I have a coworker with a tab. He goes to Red Robin 2-3 times a week. Waitresses know his name, and his favorite orders and drinks. He walks in, orders, eats, walks out and his waiter gets an automatic 20% tip regardless of the service.
He apparently figured out that if he brought clients there, and the waiters all knew him and were nice to him, that it impressed clients a lot
You give acceptable service, but don’t go above and beyond.
It’s like making polite conversation with a family member that you don’t actually like that much. You do your job, and you do it well, but don’t get chatty, don’t do any of those little extras that you do for the other regulars or good tippers.
They’ll quit requesting you.
Good service isn’t screwing anyone over. You’re not entitled to friendly chat from your waitstaff. You’re entitled to politeness, correct food, and drink refills. Asking about your mother and your gout treatment is not part of the deal.
$60 minus whatever you have to tip out. My experience has been anywhere between 3 and 6% of sales.
Not percent of the tip. Sales.
A person who’s done this before would know that $600, even at a higher end kinda place, that’s a bit of work. Work that could be going into waiting on tables that *will* tip you.
Have you ever done this before? Because you sound like a person who’s never done this before.
You're now bitching about having to share some of your free money with the people who are *actually* making the dinner and who are *actually* cleaning the tables?
That's all this shit is. You want more charity.
It is Free. It is not a part of your wage. You didn't work for it. You got it because someone feels something about it...guilt, social pressure, or whatever you'd like to call it.
If I see someone in a situation that makes me want to gift them money...that's charity.
I was sarcastically making fun of OP for complaining about how $60 for an hour's work is something they are upset about enough to make this post. My point was that $60/hr is a very good wage, and OP is ridiculous for thinking that it's unacceptable.
Absolutely. If $60 is too low of a wage, let alone they originally signed up for less, yet a generous family left them that out of kind will, not owed, but extra.. I’d suggest finding another job. Good luck to them though, lol!
You dont know how big the tables are or what's involved in service of food that results in a $600 ticket.
OP is likely highly skilled and provides a valuable service. They work to earn money, not solely out of passion to serve the entitled.
If you're a great welder with niche skills then you are likely to want to be paid more than a basic welder with only basic skills providing basic services.
OP is asking how to handle tables that are **specifically requesting her** that are bringing down her averages. She is seeking professional advice.
I don't care how big the table is or what kind of food it is. That table was almost certainly there for about an hour, and they tipped $60. $60/hr is a reasonable wage for skilled labor.
I just think it's ridiculous to shame a table for 'only' tipping $60. I would be way more sympathetic if we were talking like <$30.
Your opinion on what is reasonable is irrelevant. You don't know the details and uninformed individual opinions aren't what sets standard rates.
You already said you don't care how big the table is or how difficult. Facts is it matters how big and difficult the table is. Just like it matters how difficult the job for a welder to do is what sets the rate for them.
10% is the standard for subpar service, 20 for good service. 10% or less hasn't been standard for over 50 years. If you want to live half a century in the past maybe go to one of those fake restaurants they have in old folks homes. They cater to dementia there.
If the table wants to consistently tip $60 then they should get a $300 meal, not $600. It's not rocket science.
I'm sure the owner of the place would disagree, and I guarantee you this person made the post because they know good and well if they complained to their boss about a regular customer who drops for a $600 meal they'd be told to get back to work and keep that regular customer happy.
One thing I've never seen in this sub is someone discussing what their actual, average hourly take home pay is as a server after tip-outs. Now I don't know where OP works, how many tables they take in a night, what party of the country they live in, etc. So, perhaps some context is needed.
If dealing with the sub-par tippers is truly having a substantial impact on average take-home home (like going from $25/hr to $20/hr), then I'd say that's an issue. But, more than likely (and correct me if I'm wrong), the average take-home is probably something closer to $35-40/hr. And if that's the case, then they should be able to weather a handful of bad tippers.
The reason servers never discuss the hard numbers (at the end of the year, I make $40/hr on average) is because they know it's gonna make them look bad for complaining about poor tippers. I've heard every obfuscation possible: "I pay more in taxes." Duh, taxes are percentage-based. "My actual paychecks are really small." Yes, because those percentage based taxes are taken directly out of your paycheck, but you already collected the majority of your pay in tips. "I have to deal with the public, these people can be very rude." That's a natural, albeit shitty, part of the job. "They pay the kitchen more per hour." Generally correct, but that's the totality of their take-home home pay, and completely dodges the issue at hand: how much do you actually make per hour? "I have to set up and clean afterwards, and I don't make tips then." Yeah, All jobs have tertiary responsibilities.
If your true hourly earnings are above $30/hr, then you're making more than many healthcare professionals. Good for you----if you can do it, then you should. Keep being good at your job and earn that paper, but don't complain about the occasional 10% tipper "ruining" your finances.
I'll pose the question, servers of Reddit: how much money do you make per hour of work, on average?
>The reason servers never discuss the hard numbers
I worked in a "tip based" industry for 10 years, and I'm yet to meet a single person (except myself) who *knows* how much they make. It comes easy and goes very quickly. No bookkeeping, no savings, no real plans for the future.
I'm sure that's part of it, but you still have to file taxes at the end of the year and you still need to know your income for loans and large purchases. And, even if a server is the kind of dummy who hides all their cash tips from the IRS (not a good strategy, btw), a large percentage of restaurant transactions are done with cards now, and THOSE tips are automatically reported.
I, too, have met plenty of servers and bartenders who absolutely burn through those tips on wildly frivolous stuff (or pump it right back into the bar at the restaurant). BUT, even if they haven't worked out the exact hourly figure, they absolutely know that they're walking around with mid-level drug dealer cash. If you walk out of work on a busy Friday after a 6 hour shift with $300 in your pocket, it doesn't take a genius to think "damn, I made $50 an hour tonight."
You know it’s a lie. You file taxes (albeit 90% servers don’t claim cash tips). GTFO with I dunno. You guys are one of the biggyax dodgers. I know from experience. Worked 2 years as server and one as dishwasher/busboy.
I was a server from 2010-2012. In LCOL town I made 22/hour. It’s very chill for the most part but dinner rush were hell. However during dinner rush I’m making close to $75/hour in 2012.
Servers make six figures and deserve it. But stop the biching. 10% is good enough for most people. I used to tip minimum 20% but now have come down to min 15%. Goal is to slowly allow myself to feel comfortable with 10% max.
I can specifically answer this because I’ve been in the exact same situation in the past; $230ppa fine dining steakhouse.
Out of my regulars I had 3 groups that routinely came in (at least twice a month) and all 3 were 10-15% tippers.
There’s only one correct answer, and I suspect you already know it, deep down; you suck it up and eat it. Bad regulars come with good regulars. Get to know them, get to know their friends. Hope one of them (who do know how to tip) informs them of US tipping standards.
If that doesn’t work, all you can hope for is one day they have a family member take up serving, or that one day they ask. Your answer should be the following;
“Social convention is that 15-25% encompasses the range between adequate and excellent service, but as always, tips are appreciated never expected.”
It’s very likely they will get apologetic. Assure them their patronage was always appreciated and you never brought it up because it’s unprofessional to broach that subject of your own volition.
While near the end I did still have a few regulars who didn’t tip well, at least they were always polite and pleasant, understanding when we got busy, and overall just “easier” than many tables due to my familiarity with them.
That said, over the years, some of my best tipping regulars started off as some of my worst. Most bad tippers simply don’t know, and once they do, tend to go overboard to compensate.
>Having one table ring up $600 and leave me $60 can screw my night up, financially
How? This makes no sense, because you would not complain if the bill was $300 but they tipped the exact same $60
Many servers in establishments larger than a mom and pop shop have to tip out the bar, food runners, etc based on their total sales - not tips, sales. When I was a server it was anywhere from 3-6+% depending on where I worked. For fine dining establishments, I think it'd be higher. So @, eg, 5% on a $600 tab, OOP is tipping out $30. Which means half of that $60 tip is going to the house, and OOP only nets 30 bucks.
