it basiclly boilds down to some people tip good, and some tip very shitty or nothing. usaually if you have a job that relies on tips you generally tip better. i deliever pizzas and some nights are great then other you get the shaft, 3 or 4 no tips really spoil a night. but when a delevery guy comes to my house he gets at least 7 bucks
Tipping is bullshit rant.
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The people who have worked in the service industry are the ones that help others currently in the service industry sustain their lifestyle.
Here's the cycle;
Another server comes and eats at your restaurant. Tips heavily.
You go to the bar at his restaurant. Tip him heavily right back.
Repeat the cycle. Add in numerous restaurants to this cycle.
I get all the restaurant mags and news letters put out by major restaurant people. This is talked about every now and then.
Servers get paid 2-3 bucks an hour + tips. If a store is running 8 servers a night if they were paid enough to be a worth while server you're talking about $17-22 an hour, you do want good service right? Most good servers/bar tenders wouldn't work if they made less then a bare min of $15.00 an hour, This means a store is going to have to pay out an extra
$10.00 an hour over 8 servers is around $300-400 a night in labor.
$20.00 and hour 600-800 in labor.
Guess where that money would come from? you're 8 dollar burger is now 12 dollars, you're 4 dollar drink is now 7 dollars.
If they were to pay someone $6-9 an hour, you'd have the guy from Walmart or burger king serving you.
Do you really want that?
Main flaw to paying someone an hourly wage is no matter how much effort they put into a table they will always make the same money. If I do twice as much work spending twice as much time on a table as my coworker, why is it I get paid the same? Sure a table could tip "extra" but come on now, that would only last for a year or two before everyone would get use to the idea of oh its not needed.
I make half my living off of tips, and I know a lot of good servers who do the same, if things were to change were people made a 5-10 dollar an hour paycheck. Every worth while server would quit.
No tip = high food prices or shity service.
I run a SMALL pizza joint, every 2 weeks our labor is just under $20,000 yes you read that right. Add in good server pay and that could be pushed to $30,000
Our AVG check for 2 people is around $14.00
We'd go under.
In my opinion if my service sucks I am gonna give them shit for a tip. If they go above and beyond then your gonna get a 70% to 80% tip. But I am not gonna feel guilty about this person not making a living simply because I dont tip them 20% even though they didn't refill my water / beer / soda whatever it is one time during the meal.
its not my fault they chose a job where they dont get paid a real wage and have to rely on gratuities
its not my fault the kitchen fucked up my order... its their fault... and its their responsibility... they take the order, so its their job to insure that everyone after them gets the order accurate
if they are very busy and service is a bit slow because of that i understand, and they might get a bigger tip than normal because they were busting their ass to get my order taken care of
if they are just slow because they suck then im not going to tip them well out of guilt
if the people in the kitchen are backed up, or fucking off and not doing their job, or just being slow, then the waitstaff needs to get on their ass about it, or inform management... and if they want to maintain some sort of decent tip then they need to let people at the tables know that the kitchen is backed up a bit... and put in a little extra effort... pay a little extra attention to the level of the drinks and offer refills as needed... stuff like that... otherwise they are going to take the blame and their tip is going to suck
I will never forget that movie "waiting". i'm the nicest fucking person in the world to waitstaff. often they will help more than usual if you are just nice to them. i don't want the waiter to be mad if they are busy and i give them a small tip because of less than perfect service.
I was about to make this point. I've worked off and on in restaurants since I was 16. I've done everything, food running, bussing, cooking, etc. You say it's an optional thing that you feel guilt-ed into, but it would make a quick bite at Applebee's cost closer to a full meal and a full meal cost closer to $100. It's optional because of the service factor. You said it yourself, a good server will get a good tip, bad server, bad tip. How would you feel knowing that the shitty server you just had got exactly the same amount of cash as the good server you had last week because they jacked up prices to pay them all a good hourly. So your giving up the same amount of extra cash no matter what the service.
I love to serve. I make extremely good money doing it. Especially at a corporate. Corp. restaurants have such high margins they can literally remake a dish twice without losing money. There is no reason for bad food at a corp. I literally would have food being remade before the first dish made it to the table. Then I would go to the table and show them the original dish and tell them it was over cooked, wrong, whatever and explain it was already being re-made. The table would be either A) a little pissed but they realize I'm doing my best to take care of it (If it's real bad I'll comp the dish as well) or B) tell me it's not necessary to be re-made. In that case I would say, "Well it's already being remade so I won't tell them to stop. I'll bring it over in case anyone is still hungry or I could just wrap it up for you to bring home and then you get a FREE late night snack". People love that word and it is always followed with a smile from them.
That example was simply to say that do EVERYTHING for the customer, apologize for any little thing. Be border-line annoying about being sorry. Show that you care, even though you don't. Be fake, be your tables' bitch, go above and beyond. When it boils down to it, I made more money than anyone else, no matter what restaurant it was I was the #1 server, and managers would always tell me tables would go up to them and tell them how good I was. In reality I could care less, but it was my money that was at risk.
