Tipping a server

[brum7814]

I see people commenting that if someone is rude then they don't deserve a tip. Unless they're dropping f-bombs, tossing plates at people like frisbees, to me it's just finding an excuse not to tip. If you're a cheap person by nature, we're all adults here so I guess there's nothing to be said about it.  To me that seems like trying to use reverse psychology in saying they're acting self entitled; where in reality that view point is showing you people think you're self entitled to not pay someone for a service provided.  I can say myself, I won't associate with people who follow bad behavior and etiquette in life.  People like that make for bad business partners and bad friends.  =-P

[starryeyezgrl]

I only tip if i get good service,when i get a server that has a crappy attitude and dont even bother to ask if we need refills or anything else then no i dont leave a tip.

[ADK511]

As a former server, if the service is bad(i.e. rude server) then I leave nothing, otherwise I leave a minimum of 20% sometimes up to 30% depending on the bill and the overall attitude of the server.

If it's something like food cooked wrong, long wait time etc, then I never fault the server for that, as there are some things they just can't help and shouldn't be punished for.

[ljrjess69]

yes i still tip just not as much 

[dbsaus1]

I have never not left tip, however I will leave a smaller tip for bad service. On the other hand I have left a larger tip for someonewho goes
above and beyond.

[hudsonmike09]

I always leave a tip, I know that these people depend on tips for a good part of their income. I am likely to leave a smaller tip if the server rude. I just don't think theirs any excuse for rude behavior no matter what kind of day you're having.

[vickysue]

In our state, the servers don't make but 2.15 an hour, so they have to rely on their tips. Most are great. Also the govt. takes all servers 8% of their ticket sales to a customer. So they have to be great in order to make a living. I tip 20%.

[cathy37]

I had really bad service at a restaurant, so I left the server a penny so she would know how bad the service was.

[eonprim]

Yes I always tip.  Dealing with dining customers is a difficult job.

[alishalynn]

i definetly dont tip if i have bad service... i dont get tips for helping customers in my job i dont feel like i should have to tip someone else unless they are providing excellent service... and even then i only tip a few dollars becasue i feel obligated..

[vicogden]

I'm probably a sucker, but I simply tip less... I don't think I've ever left a restaurant with no tip whatsoever, but I can't remember service bad enough to warrant no tip.

[Cuppycake]

If the service is bad no I do not tip. Tips should never be expected but given as a reward for excellent service. If people would stop tipping for no other reason then it has become a tradition then employers would be forced to pay more then slave wages.

If the employer had to pay more then the consumer would pay more too because they will pass those costs on to you. If they ever did that, most people probably couldn't afford to eat out.  To me to not tip in an establishment where it is customary to tip is stealing because it is a well known fact at least here in the US that servers rely on their tips for income. It is expected but the amount is subject to the quality of service. If someone doesn't want to tip, they should go to a Burger King or somewhere where tipping is not expected.

You are right about slave wages though. Some of the most popular restaurant chains are the worst at taking advantage of the servers with all the extra "side work" that is forced on them for a lousy $4.00/hr and often times it is at the expense of the service they wants to give their customers, but they have a manager breathing down their back forcing them to do other things.    Many of these companies also take a portion of the servers tip money to pay for credit card charges and tip outs to the bar, the  food expeditors and to  food runners/bussers (even when they don't have them or the server has to do the work because they aren't doing their jobs but they still get paid from the servers tips.)    Not to mention how many times servers who have given excellent service only to be stiffed but still have to pay to all the above because they have to pay according to the ticket totals and sometimes lose money for the shift.

I agree I might tip less if the service was horrendous and would probably not go back to that restaurant or particular server but knowing what I do about the restaurant industry I do believe that not tipping in general is wrong.

You are acting as if we don't already "pay more" by tipping. WHEN my husband and I do tip (which is the majority of the time) we tip very well. I do not care if the cost to the company is more. Why should they be the only industry allowed to not pay their employees? I have run my own company before and you can be damn sure I had to pay my employees properly! It is and insult to everyone that does pay properly and an even bigger insult to those that are "paid" that way.
And just to address your "stealing" comment... The ONLY stealing going on is on the part of the so called "employers" that are NOT doing their part. And to the burger king comment... Those waiting tables can go work at burger king if they want proper hourly wages. 

Hi Cuppycake,

To clarify: My initial response to your comment that tips should not be expected was meant to be a general statement and not an attack against your personal opinion, I hope I didn't convey that as it wasn't my intention.  I was expressing my own beliefs that tips are an expected part of income for servers based on  the business model full service restaurants operate on.     I personally don't see tipping as an option knowing what is taken out of a server's pocket.   (so--personally if I didn't tip I would feel like I was stealing).

As far as Burger King-- their business model does not include full service and therefore it is not necessary to tip.  If I wanted to eat out but didn't want the added expense of a tip I would choose a restaurant of this type. Personally, I'd hardly consider Burger King's wages a proper hourly wage...unless you were a teenager earning a few extra bucks but that is another discussion. 


I do know we already pay more by tipping, I just know we'd be paying WAY more if they paid full wages and that would certainly be passed on to the consumer.  Since it is the business model used in full service restaurants I take that into consideration before going out. 

After working for years, in  services/sales of both the food and beauty industries where I relied on tips and commissions, I never saw it as an insult...I always saw it as a  way to earn better wages based on the quality of my skills and service instead of being stuck in a rut with the same hourly wages.  I did very well.  Back then, businesses had more integrity and customers understood how service based businesses worked. Today, not so much it seems. jmo.

 To bring this back to the original question I would tip bad service  and deal with it another way.

Honestly I do not give a rats *bleep* what the "model" of a business is. There should never be an exception to the rules of of minimum wage. You are the bad guy in this situation if you continue to tip as it justifies the "wages" the restauranteur "pays".

[surveydad]

I always tip, just not as much, just because I have done that job before and know how hard it is but somethings are just because the server just does not care 

[wgoldzweig]

I always tip the server at least 20 percent.

[jbuns1967]

I do still tip. The amount depends on the situation.  If they "disappear" or are rude, it may very little, as opposed to my usual 18%-20%, but I always give something. My sister and niece are both servers, and I would hate for them to be jilted for something that is beyond their control.  Sometimes it is not always the servers fault.