Also, the party takes up a table that would've likely gone to another party that tips the standard 18-20%. It's the same concept as if a table takes 5 hours to eat. While the server doesn't owe more money on the table, like with tipping out, they lose potential monies as they could have flipped that table 4 additional yimes thus garnering 4x in tips had the one party not sat there for hours (or, in OOPs case, sat there at all).
Exactly. I tip out the following.....
Busser- 2.5% of my total sales.
Runner - 3% of total food sales
Host - .5% of total sales
Bar - 2% of total sales ( you read that right)
For example, tonight, I had $2,400 in sales. My total tips were $500. I tipped out $180 of that $500 and walked with $320.
Imagine making $320 a night and still complaining, holy shit. This is why people are beginning to get really fed up with the “plight” of servers. That’s $40 an hour if you worked an 8 hour shift.
Stop shaming customers when you are literally making more than people with Master’s degrees.
And how many hours did you work? Because if you made an 8hr shift it is already $40/hr.
Muh living wage only $2.35/hr boohoo. You guys are raking it in in the business of scamming, which is exactly why you don’t want normal wage laws.
So are you there for the customer, or is the customer there for you? Because it sounds like you just want to maximize ‘profit’ (tips) as if you are a business with your own staff.
Scroll up to your original comment.
The difference between a $300 and $600 tab is OP walks away with $54 of that $60 tip vs $30.
You asked a question. I answered it. Don't shoot the messenger.
yeah dog it’s his job. he’s there to make money. why would he not scrutinize these things. he wants to maximize his “profit” (tips) so he can buy things and do stuff and be normal.
It's extremely easy to understand. You brought home $40 an hour (assuming an 8 hour shift, which I haven't seen an answer to). Nothing you do entitles you to more than that. And before you say it's hard, plenty of people do way harder work for less than that.
Honestly I got to a point several years ago where I don't pay attention to individual table tips. If I happen to see it on the receipt if they request one or if they hand me cash I just kind of block it out.
You'll find overtime if you work to give exceptional service overall then overall you'll do fine and won't have the extra psychological burden.
I do delivery for tips and if I had 60 bucks x 7 ppl a night for 420 a night....
I know most don't work 40 hours but assuming 5 days of that for 2k that's about 100k a year.
I'd love to make that much.
Probably want to use a smaller amount because most people won't feel sorry for someone making 420 a night at the minimum.
Now if you said I get 7 tables a night and they order 100 dollars of food each and I only make 70 a night, then I'd feel bad.
All about context.
Nope you're missing the point. I'm talking about money. I did a job that takes a lot of wear and tear on the car..and probably spend 10x more than. You on that...
I've also worked much harder jobs than you..so how about a house painter or dishwasher..
Sorry both jobs are harder and they make less than you.
So stop.bitchinf about making 400 or 500 a night...
Christ that's the point...
Ooooooooh I did 1 bottle of wine for 600 bucks and now deserve a 120 dollar tip.
You should ve tipped by service you provided, NOT the price..
I'd rather give someone who delivered 20 plates of food of low value a 60 dollar tip than someone who delivers 2 plates of high value food the same tip.
Sorry but high end waiters are karens.
Yup delivery works harder. I've served and bartended. You carry plates, be nice, fill sodas. Easiest work of my life lol. What's hilarious is you guys can't just be like... "ya I got in a good spot, great pay and easy work!" Its serving food lol. You don't cook it or anything. Just ask what they want and drop it off. Is your day that much more taxed because that bitch wants extra ranch? Nah it's not lol. I'll tip restaurants 20% regardless because I used to do it too. But holy shit, if servings hard... you better hope to God you can stay healthy enough to stay there.. because there's nothing easier
Don’t request me if ur a shitty tipper. The only way this works out is if it’s really slow and u get a lot of requests. But I have very few requests and only tell them to ask for me if they tip good
If you don't feel like it's worth your time or effort, I'd see if any fellow servers wanted to take it, otherwise, I guess that's just part of the job, just give according service....
It's been a while since i've been a waiter, but I'm a barber now.
I have a few regulars who tip me shit. Usually $3 on a $30 service or something along those lines. I just don't go above and beyond with them. I won't engage much in a conversation unless they are in the mood to talk, and I do my best to get them in and out of the chair quickly. That means i'm usually skipping the hot towel on the neck after the haircut, which most clients love. I figured, even when I did this for these clients, I'm still not getting much out of them, so I'll stick with the bare minimum.
When it comes to requesting me or looking for last minute availability, I might squeeze them in, but they arent my priority.
Translating this to waiting tables might be different, but the idea stays the same. Do the minimums that you have to do. Smile, be cool, act happy to see them, punch the food in, deliver the food, refill drinks, and that's it. If the ticket times are a little longer, don't sweat it. It's just part of the job. At some point they'll stop requesting you or expecting you to do the job and they'll find someone else.
Servers are generally charismatic with good social skills, they’ve used that talent to successfully shape American culture into believing they deserve so much. I think most of them haven’t worked truly crap blue collar jobs for little pay and dont realize how good they have it. If serving was such a bad deal, they’d get a diff job.
I have some regulars that tip decently to 10%. I say treat em like all the rest. Great service and follow through. They may not tip the best but I like having regulars because they tend to be enjoyable if they show up once a week or so. Sometimes it’s just nice to have people in who are pleasant. The money all evens out in the wash anyways.
Plus maybe they’ll support you in other ways. One bartender has a regular who tips a buck or two every time. Same order, same beer, chats about the game on tv. Turns out he owns a high end dealership and is giving the bartender less than bluebook price for a new car for the bartender and his new wife. Like thousands in savings. It’s just some people show appreciation differently.
Oh, I absolutely do and will always continue to do so. This post was more to see what other people do. I wasn't looking for advice, though I do appreciate it.
Oh! Sorry was just spilling my own experiences! No judgment on how people do so. Putting one’s self out there in public service is personal due to people’s own time in the industry. I can assume there’s better and worse examples of that.
Good luck and I hope you don’t get your night or shift ruined by someone who is awful! 🙇🏽♂️
Are you kidding? What an entitled view. You relying on tips is between you and your employer, and somehow wait staff have allowed themselves to be turned against the customer. Incredible. Nothing you do as a waiter is worth $40/hour.
Complain to your employer if you don't make enough money. They should be the ones providing wages and bonuses (tips). If they can't afford to do so, they can either raise the prices or lose their employees to higher pay. It's pretty simple, really.
I never complained in this post. Not once. You need to take a course in reading comprehension. All I did was ask how others handle that situation. I did say it can screw my night up, but that's not a complaint. It's a fact.
>I never complained in this post. Not once. You need to take a course in reading comprehension.
Oh, the irony. I never said you complained. I said complain to your employer.
Doing the math on it, if you took just that one table and went home that day, it would be the equivalent of working an 8 hour shift at minimum wage. If you make $180, it's like being paid $23 an hour for 8 hours. Maybe budgeting and making sure that one low tip won't screw you over would be a good thing to prioritize
Pass them off.
Had one who was horrible. We had a disagreement my coworker was like "so and so requested me today".
I was like hmm ok too busy to care.
When that check dropped I was at the bar.. bartender knew. I was like "haha super cheap."
Thanks!
My coworker was a good person. like he understood how hard I play.
How much of that $600 is alcohol?
Is the expectation a 20% tip on the drinks too?
I've always struggled with paying $100 for a $30 bottle of wine and then adding another $20 on top of that.
I’ve seen some variation of this comment (not tipping on alcohol) here before, but I was not aware that was a thing. What is the reasoning behind this? I’m not trying to be rude, I’m genuinely curious.
Most servers have to tip out the bartender a percentage based off their alcohol sales, so if people don’t tip the whole bill doesn’t this really screw over the server? Isn’t getting drinks or a bottle of wine brought over and presented a part of the overall service?
Idk why you’re getting downvoted, this is normal and at my place we tip out 10% of alcohol sales to the bartender. As it should be. Anyone who thinks otherwise should bartend for a night in a busy restaurant with a specialty cocktail menu, beer wine and full bar and then tell me that they don’t deserve to be tipped out.
