Hey, Waiter! Just How Much Extra Do You Really Expect?

[August]

Originally Posted by tater

My standard tip is a rough 20% I round to nearest whole buck, usually, sometimes down, but never below 15% unless the service stinks (and I know many in the restaurant business, and know the difference between the front and back problems wise, so I only down tip for bad SERVICE, not problems in back).

That's pretty much my standard too, although at breakfast joints i'll usually tip the waitress about 100% since the meal is so cheap and waiting that meal is hard work.

Places we go a lot I will sometimes buy drinks for the kitchen, too. Do that and you get treated very well indeed.

I've never heard of anyone doing this before. Do restaurant owners tend to be ok with it?

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

I agree, it seems some of you are saying that if staff are expecting a tip or are giving the impression that it is your right to tip after being given service then that is wrong, a bit like the porters in hotels when they take your luggage to your rooom and won't leave until they receive a tip for their troubles. That to me is rude...
However, what is the current percentage of a account's sub total in the U.S. at the moment which is made up of a tip?
12-15%?
In relation to tip jars being near a cash register, i don't have a problem with that, nothing wrong with that, it's not forcing you to tip.
Also remember, what is the restaurant's policy on tips? Do the staff get the tips, or do management slice a percentage off the tip so that staff are left with the 'crumbs'?
In the restaurants i have managed over the years, i have always enforced the policy that if a certain staff member has received a tip from a customer in the form of cash, then that tip is for that person alone.
However i have laso had the policy that all cash tips received, be it from credit cards or cash, were totalled up for the month, i had a spread sheet for that to track who was working the most during that month and what days/nights, then divided the total tips up to be paid out to my staff into their nominated bank account.
I think that staff that have truly earned their tips should also receive those tips. Makes for good morale and also keeps up service standards.
So, when tipping, just remember: what is the establishment's policy on tips? Does the staff member get the tip? Or does management either slice off a big chunk of it? When tipping, who do you really want the tip to go to?

Like I said, in many places in the U.S. there are laws specifically prohibiting management from taking any part of the tips paid to employees like waiters or bartenders.

My fiancé, for instance, is bartending to put herself through school. She splits her tips with the other bartenders, the service bartender and the barbacks (runners). Management doesn't get any of their tips, as they're paid a regular salary.

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Like I said, in many places in the U.S. there are laws specifically prohibiting management from taking any part of the tips paid to employees like waiters or bartenders.

Indeed, i wasn't specific, i meant in Australia.
Here tip-pooling or management taking a chunk of tips isn't against the law. Another thing that is not illegal here is any short comings from cash-ups at end of shift, are taken out of cash tips at end of shift. We don't do that at my current work place, but i have experienced that in another work place years ago. Ludicrous!

[Castout]

Originally Posted by Armistead

A few weeks ago I ordered PU from Denny's. Even if I pick it up I give the girl that boxes it up a few dollars as a tip. I tipped her and went to the counter to pay and realised I was missing a $100 bill...to pay for the food.

I asked the girl and she said I didn't give her that. She finally pulled all her money out and it was stuck perfectly to the back on a dollar bill. The kicker is...then she didn't want to give it back....The manager made her, but geesh.

yeah I feel you at least the manager agreed with you

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Yeah. If a guy cannot tip at least 10%, eat at home. Or McDonald's.

In the article the tip is much bigger than the menu tag that the man ordered.

[TLAM Strike]

As some of you know I work in a small Pizza joint so I would like to chime in here.

First, looking out for my delivery driver buddies here, when you order a pizza delivered and hear there is a "delivery charge" do not assume the driver gets it.

Some places charge for delivery and the owner pockets the couple of dollars.

If you pick up an order, especially if its a big order tipping the cooks is very appreciated by them even if its just a dollar each.

I work as a cook/counter/phones and getting a dollar or two tip on a shift makes my day.

And for the consumers out there, when using a credit card and don't want to leave a tip ( your lack of a tip has been noted and logged) make a slash mark or enter 0.00 on the tip line then write in the amount on the second line (on the subject of that line for total, if you add a tip make sure the total you add matches up with the tip you added, seriously its simple addition you learned it in school). Some disreputable folk will add in a tip at the end of the night and adjust it on the credit card machine.

... and for the few women here, when ordering a pizza delivered come to the door in something sexy... you will be remembered for all time...

I will say this about who tips our drivers, the nicer the house the lower the tip. At the million dollar houses you start to get people who want their change (like coinage) back.

[Gerald]

It happens that I order home and pay by card, but the tip, He get it in cash,and in the hand rather than for it to be included in the draw, better and easier, for he who comes with the food

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Some disreputable folk will add in a tip at the end of the night and adjust it on the credit card machine.

