prices, walk yourself down to the 7-11 and buy a pop for $1. Don't complain about it after the fact. I'm not sure if you sound like the guy who ordered the Blizzard and walked out when he found out it was $6 or the guy who complained about pop being more expensive in a liquor store.

[JohnnyHowDoO'duya]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

I feel that a room service coke is about as lazy as it gets and the hotels know that. If you really want to be served Coke in bed then they will charge you 9$ for the privilege. Most mid range hotels have pop machines or a small store with reasonable prices if you can walk to the elevator. For the ones that don't you should play really cheap and call a pizza place and ask them how much to deliver a coke to your room, it will probably be cheaper.

ya, it was part of dinner, i had been travelling all day and hadnt eaten, sorry that i dont always carry change.

again, not my point though ... service fee, delivery charge and a significant margin on the product, why am i expected to tip the hotel staff instead of the hotel paying them out of the above profits?

[JohnnyHowDoO'duya]

Originally Posted by flames_1987

It needs to be stated again for the ignorance that was shown there, that the employee delivering the food is seeing nothing extra because of those charges. That is money the hotel is getting. Nothing at all to do with a "tipping" culture.

yes i know and thats why i said they stole the tip from the hotel staff. the hotel made money on the product, the service and the delivery and they can chose to not share it with their employee.\

a disgraceful industry based on how it treats their staff, if you ask me!

[Swarly]

Man, some people take a server getting their order wrong as a personal insult. I have one friend whos gf is always upset with their service. I am in the same restaurant getting the same service, just when the server makes a small error she bitches about it and it seems to ruin her meal. If I get a wrong side I'm nice to the server, as i've been chatting with them the whole time and I usually get the right side brought out to me, leaving me with 3 sides instead of 2.

Her meal is ruined and she leaves a crappy tip, never a good tip even if she is happy. Where as same thing happening to me I get more sides and very happy with service. Server gets a nice fat tip from me. So meal experience has a large part to do with you, the customer, and your attitude dealing with the server.

[JohnnyHowDoO'duya]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

The 18% auto grat. is because when you have a large table, you usually get other tables in your section taken away so you can focus more on the large table and larger tables don't turn over as quickly as possible. Large groups tend to sit around and talk, long after the meal is finished, whereas small groups eat and leave. Large groups are often special occasion get togethers, while small groups are usually there on dates or simply to eat. Yes there are exceptions, but there is a huge difference between three tables of three and one table of nine. The 18% will compensate the server from losing their regular section for an abnormal group. They don't auto grat. every table, so that customers have some say in the process and the industry norms that have been accepted. It also allows the good servers to make more and the bad servers to make less.

When the total starts getting large, people stop tipping by percentage and start tipping by a dollar amount. If you have an $800 total and you tip $50, it may seem like you are giving the server $50, but really you are giving them 6.25%. When they tip out 5% of their sales, you are really leaving them with about $10 for a couple hours worth of work.

As for room service, if you knew the rules. It's a lazy tax. If you don't want to pay the steep prices, walk yourself down to the 7-11 and buy a pop for $1. Don't complain about it after the fact. I'm not sure if you sound like the guy who ordered the Blizzard and walked out when he found out it was $6 or the guy who complained about pop being more expensive in a liquor store.

I will never work in this type of business, I cant believe how the employers have conditioned everyone to accept these practises and then blame the customer for being cheap when their employees are overworked and underpaid.

[flames_1987]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHowDoO'duya

I will never work in this type of business, I cant believe how the employers have conditioned everyone to accept these practises and then blame the customer for being cheap when their employees are overworked and underpaid.

#1 Sporting events, movie theaters, it's the same way
#2 Lots of hotels are great places to work at
#3 They give you the option to go pay a dollar at their vending machines. Or you can pay more and have it delivered to your room

[WhiteTiger]

Wow, take a bit of a break and this explodes out. Sure was good for a laugh after a rough day.

Springs1...you are the kind of customer who gets the 'special' treatment. The servers know you and go out of their way to f*** you over because their boss/manager knows you and isn't interested in what you have to say. I'd hate to see what the kitchen does to your food when you aren't looking...

[GGG]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

If tipping was banned, I would not have a PT job. There is no way I'd serve even if they increased my wage by 100%.

What is a fair per hour wage for serving?

I have always felt, especially at mid level chains that the back of the house gets screwed relative to the wait staff. There tip out works out to 2 or 3 bucks an hour compared to servers pulling in $25 plus in tips plus min wage.