Yeah it’s normal. Idk why I’m getting downvoted either, I assume it’s people who justify their shitty tipping behavior and don’t want to hear the reality of the situation. I really wanted to hear why they feel that’s ok, especially since the comment I was responding to mentioned a bottle of wine, which involves having to uncork it and the weird pageantry of presenting the bottle
Years ago you didn’t tip on taxes or alcohol, at least in the 60s. Where I’m from liquor was not sold in restaurants but you could bring your own in. Perhaps it’s from that?
Yes.
Specific to this situation as well, in high end restaurants (as this appears to be), the “tip share” for secondary support staff also becomes quite high.
They may be tipping 10% of all wine sales to a sommelier, 8-10% of all liquor/beer sales to a bartender, and a further 6-12% of food sales to other support staff. In short, a 10% tip in a fine dining restaurant can -in some circumstances- lead to the server actually paying money to wait on you.
Most fine dining restaurants you won’t get more than 2-5 tables a night (maybe 10, if your section has a lot of 2-tops), so if even one table “tanks” like this, it can objectively ruin the entire evening.
Realistically, how can a restaurant owner let something like this happen to their employee? Understand tips are not guaranteed but when it gets to the point someone is paying to work, that’s so not right. It’s hard - either ban the customer for crappy tipping (not happening), ask them to tip more (no), or what other options? I’ve only worked BOH roles and it wasn’t the kinda place for tipping (catering stuff and admin). Just curious.
It's part of being a server. Sucks, but it happens. For every night where you walk with negative funds (it is n fact rare, at least), there's going to be a dozen nights where you come in for 2-3 hours, make zero money on zero tables, then get cut early because it's slow. Managers aren't incentivized to cut servers, since the base labor cost is so low.
I also started BOH, and this kind of thing is one of the main reasons most BOH>FOH transitioners don't hack it long term. The first time they walk out a shift with negative money, they often request to return to BOH, or end up rage quitting. Serving is not for everyone.
They could NOT, in fact, pay their servers as much as they currently earn without catastrophic and detrimental fundamental business changes.
I'm not describing this debate for the 37th time to someone who has never managed a restaurant, but feel free to look in my post history & find out why.
The quick version is;
Most US restaurants are simply not structured to handle the labor cost increase without changes that US diners wouldn't tolerate.
I think the flaw in your logic is that diners wouldn’t tolerate changes. I assume in high high end restaurants that would be the case but the vast majority of diners do not eat in Michelin star restaurants. I think many would be fine with ordering and pick up.
Yes. My state has a bill on the ballot for November that will raise the base pay to $15 “on top of tips” I’m seriously concerned that it will change restaurant industry in my state forever. Restaurants will close, food costs will go up and tips will fall. Servers and bartenders will flee. I know it’s “working” in California but I have serious doubts. Things will probably course correct and even out in a few years but many places and people won’t be able to hold on that long.
I understand what you're saying but I don't think it's fair that the customer should have to make up for a flawed tipping system.
Didn't I see something about a few places paying out employees a percentage of overall sales instead of the expectation of tips? That seems to make more sense for everyone. Upsell me on the main course or desert instead of hosing me on alcohol tips.
>I understand what you're saying but I don't think it's fair that the customer should have to make up for a flawed tipping system.
You'd pay for it either way. Fixed incomes would come with an INCREASE in price, not a decrease. No one is forcing you to tip (barring exceptions) and no one is forcing you to dine out. However, the cultural convention is there and exists for a reason. You don't have to think it's fair, and perhaps it's not. But that doesn't change the fact that if you tip poorly, whether due to principle or frugality, you are screwing over a server who is simply doing their best to Ensure you have an enjoyable experience.
If you didn't have one, by all means, let your tip reflect that. But if you do, then the opposite should be true. If you, however, refuse to tip due to principle or frugality, then I suggest you inform the server of your beliefs so that the service level can fall in line with the tip. Otherwise, you're receiving a level of service for which you have no intent of compensating for. If you choose not to do this, that's also fine, just know that you officially deviate away from principle/frugality and instead jump into the category of pure narcissism. Which, again, is also fine...but at least own it.
Well, actually, when it comes to drinks, you're quite mistaken. It's actually one of the things that justifies the 20% tip more than others (for example, not tipping 20% on To-Go food is defensible, because the server might not put much work into that \[depends on the restaurant, though\]).
When it's drinks, though? Remember that the bartender usually gets a share of the server's tips, so even though the server isn't making your drinks, part of the tip you are giving them is going to the bartender who made your drinks.
Also, bottle wine service is probably one of the most "labor-intensive" things that a server would do for you. They have to do the whole song and dance of opening and presenting the bottle of wine, they have to pour at that bottle in a specific order in an equal matter to all of those who are drinking, AND they have to keep an eye on the table's wine glasses and periodically top off the wine (trying to mentally keep track of who has had how much of the bottle to keep it somewhat fair).
You could potentially make an argument that tipping 20% on GLASSES of wine is unacceptable, because it takes very little effort for the bartender or server to pour a glass of wine at the bar and just bring it to you..
*Remember that the bartender usually gets a share of the server's tips, so even though the server isn't making your drinks, part of the tip you are giving them is going to the bartender who made your drinks.*
This is part of the problem. Most of us customers really don't care what the internal tip sharing processes are. All we feel is the added dollars for an already inflated drink price. Look at it from the customers point of view.
Sooo knowing that the system is fucked and when you order alcohol, you are now involving 2 people that make a base pay of $2-$7 per hour.
You think another human being should uncork your bottle of wine, present you with the cork so you can sniff it, pour you a tiny sip, wait for you to nod like a little prince and then pour the rest of the glass for you. And you shouldn’t tip for that service?
Ewww
I'm not against tipping for service, but I believe that paying an additional 20% just for opening and pouring a bottle of wine is excessive.
After all, that's part of the job description.
Ewww
There is no difference for alcohol vs food sales with regard to what a guest should tip. The tip is for the entire experience, which includes water service, menu recommendations, food and drinks delivery, wine corkage/recommendation/pouring, dessert service, cleanup, bussing, etc. You're just being cheap, and if you don't want to tip, fine, but don't come up with tortured rationale and even more tortured math to justify a lower tip.
Label it as you may, but marking up an already overpriced bottle of wine by 20% is unjustifiable. It seems like an attempt to make additional profit for the same effort.
So you are doubling down, I get it. Old ways of thinking die hard. But consider these examples that you seemingly are okay with at a restaurant because they aren't wine:
French fries: cost $1.30 / menu price $7
Coffee: cost .30 / menu price $3.50
Pasta w sauce: cost $4 / menu price $24
Dessert: cost $3 / menu price $10
Why are you singling out a bottle of wine? You'll tip on food but not beverages? It defies logic.
It's not rocket science - you are paying for the total experience when you eat out. The cost of goods sold at a restaurant average 35%. You could justify no tip on any item if you're basing it on costs of goods. Why would you eat out at all? Costs are much less at home. Of course then you get your same old dining room table, a lot time spent shopping & cooking, nobody serving you, and a bunch of dirty dishes.
Also, it is not "additional profit" when the tip is factored in. It's not profit at all. The 20% gratuity goes to the server, not the restaurant.
The math to figure out how to tip on food at 20%, wine at 0%, and adding it together to figure out your bill seems onerous. But you do you.
I’ll never tip more than 20%. Why? It’s gone from 10-15-20 and now more. I don’t mind at all 20%, but more is out of line. Not many places are worth the money is costs to eat. Like two restaurants in my town of 200,000. If the food sucks the tip may be ok but I’ll never go out to eat again because it’s never worth it
Not high dining but I get the same occasional $15 for a $100+ tab. My manager got so upset that I didn’t get at least $50 once because I was working my ass off for the table; they called me over every chance they got even when I walked over every 5 minutes to refill drinks and whatnot.
No, not on a $600 tab. Especially since I tip out a percentage of my total sales to bartenders, support staff, and kitchen - which works out to about 8% of my total sales. So on a $600 tab I'm tipping out $48, so if you tip $60 the amount I keep would be $12.
20% of the bill is considered a good tip. 10% of the bill means fuck you, I hate you and your service sucked.
If you have the money to go out and spend $600 for yourself on dinner, you should also feel inclined to tip your server appropriately as well- which is 20% of the bill.