Bad service is unacceptable. Serving isn't for everyone, bad servers need to go work at blockbuster. They continue to work at a restaurant because the management is retarded and will fire a server like me for calling out when I'm truly sick, while Lori Absentminded shows up on time, but gets complained about all night long.
As far as tipping, no matter what job I had for the past 5 years I was in a tipping industry (Restaurant, Bar, Valet, etc.). I believe in "Tipping Karma"... Tip well and you will be tipped well.
-Bad service on a slow lunch- Around 15% but if I need to make change to do that then I have no problem with leaving 10%. You didn't make the extra effort, neither will I.
-Bad service on a night shift- Depends, look around. Does the server have 5 other tables? Is one a party of 8+? Probably will be 15%.
-Average service from an average server anytime-20%.
-Service that reminds me of my own- 20%+ depending on factors of the situation.
Again my %s are increased because I'm in the industry and believe in Karma. Help someone out and you will be helped out. The average person usually will replace my 20% with 15% and my 15% with 10%. I don't have a problem with that because I'm a good server. Lori Absentminded is a girl that I was thinking of that would always ask me why I made so much money. I would respond, "Just lucky I guess", but in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "Because you suck at your job and any time I needed a manager I just went to your section because they were always there."
A drink should never be empty especially if it is alcoholic. Alcohol runs up the bill, which results in a bigger tip and drunk people tip better.
As far as the reference to "Waiting", that shit does happen. Don't be an asshole just to be an asshole. Try to understand the situation and act accordingly. When I work, I'm much like Monty from "Waiting", I always make the most and in actuality I probably care the least. I simply understand how to make the most.
As far as the reference to "Waiting", that shit does happen. Don't be an asshole just to be an asshole. Try to understand the situation and act accordingly. When I work, I'm much like Monty from "Waiting", I always make the most and in actuality I probably care the least. I simply understand how to make the most.
britchick2203
New Member
we did ask for a manager and they didn't care.
and i'm sure the kitchen didn't hold up the food...there were maybe three people in there.
If the manager didn't care then don't go back.
For the kitchen comment, you still have no idea. You're just guessing, there could be 10 people in the kitchen, if they can't time food they can't time food.
britchick2203
New Member
i meant three people in the restaurant, as customers. sorry. and there were plenty of people working there.
its not my fault they chose a job where they dont get paid a real wage and have to rely on gratuities
its not my fault the kitchen fucked up my order... its their fault... and its their responsibility... they take the order, so its their job to insure that everyone after them gets the order accurate
if they are very busy and service is a bit slow because of that i understand, and they might get a bigger tip than normal because they were busting their ass to get my order taken care of
if they are just slow because they suck then im not going to tip them well out of guilt
if the people in the kitchen are backed up, or fucking off and not doing their job, or just being slow, then the waitstaff needs to get on their ass about it, or inform management... and if they want to maintain some sort of decent tip then they need to let people at the tables know that the kitchen is backed up a bit... and put in a little extra effort... pay a little extra attention to the level of the drinks and offer refills as needed... stuff like that... otherwise they are going to take the blame and their tip is going to suck
Haha.
It must be fun on the outside looking in.
I've gotten into physical altercations with cooks, after things become heated in the back of the house over items not being made, items being made incorrectly, or just ticket times in general.
Do you think managers can physically force cooks to cook any faster or to care about their jobs? I've seen cooks fired on the spot and managers hop in, but most of the time restaurants are sort handed because they're high turn over jobs that only the uneducated or foreigners are willing to work.
You guys have to understand what restaurants are really like, essentially they're sex shops loaded with young people, hormones, alcohol and other drugs. I've seen plenty of people fired for being drunk on the job, being caught out back with bottles of house wine, etc., etc. Its an entire culture in the back of a restaurant. I don't think I've ever partied so hard or been as promiscuous as I was when I was in the restaurant and that was just with employees and not patrons.
As I eluded to, I'm always the top server on the floor and always receive numerous compliments from the people who write things about great service on the credit slip to older people who make it a point to ask to speak with the manager and say great things.
With that said, I've made my fair share of mistakes and also have had more than my fair of mistakes made for me by either the FOH (managers, hosts/hostesses) and BOH (kitchen staff). I was always upfront with the customers and apologized and accepted the mistake as my own fault, even when it wasn't. People were appreciative when they would say "I know its not you're fault, you're not back there cooking" and I would still apologize and say, "I apologize because I represent the restaurant as a whole and experiences like these should not happen."
I would not have been working at a restaurant, however, if the money was not good. That means if we had a flat rate, you would have all the rift raft, that are currently bottom feeders, as the servers. This certainly isn't going to be favorable to the customer. I refused to work retail or other minimum wage jobs because I knew my personality, intelligence, and communication skills would command that even without a college degree I could earn a decent living part time.
