Poll: Poll: Waiter's Rant-Tipping

[Vlane]

Normally 15%, 20% if I like them.

But if you don't tip your waiter you are either an asshole or he deserved it.

 

[johnman]

This culture of tipping only exists in america, I have been tipped £3 once at work as I fixed a customers computer on the spot for him and he had a pocket full of . That is all.

 

[Inverse Skies]

Nothing. Good old Australia and not having to tip in the slightest. It was a confusing system in America, I was never sure how much I was supposed to be giving people for what they were doing. Hard to work out as a visitor to your country.

 

[Vlane]

Well in my country they add 12,5% of your total as a tip on your bill. Say you spend 80-160 dollars on your visit to a restaurant... it generates quite the tip. So tipping around here is just silly. I think 12.5% is fair. Waiters around here still make, at least, minimum wage.

Are those 12,5% on the bill or are these "hidden tips"? Because in some restaurants where I go to regularly they add 13% but it's not on the bill (a friend of mine works there that's why I know that).

 

[JohnSmith]

In Australia tipping doesn't really happen in most places as the various awards (wage laws) prevent pay that low for instance I have a younger sibling who despite being only 15ish is still being paid $7 an hour to work the counter at McDonalds. The wage for real restaurant work tends to be higher than that particularly in a licensed (licensed to serve alcohol) premises as all the wait staff have to be over 18 and be in possession of an RSA certificate (Responsible Service of Alcohol). So typically the wage is a bit higher. Also in Australia virtually all wage and salary decisions are still shaped by the Harvester Judgement, which basically states that the wage associated with full time employment is not a matter for the open market but a decision based on the minimum amount of money to live on.

 

[WolfThomas]

I don't tip often, I'm Australian we (mostly) pay people properly. I will round up if I can't be bothered dealing with change but that's about it.

 

[Satin6T]

I honestly try and tip 15% everytime, i get oustanding service all of the time

but i'm nice to all waiters because you control my food
and i'm a fat kid and enjoy the hell out my food

 

[Anarchy In Detroit]

20% or more.

If your service sucked NO TIPS FOR YOU. Take a hint. I reward competency well.

Also the person being tipped here is a waiter. Waiters do not get minimum wage because they get tips, which could be quite good depending on where they work and their performance.

Everybody arguing, "Why should I tip you? You get minimum wage!" is a retard.

 

[WickedSkin]

Well in my country they add 12,5% of your total as a tip on your bill. Say you spend 80-160 dollars on your visit to a restaurant... it generates quite the tip. So tipping around here is just silly. I think 12.5% is fair. Waiters around here still make, at least, minimum wage.

Are those 12,5% on the bill or are these "hidden tips"? Because in some restaurants where I go to regularly they add 13% but it's not on the bill (a friend of mine works there that's why I know that).

Think they actually have to be there by law or something... Some union bullshit. But some choose not to mention it on the bill. So if you tip well it's just extra. I've seen waiters get nearly 100% tip from tables.

 

[WickedSkin]

Well in my country they add 12,5% of your total as a tip on your bill. Say you spend 80-160 dollars on your visit to a restaurant... it generates quite the tip. So tipping around here is just silly. I think 12.5% is fair. Waiters around here still make, at least, minimum wage.

I don't get paid massively, I work really really (and I mean REALLY) hard and I'm very polite to asshole-customers, but I rarely get even a "thank you". Damn it I hate the system... AND people.

Man I wish we had that 12.5% auto gratuity. We can only auto grat tables of 8 or more people. This makes sense as it is a lot more work to take care of 14 than it is to take care of 4, and since we have to automatically alocate 3% of the total sale to busboys/hostesses, etc. if we get stiff on a 300 dollar ticket then we are out nearly 10 bucks.

I believe I am a good waiter, I have several regulars who ask for me by name every time they come in. My customers get their food on time, they don't have to worry about running out of drinks, or getting their entree too early. I have one regular who comes in with his wife on a weekly basis (at least) he always orders the same thing, and he always tells me that he expects his salad to come out before his meal, his meal to come out after he's done with his salad, and he expects two VERY hot pieces of bread to start off his meal. I always listen to this with a straight face, but I've generally already got his order in the system and bread heating up if not already in my hands to set on the table. (They always leave thanking me for taking care of them and saying they'll see me again next week if not sooner, they also generally leave an above average tip)

That isn't to say I don't treat other customers as well as I can, even if they aren't regulars who tip me well. I treat all my customers well, even if I don't believe they are going to tip me, because sometimes you will be surprised. But the fact is at resteraunts here in America a tip is expected. No, don't say it shouldn't be, that's just how it is here. And if you don't want to tip a waiter for good service, go get fast food. You aren't just paying for the food when you go out to eat, you are paying for the experience to be waited on. To not have to pour your own drinks, cook your own food, set your own table, and clean up afterwards.

The bad thing about auto gratuity is that bad service is also rewarded. That really tics me off. Seriously sometimes you have to get up, leave you friends to go get the bread, sallad and order drinks because the waiter forgot about you. After an hour or so you'll have to get up and ask where the food went and it turns out you'll have to give the kitchen the bleeding order yourself. The prick will still get a 12% grat. I will always tip a good waiter well. But horrible service shouldn't be rewarded :/

 

[Nimbus]

I don't tip. Minimum wage laws here don't suck balls, so waiters get paid about $12 an hour minimum.