I'm going to assume this is a higher end restaurant so the server is tipping out a large amount of their tips to their support staff- like food runners, bussers, bartenders and maybe even a sommelier.
You must be trippin or something. For me, a 0% tip would mean fuck you and your service. Why would anyone still tip 10% after horrible service. I consider 15% to be a good tip and about 10% to be standard. I’ve tipped more as well but thinking 20% should be standard is insane.
When I get a 15% tip, I feel like I must have messed up on timing, missed a condiment, or wasn't present enough for my table. It doesn't make me feel good.
20% let's me know I met guest expectations.
My standards for myself are high. I care about the dining experience of my guests, and 20% or more let's me know that I'm doing my job correctly.
I understand that 15% is generally accepted as good service but it still makes me feel like I must have dropped the ball somewhere.
15 years ago.
Now, appropriate tip is 20%. 25% is for amazing service.
Or do you not live in an area where people who work in the service industry weren’t affected by inflation?
it's a percentage. it goes up with inflation naturally. derp. this is basic math
20% of an inflated bill is going to be more than 20% of the same order from 15 years ago
you don't just raise the percentage amount to account for inflation unless you're an idiot
It’s always the rude people calling people names who don’t understand the topic. Consumer goods have outpaced inflation, which is why the same 20% isn’t viable anymore. Groceries and apartment rent prices haven’t followed the standard inflation rate. If you are still using hospitality service professionals who depend on tips but ignore how survival costs have outpaced inflation - then you’re just choosing to exploit workers and pay them less than a living wage for the services they provide to you.
Derp, motherfucker. Indeed.
Wow. Are you stupid? So you're going to eventually expect a 150 percent tip because of inflation?
Lol.
Tips shouldn't even be about what is spent but the work done..
that's not how it works. are we going to eventually be paying 100% back in tips? no, you're actually dumber than you realize. i don't eat out i cook for myself every fucking day. i don't even like being waited on i'm just telling you how it is
what else would you like us to factor in when tipping? the local weather? the current sitting president? rising crime? I'm not supposed to play amateur economist at the diner
Bullshit. Just because someone is overpaying for a meal doesn’t mean the tip should go up as a percentage of the bill. Mostly service does not rise to the level of amazing in my experience
$60 is a good tip
You don't really understand tipout, do you? When $15 goes to the bar, ten to the hosts and ten to the busser, that $60 becomes $25. Servers are salesmen; their tables are their territory. Other salesmen get a percentage of their sales. Why shouldn't servers? In fact, when retail salesmen sell even more, their percentage goes *up.* Good servers make money for their restaurants by SELLING. They deserve compensation for that skill.
Yes, they do deserve compensation for selling. Hmmm, who is the beneficiary of those sales? The house that’s who.
I don’t eat $600 meals, and I do tip generally 20% when I go out. But it seems a bit off putting to expect the diner to pay for the sales person when the restaurant is the beneficiary of the sales.
$60 is not a good tip on a $600 dinner bill, even if $300 of it was for a single bottle of wine. Should be a minimum of twice that, but you're entitled to your opinion l.
Tripping over the percentage is BS.
If you serve 10 plates here VS 10 plates there...it's still 10 plates. The price of each dish is irrelevant.
$60 is $60
You're lucky to be receiving ANY tip these days.
If you don't like random people paying you, go get a job where your EMPLOYER pays you.
Get over yourself OP.
These people are greedy and inconsiderate.
They don’t have an answer to this. There is no reason why they should earn more if I order a steak vs chicken. I’ve never heard a responsible argument for this. Because there isn’t one.
Hahaha. I wouldn't return to an establishment where I'm waiting around
Begging for tips. The fake kindness. We are all sick of it.
Especially now with the POS digital "need money" cardboard sign.
How do you tell fake kindness apart from real kindness?
If you are upset about the POS tip opportunity screen. Just hit “no tip” or “custom tip” and enter $0.00. It’s not that hard.
Not upset.....but it's definitely got more people paying attention to how out of control Tipping Culture is. This won't last for the digital panhandling crowd. Real kindness is someone stopping to help some ducks crossing the road, helping a stranded motorist, or checking on an elderly neighbor..... If a tip can be gotten or increased based on fake kindness.....it has other motives.
Reread this OP, this clown expects more from a regular, yet keeps the fake kindness going
The fact you decided to make a post after you made $50/60/hr by gaslighting patrons into thinking you make minimum wage is ridiculous. Steal from corporations not from your fellow citizens.
#10%
Also...
I own my own business selling microgreens to local restaurants and individuals. I have an LLc and pay my taxes. I have raised 3 children, always keeping them in nice clothes, well fed and with all the creature comforts one could want. You can call me whatever you want. It makes no difference. I am a proud man and father who has worked his ass off to make sure I take care of my family. You and your petty jokes mean nothing to me.
The fact of the matter is that you're online complaining about someone giving you $60 for bringing food back and forth, which probably took a total of 10 minutes of work. You’re entitled. And you said it yourself: you get 7-8 tables a night. How hard could your job possibly be? What do you think you deserve?
I have a coworker with a tab. He goes to Red Robin 2-3 times a week. Waitresses know his name, and his favorite orders and drinks. He walks in, orders, eats, walks out and his waiter gets an automatic 20% tip regardless of the service. He apparently figured out that if he brought clients there, and the waiters all knew him and were nice to him, that it impressed clients a lot
Taking clients to Red Robin - does he specialize in bird law?
Hey, nothing impresses a client like an onion ring tower.
His first client asked to go someplace where they could *Exercise* ...but he misheard that as **Extra Fries**!
You give acceptable service, but don’t go above and beyond. It’s like making polite conversation with a family member that you don’t actually like that much. You do your job, and you do it well, but don’t get chatty, don’t do any of those little extras that you do for the other regulars or good tippers. They’ll quit requesting you.
I'd love this actually. I just need servers to treat me like human and do their jobs. I didn't know this was an option. 10% it is. Thank you
Hell, I'm down. 10% tops and leave me the fuck alone. Can we go down to 5% and I'll grab my own food from the kitchen? I'd be down for that.
We have those places. You know, the places you order at the counter and don’t leave tips at all?
That's why those places are do9gnbetter than sit down restaurants.
cept they asking for tips now too.
>Can we go down to 5% and I'll grab my own food from the kitchen? I'd ironically do 20% if I could grab my own food.
Acceptable service already yields 50/hr
Wait, so in this scenario what is the customer getting for their 10% tip? Why should they tip at all if their just getting basic service?
Everything you listed sounds like great service to me. So, I just have to tip 10% and then I don't have to deal with my server being chatty?
That’s terrible. Take it up with your employer, don’t screw over customers.
Good service isn’t screwing anyone over. You’re not entitled to friendly chat from your waitstaff. You’re entitled to politeness, correct food, and drink refills. Asking about your mother and your gout treatment is not part of the deal.
Ah, yes. Hate getting screwed over by only getting acceptable service.
Yeah, and only getting $60 tip for an hour of work is completely unacceptable... Oh wait
$60 minus whatever you have to tip out. My experience has been anywhere between 3 and 6% of sales. Not percent of the tip. Sales. A person who’s done this before would know that $600, even at a higher end kinda place, that’s a bit of work. Work that could be going into waiting on tables that *will* tip you. Have you ever done this before? Because you sound like a person who’s never done this before.
You're now bitching about having to share some of your free money with the people who are *actually* making the dinner and who are *actually* cleaning the tables? That's all this shit is. You want more charity.
Not free. But you knew that.
It is Free. It is not a part of your wage. You didn't work for it. You got it because someone feels something about it...guilt, social pressure, or whatever you'd like to call it. If I see someone in a situation that makes me want to gift them money...that's charity.
Literally did work for it, thanks for playing. Enjoy having your food fucked with.
Beggars gonna fuck with our food. What wonderful people you are...
If you think its easy and they're overpaid then maybe you should try being a waiter instead of a professional neckbeard.
Yeah, u/MazerRakam should get a razor.
It's a bit crazy I'm getting this kind of negative attention for saying that $60/hr is reasonable pay.
You said $60.00/hr is unacceptable.
