tipping
I read two posts today (from d and ACW) regarding crappy service and tipping.
Bartenders or waiters or whomever shouldn't be mean or rude to you. But as a former (thank God) waitress I feel an obligation to remind everyone that they *should* be tipping regularly. (20% people... at least in America, where your waitstaff makes between $2.14 - $5 per hour... usually less than half of minimum wage).
If I ran the world, everyone would just get paid for doing their job and tips would mostly go away, except in rare instances where someone is so amazed with their service they just have to throw in a couple extra bucks.
Sadly, I don't run the world.
No, your waitress shouldn't take out her bad day on you. You shouldn't treat her like a servant, either - just because someone works in customer service doesn't mean you can treat them like crap.
I'll bet that when you are having a bad day, you're not always so pleasant at work. What if your customers/clients/coworkers got to decide how much you got paid today based solely on their perception of how you're doing your job? You didn't get your reports to your colleague on time because the IT guy was fixing your computer? Too bad, still your fault, let's dock $10 from today's pay. You weren't cheerful enough when you answered the phone, because you just found out a loved one is ill? Too bad, that's another $5 off.
Oh, and how would you like to split your pay with everyone in your workgroup? Even though we docked $10 from you, everyone else you work with expects their cut. That's what happens to servers - they have to tip out their bartenders, food runners, and bussers.
Tipping is a crappy system, but those people still deserve to get paid. If you can't or don't want to tip an acceptable amount - don't patronize those establishments.
If you don't already, read Bitter Girl Bartender's blog. You can also peruse Bitter Waitress for some inside info on the business of serving people.
Bartenders or waiters or whomever shouldn't be mean or rude to you. But as a former (thank God) waitress I feel an obligation to remind everyone that they *should* be tipping regularly. (20% people... at least in America, where your waitstaff makes between $2.14 - $5 per hour... usually less than half of minimum wage).
If I ran the world, everyone would just get paid for doing their job and tips would mostly go away, except in rare instances where someone is so amazed with their service they just have to throw in a couple extra bucks.
Sadly, I don't run the world.
No, your waitress shouldn't take out her bad day on you. You shouldn't treat her like a servant, either - just because someone works in customer service doesn't mean you can treat them like crap.
I'll bet that when you are having a bad day, you're not always so pleasant at work. What if your customers/clients/coworkers got to decide how much you got paid today based solely on their perception of how you're doing your job? You didn't get your reports to your colleague on time because the IT guy was fixing your computer? Too bad, still your fault, let's dock $10 from today's pay. You weren't cheerful enough when you answered the phone, because you just found out a loved one is ill? Too bad, that's another $5 off.
Oh, and how would you like to split your pay with everyone in your workgroup? Even though we docked $10 from you, everyone else you work with expects their cut. That's what happens to servers - they have to tip out their bartenders, food runners, and bussers.
Tipping is a crappy system, but those people still deserve to get paid. If you can't or don't want to tip an acceptable amount - don't patronize those establishments.
If you don't already, read Bitter Girl Bartender's blog. You can also peruse Bitter Waitress for some inside info on the business of serving people.
posted by Silver Turtle at
10:35 PM
5 Comments:
Like I said, I love to tip, and it frustrates me when I can't think of a reason why I should. I think he might be the first person that I've ever stiffed on the tip.
By
acw, at 4:44 PM
That bar sounded like a real winner. And I am by no means justifying shitty service. I think the worst I've tipped has been around 10%
By
Silver Turtle, at 10:38 PM
I wholeheartedly agree with tipping well. I've certainly spent plenty of time within the industry. However, there are people who serve you and blatantly ignore you or really don't give a crap.
For everyone who is unabashedly chatting up their new hairdo with their co-workers because they don't care if you wait 30 minutes for a menu, because they're letting it be know they're more important....I don't feel bad pulling a buck off.
You know what I mean? I'm 20% or more atleast 90% of he time, but since I've been in the industry I know the types who really aren't putting their 2 cents in to get their 5 bucks out.
By
Anonymous, at 10:33 AM
Having worked in the business definately makes you sympathetic... and aware of things like "oh geesh, they just got triple-sat... not their fault it takes a few extra minutes to get to you".
Once I was out with 2 old roommates, and all of us were waiting tables at the time. We sat for a long time in a mostly empty section, but thought maybe our server had stepped out for a smoke or something, and didn't know we were there. She finally appeared, and wasn't exactly friendly. (Also didn't bring us everything we asked for, etc. etc.)
What was really pissing us off was that during this time she also got a table of a couple that apparently looked like they were more worth her time, because we watched as she gave them great service. One of my roommates left a laundry list of why she was getting such a crappy tip on a napkin, and pointed out what she would have gotten had she just given us the service she was capable of.
It definately goes both ways.
By
Silver Turtle, at 5:10 PM
The hardest job I ever had was waiting tables. I remember that every time I eat out. I DO have a problem with tipping baristas, though.
By
FreedomGirl, at 4:42 PM
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