O.k., Just wanted to get some opinions on what others thought. I just came back from IHOP and my wife and I were served by a not too thoughtful waiter. He was courteous but we did not have plates, we got napkins from someone else and he brought my wife the wrong drink. Regardless we still left him a 2 dollar tip for about 30 min of service and a 25 dollar bill. Being previously a waiter myself, many years ago, I realize that there is a possibility for great earnings, but have also experienced working my butt off for a table of 9 people to not even get a dollar or sometimes nothing at all with customers who demanded everything and yet left nothing. So I in general, having experienced this; leave a good tip(with good service) but I average 4-7 dollars for a bill of $30-$60 average. dissatisfied with the service in the last several years and with the attitude that some waiter/bartenders have these days it makes it difficult to even want to leave something. We went to a Logans Steakhouse nearby and were seated at a table and a waitress kept passing us up, picking up plates from the table near us but never acknowledged our existence and after about 10 minutes of sitting there with no reaction, i asked the hostess if we could be seated somewhere else. Not only do they seem uninterested in bringing your food, and you sometimes wonder what they did to the food before they served it to you; but once they leave the food they don't bother to check if you need water, straws, ketchup, salt, sugar,napkins, if the food was good or not... and then ;when they see you are about to leave they show up to try to sell you dessert or kiss your butt to get a good tip. That's not my definition of service. So... I have been thinking.. When you go to a restaurant you go for the food and because you want to enjoy the products a particular restaurant is famous or popular for? SO why should you have to pay extra to get the food from the kitchen to your table. It almost seems as if the restaurant should provide the pay for the waiters and tips be only a gratification of outstanding service but not an obligation. When you go to the hospital to have an X-ray you don't give the Technologist a tip for positioning you and getting your films to the doctor, when you go to a Department store for a pair of jeans you don't hand over an extra five bucks at the cash register for scanning your items, or when you get your oil change on your car, you don't give the mechanic a tip for doing a good job. Those should be expected and incorporated into the cost of the meal, the x-rays, the jeans or the oil-change. Although the Hospitality industry does provide jobs for our economy and Mainly young teenagers in high school, it really stinks up the day when the service was not up to par and you have someone with an out-stretched hand feeling like they are entitled to a huge reward for no effort. I think this may be how society is teaching children to be, instant gratification. SO..... TO TIP OR NOT TO TIP????? That is the question.

 

phew, do you feel better getting that off your chest.

I tip if the service is ok. if its great then i tip bigger, if its a cute and friendly waitress then its more likely to be bigger yet, if its the cutes waitress and I'm drunk then it'll be a big tip.
if its crappy service then they get no tip and they know they don't, cus ill ask for the change, even if its a penny.

 

I put myself through collage working in restraunts. So i can relate to what we had to give for service as to the generally poor service that is acceptable now days. It seems to me that it is a reflection of the general work ethic that is preveliant. Not only to North America, Horrible hired help in South America.

I did it once. service was so bad I left half of a five as a tip. Neither one of us could spend the other half. The waiter was probably to dense to see the
insult in that gesture.

Bad service= bad tip. If the food was good and the plate presentation is good i have tipped the cook and not the waiter. Just to express my unhappiness with the service.

 

I often tip the cook if the food was good.
If service is bad, I leave a penny. then if I tip the cook $5 and the server a penny, then lets them know I intend to tip, they just sucked!

 

I do pretty much the same thing. I have been known to write a polite little note to the waiter/waitress in lieu of a tip, explaining that their poor service and disregard for their customers comfort and satisfaction is the reason behind the lack of a tip. I realize that a lot of those folks rely on tips to make a decent wage but if they are so dependant on them they need to learn how to be more accommodating to the customer. Better service = better tips, makes sense to me.

 

Minimum wage for servers in Washington State: $7.35 an hour, Oregon $7.25, Alaska 7.15, California 6.75.

Minimum wage for servers in Texas* and Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming : $2.13 an hour and that's only because of federal law preventing a further shafting of our country's service based workers.

Based on those numbers when I'm home (Texas) it takes alot for me to be that disgusted not to leave something, but in Oregon it won't take as much considering most of the places I travel the meals in the hotels and surrounding areas are as much as an upstanding restaurant here at home. As angered as I get by not being acknowledged, I will wait patiently as long as I KNOW someone has seen me and registered that I need help when they are finished those there before me, it's still hard to say something untill after I get my meal because they have nothing but time and a very obscured view between me and my food. If you have ever waited tables or poured drinks than you have probably remember some of the things you saw (or did yourself). And the industry sucks and I understand having a bad day, I don't need a fake smile to warrent an above average tip, just make sure my drink doesn't stay empty too long. Oh, and one thing that drives me nuts now is since when did people stop coming by to empty the ashtray. Four smokers with one ashtray, add alcohol and it's full in no time. It's a dying service.

 

I usually tip 10% minimum even with bad service if it's a place I go to often just to keep a reputation. I'll tip 20% if the service is good and I've got a pretty low standard for good service.

Concerning IHOP, I've never had a meal there that didn't give me the squirts when I didn't want them. If there ever is such a time. And no, I've been there for lunch, not just after bar close.

-fatz

 

I start out @ 20% and work down from there is the service isnt much. now if I get really lousy service I will go to that restaurants website and rip off a nasty letter to corporate. had a bad time @ Applebees this spring, got off the letter, received a letter from them and a $25 cert. for the next visit. their corp. office even called my home and followed up. the next time we went there the managers kept coming over and asking if everything was fine

 

I usually leave 10% if the service is "okay", and work up from there. If I have to ask for things, I never see them until the bill comes, or their attitude stinks I'll leave 2 cents if I have it, nothing if I don't. I never feel obligated to leave a tip. It's a tip. You either earn it or you don't, but there's no law that says I OWE it...

 

My tips are dependent on how often they refill my water and/or beer.....

 

I typically tip 15% automatically; maybe go a bit down from there if service sucks. My last GF would guilt trip me if I didn't tip well so that sucked. Still tip good with my new GF so I don't look cheap, but I may adjust later.

Oh, but back to your initial post; I think you're right. Higher Pay and Less Tips. Earn it bro.

 

I usually do 20%, and like some else, it has to really suck to not get something. My 20% is usually higher as I hate the change thing. round to the next dollar.

I don't go out much, but can't remember the last time I had service that truely sucked. I think sometimes it is us the customer, that determines the type of service we are going to get from the server. Meaning if we are pleasant and outgoing, or bitchy and moany, service will be equal.

 

I didn't either until two years ago when I went with a buddy that use to manage one. He tipped her and I was like WTF?

 

I've never tipped at sonic. about as close to leaving a tip is when i backed out of the parking spot and left a bunch of mud on the ground.

 

my thoughts on tipping Sonic workers is, "why?" I dont tip mcdonalds lady who takes my order and fills my tray for me, I dont tip the whataburger lady who comes around and offers ketchup or napkins. it is a friggin fast food place, no need to tip, they make minimum wage.