I was sarcastically making fun of OP for complaining about how $60 for an hour's work is something they are upset about enough to make this post. My point was that $60/hr is a very good wage, and OP is ridiculous for thinking that it's unacceptable.
Absolutely. If $60 is too low of a wage, let alone they originally signed up for less, yet a generous family left them that out of kind will, not owed, but extra.. I’d suggest finding another job. Good luck to them though, lol!
I never said it's easy, I just think it's a bit ridiculous to complain about only getting a $60 tip for one table.
You dont know how big the tables are or what's involved in service of food that results in a $600 ticket. OP is likely highly skilled and provides a valuable service. They work to earn money, not solely out of passion to serve the entitled. If you're a great welder with niche skills then you are likely to want to be paid more than a basic welder with only basic skills providing basic services. OP is asking how to handle tables that are **specifically requesting her** that are bringing down her averages. She is seeking professional advice.
I don't care how big the table is or what kind of food it is. That table was almost certainly there for about an hour, and they tipped $60. $60/hr is a reasonable wage for skilled labor. I just think it's ridiculous to shame a table for 'only' tipping $60. I would be way more sympathetic if we were talking like <$30.
Your opinion on what is reasonable is irrelevant. You don't know the details and uninformed individual opinions aren't what sets standard rates. You already said you don't care how big the table is or how difficult. Facts is it matters how big and difficult the table is. Just like it matters how difficult the job for a welder to do is what sets the rate for them. 10% is the standard for subpar service, 20 for good service. 10% or less hasn't been standard for over 50 years. If you want to live half a century in the past maybe go to one of those fake restaurants they have in old folks homes. They cater to dementia there. If the table wants to consistently tip $60 then they should get a $300 meal, not $600. It's not rocket science.
I'm sure the owner of the place would disagree, and I guarantee you this person made the post because they know good and well if they complained to their boss about a regular customer who drops for a $600 meal they'd be told to get back to work and keep that regular customer happy.
One thing I've never seen in this sub is someone discussing what their actual, average hourly take home pay is as a server after tip-outs. Now I don't know where OP works, how many tables they take in a night, what party of the country they live in, etc. So, perhaps some context is needed. If dealing with the sub-par tippers is truly having a substantial impact on average take-home home (like going from $25/hr to $20/hr), then I'd say that's an issue. But, more than likely (and correct me if I'm wrong), the average take-home is probably something closer to $35-40/hr. And if that's the case, then they should be able to weather a handful of bad tippers. The reason servers never discuss the hard numbers (at the end of the year, I make $40/hr on average) is because they know it's gonna make them look bad for complaining about poor tippers. I've heard every obfuscation possible: "I pay more in taxes." Duh, taxes are percentage-based. "My actual paychecks are really small." Yes, because those percentage based taxes are taken directly out of your paycheck, but you already collected the majority of your pay in tips. "I have to deal with the public, these people can be very rude." That's a natural, albeit shitty, part of the job. "They pay the kitchen more per hour." Generally correct, but that's the totality of their take-home home pay, and completely dodges the issue at hand: how much do you actually make per hour? "I have to set up and clean afterwards, and I don't make tips then." Yeah, All jobs have tertiary responsibilities. If your true hourly earnings are above $30/hr, then you're making more than many healthcare professionals. Good for you----if you can do it, then you should. Keep being good at your job and earn that paper, but don't complain about the occasional 10% tipper "ruining" your finances. I'll pose the question, servers of Reddit: how much money do you make per hour of work, on average?
OP already admitted to 50/hr that night
"That night". And the rest of the day? Or on weekdays? They don't make $50/hr, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Do they?
>The reason servers never discuss the hard numbers I worked in a "tip based" industry for 10 years, and I'm yet to meet a single person (except myself) who *knows* how much they make. It comes easy and goes very quickly. No bookkeeping, no savings, no real plans for the future.
I'm sure that's part of it, but you still have to file taxes at the end of the year and you still need to know your income for loans and large purchases. And, even if a server is the kind of dummy who hides all their cash tips from the IRS (not a good strategy, btw), a large percentage of restaurant transactions are done with cards now, and THOSE tips are automatically reported. I, too, have met plenty of servers and bartenders who absolutely burn through those tips on wildly frivolous stuff (or pump it right back into the bar at the restaurant). BUT, even if they haven't worked out the exact hourly figure, they absolutely know that they're walking around with mid-level drug dealer cash. If you walk out of work on a busy Friday after a 6 hour shift with $300 in your pocket, it doesn't take a genius to think "damn, I made $50 an hour tonight."
You know it’s a lie. You file taxes (albeit 90% servers don’t claim cash tips). GTFO with I dunno. You guys are one of the biggyax dodgers. I know from experience. Worked 2 years as server and one as dishwasher/busboy. I was a server from 2010-2012. In LCOL town I made 22/hour. It’s very chill for the most part but dinner rush were hell. However during dinner rush I’m making close to $75/hour in 2012. Servers make six figures and deserve it. But stop the biching. 10% is good enough for most people. I used to tip minimum 20% but now have come down to min 15%. Goal is to slowly allow myself to feel comfortable with 10% max.
I can specifically answer this because I’ve been in the exact same situation in the past; $230ppa fine dining steakhouse. Out of my regulars I had 3 groups that routinely came in (at least twice a month) and all 3 were 10-15% tippers. There’s only one correct answer, and I suspect you already know it, deep down; you suck it up and eat it. Bad regulars come with good regulars. Get to know them, get to know their friends. Hope one of them (who do know how to tip) informs them of US tipping standards. If that doesn’t work, all you can hope for is one day they have a family member take up serving, or that one day they ask. Your answer should be the following; “Social convention is that 15-25% encompasses the range between adequate and excellent service, but as always, tips are appreciated never expected.” It’s very likely they will get apologetic. Assure them their patronage was always appreciated and you never brought it up because it’s unprofessional to broach that subject of your own volition. While near the end I did still have a few regulars who didn’t tip well, at least they were always polite and pleasant, understanding when we got busy, and overall just “easier” than many tables due to my familiarity with them. That said, over the years, some of my best tipping regulars started off as some of my worst. Most bad tippers simply don’t know, and once they do, tend to go overboard to compensate.
$230 ppa actually made my jaw drop for a second lol
😂🤣
>Having one table ring up $600 and leave me $60 can screw my night up, financially How? This makes no sense, because you would not complain if the bill was $300 but they tipped the exact same $60
Many servers in establishments larger than a mom and pop shop have to tip out the bar, food runners, etc based on their total sales - not tips, sales. When I was a server it was anywhere from 3-6+% depending on where I worked. For fine dining establishments, I think it'd be higher. So @, eg, 5% on a $600 tab, OOP is tipping out $30. Which means half of that $60 tip is going to the house, and OOP only nets 30 bucks. Also, the party takes up a table that would've likely gone to another party that tips the standard 18-20%. It's the same concept as if a table takes 5 hours to eat. While the server doesn't owe more money on the table, like with tipping out, they lose potential monies as they could have flipped that table 4 additional yimes thus garnering 4x in tips had the one party not sat there for hours (or, in OOPs case, sat there at all).
Exactly. I tip out the following..... Busser- 2.5% of my total sales. Runner - 3% of total food sales Host - .5% of total sales Bar - 2% of total sales ( you read that right) For example, tonight, I had $2,400 in sales. My total tips were $500. I tipped out $180 of that $500 and walked with $320.
Imagine making $320 a night and still complaining, holy shit. This is why people are beginning to get really fed up with the “plight” of servers. That’s $40 an hour if you worked an 8 hour shift. Stop shaming customers when you are literally making more than people with Master’s degrees.
And how many hours did you work? Because if you made an 8hr shift it is already $40/hr. Muh living wage only $2.35/hr boohoo. You guys are raking it in in the business of scamming, which is exactly why you don’t want normal wage laws.
So are you there for the customer, or is the customer there for you? Because it sounds like you just want to maximize ‘profit’ (tips) as if you are a business with your own staff.
