So just watched Reservoir Dogs (always been a favorite of mine, one of Tarantino's best) and of course one of best scenes is the opening, with Mr. Pink's little rant on tipping. You go on imdb to the movie's forum, nice big topic with people arguing over it. Go to the food board on GameFAQs, there usually ends up a topic on tipping every now and then. Figure, hey may as well see what the good people on TFW have to say. Personally, I'm with Mr. Pink. I don't care for the practice of tipping..as an expected, mandatory thing. From what I understand it's only really a practice here in America as well. I know people I have talked to that either are from Europe or have studied abroad or gone on vacation or whatever say that it's not really customary there, certainly not expected. And I also seem to recall that in Japan you're outright not allowed to do so. Tipping because it is expected of you, or (as I've seen so many in the food service industry say when it comes to the subject) to insure (ensure, lol) proper service. That's just..no. If I'm going to tip, it's not so I receive good service or so that I am treated well on my next visit should it be a place I go to more regularly, that's fucked up. No, if I tip (and there are times I will) it's going to be because the service I received was above and beyond what is expected. Clearing the plates, the occasional asking if I want a refill or would like to order dessert, stopping by now and then to ask if everything is ok, that's standard, I expect that. Making sure that my drink is always full or replaced, hitting that right balance of checking up with us while not overstaying your welcome or being pushy, stuff like that, that gets a tip. Good example. My friends and I would go to the local Denny's after our closing shifts at work, order a couple drinks, usually something to eat, and we'd play cards. We'd get off work around 10:30 or so, get to Denny's shortly thereafter, and play until..usually like 3, 4, sometimes even 5 in the morning. The service we received was amazing. We'd be there at least once or twice a week, were good friends with a few of the workers, and they took care of us. And because of that service, we'd leave a decent tip, and the times that we could not (those times generally being we're short on spare cash) we'd apologize and feel pretty bad, but that never effected the service we received next time. Well they tore down our old Denny's, have had to start going to one a town or so over, just a couple minutes down the freeway. Things were different. Rarely had our drinks refilled, were generally just ignored, I mean there'd be times an hour would go by and no one would even walk near our table or look at us. So we wouldn't tip. And the more times we would go the worse our service would get. Hell I remember one time recently we went, one of the waitress saw us when we were heading up to be seated, she turned to a co-worker and said barely audibly "fuck". We actually had a discussion with the manager that night, told her we were regulars, we were used to much better service at another location, after not tipping we started getting attitude (one night we got a very sarcastic "thanks" when paying), if service had been better we'd likely have left something, etc. So things are getting better there, and we have actually left tips a couple of times as the service started to actually warrant it. Tipping should be earned, not expected. And then that whole tipping based on the percentage cost of your bill or whatever. That's bullshit too. Any tip left is and should be based on the service you received, the cost of my meal should have no impact on what I decide to leave for my server. If I eat cheap at Denny's but get amazing service I'm gonna tip a helluva lot better than if I'm at some upscale, $100+ a plate restaurant receiving piss poor service where I likely wouldn't tip at all (and if there is a gratuity charge, I'm not tipping regardless of my service, sorry). And I know all the counter arguments. Minimum wage (or lower as some say), they can barely get by on what they earn, etc. etc. That it's a hard job and so on. I barely make minimum wage (and certainly not enough to live on), my job is hard, I don't get tips. So TFW, what say you?
I found this little gem in a thread I was just reading about tipping: "3. Your life can be made heaven or hell by your server. You decide what you want. Fair or not fair, I'm a bartender and I've destroyed people's night for not tipping. Ended entire relationships, gotten people in fights, arrested, kicked out, sick whatever I choose to do. You are a bad tipper and you come back to me, you're finished...and don't think you can beat me, cuz you can't. Everybody in the restaurant/bar is gunning for you. The word is out and we're all working in tandem. Believe me, you can't win." Shit like that..just..shit like that.
Don't be a dick, friggin' tip. Especially if you're using the place as your personal little treehouse for hours on end.
Tip for what? Average at best service, or worse? The world doesn't reward mediocrity, it ain't my job to pay them, they have their salary, and if they have a problem with it they can take it up with the person that gives it to them or find a better job somewhere else. I'm not responsible for them. If they give me service I feel deserves something extra, they'll get it. It's not like we just get water or maybe order a drink and that's it. We usually order our drinks, play and chat for a bit, order our food (you know, what we pay for), eat, play a bit more, occasionally order dessert, a smoothie maybe, finish that up, play a lil' more, and leave. But if we're ignored for the majority of the time we're there, having to get up and ask for a refill because no one's even walked over to our table in over an hour you bet your ass I'm not tipping you, you didn't earn it.
I don't see a problem with it as long as the contributions to the topic are relevant. However, I posted some of my thoughts in that thread. It's worth a read anyways
No tip unless you go above and beyond. Refilling my glass without being asked, for instance, or braving wind and rain to deliver me a pizza.
If your an ass to me, then you get nothing and like it, but the service I usally get (90% theres always those douches) is always good and I look at it like this, if I'm too lazy to make my own food, so I come to you (the server and the resturant) to wait on me, I'll give you a tip. I always tip when I go get stuff at the local chinese resturant and local mom and pop pizza place not much like 3 bucks, 4 bucks if I'm in a good mood, and my service has always been awesome. The chinese place throws in all sorts of extra shit and the pizza place asked me when I place my order if I wanted an extra pie some stiffed them with free of charge once. Again, me personally, I dont mind tipping since they are providing a service I could easily do at home for free if I wasnt so lazy.
