Ooooh, this can be a touchy subject! There are a few ideas out there on how to tip properly, and everybody thinks they are right. The bottom line, servers rely on tips to make their money, end of conversation. A server in the U.S. is paid an hourly rate that is way below minimum wage, no tips, no money. Remember that if you are a non-tipping sort.Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a solid 20% server. There will be the occasional "bad" tip, but there are usually enough good tips to make that bad one completely inconsequential. I like to say that for every bad tip, there is a stellar tip. So it balances out. I have worked with quite a few servers who go completely apeshit when they don't get 20% all of the time. This drives me batty! Remember, you need to work for that tip. Maybe you're not as fabulous as you think you are. If I get a bad tip, I usually deserved it.
In general; 18% seems to be the standard. If the service was fantastic, leave more, if it wasn't, leave less. Do not leave NOTHING. You might have had a horrible time with your server, but if you leave no tip, then you are taking money out of the pockets of the support staff. Bussers, bartenders, foodrunners all get their money from the server, don't punish them because your service was awful.
Now, some people are just plain cheap. They suck. I hope they get hit with a big kharma bat. As in they lose their cushy job and they have to wait tables. But that's just me. But, there are a select few that I will allow to leave a crappy tip. Here they are.
Old People
When old people were young, the industry standard for tipping was probably 10%. Deal with it. They probably lived through the Great Depression and are very frugal as a result. Be nice, they're old. Be happy they are leaving you anything. As long as they are sweet, I can handle a 10% tip from old people. It's a little harder to take when they are cantankerous, but, they ARE old.
Foreigners
In some parts of Europe, the servers are paid a decent wage, therefore tipping is not neccessary. In Japan, it's considered downright rude. So some Europeans don't tip as well as some American servers think they should. I can't tell you how many people I have worked with who grooooaaaan when they hear British accents at their table. I understand the whole "when in Rome" thing and, "they should know how to tip when they come here". I do. But, they are leaving you something, in the U.K. you don't really have to tip at all. So be happy with what you get. Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, you got that 10% tip from the Britishers because you didn't take care of them as well as you should have? Hmmm? You automatically think "cheap tippers" so you give "cheap service". Think about it.
In my eyes, those are the only two groups that are allowed to tip cheaply. Everybody else needs to ante up. So be nice, and be sure to tip your waiter : )
We stopped in CT on the way to VT for Christmas one year. It was late and the only things open were McDonalds and a Chinese Restaurant. We were the only patrons, and about 3 people took care of us. Drink service was slow, and one guy, all he did was bring out napkins.
ReplyDeleteWe went to leave and realized we only had 2 singles on us, so we were gonna add the tip to the bill as we paid. Erica left the 2 singles just because.
I took the kids to the car and she came out pissed and almost in tears. Turns out the napkin guy thought the 2 dollars was all they were getting, and walked up to the register as she was checking out and threw the money at her. I drove them to the hotel and went back and asked for the owner. He barely spoke English and I was trying to explain what happened. Napkin dude walks out and starts speaking another language. The owner was trying to talk and the employee kept yammering away. I said, "No wonder your employees have shit attitudes. They walk all over you." The owner was trying to understand me, but his English was rough too. Anyways, I laid into both of them pretty good and told them the reason she didn't leave a tip on the card was because he assumed he was only getting 2 bucks. I can see how the confusion set in, but don't EVER throw money back at someone.
Another time, at a nice place in Winston Salem, my in laws took us out. Waiter was bad. Father in law tipped just under 10%. As soon as he picked up the ticket, he opened it to look at his tip and walked away shaking his head. Hey bro, one refill on a drink in 2 hours sucks....plus, we never got our appetizers.
It is BAD form to comment to the guest about a bad tip.
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