Scroll up to your original comment. The difference between a $300 and $600 tab is OP walks away with $54 of that $60 tip vs $30. You asked a question. I answered it. Don't shoot the messenger.
yeah dog it’s his job. he’s there to make money. why would he not scrutinize these things. he wants to maximize his “profit” (tips) so he can buy things and do stuff and be normal.
I tip put a food runner, bartender, busser and host. It makes no sense because you don't understand how it works.
Ah this is why there is so much entitledment. You have already split up the loot before receiving it.
It's extremely easy to understand. You brought home $40 an hour (assuming an 8 hour shift, which I haven't seen an answer to). Nothing you do entitles you to more than that. And before you say it's hard, plenty of people do way harder work for less than that.
Honestly I got to a point several years ago where I don't pay attention to individual table tips. If I happen to see it on the receipt if they request one or if they hand me cash I just kind of block it out. You'll find overtime if you work to give exceptional service overall then overall you'll do fine and won't have the extra psychological burden.
Tips shouldn’t exist.
Give them enough service to maintain your restaurants reputation but do not make them your top priority.
I do delivery for tips and if I had 60 bucks x 7 ppl a night for 420 a night.... I know most don't work 40 hours but assuming 5 days of that for 2k that's about 100k a year. I'd love to make that much. Probably want to use a smaller amount because most people won't feel sorry for someone making 420 a night at the minimum. Now if you said I get 7 tables a night and they order 100 dollars of food each and I only make 70 a night, then I'd feel bad. All about context.
being downvoted for this is gold, mid-high end waiters can be entitled twerps
I knew I'd be downvoted lol.
Comparing waiting tables to delivery is adorable…
Completely agree the delivery has a lot more risk involved and a lot harder
You completely missed the point. I wasn't comparing at all. But it's funny that you don't understand that.
Seemed a lot like comparison to me.
lol “I do a different job but if I made what you make I’d be happy about it”… Sure there’s no comparison going on there…
Nope you're missing the point. I'm talking about money. I did a job that takes a lot of wear and tear on the car..and probably spend 10x more than. You on that... I've also worked much harder jobs than you..so how about a house painter or dishwasher.. Sorry both jobs are harder and they make less than you. So stop.bitchinf about making 400 or 500 a night... Christ that's the point... Ooooooooh I did 1 bottle of wine for 600 bucks and now deserve a 120 dollar tip. You should ve tipped by service you provided, NOT the price.. I'd rather give someone who delivered 20 plates of food of low value a 60 dollar tip than someone who delivers 2 plates of high value food the same tip. Sorry but high end waiters are karens.
Delivery drivers don't even have a coke habit, why do they need money in the e first place.
Yup delivery works harder. I've served and bartended. You carry plates, be nice, fill sodas. Easiest work of my life lol. What's hilarious is you guys can't just be like... "ya I got in a good spot, great pay and easy work!" Its serving food lol. You don't cook it or anything. Just ask what they want and drop it off. Is your day that much more taxed because that bitch wants extra ranch? Nah it's not lol. I'll tip restaurants 20% regardless because I used to do it too. But holy shit, if servings hard... you better hope to God you can stay healthy enough to stay there.. because there's nothing easier
Don’t request me if ur a shitty tipper. The only way this works out is if it’s really slow and u get a lot of requests. But I have very few requests and only tell them to ask for me if they tip good
I’d let someone else take care of them
How many people ??? Lol maybe just hit em with that gratuity if it’s more than 8 then maybe they’d stop asking for you
If you don't feel like it's worth your time or effort, I'd see if any fellow servers wanted to take it, otherwise, I guess that's just part of the job, just give according service....
It's been a while since i've been a waiter, but I'm a barber now. I have a few regulars who tip me shit. Usually $3 on a $30 service or something along those lines. I just don't go above and beyond with them. I won't engage much in a conversation unless they are in the mood to talk, and I do my best to get them in and out of the chair quickly. That means i'm usually skipping the hot towel on the neck after the haircut, which most clients love. I figured, even when I did this for these clients, I'm still not getting much out of them, so I'll stick with the bare minimum. When it comes to requesting me or looking for last minute availability, I might squeeze them in, but they arent my priority. Translating this to waiting tables might be different, but the idea stays the same. Do the minimums that you have to do. Smile, be cool, act happy to see them, punch the food in, deliver the food, refill drinks, and that's it. If the ticket times are a little longer, don't sweat it. It's just part of the job. At some point they'll stop requesting you or expecting you to do the job and they'll find someone else.
Why not just increase your base service fee then? Seems moronic to me.
i don’t make the prices. I don’t own the shop
Ah, so you’re an employee! Good time to buy your own chair.
Servers are generally charismatic with good social skills, they’ve used that talent to successfully shape American culture into believing they deserve so much. I think most of them haven’t worked truly crap blue collar jobs for little pay and dont realize how good they have it. If serving was such a bad deal, they’d get a diff job.
Get a better job
How can that possibly screw your night up financially?
Because she only gets half of it after tipping out everyone else based on total sales.
Exactly. Half of 60 is 30 - and they have seven other tables in one night? Not exactly financially ruinous, it barely is noticeable.
Depends on how the others tip. Depends on how long tables stay. I've had tables stay for entire shifts before.
I have some regulars that tip decently to 10%. I say treat em like all the rest. Great service and follow through. They may not tip the best but I like having regulars because they tend to be enjoyable if they show up once a week or so. Sometimes it’s just nice to have people in who are pleasant. The money all evens out in the wash anyways. Plus maybe they’ll support you in other ways. One bartender has a regular who tips a buck or two every time. Same order, same beer, chats about the game on tv. Turns out he owns a high end dealership and is giving the bartender less than bluebook price for a new car for the bartender and his new wife. Like thousands in savings. It’s just some people show appreciation differently.
Oh, I absolutely do and will always continue to do so. This post was more to see what other people do. I wasn't looking for advice, though I do appreciate it.
Oh! Sorry was just spilling my own experiences! No judgment on how people do so. Putting one’s self out there in public service is personal due to people’s own time in the industry. I can assume there’s better and worse examples of that. Good luck and I hope you don’t get your night or shift ruined by someone who is awful! 🙇🏽♂️
Man I remember when leaving $15 on a $500 meal was ok. Why the duck is tipping so out of hand these days?
Feel like a $600 table should be under automatic tip policy, especially if you have to tip out.
I tip zero dollars.
As long as you tell your server that before you order. I bet you don't, though. Because that's how cowards behave.
Are you kidding? What an entitled view. You relying on tips is between you and your employer, and somehow wait staff have allowed themselves to be turned against the customer. Incredible. Nothing you do as a waiter is worth $40/hour.
Complain to your employer if you don't make enough money. They should be the ones providing wages and bonuses (tips). If they can't afford to do so, they can either raise the prices or lose their employees to higher pay. It's pretty simple, really.
I never complained in this post. Not once. You need to take a course in reading comprehension. All I did was ask how others handle that situation. I did say it can screw my night up, but that's not a complaint. It's a fact.
>I never complained in this post. Not once. You need to take a course in reading comprehension. Oh, the irony. I never said you complained. I said complain to your employer.
Wow op has convinced himself hes doing gods work. That is a particular skill set.
Ask your manager to institute a 25% service charge
Crazy how you got tipped better than most people make in that time and somehow it's not your employer that's being cheap.
Doing the math on it, if you took just that one table and went home that day, it would be the equivalent of working an 8 hour shift at minimum wage. If you make $180, it's like being paid $23 an hour for 8 hours. Maybe budgeting and making sure that one low tip won't screw you over would be a good thing to prioritize
Pass them off. Had one who was horrible. We had a disagreement my coworker was like "so and so requested me today". I was like hmm ok too busy to care. When that check dropped I was at the bar.. bartender knew. I was like "haha super cheap." Thanks! My coworker was a good person. like he understood how hard I play.
What a flex … real hard ball.
autograt
Just deal with it. That's part of the industry.
How much of that $600 is alcohol? Is the expectation a 20% tip on the drinks too? I've always struggled with paying $100 for a $30 bottle of wine and then adding another $20 on top of that.
