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In Lemondrop's Guide to Tipping last week, we went straight to people who work in the service industry to find out exactly how much we should be tipping for everything from drinks to valet service. Our restaurant industry insider, Cory, said the standard tip for adequate service is 20 percent -- 25 for remarkable service, and 15 for "less than stellar."
But reader Julie demands to know: "Why do Americans always reward mediocre behavior? That's why so many Americans ARE mediocre. Step your game up people. Tipping is optional ... If you absolutely hated the server, you CAN leave them nothing. I really would rather the restaurant pay these people more (and therefore raise their prices for food), than make me 'voluntarily' tip them."
Su agrees with Julie, saying, "I definitely do NOT agree with the article when it said to go ahead and tip a minimum of 10% for poor service. I hate it that I am expected to tip everybody and their brother for everything. I make minimum wage in my job too; I wonder how well I would be received if I walked around all day with my hand out?"
Those who work in restaurants, however, defend their right to a generous tip and insist that despite appearances, they are doing their best to provide solid service -- after all, they're aware that their tip relies on their attitude.
Liza paints us a not-so-pretty picture of working the tables: "Do you see that twelve top over there with seven screaming children grinding the birthday cake into the carpet? Yeah, that's my table. Can't wait to clean that one up. Gee thanks, mommy brigade, for the $4 tip. And you see the frowning couple in the corner? Their pizza got burnt in the oven. Smiling and explaining the situation is not going to win my tip back. And the 4 boys in the football jerseys that all ordered water and biscuits? Also my table. I'll really try hard not to spend the 73 cents they leave me all in one place."
Another waitress clarifies that she makes $2.15 an hour before tipping out (or giving 3% of her sales to the host and bartender). So while other gainfully employed folk are making minimum wage, servers do their jobs for a fraction of that and rely on tips to pay the bills.
Liza might just speak for servers as a whole when she says: "If tipping is optional ... screw this job."
Tell us: What percent do you normally tip? Knowing that servers don't even get minimum wage before tips, do you think leaving 15 percent should be standard, no matter what? Or should waiters have to earn their great tips only if they provide great service?
Comments:
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Monday 09 November
By Mel
Generally, everyone has a complaint about their job. Of course you want to make money to feed your families and take care of bills and etc, but that's not my concern when I'm eating at a restaurant.
Not to seem rude in any way, but my concern at that moment is to feed MY family. Just like no one cares when I get my hours cut or lose a commission, I'm not concerned with how much money you take home at the end of the night.
The servers job is to serve. If you do it well then you will be rewarded. If for some reason you don't like the tip you got, suck it up and move to the next table. Ultimately, you're working a job that you chose for yourself. And just to make it clear, I tip generously almost all the time, but I'm quick to rethink that tip when the service starts to slip.
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Monday 23 November
By ServiceGirl
I have been working in the food industry for 5 years now, and I think that tipping is absolutely essential. The most I have ever made per hour is 3.75 so I rely on those tips to pay my rent and buy my food. I agree, if you receive terrible service, your server should not get an awesome tip. However, remember that they are not paid as any other worker is. It is also unfair to lower the tip based off of circumstances your server has no control over.
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Tuesday 24 November
By elaneous
If the "tip" is mandatory, it's a "charge" not a tip. Establishments need to call it what it is if it's required.
When I was being taught about tipping, 10% was considered good for normal service and 15% for stellar service (30 years ago). Now it seems you're a cheap old bag if you don't tip a minimum of 20-25%. If the service warrants it, I will tip it. I've even been known to tip 100% a few times because the server deserved it. But, if your service is horrid (and I've gotten that, too), I'm not giving you a dime.
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Tuesday 24 November
By Dave
I am 54 years old and have seen my share of compitent, courtious wait staff. I have also seen the worst. I have no problem tipping them according to the service offered. I may not get a vote of popularity for this, but as I have eaten in resturants that offer meals for as low as $7.00 and some places that you can't find a meal on the menu for less than $39.00, I do not believe that if I walk out of the establishment with a check for $100.00 I need to leave a tip for at least $20.00. Likewise I will not leave a resturant after eating $7.00 worth, leaving only a $1.40 tip. I have established a personal guideline of a tip being no less than $4.00 and usually no more than $10.00 to $12.00. Can anyone convince me that the waiter in the lower end resturant put out less effort than the one in the high end place? Didn't think so.
I have been known to leave a $7.00 tip for a $14.00 meal. I think we should make descisions about tipping that we can live with. When tipping a certain percentage becomes a mandate in some eyes, then why don't we just call it what it has nearly become, a tax.
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Saturday 28 November
By Dezzy
Even if a waiter did do a sucky job, I still felt bad for not tipping. Not anymore though. A tip is just that. It's not mandatory and you don't get one for just coming by, dropping off my food and then disappearing for however long, until you think it's time to drop off the check. Just because you make pennies doesn't mean I have to make up for it. Get another job or get mad at the restaurant owner, not me. I didn't hire you.
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Tuesday 14 June
By TRD
I recently had a very poor experience eating out, and decided to Google “Why do you tip at a restaurant”. I ended up here, and after reading several comments I’d like to contribute my own.
Just so you know, I have never had a job in the food, service, or food service industry and I hope that I never do. It looks hard, I’ll give you that…but is it really that hard? From reading the other comments from servers/waiters I’ve gathered a list of common complaints that seem to define their jobs:
- Annoying customers/coworkers
- Boss that doesn’t appreciate the hard work you do
- Having to shift schedules or work overtime for little to no extra pay, sacrificing family time
- Cleaning up after people
- On your feet all day, or your hands hurt
- Having to memorize different combinations on the fly, recall the information on demand
- Not paid enough
- Etc.
Add to this list as you wish, I’m sure I forgot a few. I would just like everybody to agree on one thing, and that is simply that the vast majority of jobs will yield many of those same complaints. When considering why we should leave a tip or how much to leave, I think those complaints should be off limits. I deal with those problems as well, and many that are far worse, but I accept them as part of the agreement that I made when I decided to have a job in the first place.
Now on to tipping:
I tend to use 15% as a starting point. For great service I can do 25%, but I have also left nothing in the most extreme cases. I never blame servers for circumstances out of their control, such as the annoying screaming baby in the booth next to me, or food that isn’t prepared perfectly. Living in Los Angeles for the past few years, I’ve eaten everywhere from ghetto taco trucks to restaurants that cost several hundred dollars for two. My main problem is that 75% of the time, I don’t’ feel like the waiter has earned even 15%, and it’s not like I’m demanding much. In order to give 15-20%, all I expect is the following:
- To know who you are within a few minutes of sitting down, and that can be a simple ‘Hi, I’ll be with you in a minute’
- Reasonable turnaround time on water refills or whatever else (I drink water when I’m not having alcoholic beverages because it’s good for you, not because I’m cheap)
- To not disappear for 30 minutes, just in case something is needed.
- Quick turnaround time after you’ve brought back the bill and I put money on the table.
That’s really it folks. You don’t have to be bubbly or super happy. The sad part is, even the list above is too much to ask in my experience. And I look for every reason to give the benefit of the doubt. So while a few of you probably do work super hard at serving tables and do put in extra effort, most patrons don’t get you as servers. They get the people who are trying to get away with doing the minimum, and would rather chat with the bartender for most of the time you’re there, all the while feeling entitled to a large tip for interacting with the customer for 5 minutes.
P.S. Does anybody else agree with me on the paying turnaround point above? I hate having my credit card or cash sit out on the table forever, as the waiter decides he’s already done with the table. To me that should be the quickest transaction of the whole process.
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