I think it's mostly a cultural thing whether or not you tip. I know in Denmark tipping is not a common practice and some places it's actually not allowed to tip. You man only say "keep the change" and then it's for the benefit of the company etc. In Germany tipping is generally a common practice - at least what I know of after all my field trips to Germany and having dinner at restaurents. Unfortunately I feel it sometimes is like you have to tip even if you don't feel it's deserved.... therefore I generally do not like tipping at all.
I tip because I want to be served well, not have people mutter "fuck" when they see me. Why become a regular somewhere if you're going to act like that? Way to get a reputation. You don't even want to know how much of their spit you've consumed. Tip, or continue to be treated like shit. Choice is yours. edit: Then again, I can afford to go to better places like Denny's.
Tipping isn't a culture in every country. I have a personal hatred for "mandatory tipping" at restaurants that are so prevalent in US today. Its like you can give crap service and still get the 15-20%. It defeats the purpose of "tipping", with a definition of getting something extra for your efforts now being a mandatory part of salary?
I find it emotionally manipulative. An employer going out of their way to avoid paying minimum wage for their workers, expecting their customers to contribute (tax free) to their wages. No. If you cannot pay your employees the full legally required wage, then you shouldn't be in business.
i look at it this way..if im to F N lazy to cook my own food and i go out to be served i think it warrents the waiter recieving a tip..i dont care if my meal is $10 and i get crapy service..i tip no less than $5..hell i ordered a pizza just one and the delivery guy was shocked that i gave him 8 bucks back..i know these guys and girls bust there asses off on the daily to provide a service and to to be shitted on by inconsiderate douches that short them because they feel like its not their job to pay em IMO is a douche move..put the shoe on the other foot and think how u would feel if the same thing happen to u...this subject is close to my heart because while i dont wait tables i am a public servent(USAF) and i know how it feels to be unappreciated when u give ur all to someone or something and the public just looks at u and says it ur job...it not my ****in job to be treated like shit when im helping u out..case in point ..the town i was stationed at hated military..there was a flood and im out there busting my ass to build sand bag walls and sand bags to keep the river from engulfing these houses..well while im doing this a group of college kids keep talking shit about how they hate the military and y are we here/we dont want or need there help..etc...all the while i continue to save these ****ers houses from the rising river..im soaking wet from the rain/encrusted with sand and mud and after 5-6 hours or these kid saying **** i look at em and say..u know what im out here trying to save ur ****in house if u dont want my help or the militarys then ur ****in house can ****kin flood and i kicked over the wall i was building into the river and walked away....untill u are truely underappreciated u will never understand how it feels..and as a young man in his late teens i did..this is y i tip and tip well...but its not ur duty to pay someones salary...but it is ur duty as a human being to treat people the same way u want to be treated....this is a rule i try to live my life by...
Minimum wage for servers is only a few bucks an hour. Those people rely on tips. If you can't or won't tip, I say stay home and make your own food (or have mom cook for you). I guess if you've never had to rely on tips (I did in high school and college), you wouldn't appreciate it, but like it or not, its customary in this country, and a part of eating out. If nothing else, think of who you're giving it to. Probably someone who needs it more than you do (if they're working as a waiter or waitress). Again, if you think they have it better than you do and therefore don't need tips, you probably shouldn't be eating out.
I always tip 15% or higher depending on service. My, perhaps misinformed, impression is that the server's job and wages are awful, so I feel like it's a personal way of thanking them for their service. That's not to say I'm against paying a little more so the wages are a little more fair; I wouldn't mind not having a arithmetic pop quiz after every meal. Although, I have a feeling if those tips were incorporated into menu prices, people would make an even bigger fuss about it. Perhaps someone who's been on the inside can educate me: how exactly do tips contribute to wages?
I generally tip 15-20%. Get to be known as a good tipper and you'll receive good service. I don't mind tipping at all. Most of these folks work hard, so I can spare a little extra. Poor service gets a crappy tip.
Damn straight. If you don't want to tip, that's fine. Then don't eat at those restaurants and don't order delivery. Try actually working at a job that requires tips before spouting off such tripe. And if you have a problem with the employer paying less than minimum wage to save money, why would you take it out on the employee when you could just not eat there? If you care so much about the way things are, you should actually try to change it instead of bitching about it and shorting your server. Don't want to tip, but still want to eat out at places and order delivery? That's cool, I guess, but if you do that in America that makes you an asshole. If you can deal with that, then I won't argue, but don't try to make it out like it's anything different.
I dislike it when restaurants have a line for tipping in food establishments where service is not being provided. I go to a burrito bar and I'm supposed to tip...whom? Not happening. Everywhere else, where I actually have a server, I tip. I'll do the 15% nearly every time, except when service is great, then I'll do 20%. And for all those servers who like to get up and nasty over the topic, if you're a bad server, you'll still get your $2-3 if you're bad at your job. I will also take the time to contact your manager after I've left and you don't know who I am to ensure that your shit attitude is dealt with.