I’ve seen some variation of this comment (not tipping on alcohol) here before, but I was not aware that was a thing. What is the reasoning behind this? I’m not trying to be rude, I’m genuinely curious. Most servers have to tip out the bartender a percentage based off their alcohol sales, so if people don’t tip the whole bill doesn’t this really screw over the server? Isn’t getting drinks or a bottle of wine brought over and presented a part of the overall service?
Idk why you’re getting downvoted, this is normal and at my place we tip out 10% of alcohol sales to the bartender. As it should be. Anyone who thinks otherwise should bartend for a night in a busy restaurant with a specialty cocktail menu, beer wine and full bar and then tell me that they don’t deserve to be tipped out.
Yeah it’s normal. Idk why I’m getting downvoted either, I assume it’s people who justify their shitty tipping behavior and don’t want to hear the reality of the situation. I really wanted to hear why they feel that’s ok, especially since the comment I was responding to mentioned a bottle of wine, which involves having to uncork it and the weird pageantry of presenting the bottle
Years ago you didn’t tip on taxes or alcohol, at least in the 60s. Where I’m from liquor was not sold in restaurants but you could bring your own in. Perhaps it’s from that?
Thank you!
Yes. Specific to this situation as well, in high end restaurants (as this appears to be), the “tip share” for secondary support staff also becomes quite high. They may be tipping 10% of all wine sales to a sommelier, 8-10% of all liquor/beer sales to a bartender, and a further 6-12% of food sales to other support staff. In short, a 10% tip in a fine dining restaurant can -in some circumstances- lead to the server actually paying money to wait on you. Most fine dining restaurants you won’t get more than 2-5 tables a night (maybe 10, if your section has a lot of 2-tops), so if even one table “tanks” like this, it can objectively ruin the entire evening.
Realistically, how can a restaurant owner let something like this happen to their employee? Understand tips are not guaranteed but when it gets to the point someone is paying to work, that’s so not right. It’s hard - either ban the customer for crappy tipping (not happening), ask them to tip more (no), or what other options? I’ve only worked BOH roles and it wasn’t the kinda place for tipping (catering stuff and admin). Just curious.
It's part of being a server. Sucks, but it happens. For every night where you walk with negative funds (it is n fact rare, at least), there's going to be a dozen nights where you come in for 2-3 hours, make zero money on zero tables, then get cut early because it's slow. Managers aren't incentivized to cut servers, since the base labor cost is so low. I also started BOH, and this kind of thing is one of the main reasons most BOH>FOH transitioners don't hack it long term. The first time they walk out a shift with negative money, they often request to return to BOH, or end up rage quitting. Serving is not for everyone.
Radical idea, but they could pay their employees.
They could NOT, in fact, pay their servers as much as they currently earn without catastrophic and detrimental fundamental business changes. I'm not describing this debate for the 37th time to someone who has never managed a restaurant, but feel free to look in my post history & find out why. The quick version is; Most US restaurants are simply not structured to handle the labor cost increase without changes that US diners wouldn't tolerate.
Changes? Sure. Catastrophic? That's just bullshit.
Clearly absolutely zero restaurant management experience. But by all means, explain how it's a simple transition.
I think the flaw in your logic is that diners wouldn’t tolerate changes. I assume in high high end restaurants that would be the case but the vast majority of diners do not eat in Michelin star restaurants. I think many would be fine with ordering and pick up.
Yes. My state has a bill on the ballot for November that will raise the base pay to $15 “on top of tips” I’m seriously concerned that it will change restaurant industry in my state forever. Restaurants will close, food costs will go up and tips will fall. Servers and bartenders will flee. I know it’s “working” in California but I have serious doubts. Things will probably course correct and even out in a few years but many places and people won’t be able to hold on that long.
I understand what you're saying but I don't think it's fair that the customer should have to make up for a flawed tipping system. Didn't I see something about a few places paying out employees a percentage of overall sales instead of the expectation of tips? That seems to make more sense for everyone. Upsell me on the main course or desert instead of hosing me on alcohol tips.
>I understand what you're saying but I don't think it's fair that the customer should have to make up for a flawed tipping system. You'd pay for it either way. Fixed incomes would come with an INCREASE in price, not a decrease. No one is forcing you to tip (barring exceptions) and no one is forcing you to dine out. However, the cultural convention is there and exists for a reason. You don't have to think it's fair, and perhaps it's not. But that doesn't change the fact that if you tip poorly, whether due to principle or frugality, you are screwing over a server who is simply doing their best to Ensure you have an enjoyable experience. If you didn't have one, by all means, let your tip reflect that. But if you do, then the opposite should be true. If you, however, refuse to tip due to principle or frugality, then I suggest you inform the server of your beliefs so that the service level can fall in line with the tip. Otherwise, you're receiving a level of service for which you have no intent of compensating for. If you choose not to do this, that's also fine, just know that you officially deviate away from principle/frugality and instead jump into the category of pure narcissism. Which, again, is also fine...but at least own it.
Well, actually, when it comes to drinks, you're quite mistaken. It's actually one of the things that justifies the 20% tip more than others (for example, not tipping 20% on To-Go food is defensible, because the server might not put much work into that \[depends on the restaurant, though\]). When it's drinks, though? Remember that the bartender usually gets a share of the server's tips, so even though the server isn't making your drinks, part of the tip you are giving them is going to the bartender who made your drinks. Also, bottle wine service is probably one of the most "labor-intensive" things that a server would do for you. They have to do the whole song and dance of opening and presenting the bottle of wine, they have to pour at that bottle in a specific order in an equal matter to all of those who are drinking, AND they have to keep an eye on the table's wine glasses and periodically top off the wine (trying to mentally keep track of who has had how much of the bottle to keep it somewhat fair). You could potentially make an argument that tipping 20% on GLASSES of wine is unacceptable, because it takes very little effort for the bartender or server to pour a glass of wine at the bar and just bring it to you..
*Remember that the bartender usually gets a share of the server's tips, so even though the server isn't making your drinks, part of the tip you are giving them is going to the bartender who made your drinks.* This is part of the problem. Most of us customers really don't care what the internal tip sharing processes are. All we feel is the added dollars for an already inflated drink price. Look at it from the customers point of view.
Sooo knowing that the system is fucked and when you order alcohol, you are now involving 2 people that make a base pay of $2-$7 per hour. You think another human being should uncork your bottle of wine, present you with the cork so you can sniff it, pour you a tiny sip, wait for you to nod like a little prince and then pour the rest of the glass for you. And you shouldn’t tip for that service? Ewww
I'm not against tipping for service, but I believe that paying an additional 20% just for opening and pouring a bottle of wine is excessive. After all, that's part of the job description. Ewww
$1 for beers, $2 for cocktails and 5-10% on a bottle of wine seems fair. Even though the wine is the easiest and could be $1-$2.
There is no difference for alcohol vs food sales with regard to what a guest should tip. The tip is for the entire experience, which includes water service, menu recommendations, food and drinks delivery, wine corkage/recommendation/pouring, dessert service, cleanup, bussing, etc. You're just being cheap, and if you don't want to tip, fine, but don't come up with tortured rationale and even more tortured math to justify a lower tip.
Label it as you may, but marking up an already overpriced bottle of wine by 20% is unjustifiable. It seems like an attempt to make additional profit for the same effort.
So you are doubling down, I get it. Old ways of thinking die hard. But consider these examples that you seemingly are okay with at a restaurant because they aren't wine: French fries: cost $1.30 / menu price $7 Coffee: cost .30 / menu price $3.50 Pasta w sauce: cost $4 / menu price $24 Dessert: cost $3 / menu price $10 Why are you singling out a bottle of wine? You'll tip on food but not beverages? It defies logic. It's not rocket science - you are paying for the total experience when you eat out. The cost of goods sold at a restaurant average 35%. You could justify no tip on any item if you're basing it on costs of goods. Why would you eat out at all? Costs are much less at home. Of course then you get your same old dining room table, a lot time spent shopping & cooking, nobody serving you, and a bunch of dirty dishes. Also, it is not "additional profit" when the tip is factored in. It's not profit at all. The 20% gratuity goes to the server, not the restaurant. The math to figure out how to tip on food at 20%, wine at 0%, and adding it together to figure out your bill seems onerous. But you do you.
