Society has determined that service at a restaurant is worth between 15%-20% of the final bill, but is it ever acceptable not to tip?
Science tells us there is almost no correlation between tips and good service, but surveys show that Americans relish the power to tip because we falsely believe it provides an incentive to provide good service.
Let’s consider a situation: you go out to one of your regular dinner spots for a snack with friends. The place isn’t too busy, and you’re not too hungry, so you only order a salad and a side dish. Your friends don’t get their food for almost 40 minutes. You get nothing. After repeatedly flagging down the waitstaff, you still can’t get your salad. Another 30 minutes goes by before your food finally arrives, around the time your friends are finishing their meal.
Obviously, it’s not the end of the world and there are far more disturbing stories littering the internet. Before asking what kind of tip this service merits, let’s travel with the New York Times to San Diego to visit a small restaurant called the Linkery. The Linkery’s waitstaff doesn’t accept tips. Instead, they levy an 18% service charge on all sit-down meals, which is split 3-1 between the waitstaff and the kitchen. If customers want to tip more, they are invited to donate to the restaurant’s charity of the month.
…every so often diners at the Linkery take offense. “I’ll go over to the table and ask if there is a problem with the service,” McGuan, the general manager, says. “If there is, then I offer to remove the service charge. Almost always, the customers’ issue isn’t about the service but about not being able to handle their loss of control.”
In some instances, this restaurant with a uniform charge completely removes the service fee, resulting in no tip.
Keeping that in mind:
Why Tip? [The New York Times]
(Photo: Getty)
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There is such a thing as a bad waiter and bad service, but there’s also such a thing as a bad patron. I can imagine quite a few people that have posted here would fit into the latter category and would not receive special service from me.
How is it that the patron sets the standard the server must meet and then pays them based on their own ideologies? In any other industry, we typically submit to a professional being that they know best how to do their job and are trained to be the expert. Why are the rules different for servers? Come on.
Honestly, I didn’t read ALL the comments so forgive me if this is repetitive.
1. Most waiters get paid less than minimum wage, here (NJ) it’s $2.13. As long as you get tips or some kind of tip kickback (like host or busboys sometimes get tips from servers) they can pay you less than minimum wage as long as it’s $2.13 or over.
2. NEVER and I mean NEVER complain to the server about time, food, or anything. Most of them are powerless and really can’t do anything about it. They merely inform their manager. Instead talk to a manager and explain EXACTLY what is wrong. Don’t say the service sucks when your food is taking long. Tell them your food is taking long. And do tell them when your server is being rude or acts in a manner she/he shouldn’t be acting. There is rarely and I mean very rarely ever an excuse for a rude server.
3. And despite what you heard not every server you see in every restaurant you go to tampers with food. Anyone who does is an immature ***hole that shouldn’t be working there. People like this give other honest servers a bad name. I mean for God sake, we have morals and standards where we see doing such a thing is clearly the wrong approach to get to someone who is mad at you.
4. Treat people how you want to be treated. That includes host, busboys, servers, and managers (when and if you ever have to talk to them). Don’t expect anyone to be nice to you if you aren’t nice. If you have a problem and still manage to be nice a manager is more inclined to listen to you instead of labeling you as another complaining guest.
5. My condolences to any server that works in a place where your food is taking long because a cook has something against you. They are being ***holes and shouldn’t be working there. A cook should realize that if the guest are happy they keep coming back. If the guest aren’t happy they don’t come back, which mean less business and eventually the need for less cooks in one restaurants. Their job is at stake.
6. Servers do have good memories (most of them). They will remember you if you tip good or bad. They will go out of their way to get you anything you need (even though it might not seem like it) if they remember you from a week ago where you left them a nice tip and treated them fairly. On the other hand if you were rude last time or didn’t tip them fairly, they will do the bare minimum of their job which is take your oder and ring it up. They won’t check to see if everything is okay, they won’t get you refills till you ask for it, they probably won’t be friendly, nice (as is required by the job) but not friendly. This is more evident in bartenders.
7. If you have a good server next time just ask for the same one. You might have to wait a while longer or they might not be there but if you become a server’s regulars they will treat you very nicely and make sure you get everything you need. It also reflects nicely on the server that has many guest requesting them.
8. When a server says it’s on the house it means they are paying for it or risking his/her job to get it. Be nice and thank them for it.
9. Never leave a bad tip without a reason and I mean a spoken reason. Servers cannot tell if there is something wrong if you don’t say anything.
10. If there is something wrong with the food don’t eat it. It makes little sense if you eat the food you didn’t like and complain about it. Everyone will think you are just trying to get a free meal and will treat you accordingly.
11. Don’t rush your server. Most of the time they are already running around with a few dozen things to do. If you are in a hurry i suggest eating at a better appointed time or somewhere else, where fast food is their business.
12. There is no excuse for a rude server. (The first mention was for customers. Talk to the manager or request a different sever if the one you have is being rude.) This goes to every server who may read this.