 

[Sevre]

Never tipped, never will.

 

[humpees]

Where I work the waiting staff almost always get good tips. However, the bar staff don't. We took £2200 last night and got £7 in tips. That's .33% dammt!

 

[Nickolai77]

$2 per hour does seem very low, i don't know what they exchange rates are but in the UK the minimum wage for anyone 18 or over is around £4-5 per hour.

Usually i don't tip, for a number of reasons.
1) Tipping culture not as major in Britain as it seems to be in the US
2) I'm a student, i don't have much money
3)I'm not expected to tip a shop assistant, a waiter should be no different.

 

[TZer0]

5%. Here in Norway waiters earn quite much already - their salary isn't based on tips, it is like a small bonus for doing a good job. Also: food prices in restaurants are quite high, so 5% might not sound like much, but it is.

 

[Diddy_King]

Well in my country they add 12,5% of your total as a tip on your bill. Say you spend 80-160 dollars on your visit to a restaurant... it generates quite the tip. So tipping around here is just silly. I think 12.5% is fair. Waiters around here still make, at least, minimum wage.

I don't get paid massively, I work really really (and I mean REALLY) hard and I'm very polite to asshole-customers, but I rarely get even a "thank you". Damn it I hate the system... AND people.

Man I wish we had that 12.5% auto gratuity. We can only auto grat tables of 8 or more people. This makes sense as it is a lot more work to take care of 14 than it is to take care of 4, and since we have to automatically alocate 3% of the total sale to busboys/hostesses, etc. if we get stiff on a 300 dollar ticket then we are out nearly 10 bucks.

I believe I am a good waiter, I have several regulars who ask for me by name every time they come in. My customers get their food on time, they don't have to worry about running out of drinks, or getting their entree too early. I have one regular who comes in with his wife on a weekly basis (at least) he always orders the same thing, and he always tells me that he expects his salad to come out before his meal, his meal to come out after he's done with his salad, and he expects two VERY hot pieces of bread to start off his meal. I always listen to this with a straight face, but I've generally already got his order in the system and bread heating up if not already in my hands to set on the table. (They always leave thanking me for taking care of them and saying they'll see me again next week if not sooner, they also generally leave an above average tip)

That isn't to say I don't treat other customers as well as I can, even if they aren't regulars who tip me well. I treat all my customers well, even if I don't believe they are going to tip me, because sometimes you will be surprised. But the fact is at resteraunts here in America a tip is expected. No, don't say it shouldn't be, that's just how it is here. And if you don't want to tip a waiter for good service, go get fast food. You aren't just paying for the food when you go out to eat, you are paying for the experience to be waited on. To not have to pour your own drinks, cook your own food, set your own table, and clean up afterwards.

The bad thing about auto gratuity is that bad service is also rewarded. That really tics me off. Seriously sometimes you have to get up, leave you friends to go get the bread, sallad and order drinks because the waiter forgot about you. After an hour or so you'll have to get up and ask where the food went and it turns out you'll have to give the kitchen the bleeding order yourself. The prick will still get a 12% grat. I will always tip a good waiter well. But horrible service shouldn't be rewarded :/

At my resteraunt the auto grat can be removed if the customer does not believe the waiter deserved it. One of my coworkers had the auto grat removed by the manager because the customer didn't think he did a decent job taking care of them. Still, more often than not the grat isn't argued and they understand that the grat is pretty much the way we make the hard work worthwhile. I had 2 tables tonight, with 9 people each time. I auto gratted both of them, and one of the tables left me an additional 6 dollars on top of the 18% grat.

 

[Diddy_King]

Where I work the waiting staff almost always get good tips. However, the bar staff don't. We took £2200 last night and got £7 in tips. That's .33% dammt!

Also where I work the barstaff gets a percentage of the waiters tips, just in case they have a bad night like you had last night. Though more often than not the bartenders do quite well and they make more because they get tip share from us too as well as what they get from their customers.

 

[Diddy_King]

$2 per hour does seem very low, i don't know what they exchange rates are but in the UK the minimum wage for anyone 18 or over is around £4-5 per hour.

Usually i don't tip, for a number of reasons.
1) Tipping culture not as major in Britain as it seems to be in the US
2) I'm a student, i don't have much money
3)I'm not expected to tip a shop assistant, a waiter should be no different.

...the problem with this post is your number 3...Waiters SHOULD be no different...Well waiters are different (at least here in America). That's like saying I don't look both ways while crossing an empty street, busy highways should be no different...

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Yeah, to me, everyone SHOULD be paid at least a fair minimum wage, however, until that happens, I think it's entirely fair to show appreciation of good service financially.

 

[Kif]

I will generally tip 10% if the service and food are worthy of a tip... however, if there's a service charge already on the bill then that negates my requirement to tip as far as I'm concerned.

Also in the UK waiters/waitresses earn more than you have cited so it's probably not such a big issue here.