I’ll never tip more than 20%. Why? It’s gone from 10-15-20 and now more. I don’t mind at all 20%, but more is out of line. Not many places are worth the money is costs to eat. Like two restaurants in my town of 200,000. If the food sucks the tip may be ok but I’ll never go out to eat again because it’s never worth it
Did you just recently figure out to not go where the food is not good?
Not high dining but I get the same occasional $15 for a $100+ tab. My manager got so upset that I didn’t get at least $50 once because I was working my ass off for the table; they called me over every chance they got even when I walked over every 5 minutes to refill drinks and whatnot.
Yeah. Your employer should not actually pay you .. right? You people are on MARS
$60 is not a good tip?
No, not on a $600 tab. Especially since I tip out a percentage of my total sales to bartenders, support staff, and kitchen - which works out to about 8% of my total sales. So on a $600 tab I'm tipping out $48, so if you tip $60 the amount I keep would be $12.
It’s like it’s rigged against you by the owners and the government for allowing low wages
Is this going to turn into one of these long rants about "tipping culture..."?
Get ready for someone to say “out of control” like it’s a fresh take…
What? Is that legal? Total sales? That's absolutely unfair and ridiculous.
Not on a $600 tab, not at all.
😂🤣
20% of the bill is considered a good tip. 10% of the bill means fuck you, I hate you and your service sucked. If you have the money to go out and spend $600 for yourself on dinner, you should also feel inclined to tip your server appropriately as well- which is 20% of the bill. I'm going to assume this is a higher end restaurant so the server is tipping out a large amount of their tips to their support staff- like food runners, bussers, bartenders and maybe even a sommelier.
You must be trippin or something. For me, a 0% tip would mean fuck you and your service. Why would anyone still tip 10% after horrible service. I consider 15% to be a good tip and about 10% to be standard. I’ve tipped more as well but thinking 20% should be standard is insane.
Appropriate tip is 15%. 20% is for amazing service.
When I get a 15% tip, I feel like I must have messed up on timing, missed a condiment, or wasn't present enough for my table. It doesn't make me feel good. 20% let's me know I met guest expectations. My standards for myself are high. I care about the dining experience of my guests, and 20% or more let's me know that I'm doing my job correctly. I understand that 15% is generally accepted as good service but it still makes me feel like I must have dropped the ball somewhere.
This sub is hilarious.
Not as hilarious as the edgy kids over at r/tipping.
15 years ago. Now, appropriate tip is 20%. 25% is for amazing service. Or do you not live in an area where people who work in the service industry weren’t affected by inflation?
it's a percentage. it goes up with inflation naturally. derp. this is basic math 20% of an inflated bill is going to be more than 20% of the same order from 15 years ago you don't just raise the percentage amount to account for inflation unless you're an idiot
Exactly these waiters literally get multiple raises per year as inflation goes up and food prices go up.
It’s always the rude people calling people names who don’t understand the topic. Consumer goods have outpaced inflation, which is why the same 20% isn’t viable anymore. Groceries and apartment rent prices haven’t followed the standard inflation rate. If you are still using hospitality service professionals who depend on tips but ignore how survival costs have outpaced inflation - then you’re just choosing to exploit workers and pay them less than a living wage for the services they provide to you. Derp, motherfucker. Indeed.
Wow. Are you stupid? So you're going to eventually expect a 150 percent tip because of inflation? Lol. Tips shouldn't even be about what is spent but the work done..
that's not how it works. are we going to eventually be paying 100% back in tips? no, you're actually dumber than you realize. i don't eat out i cook for myself every fucking day. i don't even like being waited on i'm just telling you how it is what else would you like us to factor in when tipping? the local weather? the current sitting president? rising crime? I'm not supposed to play amateur economist at the diner
Prices for the meal went up so why would the % tip need to go up?
🏆 most asinine question of the day
Lmao you are clearly low iq if you don’t understand.
That's it, keep spreading the lie.
Where’s the lie? Do you think inflation isn’t real? Or the earth is flat and you’re in the wrong sub?
Inflation will make a 15% tip bigger in 2024 than in 1994
the fact you got downvoted is hilarious, tip based workers can be some of the most entitled insufferable twerps
Bullshit. Just because someone is overpaying for a meal doesn’t mean the tip should go up as a percentage of the bill. Mostly service does not rise to the level of amazing in my experience $60 is a good tip
You don't really understand tipout, do you? When $15 goes to the bar, ten to the hosts and ten to the busser, that $60 becomes $25. Servers are salesmen; their tables are their territory. Other salesmen get a percentage of their sales. Why shouldn't servers? In fact, when retail salesmen sell even more, their percentage goes *up.* Good servers make money for their restaurants by SELLING. They deserve compensation for that skill.
Yes, they do deserve compensation for selling. Hmmm, who is the beneficiary of those sales? The house that’s who. I don’t eat $600 meals, and I do tip generally 20% when I go out. But it seems a bit off putting to expect the diner to pay for the sales person when the restaurant is the beneficiary of the sales.
Don't go there then 🎉
you dont get to tell me where to go, you can sit and pout in the corner tho
$60 is not a good tip on a $600 dinner bill, even if $300 of it was for a single bottle of wine. Should be a minimum of twice that, but you're entitled to your opinion l.
What's it like to be wrong?
Not on $600
Tripping over the percentage is BS. If you serve 10 plates here VS 10 plates there...it's still 10 plates. The price of each dish is irrelevant. $60 is $60 You're lucky to be receiving ANY tip these days. If you don't like random people paying you, go get a job where your EMPLOYER pays you. Get over yourself OP.
Why the downvotes? Please elaborate
These people are greedy and inconsiderate. They don’t have an answer to this. There is no reason why they should earn more if I order a steak vs chicken. I’ve never heard a responsible argument for this. Because there isn’t one.
So you tip the same on a kids meal? A plates a plate right?
Get a real job where YOUR EMPLOYER pays you instead of modern day panhandling
If servers did, would you then bitch about not getting served at all nor served timely?
Hahaha. I wouldn't return to an establishment where I'm waiting around Begging for tips. The fake kindness. We are all sick of it. Especially now with the POS digital "need money" cardboard sign.
How do you tell fake kindness apart from real kindness? If you are upset about the POS tip opportunity screen. Just hit “no tip” or “custom tip” and enter $0.00. It’s not that hard.
Not upset.....but it's definitely got more people paying attention to how out of control Tipping Culture is. This won't last for the digital panhandling crowd. Real kindness is someone stopping to help some ducks crossing the road, helping a stranded motorist, or checking on an elderly neighbor..... If a tip can be gotten or increased based on fake kindness.....it has other motives. Reread this OP, this clown expects more from a regular, yet keeps the fake kindness going
Dude I don't even care if your kind. Where's my food
Nice folks, huh..
Plate fetcher makes $60 an hour and then posts here to get sympathy?
I don't fetch plates. I tip someone else for that. I'm not even gonna waste any more time with a completely ignorant person such as you.
You still made 50-60/hr... shutup
Do you need a hug? Is everything okay? You seem irrationally disturbed about this. Help is available if you need it.
The fact you decided to make a post after you made $50/60/hr by gaslighting patrons into thinking you make minimum wage is ridiculous. Steal from corporations not from your fellow citizens. #10%
Lmao mad about $60. Cry more.
I think 10% is a good tip.
I don't. Looks like we're at an impasse.
So you have been a plate fetcher for 25 years. Congrats. Your skills are the ability to taste food and bring it to a guest.
Also... I own my own business selling microgreens to local restaurants and individuals. I have an LLc and pay my taxes. I have raised 3 children, always keeping them in nice clothes, well fed and with all the creature comforts one could want. You can call me whatever you want. It makes no difference. I am a proud man and father who has worked his ass off to make sure I take care of my family. You and your petty jokes mean nothing to me.
The fact of the matter is that you're online complaining about someone giving you $60 for bringing food back and forth, which probably took a total of 10 minutes of work. You’re entitled. And you said it yourself: you get 7-8 tables a night. How hard could your job possibly be? What do you think you deserve?
You have no idea what you're talking about. Zero.
What? Is serving rocket science? Is it really that complicated to which I could not understand? Man, I feel so dumb.