Personally i wish I could directly tip the dishwashers and cooks. I would much perfer to direct 12% of my tip to the back of the house and give 3% to the server.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHowDoO'duya

yes i know and thats why i said they stole the tip from the hotel staff. the hotel made money on the product, the service and the delivery and they can chose to not share it with their employee.\

a disgraceful industry based on how it treats their staff, if you ask me!

If you thought it was so disgraceful you wouldn't have given them the money, instead you screwed the guy even more.

[TheSutterDynasty]

Why tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself?

I can deliver food.
I can drive a taxi.
I can, and do, cut my own hair.

I did, however, tip my Urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by GGG

What is a fair per hour wage for serving?

I have always felt, especially at mid level chains that the back of the house gets screwed relative to the wait staff. There tip out works out to 2 or 3 bucks an hour compared to servers pulling in $25 plus in tips plus min wage.

Personally i wish I could directly tip the dishwashers and cooks. I would much perfer to direct 12% of my tip to the back of the house and give 3% to the server.

It all depends. I have worked front of house and back of house. As a server and a bartender, I made sure to give those who made my life easier. I gave a lot to the kitchen staff because the smart and good servers know that if you took care of the back of the house they take care of you. Your mistakes get fixed quicker, your tables get bussed first, and they'll go out of their way to help you, so if you have an exceptional server he probably recognizes the back of the house directly effects his income and compensates them more than your crappy waiter.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by TheSutterDynasty

Why tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself?

I can deliver food.
I can drive a taxi.
I can, and do, cut my own hair.

I did, however, tip my Urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones.

Well I hope you tipped him 18%. He needs it to make his Maserati payment.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHowDoO'duya

I will never work in this type of business, I cant believe how the employers have conditioned everyone to accept these practises and then blame the customer for being cheap when their employees are overworked and underpaid.

The only reason I worked in the industry was because I was able to work flexible hours around my school and study schedule. I started in the kitchen and became a sous chef. When I went to business school it was easy to see that in the 7 hours I could work a night, it was much more profitable to serve food than cook it.

What it does do however, is teach you how to prioritize, manage time/work, work on communication skills, build contacts, sleep with hot young girls, and most importantly that the industry is heartless and to work hard in school so you don't end up a 40 year old bartender catering to people who treat you like crap.

I thoroughly enjoyed most of my time in the industry, but I won't ever go back. I know how much it sucks to work there, so I usually tip 15% if the service is decent and 20% plus if the service is good. If they suck at their job, I'll tip low.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by TheSutterDynasty

Why tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself?

I can deliver food.
I can drive a taxi.
I can, and do, cut my own hair.

I did, however, tip my Urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones.

You tip to insure prompt service (T.I.P.S.). It doesn't matter if you can do it yourself or not. You tip so you don't have to do it. You tip for convenience. Most people can do most jobs. The reason money was invented was so you don't have to do all the jobs and can specialize in one. I can drive a taxi, but if the taxi driver who takes my drunk ass home at 3am does it in a courteous manner and gets me home safely, he deserves a tip.

[flames_1987]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

You tip to insure prompt service (T.I.P.S.). It doesn't matter if you can do it yourself or not. You tip so you don't have to do it. You tip for convenience. Most people can do most jobs. The reason money was invented was so you don't have to do all the jobs and can specialize in one. I can drive a taxi, but if the taxi driver who takes my drunk ass home at 3am does it in a courteous manner and gets me home safely, he deserves a tip.

You do realize this is a Dwight Schrute quote....

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by flames_1987

You do realize this is a Dwight Schrute quote....

I did not. It's the second time this thread a quote has been used that I haven't seen.

[Springs1]

Originally Posted by driveway

You're not exchanging money to get whatever you want cooked however you want.

Who are you to tell me what I want to do with MY money, huh? I can use my money the way *I* want to. Don't you and everybody wants what they want for their money, huh?

If you do not trust that a professional chef knows their own food better than you do, stay home and cook it yourself.

No, I won't stay home. I have EVERY right to have things the way I want it for *MY HARD EARNED MONEY*.

However, if you're specifically and only referring to the kind of service you get at chain restaurants like Earl's, Chili's, Kelsey's or pretty much any place that ends in "'s" quit your whining, you get what you pay for.

As I have stated before, fine dining has been WORSE.

The next time you're there try asking for fries cooked in a different kind of oil. Even though it's YOUR money and you have a RIGHT to it, they'll tell you no. The system isn't built to handle your request.

I am not asking them to fry it in a certain oil. I am asking them to not cook it as much, exactly like you do when you or anyone else orders a steak. There's NO difference in this, NONE!!