I put in more work as a server than I ever put in as a financial rep - thats to say, its harder work physically to serve and the only reason that upper level jobs command a higher income is because of the intelligence level required that fewer people possess.
I value the relationship I have with the restaurant and how I can walk in at any given time, the manager will put me on the floor and I'll put up a couple hundred dollars cash when I'm going through school and I need the money.
Cliff Notes: You may not care to know the full explanation behind why things are the way they are in restaurants but its easier to be on the outside, complain, and not care. The fact of the matters is the situation is far more complex than most of you will ever understand unless you've gained first hand experience.
Depends on the time of the day. Most of the people you see in the restaurant during the day are doing "prep" work for the rest of the night, so that the restaurant has an adequate amount of food prepared for the night. Poor management or bad prep is why restaurants run out of food, sometimes. So basically the major concern of the restaurant during the day is to take care of the customers that generate the most revenue in the evening.
Also when there are people working in the back and seemingly no customers to cook for often times things get forgotten because workers expect other workers to complete the order or they walk off and do other related tasks to their job (side work, food prep, etc.) and don't realize when an order comes in.
I honestly give better service at nighttime when I'm busy then I do during lunch time when I'm unmotivated to work because I'll be making a measly few dollars an hour from lack of customers.
Basic psychology for you. When tension is low, people opt out (they don't act), when tension is medium, people are motivated to act, and when tension is high, people opt out. Basically when no one is there and there's not any real stress to perform your job you're unmotivated, when there are a number of people that you can take care of and are mentally stimulated you're motivated, and when the place is a zoo and you can't handle the situation you're unmotivated.
i did food service for 6 years during high school and college.... so i have some background in the field.
i NEVER leave less than $5, regardless of my bill total. if i got a coffee and a bagel, and my bill is $3.99, i'll leave a 10.
the main thing that most people are forgetting here is that waitstaff have to tip out.
your 20% doesn't go to the water.
3% goes to the bartender
2% goes to the buss boy
etc etc.
i NEVER leave less than $5, regardless of my bill total. if i got a coffee and a bagel, and my bill is $3.99, i'll leave a 10.
the main thing that most people are forgetting here is that waitstaff have to tip out.
your 20% doesn't go to the water.
3% goes to the bartender
2% goes to the buss boy
etc etc.
Werd.
Also depends on if you're tipping 15% pre or post tax. If its pretax, the server looks at his final sales which are post tax. Generally I expect to cash out with 20% post tax overall.
I, too, never leave less than $5. If I go out to breakfast and I'm served then I'll leave nothing less than $5. If I go to a deli or some place, I'll generally just throw my quarters or a buck or two in the tip jar.
Reminds me of the time I went to steak n shake for lunch with one of my coworkers. We sat down, ordered and had our food within 30 minutes, which for a restaurant that cooks all it's food to order in the middle of the midday rush is pretty damn good.
They apparently decided to comp our food because it took so long to get it to us, neither of us cared that it took so 'long' and never complained about the length of time at all.
That waitress got a 10 dollar tip from me.
Coming from living off tips (pizza delivery), people just don't understand that this was how I made my money. I'd walk out with 60-100 in cash every night I worked, even on the slow nights, even after being stiffed for the 27 cent tip by the young bastards.
Being the customer, I don't even know how much I tip. I know they don't make a whole shit load of money, but hell neither do I, so I can only tip what I am comfortable in giving out. If the service is extraordinary, so will my tip. But if it's a 10-15 dollar check, I'm tipping 2-4 and the change.
They apparently decided to comp our food because it took so long to get it to us, neither of us cared that it took so 'long' and never complained about the length of time at all.
That waitress got a 10 dollar tip from me.
Coming from living off tips (pizza delivery), people just don't understand that this was how I made my money. I'd walk out with 60-100 in cash every night I worked, even on the slow nights, even after being stiffed for the 27 cent tip by the young bastards.
Being the customer, I don't even know how much I tip. I know they don't make a whole shit load of money, but hell neither do I, so I can only tip what I am comfortable in giving out. If the service is extraordinary, so will my tip. But if it's a 10-15 dollar check, I'm tipping 2-4 and the change.
90_EF_Hatch
Señor Member
I walked into the sub zero freezer one day ...
and one of my co-workers was all wrapped up hitting a blunt ...
Lol.
My last day of work when I was leaving off to college, we went out back and smoked like six bowls. And my "other" last day shift, my buddy took me out to his car that was right by the curbside togo parking spots and we just sparked up right there. Plenty of sexual adventures back in dry storage, too.
However, I always made sure the customers were taken care of... I find it amazing how some people can simply have such a poor work ethic that they don't care about their actual job.
When the restaurant was dead though, "happy cups" for all. (kids cups filled with booze)
I find this extremely hard to believe that you weren't a FOH job at a full serve restaurant where you worked on tips and that you continue to have the mentality that you have.