13. The only time you should leave a bad tip is with a bad server. Don’t blame them if the food is not to your liking, they didn’t cook it. Don’t blame them for the drink, they didn’t make them. If something is wrong talk to a manager.
14. Don’t come into a restaurant 15 minutes before closing and expect them to have everything. Chances are it ran out or it can no longer be made at that time without sacrificing a large amount of time.
Now this article is was about whether it’s ever acceptable not to tip. I honestly think there isn’t. If the service is just completely horrendous I would leave the %10 and make sure never to come back to the place or get the same server. And I don’t really understand people who say that tipping should be done away with. Either way, whether you tip, or it’s included in the check, you will still pay about the same thing.
Simply stated it breaks down as; be nice (for customers), if there is a problem talk to a manager, be nice (for servers) and be reasonable, fair, calm and treat people how you want to be treated. I have worked in a restaurant for more than 3 years as a server, a host, a bartender, a cook and to some degree a manager. I do not and cannot see a way around these points of advice. I sure there is something I left out and I apologize. I also apologize for any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
Have a good day.
First let me be clear. I TIP and I tip well usually 15-20% MINIMUM unless I get crap service.
NOW with that asside
TIPPING IS NOT MANDATORY and I will WALK OUT of any place that tries to FORCE me to tip (service charge)
We have 2 problems in this society.
First DO I have to pay for the GAS to get that food to the restaurant? the PAY for the people who made that food and sent it to the restaurant? The Electricity to run that place? the gas to cook that food?
OF COURSE NOT to say otherwise would be LUNACY at best. Its the BUSINESSES JOB to build those costs INTO the price of what they offer.
SO why are business allowed to “tack on” extra fee’s ? why is it they are not required to BUILD that cost into the price of there services like anyone else does?
Imagine if walmart tacked on a Costs Recovery charge onto your purchases like the phone companies do?
SO why is it ok to tack a SERVICE charge onto my food bill? why are they not building that into the cost of doing business? easy THEY ARE but by tacking on this charge they increase there profit.
I DO NOT HAVE TO TIP
I have no LEGAL obligation to TIP
I have no MORAL obligation to TIP
a tip is a WILLING “GIFT” from me the customer for EXCEPTIONAL service.
Regular service is the responsibility of the BUSINESS TO PAY YOU.
Its not my job to pay your damned wages! NOW its not the fault of the WAIT staff. Its the fault of the industry and our crooked government who felt it was OK to let them get LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE (under $3 an hours sometimes) BECAUSE they get tips!
WELL I am sorry to be nasty but TO GOD DAMNED BAD. Thats not MY problem. QUIT. Quit enmass and demand PROPER wages.
THATS what you should do. THATS what the industry should do. SINCE WHEN did it become OK to transfer the responsibility of employee wages to the customer DIRECTLY and still charge full price for food?
Imagine if you shopped at walmart or radio shack or sears or toys r us and as you walked out the door you were stopped and shown a sign that says you owe 18% of your bill as a TIP to pay our employee’s because we underpay them and force YOU to pay them directly.
How long do you think that would last?
SO WHY do we accept that at easting businesses?
I would tell that person to SHOVE IT as I do any restaurant that tries that crap.
ITS YOUR PROBLEM TO PAY YOUR EMPLOYEE”S NOT MINE and CUSTOMERS should not TOLERATE this crap!
TIPS ARE A GIFT !!!
I TIP because I LIKE to tip. I tip because IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD. I tip for EXCEPTIONAL above the call service!
THATS what a tip is for!!! A tip is to say WOW you did a great job here is a gift from me for that WOW.
WHEN DID WE FORGET THAT IN THIS COUNTRY and YES I am yelling because this topic makes me REALLY angry!
OH and tipping at any old place? NO effect.
Tipping at places where you regularly frequent and get the same waiter/waitress YES it does have a positive impact. Little extra veggies little extra dressing little larger salad. No charge for that salad etc.. etc.. Extra Attentive service etc.. etc..
But tipping as REQUIRED is just a SICK situation.
It gives business an excuse to SCREW employee’s and make tips into PAY. and YES thats what it is so much so that the IRA “assumes” how much you will be tipped and TAXES you accordingly whether you make that much in tips or not and YOU have to PROVE you got less (how exactly do you PROVE you did not get tips audio record sworn statements from all your customers?)
Its a frelling load of crap is what it is.
Grrrrrr
Just because a restaurant is empty doesn’t mean you should expect or are going to get fast service. Odds are, there’s only one or two people in the kitchens, if that (usually it’s just the manager) and they’re busy doing prep for the dinner rush or the next day. So they’ll be a bit slower with your order and your food won’t come out right away. You shouldn’t take that out on the waiter, it’s not his fault the place isn’t staffed or managed properly.
