OT: When did an 18% tip become mandatory?

[Play2win]

Originally Posted by RhymesayersDU

I've seen some incredible rationalization on this board, but this drivel is up near the top.

I think the bigest rationalization is that somehow the business owners think that even after paying for the goods and services, its the customer's responsibility to also pay the employee's wages. That's the employer's responsibility.

But, just like the rule of law, you might not like it, but it is what it is. If you're going to play you got to pay. I usually end up tipping out 18-20%.

But it is a big deterrent, I've pretty much stopped going to the olive gardens, bennigans, outbacks and applebees of the world. It's got to be a place with great added value to me, where I can really believe it's worth the tip. There's got to be something about the place that really makes my day— great food, great people, great atmosphere, great location/view. If I have a great experience, then I feel more than happy to tip. But if it is a place that is not going to leave me feeling "WOW", then they can look for their business elsewhere, because they're not worth the tip.

[RhymesayersDU]

Originally Posted by That One Guy

As long as everyone agrees bad service should equal bad tip, I guess we see eye to eye.

Oh we definitely see eye to eye. I'm always amused by the standard "I used to work as a waiter" song and dance people love to do. Are there going to be legitimate instances where people are cheap asses? Sure. But if you mess up, you deserve to get dinged. It happens to everyone, but somehow these stories fail to get told in threads like these.

I remember one; I once wrote down a table's order, put my pad in my pocket, got sidetracked and forgot to put the order in for a solid 20 minutes. The table was upset. They tipped me pretty low. And here's the kicker: I absolutely deserved it. I didn't b**** or complain. When errors like this happen, it's actually better to reduce the tip. Guess who didn't make that mistake again? This guy.

Waiters love to tell the stories of the times they got "unjustly" stiffed. They don't like telling the stories of the times they provided bad service, or even worse provided bad service but got tipped 20% anyways out of guilt. Somehow those stories fall through the cracks.

[That One Guy]

Originally Posted by RhymesayersDU

Oh we definitely see eye to eye. I'm always amused by the standard "I used to work as a waiter" song and dance people love to do. Are there going to be legitimate instances where people are cheap asses? Sure. But if you mess up, you deserve to get dinged. It happens to everyone, but somehow these stories fail to get told in threads like these.

I remember one; I once wrote down a table's order, put my pad in my pocket, got sidetracked and forgot to put the order in for a solid 20 minutes. The table was upset. They tipped me pretty low. And here's the kicker: I absolutely deserved it. I didn't b**** or complain. When errors like this happen, it's actually better to reduce the tip. Guess who didn't make that mistake again? This guy.

Waiters love to tell the stories of the times they got "unjustly" stiffed. They don't like telling the stories of the times they provided bad service, or even worse provided bad service but got tipped 20% anyways out of guilt. Somehow those stories fall through the cracks.

Awesome post. You don't get this perspective very often.

[GreatBronco16]

Originally Posted by RhymesayersDU

No, clearly I wasn't looking over his shoulder. I'm just going by what he typed. He starts saying he really wanted to tip 20%. On his $54 meal, that's $10.80. He left $5 instead. Less than half that. Read his post again. The service doesn't sound bad. The server didn't offer him a drink, that's about it.

Me really wanting to tip 20% was because of what I kept reading in this thread. I normally tip at most 15%. I set my standards a little higher last night I guess. His service wasn't worth a 10 dollar tip plain and simple.

Some people you just can't please in this business. They're going to find any reason (i.e., "the bill got brought too early and it totally ruined my night!") to stiff a guy or complain. He probably fished for a free dessert from the manager too.

I'm sorry, but if you want to quote me, then quote me correctly instead of something to fit your special agenda against me. I never said that it totally ruined my night. I find that what he did with the check as being rude. Never have I had the check brought to me just after I get my main course. Also, no, I didn't try to get anything for free. We paid, then left.

Here's the thing. No sob story from me. My Dad owns and has owned various restaurants throughout my life. It's what he does. I've done everything from bus to manage. Now again, no sob story. I'm not going to tell you it's so hard. Because it's not. And this isn't a moral issue, either. It's not anyone's responsibility to make sure a waiter has food on his table when he gets home.

Gee I don't know, that sure sounds like a sob story if I ever heard one.

But let's not make up things in our heads to justify it. Just be honest. Just say you're not big on tipping. That's fine. This is America. We're free to make our own decisions. That paragraph was him trying to justify his actions to this board. Just be honest, that's all.

Oh so now I'm just making things up on how the night went when my wife and I went out for dinner. No I'm sorry, but that was how the service went. You don't like these kinds of stories when they happen so you claim that the ones they happen to are just lying. So once again, I wasn't trying to justify anything. My experience fit in with exactly what this thread is about. You don't like, I don't care. YOU just need to get over yourself.

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