I have heard of this happening here in Australia, in particular a certain asian fast food outlet in Sydney a few years back, they 'added' a gratuity onto the credit card payment, can't remember the amount but it was sizeable.
The law caught up with them and they were jailed.

The most prominent reason for tipping appears to be more of a guilt issue than a gratitude issue.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

I have heard of this happening here in Australia, in particular a certain asian fast food outlet in Sydney a few years back, they 'added' a gratuity onto the credit card payment, can't remember the amount but it was sizeable.
The law caught up with them and they were jailed.

The most prominent reason for tipping appears to be more of a guilt issue than a gratitude issue.

Your description of the event, sounds like a planned crime

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

As some of you know I work in a small Pizza joint so I would like to chime in here.

First, looking out for my delivery driver buddies here, when you order a pizza delivered and hear there is a "delivery charge" do not assume the driver gets it.

Most of the places I order from here have a small delivery charge, and on their web sites they make it very clear that it is NOT a tip for the driver. I've always assumed as much anyway. I always tip pretty well, cuz hey I'm eating food I didn't have to cook OR go out to get. Someone brought it to my door and I'm eating it in my peejays in front of the TV, that's worth a coupla extra bucks at least.

And I do think they pay attention... maybe it's my imagination, but I think I get my food a lot quicker now that I have a "history" with these places. The two I use most frequently, whatever delivery time they indicate when I place the order, I can usually cut in half, even during their busy times.

[the_tyrant]

hey, tipping increases service quality.
last year, my family went to Cambodia on vacation. We tipped a boarder official 10 usd, and we didn't have to wait in the long line for an hour, the official just looked at our passports, stamped it, found someone to take our luggage for us, and let us go.

according to my experience, tipping in underdeveloped countries increases service quality exponentially.

[antikristuseke]

That is called a bribe, I had a similar experience crossing from russia back to estonia. A person can legally take a bottle of vodka across withotu declaring it, I had a case. At the boarder post, i gave the guards two bottles and they tnaked me and let me cross.

[the_tyrant]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

That is called a bribe, I had a similar experience crossing from russia back to estonia. A person can legally take a bottle of vodka across withotu declaring it, I had a case. At the boarder post, i gave the guards two bottles and they tnaked me and let me cross.

well, they call it "VIP service"
those boarder officials pretty much only make 50$ a month, they make the rest off western tourists

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Most of the places I order from here have a small delivery charge, and on their web sites they make it very clear that it is NOT a tip for the driver. I've always assumed as much anyway. I always tip pretty well, cuz hey I'm eating food I didn't have to cook OR go out to get. Someone brought it to my door and I'm eating it in my peejays in front of the TV, that's worth a coupla extra bucks at least.

And I do think they pay attention... maybe it's my imagination, but I think I get my food a lot quicker now that I have a "history" with these places. The two I use most frequently, whatever delivery time they indicate when I place the order, I can usually cut in half, even during their busy times.

Since I am a very humble and passionate man, I can easily read between the lines, that any time you want to be invited to dinner or equivalent,

[kranz]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

and I'm eating it in my peejays in front of the TV

photo or didn't happen.

We used to go to a pizzeria sth like 100 meters far from the university at which we study. Mostly during the breaks between classes, sometimes after. 1-2 beers and go back for the classes. It used to have the "serving rules" like a typical pub: you went to the bar, ordered a beer, paid, got the beer at the bar and went back to your table. 1 beer cost sth like 6 Polish zlotys (sth like 1,5 Euro). Unfortunately the owner changed his "serving rules" recently so now you order, pay and sit back and the lady brings you the beer, the bill and the change. We had an argument whether to tip that lady or not. They refused to give the tip, I refused to go there any more if we didn't want to leave her a tip so we decided to change the pub. This is how a smart strategy of the owner backfired.

[TLAM Strike]

And I do think they pay attention... maybe it's my imagination, but I think I get my food a lot quicker now that I have a "history" with these places. The two I use most frequently, whatever delivery time they indicate when I place the order, I can usually cut in half, even during their busy times.

Could be, also we have been known to shift orders around so drivers can take several on one run. If you want to pizza to arrive really quick have a couple neighbors order at the same time.


One more thing in general when you see a cheap price on the menu or on a coupon it doesn't always include tax, delivery charge or toppings. If you balk at the $1.75 it costs to get peperoni think about the impression you just made... really think the driver is going to rush over with that delivery now?

This is the kind of situation we get a lot of:

Customer: I have a coupon for a cheese large pizza for 8.99... so I would like a large with peperoni, mushrooms, peppers, olives, sausage, the blood of a virgin as sauce and I would like it delivered by autogyro...
Me: that will be $587.92...
Customer: But I have a coupon that says 8.99!
Me: Tax, toppings and delivery are extra.
Customer: Fine, I'll have a large cheese for pickup...

Customer service is the worst job you can possibly have.