Call me stingy but I don’t tip for subpar service. For “normal” I tip about 15%. For exceptional I tip more. Couple times I considered filing a chargeback for the whole check and telling the manager to dock the delivery guy’s pay for the same amount because he got mad at me because my cellphone number wasn’t “local”. Well fuck you, I don’t even have to GIVE you a tip in the first place. Tips are discretionary. Get it into your fucking thick heads. I’ve seen some delivery guys in Manhattan that are thick as shit. You take an hour to deliver a cheesesteak and french fries, and give me attitude about my cellphone number, and have the audacity to expect a tip? Should have filed the chargeback and told him to take the food back with a note.
@brokeincollege: Filing a chargeback on an item you received and consumed is theft. If you felt the sandwich, service or speed of delivery was inadequate you should refuse it upon delivery. I would also say delivery guys are rarely the reason it takes time to get an item delivered. They can not be held liable for Manhattan traffic, slow cooks, or other people who take forever and pay in nickels and dimes because they don’t have cash on them.
Yes. Anywhere else in the world it’s ok not to tip. They don’t expect it because they get paid to do their job and a tip is a bonus for exception service and not an expectation. IN greece I found it funny that some US tourists were not going to tip cause they were unhappy with the salad, funny because the waiter was not expecting a tip anyway. Stupid Americans.
I loved living in Australia. The price on the menu was the price paid. No tipping (except in places with lots of American tourists).
Honestly, who else do we tip? Should I tip the guy at Best Buy or Circuit City who spends REAL time with me and provides a real service? Should I tip my chiropractor?
As I writer, I get paid by the word. I’ve NEVER received a tip.
As a consultant, I get paid by the hour. When I invoice a client, I get paid the amount based on my hours. A company never says “Great work, we’ve kicked an extra 15% on your bill.”
20 years ago it was 10% of the check to tip. So, for example you pay $10.00 for a meal you paid a buck tip. Now, 20 years later prices have gone up in restaurants like everything else. However, why should tips go up? That same $10.00 meal is now $30.00 so at 10% the waiter gets 3 bucks. Hmmm……so why should I pay a 20% tip? That is 6 bucks. As the price of your food goes up so does the tip. It makes no sense to increase the tip percentage on top of that. The waiters and waitresses are now double dipping.
I remember working in restaurants in 1983 and 1984 when waitstaff made minimum wage+tips. Reagan made it possible to exclude waitstaff from the minimum wage law, making it legal for restaurant owners to pay watistaff less than minimum wage (the rationale being that, for instance: 23c+tips=minimum wage or more). Basically, the burden of paying waitstaff was shifted from the restaurant owner to the consumer. Oh, and it is also legal for owners of upscale restaurants (big checks=big tips) to skim double-digit percentages off waitstaff’s total tips. God you gotta love this country!!!
I simply don’t understand that thing of service charge at restaurants. Isn’t that supposed to be included with the price of the the food on the menu? And how can I be sure that the said charge really goes to the service and not to the owner?
When I go to a restaurant and I’m happy with the service and the food I usually leave a generous tip, otherwise, I don’t, and I don’t see anything wrong with it. If the waiters make a pitance for a salary, that is their problem, not mine.
There was once I can remember leaving no tip, but we did slip something to the very nice and embarrassed bus boy on our way out. I was at a neighborhood Italian place in New York City’s Upper East Side with a good friend, a manager of a fancy restaurant with a history of waitressing. We had brought a nice bottle of wine with us (appx $60) and offered our waitress a taste. She basically laughed in our faces, I guess not believing that two girls in their early 20′s might have anything worth trying. It went downhill from there and she basically ignored us all night even though it was a small restaurant and not busy at all. The bus boy did his best to help with the awful situation, and so we secretly gave the tip to him.
I miss Japan, where when you sit down at a restaurant and you order a dinner that costs 650 yen, and you pay 650 yen for it. Also, the service is good! I feel like we’ve bred this culture in America where people feel they have to be begged (can’t find the better word) to provide good service, rather than doing it because it’s your job and it’s nice to do. Our society tends to look down on those like service people… waiters, clerks, etc… even though they make our society go round. Thus, no one sees these jobs as desirable, and they aren’t necessarily motivated to do well. Between that and customers treating them like crap, which I’m sure happens on a daily basis… everything just comes together into a big pile of crap that this system is founded on, and it’s just a really bad idea all around.
Maybe that was a bit convoluted but I hope I sort of got my point across.
I never fucking tip a server for doing their godamned job! There are about 5,000 more stressful, more exhausting, more difficult jobs out there that NEVER get tips. Do you ever tip your UPS guy or DHL driver? That job is one of the most time sensitive, fast paced, stressed out and physically demanding jobs out there, yet I’ve never seen any driver get tipped nor did I ever receive a tip when i worked there. Somehow the person who brings us our food deserves these built in tips as a part of doing their job rather than everyone else who just does their job out there? Here, the base pay for a server is min. wage, then these ridiculous tips (many pocketed and not reported) on top of that? Fucking a, i think not.